“Judgment and Grace in the Vineyard”
Matthew 21:23-36
A couple of weeks ago we had a very different parable that involved a vineyard – the one about the laborers that arrived at different hours of the day – and yet were all paid the same. It was a picture of the absurd grace of God in continuing to bring workers into his vineyard, and reward them generously. It was really less about the work or the workers, and more about the grace of God.
Today, a very different vineyard parable. Today we have what’s called the parable of
the wicked tenants. It is holy week in
the temple – and the tension between Jesus and the Chief Priests and Scribes
continues to escalate. Now he’s telling
parables against them. They are, in
today’s reading, the wicked tenants.
But not only them.
It’s no accident that Isaiah 5 is our Old Testament reading today – an
oracle about the destruction of the Lord’s vineyard. There the picture is of a man who lovingly
and laboriously builds and plants a vineyard.
Only the best – the most fertile hills – the best choice of vines. He does everything right, gets everything
just so. The perfect conditions for
grapes to grow. Then he waits.
And nothing. Nothing
good, anyway. Only wild grapes – not
good for making wine, or much of anything else.
The man is more than disappointed.
Rather than just abandon this worthless vineyard, he actually
disassembles it – destroys it. It
becomes a waste. A patch of thorns and
weeds. He even commands the clouds not
to rain on it. And now we see. This isn’t just any old man who made a
vineyard. This is the Lord’s
vineyard. And the inhabitants are the
people of Israel.
He had gone to great pains to bring them out of bondage in
Egypt, parting a sea, sustaining them through 40 years of wilderness, driving
out Canaanite enemies before them, and establishing them in the land of promise
– the land flowing with milk and honey.
The vineyard of Israel that he established for his people.
But they rebelled.
They tolerated, they toyed with, they even embraced the false gods of
the nations around them. They worshipped
the Baals, the Asherahs, the Molechs of the world. The leaders were corrupt, preyed on the poor,
and led the people astray. Woe to those
shepherds of Israel. And so when God
came to the vineyard – when he looked for the good fruit of faith:
he looked for justice,
but behold, bloodshed;
for righteousness,
but behold, an outcry
And therefore he pours out his judgment upon them.
Here we have what we might call an Old Testament parable. And Jesus, who was certainly familiar with
the Scriptures – more than that, for they are his very own Word – Jesus seems
to have Isaiah 5 in mind when he retells a very similar parable. Many of the elements are the same. God is, of course, the master and owner of
the vineyard. The people who live in it
are simply tenants. And God’s looking
for fruit from them. But Jesus recasts
the story and sharpens it, even. He
shows forth even more the wickedness of the tenants, and the persistent grace
of the Master.
In Jesus’ Vineyard story, the master sends messengers, over
and over, to try and collect the rent – which is a share of the fruit. But these wicked tenants will not pay. Not only do they refuse to pay the rent, they
treat the servants shamefully, one after the other, escalating their wickedness
each time.
Here we have a picture of the prophets. The messengers of God throughout the ages who
came looking for the fruits of repentance and faith. The prophets – who were treated shamefully,
beaten, imprisoned, and even killed. And
although many of the prophets died in peace, the Apostles of Jesus didn’t have
it so easy. All but John died a martyr’s
death. Today we still say, “don’t kill
the messenger”, because so often the bearer of unwelcome news becomes the brunt
of the angry reaction. And sometimes
even pastors and preachers face such shameful treatment in the very vineyard of
the Lord.
Indeed, it’s not just the ancient Jews who can dishonor the
messenger and reject the message. All of
us are tenants – and we are of two natures.
There’s a wicked tenant in there that would shake his fist at the
master, rebel against his laws, trash the vineyard, and who shows no gratitude
for all the mercy and kindness of the master.
Our Old Adam is a wicked tenant, who’s asserted his own sort of squatter’s
rights, and he won’t be evicted until death.
But there’s also another nature in us – a good tenant who
bears and shares the fruit of repentance and faith. The Christian – the New Man – born by the
grace of God and persistently renewed by the call of God’s messengers. Season after season he calls us to labor and
produces in us the very fruits he requires.
Fruits not of works, but of faith.
And then the good works follow.
But it wouldn’t be this way for us, had the wise and merciful and
persistent master of the vineyard not sent his own Son.
And here is perhaps the strangest part of Jesus’ vineyard
parable. After all the mistreatment of
the messengers, after things went from bad to worse. After the wicked tenants had confirmed their
wickedness through rebellion and violence.
Even then – his patience is not exhausted – but instead he takes a
drastic measure. He sends his own
beloved Son. Perhaps they will respect
him.
No sane earthly father would ever put his own dear son in
the line of fire in such a way. He might
call the authorities. He might muster an
army. But who would send his son, alone,
into the lion’s den of wicked and violent men – knowing that they’ve shown
their true colors before. What did he
think would happen?
And here the parable condemns these wicked scribes and chief
priests who will soon do the same and worse to Jesus. They will shamefully mistreat and kill him,
and cast him out of the city onto a bitter cross of shame. They will reason that the vineyard will be
theirs – when it never was and never could be apart from Christ.
But the parable also invites us to faith – in a master who
is so kind and persistent that he would send his son, even to a scoundrel like
me, and you. That after all we’ve done
to him, all we’ve sinned against him.
After all we’ve failed to pay him what is due – our fear, love and trust
– our obedience and respect. After we’ve
dragged his name and his creation through the mud, tried to make ourselves
little gods in his place. And yes,
sometimes even killing the messenger when he’s tried to correct us. After all of that – he sends his Son.
That Jesus is killed – that the Son dies – is really a
must. For ironically, now in Christ the
inheritance is ours. But not through our
grasping at it, or usurping his kingship.
Bur rather in humble faith in the king of the Jews who rules by serving,
making himself last, lowest, and least.
The stone the builders rejected has become the
capstone. Jesus was rejected but in that
very rejection he is glorified. By his
cross he conquers. He turns the tables
on his enemies, and on the great enemies of sin, death and devil. His enemies, more importantly yours.
And then this last little comparison – that the one who
falls on that stone is broken, but the one it falls upon is crushed. A strange little saying. Jesus of course is the stone. And no one can stand against him or defeat
him. If we fall on him – that is – if we
submit to him, to his word of law – then we must be broken. We must despair of ourselves, and recognize
him as our capstone, our leader, our king.
We must pay him the fruit for which he is looking – the fruits of
repentance and faith.
But if we refuse, it is far worse. For the stone will fall and crush his
enemies. Just as the scribes and chief priests couldn’t be rid of Jesus even by
a cross – nor silence his gospel by persecuting his followers. Just as the serpent who bruised Jesus’ heel
by the cross is himself head-crushed by the woman’s offspring.
While Jesus’ comments today end on a rather harsh note of
law – this isn’t the last word that the Scriptures have on the topic. Consider how Peter picks up the metaphor and
fleshes it out in 1 Peter 2:
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a
cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Thanks be to God for his persistent and amazing mercy to those of us in the vineyard. May we ever receive his Son, Jesus, who is the capstone, and ever be built up in him, by repentance and faith, to the glory of God and in service to our neighbor.
In Jesus’
Name.
No comments:
Post a Comment