Slices
Prepare
God sent his beloved Son to us, knowing all we would do to him. Thank him for stopping at nothing to save you from destruction.
Bible passage
The parable of the tenants
9 He went on to tell the people this parable: ‘A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
13 ‘Then the owner of the vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.”
14 ‘But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. “This is the heir,” they said. “Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
‘What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.’
When the people heard this, they said, ‘God forbid!’
17 Jesus looked directly at them and asked, ‘Then what is the meaning of that which is written:
‘“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone”?
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.’
19 The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.
Explore
In the Old Testament, the grapevine is often used as an image for Israel, the people of God. So when Jesus told this parable, he wasn’t just picking a type of agriculture at random; he was very deliberately speaking against those who had been left in charge of God’s people.
The ‘tenant farmers’ in the story represent the priests and teachers of the law. I picture them standing at a distance, listening in as Jesus taught the people. They would certainly have understood Jesus’ meaning. How do you think they felt? How would you feel, being openly criticised in front of people who looked up to you?
But Jesus never spoke out about people just to shame them. He never wants to condemn, but rather to convict. Condemnation leaves us in our sin; conviction is an invitation to repent and receive God’s forgiveness. Sadly, verse 19 shows that the chief priests and teachers had closed their hearts to this Son whom God loved. They loved the good things their role brought them more than doing what was right. When the Son came, they chose to destroy him, not worship him.
Respond
How do you respond when God points out areas of sin in your life? Do you put up your barriers and try to ignore him? Or do you welcome his invitation to turn back to him and receive his love and forgiveness once again?
Deeper Bible study
‘Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.’1
Jesus is a great storyteller. His stories teach us about the kingdom of God2 and he also uses them to respond to the religious leaders. After witnessing him cleansing the Temple and seeing him teach there, the chief priests, scribes and elders confronted Jesus by questioning his authority to do such things (v 2). The hostility towards Jesus had been escalating since he entered Jerusalem, to the extent that the religious leaders had plotted to kill him.3 Here, Jesus responds to the religious authorities by asking them whether the source of John the Baptist’s authority was God or not (vs 3,4). Placed in a dilemma, the religious leaders refused to answer (vs 5–8). Jesus continued by telling the story of the vineyard owner and his tenants to state his point.
Through this parable, Jesus made it clear that the religious leaders had failed to submit themselves to God’s rule. He also exposed what was deep within their hearts. They were self-centred. Their wilful disobedience and stubbornness had blinded them to the work of God. As a result, horrible consequences awaited them. The Temple was not too far from destruction when the most important part of the building, the cornerstone, was rejected. This was fulfilled in AD 70, when the Romans destroyed the Temple.
The religious leaders certainly did not fail to understand what Jesus was saying. They plotted, for the second time since Jesus entered Jerusalem, how they might lay hold of him (v 19).4 Their ultimate rejection of Jesus would soon climax in his crucifixion.5 In our Christian discipleship, have we been like the religious leaders when we intentionally ignored God’s voice speaking to us through his Word? Will we be willing to repent of our ways and seek God for forgiveness?
‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’6
1 Ps 51:10 2 Luke 8:1–18; 13:18–21 3 Luke 19:47,48 4 See also Luke 19:47 5 Luke 23:26–49 6 Heb 4:7
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Deuteronomy 17,18; Romans 3
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for the leaders of the Easter and spring holidays as they enter the last couple of weeks of preparation. Pray also for the children and young people who will be going on the holidays that they will not be anxious about going away but excited and ready to hear from the Lord.
