THERE IS A COST INVOLVED WITH FOLLOWING JESUS. THERE ARE STRICT REQUIREMENTS OF SACRIFICE, INITIATIVE, AND EFFORT AS WE BECOME MORE PASSIONATE WITH HOLINESS AND THE PRIORITIES OF LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR, PROCLAIMING THE GOSPEL, AND BEING MORE FOCUSED ON THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND MAKING DISCIPLES.
WE SEE IN LUKE 9:57-62, THAT JESUS SIMPLY STATES, “FOLLOW ME.” JESUS IS CALLING US TO FOLLOW HIM NOT ON OUR TERMS BUT ON HIS. JESUS ALWAYS STRESSED URGENCY IN 2 CORINTHIANS 6:2, “INDEED, THE “RIGHT TIME” IS NOW. TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.”
AFTER WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR US IN BECOMING MAN AND DYING ON THE CROSS, HOW CAN WE GIVE HIM ANYTHING LESS THAN EVERYTHING? LUKE 10:27, THE FIRST OF ALL COMMANDMENTS IS: ‘YOU MUST LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, ALL YOUR SOUL, ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND ALL YOUR MIND.’ AND, ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’”
THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS THE MOST WE CAN DO FOR JESUS. OUR GREATEST PRIVILEGE IS TO BE FULLY ENGAGED AND IN SERVICE TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND TO ALWAYS REMEMBER AS COLOSSIANS 3:24, “THAT THE MASTER YOU ARE SERVING IS CHRIST.”
IN OUR PARABLE, GOD IS THE OWNER AND THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL IS THE VINEYARD. A CHERISHED VINE, ISRAEL WASN’T PRODUCING GOOD GRAPES FOR THE WINE, WHICH WAS A SYMBOL FOR THE HOLY LIVES GOD WANTED FROM HIS PEOPLE.
SO GOD ALLOWED HIS VINEYARD TO BE OVERRUN BY FOREIGN INVADERS, AS ISAIAH FORETOLD IN OUR FIRST READING ISAIAH 5:1-7. THIS IS WHERE JESUS PICKS UP THE STORY FROM WHERE ISAIAH LEFT OFF. ISRAEL’S RELIGIOUS LEADERS, THE TENANTS IN HIS PARABLE, SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEADING ISRAEL TO PRODUCE GOOD FRUITS, BUT, INSTEAD, KILLED THE OWNER’S SERVANTS, THE PROPHETS SUCH AS MICAH, AMOS AND ZECHARIAH.
THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS HAD NOT GIVEN GOD WHAT WAS DUE HIM, NAMELY THE KIND OF LIVES HE REQUIRED OF THEM, NOR HAD THEY LED ISRAEL TO BEAR THE KIND OF SPIRITUAL FRUIT HE SOUGHT. THIS IS WHY JESUS CITED PSALM 118:22, “THE STONE THAT THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS NOW BECOME THE CORNERSTONE.”
JESUS REMINDS THEM THAT THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF GOD ARE THOSE WHO LIVE IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD AND TRUST IN THE LORD FOR THEIR DELIVERANCE. THEIR DELIVERANCE WOULD COME, AS FORETOLD IN PSALM 118:26, FROM THE BLESSED ONE “…WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.”
INSTEAD OF LIVING OBEDIENTLY TO GOD AND TRUSTING IN THE LORD, THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS RELIED ON THEIR OWN PLANS AND AGENDA BY LIVING WITH APATHY AND HOSTILITY TOWARDS JESUS.
JESUS KNEW THEIR HEARTS AND MOTIVES. HE WAS ACTUALLY FORESHADOWING HIS OWN CRUCIFIXION OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM, BY ADDING TO THE PARABLE THAT THE TENANTS’ FINAL OUTRAGE WOULD BE TO SEIZE THE OWNER’S SON AND KILL HIM OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF THE VINEYARD.
JESUS KNEW THEY WANTED HIM DEAD AND THAT THEIR BLIND FURRY WOULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO THEIR OWN SELF-DESTRUCTION OVER THEIR REJECTION OF JESUS. THEIR CONTINUAL PURSUIT TO BE RID OF HIM, ONCE AND FOR ALL, WOULD LEAD TO THEIR JUDGMENT.
FOR THIS, THE VINEYARD, WHICH JESUS CALLS THE KINGDOM OF GOD, WILL BE TAKEN AWAY AND GIVEN TO NEW TENANTS—THE LEADERS OF THE CHURCH, WHO WILL PRODUCE ITS FRUIT.
THAT IS WHY, TO ME, MATTHEW 16:18, IS SO POWERUL WHEN JESUS SAID, “NOW I SAY TO YOU THAT YOU ARE PETER (WHICH MEANS ‘ROCK’), AND UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, AND ALL THE POWERS OF HELL WILL NOT CONQUER IT.”
WE ARE THE VINES THAT ARE GRAFTED ONTO THE TRUE VINE OF CHRIST: JOHN 15:4, “REMAIN IN ME, AND I WILL REMAIN IN YOU. FOR A BRANCH CANNOT PRODUCE FRUIT IF IT IS SEVERED FROM THE VINE, AND YOU CANNOT BE FRUITFUL UNLESS YOU REMAIN IN ME.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WE MUST MAINTAIN A SENSE OF URGENCY, GET SERIOUS, AND PURSUE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. JESUS MUST BE OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY. OUR PASSION IN LIFE IS, AS STATED IN PHILIPPIANS 3:8, IS TO PURSUE AFTER “THE SURPASSING VALUE OF KNOWING CHRIST JESUS.
THIS IS NOT JUST HAVING AN INTELLECTUAL AWARENESS OF JESUS. WE MUST GET TO THE POINT THAT WE CAN CONSIDER THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD AND ALL THAT WE HAVE PURSUED AND ACCOMPLISHED IN LIFE “RUBBISH” FOR THE SAKE OF GAINING JESUS.
IT WASN’T SO MUCH THAT WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ARE THINGS THAT ARE “LITERALLY WORTHLESS” IN THEMSELVES, BUT WHEN COMPARED TO THE GREATNESS OF THE EXCELLENCE OF KNOWING CHRIST JESUS, THEY REALLY WERE NOTHING BECAUSE THEY PALE IN COMPARISON TO KNOWING JESUS.
MAY WE, LIKE PAUL, WHO WROTE TO THE PHILIPPIANS (3:7-14) “TO KNOW CHRIST AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION AND THE SHARING OF HIS SUFFERINGS BY BECOMING LIKE HIM IN HIS DEATH…[THEN] FORGETTING WHAT LIES BEHIND AND STRAINING FORWARD TO WHAT LIES AHEAD, [LET US] PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE OF THE HEAVENLY CALL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.”
CARING FOR THE VINEYARD IS CARING FOR GOD’S KINGDOM AS GOOD STEWARDS OF GOD'S KINGDOM ON EARTH. EVERYTHING WE HAVE IS THROUGH GOD'S ABUNDANT LOVE, MERCY, AND GRACE.
JOHN WESLEY IS QUOTED AS SAYING, ““DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN, BY ALL THE MEANS YOU CAN, IN ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN, IN ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN, AT ALL THE TIMES YOU CAN, TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU CAN, AS LONG AS EVER YOU CAN.”
I END WITH EPHESIANS 5:14-16, “THEREFORE IT SAYS, ‘AWAKE, O SLEEPER, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST WILL SHINE ON YOU.’ LOOK CAREFULLY THEN HOW YOU WALK, NOT AS UNWISE BUT AS WISE, MAKING THE BEST USE OF THE TIME, BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL.” LET US CARE FOR GOD’S VINEYARD!
