The Parable of the tenant: The Magnanimous Provider
Matt 21: 33-43; Mark 12:1-12 ; Luke 20:9-19
Intro: Introduction of the myself to the congregation , review Congregational , Rev. John , her husband’s funeral , many from congregational joined with your celebration of her ministry. Deaconess Pinder has graciously invited me and I am grateful for the opportunity.
Today I will be speaking on a parable that is not spoken about frequently; we often speak about the parable of the sower, the parable of the prodigal son, what is a parable? It is an earthly story with divine meaning. One of the most popular parables is the parable of the sower and Jesus Christ interpreted it Jesus was the sower and the seeds are the message of God etc.
Today I would like to interpret the divine meaning of this parable. What is the essence of this parable? Is there heavenly truth for us in this parable?
Let me first paraphrase this parable. A landowner planted a vineyard, put a huge around it and placed a tower around it. Then he rented it out. When harvest time came he sent his servants for his share of the fruit. The renters saw the servants coming and beat the servant and sent him away empty, the Land owner sent another servant but the renters stoned him, he sent another whom they killed.
The landowner sent his only son whom he loved. He thought that they might respect his son but they said in their minds the “This is the heir let us kill him and we will have the vineyard for ourselves. The renters killed the son . Then the Lord asks the audience what will the Land owner do to the tenants, he will punish them severely and give the vineyard to others who will give him his fruit in due season. Then Jesus concludes it by saying that the stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner and the Lord has done this amazing thing.
A. God is the owner
1. All that we are or have comes from God , the only true owner is God
2. When I began college in the late seventies and early eighties I was told that the theory of evolution was the only way the earth could have come into being
3. The theory was that a loud bag occurred and that explosion resulted in small cell-like entities which, developed over millions or billions of years into many cells and eventually human beings.
4. There was two things wrong with that theory who made this bang possible and how can we come from disorderliness to orderliness it never happens in this world , if we drop a piece of glass it shatters , if we try to put shatter pieces of class together it is close to impossible . . Murphy’s Law says disorderliness is most prevalent in this society.
5. It is impossible for a simple unicellular entity to become a complicated multicellular entity we call human.
6. Psalm 24 says “ The world and everything in it belong to God , the world and its people belong to Him”
7. God owns you are the sheep of his pasture when we come to realize that everything that we have belongs to God we know where our place is in this world and what our purpose is. . When we think we own we try being God and we always fail because there is only one God
B. God provides all we need
1. V.33 says he planted it, built a wall around it, dug a pit to crush the grapes then he built a lookout tower.
2. This is a ready made business, the vineyard is already prepared the grape trees planted, the Lord goes even further and he made a place to crush the grapes. He built a wall around it and a tower.
3. God provides all the necessary things for life and for survival.
4. This planet we live on called earth is the on the place that can maintain life in this universe , We keep looking to see if there is life is on Mars but God is the one who place us here and this planet has the temperature , the vegetation to sustain life.
5. God has given us a body that is self sustaining, the blood courses through our veins and arteries to provide nourishment on the inside, our eye makes us see the beautiful world around us and helps us avoid danger. The bones of our body gives us shape and the ability to move around, a billion brain cells make us respond to the environment so we can survive. As David the Psalmist said we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
6. God placed a hedge or protection around the vineyard, God is the protector. In the Book of Satan pointed out to the Lord that God had put a hedge or protection around Job” As people of God we have a hedge around us, there is nothing that can happen to you unless God allows it to happen.
7. David said that unless the Lord watches a City the watchmen watch in vain.
8. God finally gives all this the vineyard the winepress the irrigation system and the tower for protection to the tenant. God is magnanimous; it is an ideal situation...
9. The landowner leaves the country. God gives us free choice, there is no one looking over our shoulder. Adam and Eve could choose whether they were going to obey God or not. The renter were given free reign in the garden that did not belong to them. That is very much what we have in this world we have free choice.
10.
11. God told the children of Israel Today I place before you blessing and cursing, life and death chose life...
12. As humans we have all the things we need for life, choose the way of life.
C. God provides Accountability
1. Verse 34 says that at harvest time he sent over his servants to collect his fruit.
2. We are creating for a purpose, we were not given this world and this wonderful body to keep for ourselves, Rick Warren the author of “A purpose Driven Life “dedicate an entire capture to this fact. Rev 4:11 says “you (God) created everything and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created’
3. We were made to give God pleasure so in this parable God is going to make us accountable. Everything in God’s creation has a purpose, the bees pollinate the p flowers, and the animals are in a great cycle of life from the lion all the way down to the tiniest bacteria has a purpose for living. Each is called to carryout the plan ordained for it.
We are God greatest creation and we have a purpose also.
4. In this parable the fruit is grapes but what does God require from us
5. Listen to some of the things God wants from you Psalm 147:11 says “The Lord is pleased only with those who worship Him and trust His love”
The Lord told the lady by the well that the father seeks worshippers
Today are you offering God his worship, which is more than music or attending a service. Worship is total dedication to God even outside of the church service God told the Jews. These people worship me with their lips but their heart is far from me. This worship is made up of rules taught by men”
6. Obedience is another in which we please God. God told Samuel that he desires obedience rather than sacrifice.
7 How about your offering are you giving to him his offering?
I equate this to the commercial which tells us as parents that we should ask our children questions to keep them accountable. God is asking each one of you what are you giving to God with what he has given you. Do not be like the tenant who covets all for themselves.
C. God provides many chances to change
1 The owner sends servants to get his fruit and the r tenants grabbed him and beat him up and sent him empty away
2. The next servant was also captured but this time the tenants killed the servant
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3 We can try to accumulate but as we try to hold on the more we will lose remember the parable of the rich fool
He broke own his barns and built new barns and told his soul eat drink and be merry. There is nothing with being merry but when we keep all to ourselves and acknowledge God we are not giving God the Glory.
4. The land owner provide his tenant with many other servants Mark 12:5 says the Landowner sent servant after servant
Each day is a new opportunity to do the right thing, the great theologian Wesley said “We must do well to as many people for as much time as we can as long as we can.
5. The final opportunity for the people to change is the sending of the Land owner’s son. The Bible says that the owner loved his son but God felt that the tenant would respect the son
6 The tenant saw it as an opportunity to gain the whole vineyard for themselves
7... The sin of covetousness is the cause of much evil in this world. James says you ask and you have not because you ask to consume on your own lust. The commandment says we should not steal
My father use to say liar is a thief and a thief could be a murderer.
8. The tenant thinking that they would gain it all b all by killing the son
D. God provides the final victory.
1. v 42 the stone that was thrown aside has become the chief stone
2. Even though the evil tenant appear to be victorious we serve a God that has the final victory
3. Jesus Christ is the corner stone that was victorious over death, the bible says in Paul’s letter “O Grave where is thy sting o death where is your victory”.
4. We have a victory over the evil by the work of Jesus Christ
5. God will judge those that are evil they will be cast into outer darkness but we who are alive will meet the l Lord in the air
6. Rev21 says “ I saw a new heaven and a new earth the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared
God home is now with his people and now he will live with them and they will b his own Yes God will make a new heaven and new earth
We serve a god who provides.
This parable is more than a description of bad tenants but a witness of the magnanimous provision of God
God owns everything including us, God provides us with all that we need,
He provides all we need
God provides accountability
God provides many chances to change
God provides the final victory over evil
God is a magnanimous provider.
Dear God we come into your presence acknowledging that you are the all mighty provider for all our needs, you supply our physical and spiritual need and you have given us an eternity to live in abundant life. Help each of us to walk in your abundance and grace. Through him who is our sufficiency and savior Amen
