03.10.2013 Journeys to the Cross - The Parable of the Tenants - God's Mercy and Grace

Matt. 21: 33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey. 34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the harvest.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the crowds regarded him as a prophet.
That is our passage as we look at the events that led to the cross. The message and the point of that parable is clear – it is, in one sense, autobiographical – Jesus telling His story through this parable – and it was so clear, that the Pharisees knew He was talking about them.
The landowner is God. Jesus is the Son. The prophets are the servants of the landowner – the tenants are the religious leaders – 3 servants - shows completeness – God sent prophet after prophet – giving Israel opportunity after opportunity – even John the Baptist – and Israel failed to be the people God called them to be. They liked the title – God’s people – or for us – Christians, but God is calling for more than that. We need to act like His children and produce fruit.
Of course, the landowner decides to send his son – and what happens when the Son comes? They had to get rid of the son. They believed that if they could silence the wrong (or right) people – they could have the power. The parable is so simple and obvious – for the next 20 minutes, I would like you to suspend your rational thinking processes – kind of like what you do when you watch sci-fi or reality television. I was going to say, the news, but some might be offended. But forget all that you know about the story – as if you were hearing it for the first time.
The slaves that are sent – 3 slaves – treated progressively worse – then it comes to the son. As we look at the landowner’s actions – you would consider them to be odd – naïve – send a slave, they beat him up, then beat up and embarrass and shame the next two – and then the landowner sends the son – the heir – it may appear foolish! All he has to do is call the authorities – Look – these people aren’t paying what they owe –
I read a story – in the 80s – King Hussein of Jordan – it was revealed that there were 70 military commanders who were plotting an overthrow – they were meeting in a barracks – and it was discovered – should we kill them? No, that will start a civil war. He went to the barracks unarmed and alone – and told them – Kill me if you must – but in order to shed blood and start a civil war, I cannot kill you – and then they pledged their loyalty.
The landowner has every right to display his wrath – but instead, He demonstrates mercy and grace. God’s sacrificial grace is what it cost for us to have life. The father sent His son – the same thing happened for us – unbelievable – it makes little sense – no one would act this way – except someone who is willing to give everything in grace for us.
We’ve been talking about the events that led to the cross – and the Pharisees even recognize He is talking about them – and they are going to kill Him – the most important thing to understand – He chose for this. It was God’s way. You could look at it – the Romans didn’t like it because he claimed to be a king. The Pharisees didn’t like it because they didn’t understand him. The zealots didn’t like Him because He preached peace and not overthrow. But He willingly gave it all. It is on the basis of that grace that we live – that should show how much God cares for us – doing something we would consider outrageous and crazy – to give His son.
After they kill the Son – they don’t inherit the vineyard! Instead, the Jewish nation is destroyed – not to be for another 1900 years. It is all because they didn’t produce the fruit they were called to produce.
There is a second parable – one of the tenants –
Luke 13: 6 Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For three years now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it I find none. Cut it down! Why should it continue to deplete the soil?’ 8 But the worker answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer on it. 9 Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down.’”
God offers chance after chance after change – think of all the chances you were given. In Israel, there is no fruit produced and they are removed.
Jesus’ teaching in the gospel is so filled with grace – this gospel message – that we cannot miss the points – we cannot miss that the salvation God offers is free and there is nothing we can do for it. It is offered freely.
The tree failed to produce and yet he kept working – We start to think we deserve something.
By grace you are saved through faith…not of your own works that no one should boast. It is God and all God – grace given freely.
But then these parables tell us something else – it is so filled with good works and the importance of producing fruit – that we cannot miss the point – a person – it is clear – a person who has genuinely received grace will live it. Anyone who is genuine – the idea that we can receive grace and just keep doing whatever we want is not found anywhere in the Bible. Our lives should change on the inside and that demands transformation of who we are. What He is telling them: You cannot continue as you are because of all the grace that has been offered you. You need to produce the life that is offered in grace – you need to begin performing the works – those things are not contradictory – it is like two sides of a coin – if you have experienced God’s grace, you will demonstrate a life that bears fruit. As you read through the gospels – what does this fruit look like? In many ways, Jesus tells them to produce fruit – and judgment comes when they don’t produce some aspect of fruit. You can tell – if you are under grace or under judgment – by how you live. An apple tree produces apples – no good tree produces bad fruit.
Paul says to work out your salvation by fear and trembling – we are not saved by fear and trembling - but we work it out.
Luke 4: 16 Now Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and the regaining of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to tell them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”
Jesus tells this story – this gospel message – Him dying on the cross for our sins that we might freely come into relationship with Him. Good news to the poor – proclaim release to the captives, regaining of sight to the blind – Jesus lays out what it looks like – to proclaim good news and to live a life under grace. Someone who has been brought into grace is to relieve human suffering – proclaiming the message that relieves suffering – to the poor – to the captives – to the blind – setting free. Compassion – a life of compassion – if you knew what this means – I desire compassion, not sacrifice.
Fruit is first seen as we proclaim the good news – that is part of what it means – to be a Christian – part of the fruit is being able to proclaim the good news – to speak it forth as God gives opportunity – this is a responsibility of the Christian life. We all have ways in which this happens that fit with who we are. He wants us to take that responsibility – and then to live it. Through our own lives. Preaching and living – communicating and acting – and the two go hand in hand – relieving suffering and living for justice – setting the oppressed free. Recognize the needs in our world and see it as your responsibility to bear fruit for the kingdom – to make that happen here – compassion and justice – here - in our lives.
To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor – in the 50th year – all debt is forgiven and land is returned to its original owners.
He has called us to live a life of compassion – relieving suffering. And to live a life to release people’s debts – yes, we live under a different economic system – but the debt of love – sins that have been committed against you – wounds we have received – to forgive our debtors.

Let's pray...