The Wicked Tenants

Fifth Sunday in Lent 2016 Year C

In Jesus' story, the landowner is God and the tenants are the people of Israel.  This is the story of Israel.  God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and made them his people.  God made the Israelites into a nation.  God told the Israelites how he wanted them to behave, but he left them lots of freedom.  What a God!

It’s important to remember that this parable was given specifically to the religious leaders of Israel. The messengers represent the Old Testament prophets. God sent numerous prophets to Israel to warn them of the dangers of rejecting God authority over their lives. Most of the prophets were abused and hated when they were alive. - Elijah was threatened by a wicked queen,

- Jeremiah was thrown into a pit to die, and - Amos was scorned and ridiculed. The messages of the prophets were never valued until years after they died. Someone once said, “Prophets, poets, and pigs have one thing in common—they aren’t truly appreciated until they’re dead.”

But despite their miserable treatment, God continued to send his prophets—warning Israel to repent and return to God. God demonstrated surprising patience with them. Hasn’t he done the same for you?

Those times you sworn his name in vain? God could have blown up at you. But he didn’t. God was patient.
Those thousand sunsets you never thanked him for? He could have put you on beauty rations. But he didn’t. God was patient with you.
Those Sundays you didn’t come to church because you preferred to sleep in? God didn’t abandon you. God was patient.  

All those times you’ve rejected his affection, rejected his invitation, or accepted him with your lips but walked out that door and denied him in the world; surely God has ample reason to unleash his anger. But he doesn’t. Why? Because “God is being patient with you” (2 Peter 3:9 )

God’s patience really is wonderful. It’s not going to run out in ten seconds or ten centuries. In other words, God isn’t going to give up on you. He understands your faults and failings. He’s not only a God of second chances, but third chances and fourth chances too. He will give us every possible opportunity, to repent and return to him.

Returning to Jesus’ story, the tenants are the Priests and the elders. They are mad at Jesus, but they care of what the crowds think of him. The crowds think Jesus is a prophet.  The religious leaders don't dare touch Jesus for fear of the crowds. 

But their day will come.  It won't be long before they will drag Jesus outside Jerusalem––just as the tenants dragged the son out of the vineyard so they wouldn't soil the ground with his blood––and they will crucify Jesus there, on the outskirts of Jerusalem.  It will take the priests awhile to get the crowds to go along with that scheme, but it will happen.

So what does this story have to do with us?  What does it take for us to become new tenants?

For us, the new tenants, it means that God also holds us accountable––just as he held the original tenants accountable: 

• It means that, while we serve a loving, forgiving God, there are limits beyond which we cannot rebel without suffering the consequences. 

• It means that, with the gift, comes responsibility. 

• It means that we had better not take God for granted.

This parable is about people who squandered a spiritual inheritance and about us, because we are the new tenants of the vineyard.  We, the church, are the stewards of the good news.  This parable tells us that God will hold us accountable for our stewardship of the good news. 

So God has made us stewards of the good news, and expects us to be faithful.  What would that look like?  What would life look like for a faithful servant of God?

• First, it means trusting Jesus and follow him.  It means, letting Jesus set the direction for our lives.

• Second, it means spreading the good news and modeling Jesus’ life into ours. Studying, living and modeling what the Bible says rather than what we wished it said.  It means schooling our children in Christian formation.  It means, living a Christian lifestyle sustained by prayer to find out what God want us to do to please him. 

• Third, it means reaching out to others as agents of God's love.  It means feeding the hungry, giving a cup of water to someone who is thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and those in prison––in other words, looking after those who are vulnerable and in need (Matthew 25:31-46).

So let us be faithful.  Let us serve God with ready hands and faithful hearts.  Let us be faithful stewards of the good news to one and another and to the world.

In Jesus' story, the landowner is God and the tenants are the people of Israel.  This is the story of Israel.  God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and made them his people.  God made the Israelites into a nation.  God told the Israelites how he wanted them to behave, but he left them lots of freedom.  What a God!

It’s important to remember that this parable was given specifically to the religious leaders of Israel. The messengers represent the Old Testament prophets. God sent numerous prophets to Israel to warn them of the dangers of rejecting God authority over their lives. Most of the prophets were abused and hated when they were alive. - Elijah was threatened by a wicked queen,

- Jeremiah was thrown into a pit to die, and - Amos was scorned and ridiculed. The messages of the prophets were never valued until years after they died. Someone once said, “Prophets, poets, and pigs have one thing in common—they aren’t truly appreciated until they’re dead.”

But despite their miserable treatment, God continued to send his prophets—warning Israel to repent and return to God. God demonstrated surprising patience with them. Hasn’t he done the same for you?

Those times you sworn his name in vain? God could have blown up at you. But he didn’t. God was patient.
Those thousand sunsets you never thanked him for? He could have put you on beauty rations. But he didn’t. God was patient with you.
Those Sundays you didn’t come to church because you preferred to sleep in? God didn’t abandon you. God was patient.  

All those times you’ve rejected his affection, rejected his invitation, or accepted him with your lips but walked out that door and denied him in the world; surely God has ample reason to unleash his anger. But he doesn’t. Why? Because “God is being patient with you” (2 Peter 3:9 )

God’s patience really is wonderful. It’s not going to run out in ten seconds or ten centuries. In other words, God isn’t going to give up on you. He understands your faults and failings. He’s not only a God of second chances, but third chances and fourth chances too. He will give us every possible opportunity, to repent and return to him.

Returning to Jesus’ story, the tenants are the Priests and the elders. They are mad at Jesus, but they care of what the crowds think of him. The crowds think Jesus is a prophet.  The religious leaders don't dare touch Jesus for fear of the crowds. 

But their day will come.  It won't be long before they will drag Jesus outside Jerusalem––just as the tenants dragged the son out of the vineyard so they wouldn't soil the ground with his blood––and they will crucify Jesus there, on the outskirts of Jerusalem.  It will take the priests awhile to get the crowds to go along with that scheme, but it will happen.

So what does this story have to do with us?  What does it take for us to become new tenants?

For us, the new tenants, it means that God also holds us accountable––just as he held the original tenants accountable: 

• It means that, while we serve a loving, forgiving God, there are limits beyond which we cannot rebel without suffering the consequences. 

• It means that, with the gift, comes responsibility. 

• It means that we had better not take God for granted.

This parable is about people who squandered a spiritual inheritance and about us, because we are the new tenants of the vineyard.  We, the church, are the stewards of the good news.  This parable tells us that God will hold us accountable for our stewardship of the good news. 

So God has made us stewards of the good news, and expects us to be faithful.  What would that look like?  What would life look like for a faithful servant of God?

• First, it means trusting Jesus and follow him.  It means, letting Jesus set the direction for our lives.

• Second, it means spreading the good news and modeling Jesus’ life into ours. Studying, living and modeling what the Bible says rather than what we wished it said.  It means schooling our children in Christian formation.  It means, living a Christian lifestyle sustained by prayer to find out what God want us to do to please him. 

• Third, it means reaching out to others as agents of God's love.  It means feeding the hungry, giving a cup of water to someone who is thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and those in prison––in other words, looking after those who are vulnerable and in need (Matthew 25:31-46).

So let us be faithful.  Let us serve God with ready hands and faithful hearts.  Let us be faithful stewards of the good news to one and another and to the world.