The Evil Farmers - 7 April 2009
33 “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 34 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. 35 But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. 37 “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ 38 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 39 So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him. 40 “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” 41 The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” Matthew 21:33-46 NLT
The second of Jesus parables does not pack its punches, it must have been so obvious to the Sadducees and Pharisees what Jesus meant. He is saying ‘Your ancestors murdered the voices of God in the prophets and now you are going to murder me’
I wonder if they recognised themselves. Were they thinking what most likely you and I are thinking as we read this. ‘We are enlightened now; we wouldn’t do anything like that.’
But as I think of it, I think of the injustices that the Christian church has perpetrated, the wars it has supported, the exclusions it has made and the prejudice it has exhibited and I say ‘There but for the grace of God go I’
Today our challenge is to look within ourselves and see our own prejudices, and our own inability to listen to the voice of God. They may be the voices of our parents or our own fears and insecurities. Who do we hate and why?
And to ask God to have mercy on us for what we are capable of doing. |
