KILLING THE MESSENGER(S)
Opening Prayer
All that I have belongs to You, Lord. You are my God.
Read Matthew 21:33–46
The Parable of the Tenants
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
New International Version (NIV)
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Reflect
People are “tenants” on God’s earth in today’s parable. Have you thought of yourself lately as “God’s tenant”?As I was saying, begins Jesus: not only are you like a grumpy teenager, but you are also a really awful tenant. Note what that means: the people he is talking to do not—despite what they may think—own the place. They are there by the grace of the landlord (God). And their track record is not looking good.
They have beaten, killed and stoned the “servants,” who came to collect “fruit” that was due from the vineyard. Think of the servants as the Old Testament prophets, calling God’s people to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly (Mic. 6:8).
But the tenants were not listening. So God sends his Son. Surely that will bring about the desired result? But it does not. They kill him too.
All this, says Jesus, was foreseen in Old Testament times already, quoting from Psalm 118. Beware of assuming that as we are God’s people so all must always go well. The real question is: are we producing the fruit (justice, mercy and so on) that God wants?
Apply
The people in the parable did not recognize God’s “servants” when they came—or the Son. Watch out this week for who God might be sending your way with words you need to hear.
Closing prayer
Lord, may my heart be always open to Your words to me. Soften my heart to hear from You.
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