6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
I see God sending His Son into danger out of an extravagant love and desire to rescue the world. God does not hedge His bets and include a “plan B” if things should go badly. The Son comes to the vineyard vulnerable and unarmed. And He is killed. I hear God saying to me, “This is how I run.”
So if I want to run with God, I can’t be a calculating bet-hedger. This is how I am responding to this text. I am praying for courage to embrace risk in which there is no clear back-up plan. I must admit it is easier to trust in a back-up plan than in God to win the day. My action is confession. My action is prayer for supernatural courage for the inevitable risks that lie ahead.
Jeff Reed, Pastor
Hillside Covenant Church – Walnut Creek
“Bet-hedger.” Good word Jeff. The temptation is to hedge my bet when God speaks a word “against” me – a word of challenge. The temptation is to reject the corrective word with another plan for security. The invitation is to correct the behavior that has been “bet-hedging.” How will I know where that place is? It is the place God’s “extravagant love” calls my selfish self protective plan for “inheritance” – security into account and says, “Trust my Son.”
In this passion week, I will examine were I subconsciously reject the cornerstone and respect the Son for who He is in my life.
What struck me as I read the parable this time through was that the tenants/pharisees were actually on to something: killing the Son made the inheritance available. Not for them, but for those of us who believe–we regain our inheritance through His death and resurrection. What they intended for harm, God intended for good.
Anyway…we have our inheritance in Him, and I am feeling a bit like the prodigal who has been out squandering that inheritance. I hear the challenge to steward wisely what He died to make available for me.
Today I will be intentional about giving out of what has been given me: forgiveness, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, patience, comfort, assurance, etc. In every interaction today, I will try to hear which gift the Father has for the other person through me–what gift to give in that encounter.
“Freely, freely you have received, freely give.”
I’m just glad the landowner didn’t give up on the vineyard and walk away. I’m glad he sent his son into danger for my sake. That ‘extravagant love’ that moves Him just doesn’t make sense to those of us who are worldly minded. We are taught to cut our losses, to move on when things get difficult or when people let us down.
My challenge is to invite God into those difficult places and seek reconciliation and healing rather than walk away and cut my losses. There is no plan B, no back up plan. I want to be all in, as He is all in for me.
Following in His footsteps may and does involve suffering BUT no matter what He makes us the winner in this world and the next. “Thank you Lord.”
This is cool for me how it rolls with yesterday. Yesterday I felt God saying “All in or nothing”. Today I am even more convicted. I am the
king of plan B, as my wife says “you have to stop rowing the boat so God can get in” Today may I listen to where I need to stop rowing my boat and allow God to get in 100%, no back up plan, no escape route. Totally out of my comfort zone!!
I am compelled today by the obedience and security of the son in this parable. We don’t read about his triumphant conversion of the tenants because of his own capabilities (and we know he had some capabilities!). Instead we hear about a son, rooted in who he was, being faithful to carry a message from his father. Today, may I be a humble message bearer, not a capable, calculated conquerer.
“So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase” – I Corinthians 3:7
“But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.” I like how Jesus took advantage of the situation and figured out a way to make a powerful point without getting into trouble … yet. He seems a bit shrewd here. It is a reminder for me that God will protect and that as I submit to His ways (and take risks in that) I can trust that he will protect me when I need to be protected. What risks will I take?