Matthew 21:33 “Now listen to another parable. There was a farmer who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower; then he rented it to tenants and left. 34 When harvest-time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the crop. 35 But the tenants seized his servants — this one they beat up, that one they killed, another they stoned. 36 So he sent some other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. 37 Finally, he sent them his son, saying, ‘My son they will respect.’ 38 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!’ 39 So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They answered him, “He will viciously destroy those vicious men and rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the crop when it’s due.” 42 Yeshua said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Tanakh,
‘The very rock which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone! This has come from YHVH, and in our eyes it is amazing’?
43 Therefore, I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to the kind of people that will produce its fruit! 44 Whoever falls on this stone will be broken in pieces; but if it falls on him, he will be crushed to powder!”
Lots of detail in this one. We’ll unpack a few key things but no way it will all get covered here. Let’s first define the players:
Ah, ownership. We love owning stuff. Makes us feel important, right? But do you really own anything at all?
Right out of the gate we see that the vineyard does not belong to anyone. It was rented out to others for the purpose of producing its fruit and giving Abba’s share back to Him. But greed and control set in. Instead of realizing they were just stewards, they decided to take ownership. And they held onto that lie -- even to the point of murder. As renters, their only fee was to return to the Owner of the vineyard His share. But even with this, they couldn't do their job.
Good thing we aren’t addicted to owning the stuff Abba is having us steward. Otherwise, we may go to war when someone comes to collect His share, huh?
I want to mention that I don’t have hard evidence here, but I’d assume these servants that were sent were the prophets of old. They came to call forth the fruit that was expected from these tenants and they had yet to turn over Abba’s share -- and they weren’t about to either. They held tightly to what they thought was all theirs but wasn’t theirs at all.
The servants came. And they came again. And again. Once it had finally gotten ridiculous, the Owner sent His own Son.
And we know how that turned out.
It appears the only thing those tending the vineyard are tasked to do is produce its fruit and give to God what is His share. Not take ownership, not set the new rules of the vineyard, or assume you’re in charge of hiring and firing. They are renters and renters only.
Their job was to work the vineyard to ensure the Owner had His share of the fruit.
This is what the servants came for. The only thing they wanted was God's share. Calling those in charge to repentance to just do what they’ve been asked to do. Nothing more, but most assuredly nothing less.
The heir. What a title. What an identity.
Then the cornerstone. The first stone to be placed so all others are level and plumb. The slightest discrepancy and the whole structure is compromised.
Combining these two descriptors gives us such a deep view into who Yeshua is and what He has done. Rock solid all around.
“Whoever falls on this stone will be broken in pieces; but if it falls on him, he will be crushed to powder!”
Have you ever read this? Sounds like anti-prosperity heresy.
Do you want to be broken to pieces? Or crushed to powder? These are the options presented so we must assume these are the options available.
No one likes being broken. But how much worse to be completely pulverized!
Anyone that willfully falls on this stone will endure definite brokenness. There is no getting around it. You must be broken in order for the pieces to be put back how they belong. The glue we’ve used and the filler we’ve added to patch our pain -- that all must go. We need to be purified and that only comes through opening up what’s inside and letting it get addressed. No excuses, no justification.
You think this is bad? Everyone else will be ground to powder. No identity, no form. Just dust. Blown away as if it never existed.
Which do you prefer? Identity restored or identity vaporized?
We are called to work the vineyard, agreed? The question is, which tenant are you? The first that kept everything for themselves and killed anyone that came to get Abba’s share? Or the second that gave to Him what was His?
I know which one you think you are but tread carefully here. The first tenants thought they were doing exactly what they had been tasked to do. But they must have gotten caught up in themselves to the point they couldn’t listen to the servants when they came to collect. What makes this worse is that the servants weren’t even collecting for themselves, they were collecting for God.
Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. We tend to not struggle giving Caesar his for fear of prison. But we casually deal with Abba’s share as though we have infinite grace. One day, the Son will come calling. And we think this is ok.
But even the Son, the heir, was seen as a threat. The good news is that we know better than to kill the heir. Until we realize what He’s come to collect.
(This is the elevation piece of this parable.)
He’s come and He’s come for what belongs to His Father. And that’s you. He wants it all. Every tiny bit. Warts and all. Not just the pieces you want Him to see. All of it.
I encourage you to throw yourself before His feet and let the brokenness begin. He can’t repair what hasn’t been broken so become a willing vessel and volunteer to do it yourself.
This stone? “This has come from YHVH, and in our eyes it is amazing”