Luke 20:9-19
9 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’
14 “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”
17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
“ ‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. [1]
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As Luke points out this parable was directed at the teachers of the law and the chief priests. But it has a powerful lesson for us today, and one that I think is relevant to this past week, and the aftermath of earthquake.
What was the problem with the tenants? Yes, they were wicked and violent, but at the root of it was the fact that they didn’t want to see themselves as tenants, but as owners. In fact in verse 14 their ultimate aim is mentioned, to gain the vineyard for themselves. But the fact is that they had already been acting as though the vineyard was theirs. They had completely lost sight of, or had intentionally rejected the notion that they were not owners of the vineyard, but tenants and workers.
It’s about ownership, and giving the true owner His due.
Who owns our stuff? The broken plates and shattered glasses? Our shaken houses? Our spared houses? I’ve heard it said by many people this week, “It’s just stuff,” referring to all the broken and lost items. That’s true. But it’s also healthy to keep in mind that it’s not really our stuff at all.
But what’s true about our things is also true about our lives. My time is not my time; it’s God. My ministry is not mine; it’s God. My family is not mine; it’s his. My frayed nerves are His. He is God; I’m not. He’s in control; I’m not. He has given me things, tangible and intangible. And if those things are gone, I’ll be fine. I want to be more focused on the giver than the gifts.
And that brings us back to the parable. The vineyard belonged to the owner. He wanted the tenants to give him some of the fruit. I can’t help but see this as a call to remember that the vineyards of our lives, our stuff and our times, our dreams, plans, occupations, and so forth, all belong to God, and he calls us to give him some of the fruit. To honor Him with it. To be mindful that it is His.
So my prayer today is first of all a thanksgiving for God’s provision (Think Lord’s prayer hexagon!) even in a time of loss. But also that I look at that provision rightly. It comes from Him, belongs to Him, and is entrusted to me for my good, for the good of others, and for his glory. So I pray that I keep this in focus on this day, His day,that He has given me.
[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Lk 20:9–19). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.