In Jesus Holy Name April 3, 2022
Text: Luke 20 Lent V Redeemer
“Jesus Enters “His” Temple”
Kenneth Bailey in his book “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes” has suggested that there is a better title for this parable. Instead of “The Parable of the Tenants” he recommends: “The Parable of the Noble Vineyard Owner and His Son”. Why?
This is another parable from Jesus, about “God’s” character, much as was the parable of the Father with two prodigal sons. The vineyard owner displays patience, longsuffering, risk taking and puts his anger away. It reminds me of the story of King Saul when he was pursuing David to kill him. David and his men have been on the run from Saul’s pursuing army of 3000 men.
In the middle of the night David and one of his men sneak into Saul’s camp. They find Saul and his men sleeping. David has the opportunity to kill the king. He is encouraged to do so by the men with him. He refuses to kill the Lord’s anointed. Instead David takes the king’s spear, which was stuck in the ground near King Saul’s head, and leaves the camp. In the morning, from a near by hill, David calls out to Abner’s Saul’s general. “Abner…aren’t you and your men suppose to protect the King? Then why do I have His spear in my hand.”
David chose to put his anger far away as does the vineyard owner in our parable.
The parable of the “Noble Vineyard Owner and His Son”, cannot be seen in isolation. Here is the background. Jesus has entered Jerusalem on the day we now call “Palm Sunday.” Crowds have been singing. “Hosanna to the Son of David.” Jesus is teaching in the temple and the people are hanging on every word He speaks. When Jesus and his disciples enter the temple He is angered at what He sees the religious leaders doing. The temple courtyard is being used to sell livestock, doves and lambs for sacrifice. The merchant tables change the standard Greek and Roman money for Jewish shekels, at a profit. Jesus makes a whip and drives out all the money changers. He overturned their tables.
(Luke 19:45)
Jesus would not allow anyone to carry merchandise into the temple area to be sold. It means that his disciples were controlling the entire 35 acres of the Temple complex. It also means that no one could not carry lambs through temple for the afternoon sacrifice. The afternoon sacrifice was stopped. No wonder the Pharisees are upset. This was very serious. He was depriving the Pharisees of income. Jesus has made His point. The Messiah has come to His temple looking for justice and mercy, but finds corruption. It is written: “My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”
The chief priests, and teachers of the law, question Jesus and challenge His authority…. What right do you, a pretend Messiah, do change our rules? You may heal people but who gives you the authority to
Change our rules, our way of life?
They are indignant and angry. This is the background for Chapter 20. (Chapter 20)
Jesus responds with the parable of the “Noble Vineyard Owner and His Son.” This parable is based on the Parable of the Song of the Vineyard in Isaiah 5 (read Isaiah 5) which the Pharisees knew well. In that parable God plants a vineyard and spares no effort to see that it will produce good grapes, but it only produces wild grapes.
In Isaiah 5 the owner is God, the vineyard is Jerusalem, the vines are the men of Judah who manage the vineyard. When the owner finds a lack of mercy and justice the vineyard is destroyed.
As Jesus retells the parable, He expects the religious rulers to remember the parable of the “Father with two prodigal sons”. It was about God’s character of offering grace and mercy.
In the parable of the “Noble Owner and His Son”, the renters do not own the vineyard. The Pharisees and religious rulers in Jerusalem do not own the Temple, they are there to serve God and the people of Israel, not make a profit off those who have come to worship. The people of Israel deserve better shepherds.
After the Transfiguration of Jesus, He is on his way to Jerusalem when He said: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you. How I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks.” (Luke 13) (Ezekiel 34) We know that through out Israel’s history God sent prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel but they were often stoned, their words rejected.
In our parable, the Nobel Vineyard owner sends servants to collect some “fruit from the vineyard”. Each were beaten and sent away empty handed. Finally the Vineyard owner said: “What shall I do? I will send my son. Maybe they will respect him. The son is sent, alone. No army. No protection. The Owner of the Vineyard, is of course, God who is worshipped in the temple. This parable, as told by Jesus, is an autobiographical story, about Himself.
If the renters, the Pharisees and religious rulers accept the authority of the son, and pay their rent, amnesty will be granted, just as the repentant son returned home and was restored. (read Luke 20:19)
One night in the early 1980s, King Hussein, the grandfather of the present King of Jordan was informed by his security police that a group of about seventy- five Jordanian army officers were at that very moment meeting in a nearby barracks plotting a military overthrow of the kingdom. The security officers requested permission to surround the barracks and arrest the plotters. After a somber pause the king refused and said, “Bring me a small helicopter” A helicopter was brought. The king climbed in with the pilot and the two of them flew to the barracks and landed on its flat roof. The king told the pilot, “If you hear gun shots, fly away at once without me.
Unarmed, the king then walked down two flights of stairs and suddenly appeared in the room where the plotters were meeting and quietly said to them:
“Gentlemen, It has come to my attention that you are meeting here tonight to finalize your plans to overthrow the government, take over the country and install a military dictator. If you do this, the army will brake apart and the country will plunged into civil war. Tens of thousands of innocent people will die. There is no need for this. Here I am! Kill me and proceed. That way, only man will die.”
(from Kenneth Bailey “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes” p. 418)
After a moment of stunned silence, the rebels as one, rushed forward to kiss the king’s hand and feet and pledge loyalty to him for life.
Like the army plotters before King Hussein, the “Noble” vineyard owner (God) hopes that the violent men (the religious rulers) in the vineyard (temple) will sense His offer of amnesty and grace that has come to Bethlehem in the person of His only Son. They do not. Over the next few days in the temple courts the Pharisees challenge Jesus with questions about paying taxes to Caesar, the resurrection and marriage, and whether or not He truly is the long expected Messiah.
The day comes to an end. Jesus and his disciples return to Bethany and prepare to celebrate the Passover. By the end of the week Jesus is arrested and crucified upon the cross.
A story. I was told about an American soldier who had been overseas for some time. When he was stationed abroad, he received a box of home-baked cookies from his wife. Now if you have ever been in service and know what it is like to be away from loved-ones, you know that such a care package is more precious than gold. As he surveyed his bounty, the soldier noticed that while some of the cookies looked delicious, others were strange, thick, lumpy, bumpy.
Knowing his wife was not much of a baker the soldier made a quick decision. He would eat the good cookies and give the rest to his buddies. That was a mistake. Later on that day, whenever he got near his pals, they exchanged knowing looks and had a tough time not laughing. It took some serious investigation before one of them shared the secret. (from a sermon by Rev. Klaus 2/17/08)
It seems the soldier's wife, wishing to do something special for her beloved, had baked some fairly personal love notes into some of the cookies - you guessed it, the thick, lumpy, bumpy cookies eaten by His friends. The soldier had rejected a very special gift of love. It was a decision he regretted. Our gracious God, much like the Noble Vineyard Owner has a personal message of love and salvation. To human eyes God's great gift of grace may not look like much - a baby in a manger, named Jesus, a prisoner on a cross, named Jesus, an empty tomb because Jesus rose from death and the grave. These are God's messages of love. Don't say "no" to Nobel Vineyard Owner’s Son, you will regret it.
