Jesus said, “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. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 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.” 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’? 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. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet. Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus was critical of the religious leaders, since they were often selfish, keeping for themselves what was meant for all. They knew they were called out and it made them angry, as it makes any leader angry when they are caught in corruption. We who follow Jesus are reminded today that God's love is for all, and we are mere tenants in this time. We own nothing. Yet, we are generously blessed with the love of God, in Jesus. Love that endures, that shares, that seeks out the weak and the outcast. We are called to press on, seeking Christ in our neighbor and in all things.
Loving Creator, you plant us in community
with elders and teacher who show us your ways
you give us your blessings and your bounty
and we are rooted in you as branches to the vine.
Help us Lord, to be daily rooted in your love always.
We often think we are more than our teachers
we think our elders out of touch and unaware
and in our shallowness we squander your gifts
and live as the owners rather than the tenants.
Help us Lord, to be daily rooted in your love always.
Our days are short on this earth by your design
you give us wisdom as we fail and start again
you give us wise ones who are willing to show scars
and your love is never-ending despite our ways.
Help us Lord, to be daily rooted in your love always.
Others have tried to steer us away from your love
telling us that money and fame are the goal.
Help us Lord, to be daily rooted in your love always.
We are often caught up in the world's glitter
yet you are there to rescue us again and again.
Help us Lord, to be daily rooted in your love always.
Help us to be grateful for love that never ends
we are the branches of your loving eternal vine,
Help us Lord, to be daily rooted in your love always. Amen.
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