City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

¹³ “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ ¹⁴ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ ¹⁵ So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”

And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!”

¹⁷ Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone’?

¹⁸ Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

Luke 20:13-18

Reflection

It has always struck me as interesting that this parable includes both Christmas and Easter.  The owner sending his “beloved” son clearly points to Christmas.  And the fact that the wicked vinedressers kill the son clearly points to Easter.  Here we have the whole gospel in one parable.  No Santa Claus or Easter Bunny included.

Since I have Christmas close at hand, I’d like to stick with it.  Think of the landowner.  He has a field, which in previous parables represented the world, but in this case Jesus is more focused on Israel and the leaders of His people.  He hires people to work the land, like those who were given talents.  And he is willing to sell all to redeem the land, and the workers.  This landowner would clearly be justified if He decided to kick the vinedressers out after the first messenger came, but he doesn’t.  He sends messenger after messenger, hoping that things would be set right.  He is showing something that we have all heard of but struggle to understand or practice.  Patience.  God’s slowness to anger and forbearance of sin is on full display.

When he gets to the point of deciding to send His son, look at His thinking.  He seems to be relying of a common understanding of what is right.  I think Jesus is appealing to what everyone understand would be right behavior.  As the messengers have come, the game of collecting rent is at one level, but when the Son comes, the “oughtness” of the situation has been moved to another level.  This is no longer just a business transaction.  This is a question of the progeny of the landowner.  Questions of “who will continue my line” and “where shall I stand in history” are front and center.  In each man and woman’s life, the question of the “oughtness” of the universe hangs in judgement.  This point is so true that even the rocks and trees understand it.

When child is born, it arrives with a note that says, “love me, feed me, and give me all of your money.”  This is something everyone understand intuitively.  As parents, we not only understand this, but we work our whole lives to prepare that child to take on the work.  So, when a parent loses a child, there is an interruption in the natural flow of things.  All expectations are shattered, and the injury to hope can be devastating. 

So, when this landowner discovers that His child, His only child, has been killed by these renters, the days of patience end.  And everyone understands this, hence the leaders “certainly not” reaction.

Application

I think we all understand the fate of these wicked vinedressers.  So, I’d like to point you to hope.  Their fate need not be yours.  God is still sending messengers and His Son is still alive.  They bring a message of redemption and a message of a transformed life.  It is God intent to work in your life for good and not for evil.  It is for you to turn your heart to the chief cornerstone and to let Him break you of your pride.  In doing this you will be accepting Jesus as the authority in your life and true change can take place.  Friendship, according to the original manufacturer’s specification, can be yours.  And these remaining things, faith, hope, and love, will be written as your name.

One my favorite song is “Welcome to our World” by Chris Rice.  Find the words and read along as he sings it.  Here’s a verse that I always find deeply touching:

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I thank You for Christmas, Easter, and all the messengers you have sent into my life.  I turn my heart to you in true and hope.  I pray your renewal my life, my family, my church, and the world.  In my heart Jesus I still say, Welcome to my world.  Amen.