Ferociousness – Matthew 21

A text – Matthew 21:33-46

21:33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.
21:34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce.
21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way.
21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’
21:39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
21:40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
21:41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”
21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?
21:43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.
21:44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
21:45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.
21:46 They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

A reflection:

Many themes arise in this story from Matthew. Jesus makes several points, these three among them:

One, God is the owner of the vineyard and is the only one who counts when it comes to how it is run and who is entitled to a share of the produce. A related meaning for us today: God has established the church, the ministry, and the earth, even. God is the only one who counts when it comes to how these are run and who is entitled to what share of its abundance.

Two, the tenants God has chosen to leave in charge of the vineyard somehow come to think that they can make all the decisions and can scare off or even harm anyone who claims a share. A related meaning for us today: Human beings have come to think of ourselves as gods of the church, the ministry, and the earth, and we may scare off or harm anyone who claims a share.

Three, Jesus is both the son of the owner and the cornerstone here, both rejected by the tenants. But his rejection by the tenants doesn’t alter the fact that Jesus is still the Son and cornerstone. The tenants have made a big mistake. They need to acknowledge this mistake and humble themselves or face the wrath of the owner. Jesus’s parable, spoken right to the leadership of the Temple and shepherds of the faith life of the people of Yahweh, gives them their chance to do just that.

These tenants are really ferocious. We all probably know or know of someone who, when they have erred, doubles down on the error and commits it over again big time. God of course will forgive them even this big error, made way more than once. But there are consequences of pride and stubbornness. And I hate to think how my own stubbornness in clinging to ways that I know are not helpful, not edifying, not godly, have created stumbling blocks in my own life. If we even for a moment can identify with the ferocious tenants in this story, might we be able somehow to step back and see the damage – and repent?

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us ways to see our foolish behavior from a new point of view and to repent. Help us to love those who are as destructive as we ourselves can be. Amen.