From Wretched To Blessed

J. J.

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in Thy sight,

O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. (Ps. 19:14)

“From wretched to blessed”

Two weeks ago, we heard Jesus tell a parable about a vineyard, and how the owner of the vineyard paid the same wage to all of the workers, the early birds and the latecomers alike. All received from him the same, all received out of his generosity. Today, Jesus tells another parable about a vineyard. But now, instead of it being about the owner paying the workers, it’s about the workers paying the owner.

This vineyard was let out on a share crop basis. Harvest time arrived, and it was time for the owner to collect his share, his rent. He sent three of his hired hands to collect the share. But these tenants were unbelievably mean. They beat-up one guy, and killed the other two. Not receiving his rent, the owner sends a foreman, and more helpers. Again, they beat them up and kill them.

Now the owner says. I will send my son. They will respect him because he is my son. Now, the tenants don’t merely refuse to pay the rent. They try to steal the vineyard itself. “This is the heir. If we kill him, then we have keep the vineyard for ourselves.” So they do. Jesus asks the religious leaders what the owner should do. They say he should bring those wretches to a wretched end, and give the vineyard to good tenants who will pay over its fruits. Jesus replies, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people producing its fruit.

Jesus gives the interpretation of the parable. If we are going to understand it, that is where we should start. This is a parable which Jesus told to the religious leaders then. It’s a parable about them. They, not us, are the wicked tenants. They are the ones from whom the kingdom of God will be and was taken. This parable is principally about them. Yet it has points of application and teaching for us.

First, we see the senselessness, the down-right stupidity of sin. Twice they assault and even kill the servants. Clearly mean, but it has a certain twisted reason to it: if we beat-up the rent collectors, we won’t have to pay any rent. It has a criminal logic, evil though it is. When the son comes, they say to themselves, “Let’s kill him and then the vineyard will be ours.” What kind of logic is it, that if the son dies, they will suddenly inherit, they will be in the will? No logic at all. (I suppose there is the thinnest reed of reason that owner, who lives in a foreign country, will not return. He will die, and no one will claim the vineyard. Then they can just cabbage onto it). But other than that, it is utterly senseless.

How often don’t we read and hear of senseless crime and violence in the news? We understand the parent who steals bread for their starving children. It’s not right, but we understand. Yet others vandalize and loot and destroy. They don’t take, they destroy. No one gets anything. How often do we see the senseless of our own sins? That the sin did not bring the pleasure, the fun, the happiness, we had thought. The other is hurt, and I am not helped. I may even be hurt, too. But the blindness and depravity of sin overcomes all logic and reason. We don’t receive the fruit we had hoped our actions would bring us.

Next, the wretched tenants came to a wretched end. The religious leaders said that those tenants should receive a miserable death. Lest they missed the point of the story, Jesus specifically explained, “the kingdom of God will be taken from you.” And it was. We are not the wicked tenants, but we are in this parable. We are the tenants to whom the vineyard will be given. Tenants who will produce its fruits.

The wicked tenants went from wretched to wretched. Christ has taken us from wretchedness to blessedness. He has put us into His vineyard. And as tenants in His good vineyard we are producing fruit. Notice that the new tenants do not have to produce fruit to get into the vineyard. Rather, they produce fruit because they are in the vineyard. The wicked tenants thought that by murdering the son, they would inherit the vineyard. But God does His usual thing, and turns it all around. Instead, we, the new tenants have inherited the vineyard by the murder of the son. By the blood of His crucifixion, we are now in the will. What did Christ say in the Upper Room on Maundy Thursday? “This cup is the new testament in My blood.” As in Last Will and Testament.