Read Today’s Reading »

+++++++

Jesus’ parable is a timely reminder of what we have. Jesus’ parable makes one thing clear: God didn’t give us the good news of Jesus so that we could sit on it. That’s how we have a tendency to act–as if the good news of Jesus is like a life insurance policy: you fill out the paperwork, put it in a safety deposit box, and forget about it until you die. But God didn’t give us the good news of Jesus so that we could do that. The kingdom of God was taken away from others and given to us, so that we’ll bear its fruit. God gave us the good news of Jesus Christ so that we would abound in joy at the goodness and mercy of God, and that that joy would overflow into love and care for others. God gave us the good news of Jesus Christ, so that we would put it to work every day of our lives. 

The parable is about the master of a house who plants a vineyard, fills it with every good thing, and then leases it to some tenants. And then when the season comes for fruit, the master of the house sends his servants to get his fruit. But the tenants won’t give him the fruit. They take his servants, beat one and kill another. So the master of the house sends more servants. And they do the same. Finally, he thinks, “I know, I’ll send my son. Certainly they will respect him.” But when they see the son, they think, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.” And that’s what they do. So, Jesus asks, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those wicked tenants?” And the answer is clear. “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” 

 Who is this parable about? It’s about the people of Israel, especially the leaders of Jesus’ day, the Pharisees and the chief priests. 

 God gave the people of Israel every good thing. God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. God brought them through the wilderness where he fed them day in and day out with manna in the morning and quail in the evening. God put them in the promised land flowing with milk and honey and every good thing. And why did God do this? Why did God shower his goodness and love on them? So that they would produce fruit. So that they would abound in joy at the goodness and mercy of God, and so that that joy would overflow into love and care for others. Or, as the Catechism puts it, to thank and praise, serve and obey him. 

 But what did they do instead? They acted as if there were no God. When God fed them in the wilderness with manna, they complained that they didn’t have leeks and onions and all the bounty of Egypt. When God brought them into the land, they didn’t trust that God would provide. They hoarded the abundance of the land for themselves and kicked the poor to the curb. And when a little trouble arose, they didn’t call on God for help. They turned to other nations and worshiped their gods. As Isaiah says, “the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!” 

 So what did God do? He doubled down on his goodness and mercy by sending his own Son. Jesus came in the power and goodness of God proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. And he healed the sick, he cast out demons, he gave sight to the blind, he made the lame walk, he forgave sinners their sins, and he raised the dead. 

 And what did the people of Israel do? You would think that they would finally produce the fruits of the kingdom. You would think that they finally would have abounded with joy at the abundant goodness and mercy of God, and that that joy would have overflowed into the fruits of love and care for others. But that’s not what happened. The Pharisees and chief priests, especially, only hardened their hearts all the more. When Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors, they didn’t rejoice at God’s grace. They grumbled that he would give sinners such mercy. When Jesus healed the lame, the sick and the blind, they didn’t praise God for his great compassion. They complained that Jesus didn’t keep the traditions of the elders and wash his hands. When Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple and started to heal the lame and the blind instead, they didn’t rejoice that God’s healing presence was filling the temple. They plotted a way to kill Jesus, and, with the help of the Romans, that’s exactly what they did. 

 And so, what did God do? Jesus tells us, “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and give to a people producing its fruits.” God is bound and determined to give his goodness and mercy in Jesus Christ to someone who wants it. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” God is bound and determined to give the kingdom of his Son to someone who will abound in joy at the goodness and mercy of God, and in joy, overflow in love and care for others. Or, as the Catechism puts it, thank and praise, serve and obey him. 

 That’s why the good news of Jesus has come to us. In baptism, God has joined us to his Son Jesus Christ, promising us that just as God raised Jesus from the dead, so too will God raise us from the dead, so that we might rejoice in the goodness and mercy of God. Week in and week out, Jesus gives us his body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins, so that we might thank and praise God that no matter what else is going on, Jesus loves us, he has given his life for us, and he’ll never let us go. God gives us his Word in the Scriptures so that we might overflow in confidence that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. The kingdom of God was taken away from others and given to us, so that we’ll bear its fruit. 

 And that’s a timely reminder of what we have. 

 It’s timely because life is overwhelming. No matter what we do or how hard we try, there is nothing that can keep us from being caught up in some sin or lost in our own mistakes and failures. There’s nothing that can keep us from receiving a terminal diagnosis, or from suffering constant, unending pain. We can’t out maneuver being caught in the dark spiral of depression and anxiety. No matter what we do or how hard we try, there’s nothing that can keep our loved ones from getting sick or even dying. There’s nothing we can do to make sure our children won’t suffer difficulties or experience the pain and brokenness of sin. Life is overwhelming. 

 And it’s tempting to respond with anger, and despair, and impatience, as if nothing is right and everything sucks and is unbearable.  

But God didn’t give us the good news of Jesus Christ so that we would sit on it. The kingdom of God was taken away from others and given to us, so that we’ll bear its fruit. God gave us the good news of Jesus Christ so that we would abound in joy at the goodness and mercy of God, and that that joy would overflow into love and care for others. God gave us the good news of Jesus Christ so that we would put it to work—every day. 

 God gave us the kingdom so that rather than despair, we would pray. That’s what you do when you know that God is abounding in steadfast love and mercy. You turn to him when things go wrong. Our natural response when things go wrong is to take it as a sign that God is far away and doesn’t care. But why should we think that God doesn’t care in all of this? God gave us his own Son! And so why wouldn’t we turn to him for help, trusting that God will give us what’s good. 

 God gave us the kingdom so that rather than get angry, we would do good. That’s what you do when you know that God is abounding in steadfast love and mercy. You do good whenever the opportunity arises. When everything is going wrong, our natural response is to lash out at the people who are causing it, even the score, and give people what they deserve. But why do we need to worry about evening the score and giving people what they deserve. We know that Jesus loves us, he has given his life for us, and he will never let us go. So we can worry about doing what is honorable in the sight of all. 

 God gave us the kingdom so that rather than lose our patience, we would endure with hope. When we can’t see how it’s all going to work out, it’s easy to think that there is no future, and that makes the present suffering unbearable. But even if we can’t see how it’s going to work out, we know that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. And so we can take it one day at a time, confident that God will work things together for good in the end. 

 God gave us the good news of Jesus Christ so that we would abound in joy at the goodness and mercy of God, and that that joy would overflow into love and care for others. There’s no better time to put that to work than today.  

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen. 

+++++++

Today’s Reading…

Matthew 21.33-46

³³ “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. ³⁴ When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. ³⁵ And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 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 us kill him and have his inheritance.’ ³⁹ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹ They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

⁴³ Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. ⁴⁴ And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.