The Vineyard

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
Luke 20 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
9 And He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. 10 At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out. 13 The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that 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 destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!” 17 But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,
THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER STONE’?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

319 The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them. (Luke 20:9-19, NASB)


REFLECTIONS:
As a grandparent, I am watching my granddaughter grow up before my eyes.  She will be 3 at the end of this month and everything is MINE.  As children grow up, they begin to learn to share and that the world does not revolve around them constantly.  It is part of the maturing process.   She has to realize she has a purpose in God’s Kingdom and God has that purpose well in hand, but there will come a day that she will need to respond to it rather than holding onto her WAY and MY stuff.  That is something that the nation of Israel never learned.  They were the “chosen” people and they internalized that idea but never went to the question…  “WHY am I Chosen?”   The scriptures state over and over that the purpose for Israel was to bless the WHOLE EARTH, even Gentiles.   But they held onto the distinction to make themselves higher and better than everyone else, even to exclusion OF THE ONE WHO CHOSE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.   They took ownership of what was not theirs to have.  Their leaders became corrupt with this virus and even captivity by many enemies, could not change this pattern.  God sent Prophet after Prophet and they would not hear them.  They clung to exclusivity even to the point where they did not recognize THEIR OWN MESSIAH.   He didn’t fit the pattern, he didn’t think the way they thought, and he didn’t PERFORM like THEY wanted him to.   They missed the point completely.   Jesus bluntly uses this parable to show them the error of their mindset.  Since God sent his Son, and they rejected HIM,  what was there left for God to do?   It would cost God everything to salvage the mess.  His own Son would have to die to reset the pattern.  NOW, you MUST believe in HIS SON and HIS WAYS or you will not be in the Kingdom of God…period.  He is now the Chief Cornerstone in the Building of a new Temple.  One that is full of living stones.  You and Me.  But we are still charged with the same mandate. Peter further emphasizes this in 1 Peter 2:4-10— 

4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture: 

“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 

7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, 

"THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED,

THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER STONE," 

8 and, 

"A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE"; 

for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed. 

9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD'S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

 

POINT OF ACTION:
We live in a Kingdom ruled by Jesus and he has extended LOVE and MERCY for our disobedience, but that does not negate our need to run to him in repentance and learn from HIM what our purpose is and then delight in what pleases HIM.  We are faced with the same choice Israel faced.  Why am I “chosen”?  Are we going to keep it for ourselves or give it to the world?  Choose wisely…


PRAYER:
Lord, You have filled us with a multitude of good gifts and much grace, help me to give them away today.  May I see the harvest, fields white, just waiting for one word that You have given me FOR THEM.  Just as you gave Yourself FOR us, let me learn to bless the world with what You have given me.  Let my hands be the one to harvest the grapes and fill the basket when You come to claim what is ALL Yours.  


WHO AM I?
I am June Criner, and Spring is one of my favorite seasons.  As a gardener, I love to see the small green shoots fly out of a branch that looks dead.  Spring is a picture of Resurrection.  Life from Death.  Look at nature and learn that only God could have manufactured this season.  Thank you Lord that no matter how dead we look or feel, Resurrection and Redemption is what you are ALL about… Good News!!!