More Than Just Caretakers
Luke 20:13–16
“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ “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.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”
This parable is rich in uniquely First Century Jewish imagery according to New Testament Scholar Dr Craig Evans. It is also multiply attested and considered authentic words of Jesus of Nazareth even by skeptical scholars such as The Jesus Seminar. The parable not only represents the actual experience of absentee landowners in the ancient world but also employs common themes found in rabbinic parables: Israel as a vineyard, God as the owner, unworthy rebellious tenants, the figure of a son, and so on, so that it coheres well with a Jewish milieu. There are, furthermore, aspects of the parable which makes unlikely its later origin in the Christian church, for example, the concern over who should possess the vineyard after it is taken from the present tenants and the absence of the resurrection of the slain son (Evans, 2006). Isaiah 5:1–7 relates to us "The Song of the Vineyard", God created Israel (and the universe) and cultivated it Himself and then He entrusted it to leaders of His chosen people (and to us), that we may dwell in it and partake of its generous bounty but what have we made of it, and what have we given in return? "The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress (Isa 5:7)." And so then God sends His Final Messenger, His Son to make everything right again and He had to suffer and die because of our sin. But the Son was raised again, that is the blessed assurance that God is making all things new and we can expect it. We are today more than just caretakers of God's vineyard. We are His children and He tells us when we struggle and grumble, "My child, you are always with Me, and everything I have is yours. (Luke 15:31)". Let us rejoice in the authenticity of the message of Jesus Christ, and let us be eternally grateful for God's generous grace for reaching out to us and restoring us His own children. Praise God today for His grace and power!
“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ “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.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”
This parable is rich in uniquely First Century Jewish imagery according to New Testament Scholar Dr Craig Evans. It is also multiply attested and considered authentic words of Jesus of Nazareth even by skeptical scholars such as The Jesus Seminar. The parable not only represents the actual experience of absentee landowners in the ancient world but also employs common themes found in rabbinic parables: Israel as a vineyard, God as the owner, unworthy rebellious tenants, the figure of a son, and so on, so that it coheres well with a Jewish milieu. There are, furthermore, aspects of the parable which makes unlikely its later origin in the Christian church, for example, the concern over who should possess the vineyard after it is taken from the present tenants and the absence of the resurrection of the slain son (Evans, 2006). Isaiah 5:1–7 relates to us "The Song of the Vineyard", God created Israel (and the universe) and cultivated it Himself and then He entrusted it to leaders of His chosen people (and to us), that we may dwell in it and partake of its generous bounty but what have we made of it, and what have we given in return? "The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress (Isa 5:7)." And so then God sends His Final Messenger, His Son to make everything right again and He had to suffer and die because of our sin. But the Son was raised again, that is the blessed assurance that God is making all things new and we can expect it. We are today more than just caretakers of God's vineyard. We are His children and He tells us when we struggle and grumble, "My child, you are always with Me, and everything I have is yours. (Luke 15:31)". Let us rejoice in the authenticity of the message of Jesus Christ, and let us be eternally grateful for God's generous grace for reaching out to us and restoring us His own children. Praise God today for His grace and power!
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