“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet. (Matthew 21:33-46 NIV)
Patient people really stand out. Would you agree? You’re trying to turn onto a busy street. An endless line of cars passes by. There will never be a break! When, suddenly, someone stops, smiles at you through their windshield, and waves you in. Wow! Patient people really stand out. You sit in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, watching the minutes drag by. You check your phone. You check your phone again. Then you check your phone. You look across the waiting room, and there’s a lady sitting there patiently. You want to shout, “What is wrong with you? Why aren’t you upset at the wait?” But she smiles. Patient people really stand out, don’t they?
So Jesus told a parable about a patient man. “There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.” I don’t know much about vineyards, but this landowner seems like quite the guy. He didn’t just plant some grape vines. He went all out! He built a wall around it. He dug a winepress right there in it. He even built a watchtower for good measure. This vineyard wasn’t a hobby farm. It was the finest vineyard around. We’re talking a Napa Valley, CA quality vineyard. He rented the vineyard to some tenants and moved away.
Of course, “when the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.” After all the work he put into that vineyard, that landowner was eager to see the fruits. He’d been dreaming about that first glass of wine. It was time! But “the tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.” That’s not what you’d expect, is it? Those tenants were wicked. Shockingly wicked. We live in a messed-up world, but we don’t hear about that on the news: “Vineyard workers murder fruit collectors.” What in the world?
But you know what’s even more shocking? “Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time.” The patience of this landowner blows my mind. If I were him, there wouldn’t be any second chances. After what those wicked tenants did, I would have called the army in. Crushed them like grapes on a winepress. But he didn’t. Instead, with extraordinary patience, he sent more servants. But what did they do? “The tenants treated them the same way.” Beat, kill, stone.
Here’s where the story really gets unbelievable. “Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.” People were used to Jesus’ parables, but this was unbelievable. After all that had happened, send in his son? That’s reckless patience! Too much patience! “Come on, Jesus. Who would do that?” But he did. He sent his son. “They will respect my son.” But “when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” Just pure wickedness and violence in the face of such grace and patience. Reckless patience rejected.
Suddenly, Jesus stopped the story. We’re like, “What’s next, Jesus?” Well, he asks us, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” The people listening didn’t hesitate for a second: “‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,’ they replied.” This gracious landowner had shown reckless patience to those wicked tenants, but even his patience would end. When they put his son to death, “he will bring those wretches to a wretched end.”
So what was Jesus talking about? It’s always tempting to jump to today and apply stories like this to today. Instead, when we read the Bible, we always want to ask, “What was the original author’s original message to his original hearers?” Got that? What did Jesus’ story mean to the people he told it to? That’s most important! Well, Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees and chief priests who were plotting how put Jesus to death. This story was for them. Jesus wanted them to see the incredible patience of God contrasted with their incredible wickedness.
In Jesus’ story, who’s the landowner? It’s God. Who’s the vineyard? The people of Israel. God did so much for Israel. He went all out! He chose Abraham’s family from all the people of the world. He rescued them from Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land. He gave them his Word. He gave them promises of a Savior… So much! But when God sent his servants—prophets like Elijah and Jeremiah—what did the Jewish leaders do? Beat them. Kill them. Stone them. They were unbelievably wicked! But God was even more patient. He sent more prophets. More promises. More warnings. And what did the Jewish leaders do? Beat them. Kill them. Stone them. Finally, his Son. God actually sent his own Son—Jesus. Reckless patience! Surely they would listen to him, right? No. It hadn’t happened yet, but in just three days, those wicked leaders would even kill God’s Son. Unbelievable grace. Met with unbelievable wickedness.
So what did they deserve? Jesus didn’t have to tell those Pharisees and chief priests what they deserved. They said it with their own mouths. “‘When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,’ they replied.” They said it with their own mouths. They deserved a “wretched end.” Even God’s patience doesn’t last forever. Those Pharisees and chief priests were going to receive what they deserved. “I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” God’s patience was about to end. God’s grace was about to be given to others.
Here’s why: “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” It all comes down to Jesus. Jesus is the cornerstone on which everything depends. “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Either Jesus changes your heart and is the cornerstone of your life, or Jesus will crush you like a boulder. You can fight against Jesus, you can reject Jesus, but you can’t win. The Pharisees? Those wretches would meet a wretched end.
So how many of you are Pharisees? Not many. Any chief priests here today? Hmm… What does this have to do with us? Our God is so incredibly gracious—not just to the Israelites. To us. Think of all that God has done for you. He created you. With a nose and eyes and toes. He really went all out! He baptized you into his family. He gives us his Word so clearly and abundantly. He’s given us freedom and wealth in the United States. He sent his Son Jesus to be our Savior. He’s done so much! Like that owner to his vineyard, God is unbelievably gracious to us, isn’t he?
So what does God find in his vineyard? Good fruit? Or wickedness? “Of course not!” you say. “I ain’t never killed no prophets!” That’s true, I hope! But how often have we rejected God’s messengers? How often are we not that excited about God’s Word? How often have we not produced good fruit in our lives? If you’re a life-long Christian, then the Pharisees provide an extra warning. You can think you’re closer to God than everyone else and still be the ones to kill Jesus. When you really get to know yourself, it’s downright shocking how sinful we really are! What do wicked servants deserve? We know: “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end.”
But there’s something even more shocking: God’s patience. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:8,10). God is so patient with us. Here’s why: “The Lord is … patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Think of how many chances God gave those Jewish leaders. How many times they heard God’s call to repent and be saved. God has reckless patience. Again and again… The same is true for you and me. The only thing more unbelievable than our sins is God’s undeserved love.
But know this: God’s patience won’t last forever. We talk like that, don’t we? “God’s patience lasts forever. You’ll always have another chance…” No. One day, God’s patience will run out. The day will come when God says, “Enough!” If we—like those Pharisees—ever reject God and his Word, what did those wicked servants deserve? “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end.” So when is the day to repent? Today! When is the day to believe? Today! One day, God’s patience will run out, and there will be judgment for everyone who doesn’t repent.
That’s why I hope Jesus’ story changes you. Remember the most unbelievable part of the story? It’s that the landowner—after all of their wickedness—would actually send his son. Who would do that? God did. “When the time had fully come, God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4). God did it! “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). Our God is incredibly gracious to us who don’t deserve it, incredibly patient with us who sin against him, and even sent his own Son to save you and me.
So what is God patiently looking for in us? Fruit. Fruits of faith. I love how Ephesians talks about this. In Ephesians 2, there are powerful verses telling us we’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). How are we saved? By grace, through faith. Are we saved by our works? No! So what does God want us to do? Here’s the next verse: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, not by our works. So what are we to do? Good works. In fact, that’s what we’re created for!
See how the Bible talks? It all comes back to Jesus. If Jesus is your cornerstone, that means he’s the foundation, the strength, the source of everything in your life. If Jesus is your cornerstone, that means your life will be filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Know what that is? “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Maybe you say, “That’s not me!” You’re right. That’s not any of us by nature. But this is what God has made us. This is the fruit that the Spirit produces in us. Your life has a purpose. You “are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works.”
Patient people really stand out. So do you know who really stands out? God! The Bible says, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.” When’s the day to turn from our sins? Today. When’s the day to believe in Jesus? Today. When’s the day to produce fruits of faith to God’s glory? Today. God’s given you today. What will you do with God’s reckless patience?
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