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The Parables
of Matthew
Love Without
Limits
Matthew
21:33-46
Introduction: Surveying The Landscape
Scene 1 – Dealing With The Servants
I’ve been waiting for you.
Come up into the tower we built so we can get a good view. From here we can see
the entire vineyard. It’s a magnificent view, isn’t it? It’s so incredible I’ve
been thinking we might be able to put together a vacation package for people to
visit wine country. Before we can do that, however, I suppose we’ll have to
settle the ownership issue for the land. We’ve been here on this land for five
years now. We cleared the land. Remember what it looked like when we first
started clearing away the stumps and dealing with all the weeds? Look at the
rows of grapes now. The vines are so strong and healthy and the grapes are just
about harvested. I can’t believe how beautiful it is—row after row neatly
arranged and carefully cultivated to be the very best.
The wall we built is
straight and true. Remember how we placed stone upon stone? It certainly does
its job marking the property boundaries and keeping out predators. The wine vat
is one of the best around. Everybody says so. We built it with just the right
amount of elevation for the upper portion where we tramp the juice out of the
grapes to run down into the lower tank where we collect it.
We really have done a good
job laying out the vineyard and managing the vines. We’ve invested a lot of
hard work under the hot, baking sun. It’s been worth it. The harvest is here. It
looks like the best crop ever. The sugar content in the grapes promises to make
this a year that will go down as a prizewinner.
Everything we see really
belongs to us. Sure, someone else actually owns the land, but we’ve done the
work. The land was useless until we did all that back-breaking work. The laws
of ownership may say that this year—after five years—we’re required to give
one-third of the profit to the landowner, but maybe he’ll forget. It’s
certainly not fair, but it’s the law. Yeah, maybe he’ll forget. We can hope,
right?
Let’s enjoy the view for
just a little while longer. Then, we can get back to work. Did you notice how
you can even see the pass where travelers come over the top of the hill? No one
will ever be able to sneak in here and steal the crop. Look! There’s someone
coming. Do you think? I’m afraid you’re right. It looks like one of the owner’s
messengers coming to collect his 33%. I really don’t want to give it to him.
What’s that? You think we should beat him and send him back with the message
that it all belongs to us. That’s kind of drastic, but the only other thing we
can do is give him the money. Let’s get some of the other workers to help us.
I’ll meet you back here after we’re done.
Scene 2 – Killing The Son
Thanks for meeting me here
again. This has become a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. I
really thought when we beat the first messenger and sent him back that the
owner would understand we mean business. The problem is he knows us better than
we thought he did. Can you believe he had another messenger on the way almost
before we had finished with the first messenger? We may have gotten a little
carried away when we killed him, but how else is that owner going to
understand?
I’m thinking he may be
getting the message. We stoned the third messenger. And, we were ready when he
sent that group of messengers. They should be back there by now—at least the
ones who can still walk. I really think he’ll know this time.
I don’t believe it! Here
comes someone else. Won’t he ever give up? This person looks different. He’s
not dressed like the others were. Do you think? No, he would never. It is! He’s
sent his son. Does he really think after everything we’ve already done that
this is going to make a difference? This is exactly what we’ve been waiting for.
If we kill the son, this really will all be ours. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha! The owner is
so stupid. This is really going to be good. Let’s go do it!
The Purpose of the Story
Hopefully, our experience
inside the hearts of the greedy vineyard workers helps us to sense the impact
of Jesus’ story. Jesus told the story with an obvious audience in mind and a point
to make.
The Vineyard Is Israel
The messengers were the prophets
sent by God to Israel to claim His ownership and the fruit of the harvest of
righteousness. The prophets came proclaiming, “Thus saith the Lord God
Almighty!” They had been rejected, beaten, stoned and killed. In spite of that,
God faithfully continued to send others.
The prophets had all been
eliminated. There is a point after the book of Malachi is written known in
Jewish history as the 400 years of silence. The religious leaders were securely
entrenched. They had made the religion of the people a religious system that
served their needs above the needs of the people and with little thought for
the glory and honor of God.
Then the silence was broken.
First, it was John, dressed weirdly and eating things even more weird, who came
proclaiming the need for repentance and announcing the coming of the Lamb of
God. Now a rabbi, really a carpenter from Nazareth of all places, had ridden
into Jerusalem a few days ago to the popular acclaim of the crowd. They were
threatened and didn’t like it.
The Warning Is Clear
For the Jewish religious
leaders the story Jesus tells is a frightening introduction to themselves. The
clear warning is: They had rejected the
one who was the capstone who would complete the picture of the revelation of
God’s love. He would be the reason for their downfall.
Return To The Tower
What Is The Vineyard For You?
Return to the tower with
me. The time and place have changed. The vineyard now is our world in our time
where we live. The images are very different but the message is the same. What is the
vineyard for you? Where does God send His messengers to lovingly call you to acknowledge
His ownership?
·
It may be our life, plans and future
·
It may be a loved one or family
·
It may be our image, career or position
·
It may be our investments, property, or the
rewards of our success
With any and all of these
God sends us reminders that they are gifts from Him.
When Did The Transition Take Place?
All of this leads me to
wonder when the transition took place? “What transition is that?” you wonder. The one where what was His became ours and
finally mine. When did that transition take place for you?
It happens subtly, but
quickly. We begin to act as if the vineyard is ours. We hesitate to acknowledge
the owner for actually creating the vineyard. We begin to think—even
believe—it’s the result of our hard work and careful planning.
Jesus’ words rattle us—or at least they should. More than we care to admit they match the way we live
for ourselves. We definitely don’t want to admit that to God.
You stand now at the
center of the stage in this story. You wonder:
·
How have I responded to the repeated reminders
of God’s ownership?
·
How have I done away with those who tried
to remind me? Have I ignored them? Or, have I shifted my attention to focus
on others who certainly need to hear this message from Jesus far more than
I do?
·
How do the records found in my checkbook and
calendar reflect my recognition of God’s ownership?
We breathe a sigh of
grateful relief when we see that there is no mention of 33% being paid to the
owner in the story as told by Jesus. It only says the owner sent his servants
to the tenants to collect his fruit. Thankfully, 33% is a number based on the legal
regulations found in the historical records. We aren’t subject to Jewish law. We struggle
enough as it is with the idea of 10%, don’t we?
The bigger problem for us
as we begin to see ourselves in the story is that most of the areas where God
deals with us about ownership are often an
all or nothing deal. It either all belongs to Him or nothing belongs to Him. As
we stand in the tower and take in the landscape that is our lives we stand
ready to consider the truth for ourselves—as it applies to our lives.
Observations Made From The Tower
1st Observation: We Comprehend
The Preeminent Privilege That Is Ours
Take a minute and feel
your pulse. Your heart beats and the life-giving blood flows through your body.
Breathe and enjoy the oxygen your body takes in while also exhaling the carbon
dioxide that would be deadly if allowed to collect. Consider the wonder of each
and every thought that forms in your mind and works its way into action. Marvel
at the emotions God designed for human beings. Of all the creatures God
created, only human beings can experience the thrill of victory and the agony
of defeat. And, of all the creatures God created, only human beings have the
ability of deciding what path they will follow in life.
God has given us everything we need for life. Just as the landowner provided all the resources
needed to produce an abundant harvest of grapes, God has equipped us to live.
God leaves nothing out. We enjoy that awesome privilege each and every day.
2nd Observation: We Accept His
Providential Oversight
God weaves everything
together to make us the person He wants us to be. He gives us our basic
personality. He guides the development of the passions of our hearts. He
unfolds a series of experiences—both positive and negative—that influence who
we are. When we become one of His children by accepting Christ as His Son and
our Savior, He gives us each at least one special, spiritual gift. He writes
the script, He builds the theatre, He directs the affairs and He manages the
stage.
All of it is for the purpose that we might praise Him
and honor Him with the way we live.
3rd Observation: We Admit The
Danger of Selfishness
As we stand in the tower
we are forced to admit how tragic it is when we reach the point of viewing the
vineyard as our own. The personal
pronoun “my” takes on dangerous proportions. But, it happens almost
unnoticed—even when it involves serving God. We start out doing the ministry He
has given to us for Him. Next, we want the Lord to work for us as we do our
ministry. Finally, the Lord is totally out of it as I do my ministry.
We work hard, we live good
lives, we act responsibly and we develop a good reputation of being
responsible. The focus, however, has been lost. What we do; we do for ourselves.
God is the one who gives
us every good and perfect gift. In return, He desires our praise and adoration.
That’s it. The more we adore Him, the
more He will entrust to us. God searches for people who will humbly
acknowledge Him as the source of every blessing that He longs to lavish upon
us. At the core of sin is nothing more than rebellion that seeks glory for
ourselves—the glory that should go to God.
4th Observation: We Acknowledge
That God’s Justice Is Just
There comes a time in the
life of every believer where the ownership issue must be settled. Who owns the
vineyard? If the Lord isn’t given ownership, the vineyard may be repossessed.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem to be crucified, it was all part of God repossessing
the vineyard from those who increasingly claimed it as their own.
We see the same thing
happening in our lives.
It happens to the pastor
who refuses to be accountable to anyone. He grows increasingly distant from
God, thinking that what He preaches applies to everyone but him. Soon, he
crosses lines that leave him removed from his church, possibly separated from
his family and wondering what happened.
We see it in parents who
treat their children like any other piece of property. The only thing that
really matters is the child’s performance because it reflects on the parent’s
ability. When the child rebels the parent is mystified by how the child can be
so disrespectful.
It happens with partners who
insist on changing the other person. Rather than lovingly prompting new and
improved behaviors, control is exerted hoping to produce (seeking to force?)
change. When the partner announces a new found love interest, anger and
bitterness are the primary reaction.
These examples are
instructive. They are a reminder that
actions have consequences. God acts justly—and patiently—when we reject His
ownership.
Jesus leaves no doubt. He
sounds the warning.
Therefore
I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from
you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who
falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom
it falls will be crushed. Matthew 21:43-44 NIV
The amazing thing is that
the Jewish religious leaders understood that Jesus was talking about their
reaction to Him. They knew their part in the story as the rebellious tenants.
When
the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables,
they knew he was talking about them.
Matthew 21:45 NIV
There was no change or
repentance. They only deepened in their desire to kill Jesus.
They
looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the
crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. Matthew 21:46 NIV
This sounds hard and it
sounds final. Let’s climb back into the tower for one more look. We need to
make one more observation as we see another figure moving through the pass and
approaching us. As He approaches we notice He also looks like the Son of the
Owner. But, there’s something different about Him. We cautiously—and then
exuberantly—come down out of the tower to meet Him as we see the marks left in
His hands by nails and what looks to be a wound in His side.
5th Observation: We Rejoice That
God’s Love Knows No Limits
The same God who judges us refuses to let us go. There is no failure or sin—not even the arrogance
that insists on running the vineyard of life—that He will not forgive if we
ask. Where His claim of ownership seemed coldly legal before, it now looks so
different as the shadow of the Cross falls across the path. The grace of
Calvary and the power of the Resurrection are His claim on your life He offers
for your consideration.
God sent His Son. He used
every measure He has to allow us to say, “Lord, my life
is Your vineyard. It never belonged to me even though I acted like it. Please
forgive me. Thank You for Your persistence and that You never stopped loving
me.”
Conclusion: Express His Love
At that moment the realization
is this: I was wondrously
made to express the love of God. Once the ownership issue
is resolved, God will love You and He will love others through
You!
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