The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
This is a difficult parable.
Context matters. This entire parable is told by Jesus right after the religious leaders in Jerusalem question him about his authority. Jesus tells this parable the last week of his life, between Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
The image of a vineyard was the central image in the Old Testament for Israel as the people of God. God makes a covenant with Israel, but then Israel has responsibilities because of that covenant. The people listening to Jesus understand that he’s talking about Israel, which is why, when tells he them what’s going to happen, namely that the owner of the vineyard will give it to others, they reply the way they do:
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”Luke 20:15b-16
Jesus then quotes from Psalm 118:22:
“The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone”Psalm 118:22
The point is that what the religious leaders have despised will be the foundation of the new thing that God is going to do.
No wonder they crucified Jesus–you can understand how angry this parable would make the religious authorities in Jerusalem.
Jesus tells the leaders of the Jews that, if they reject him, they will lose their role in God’s plan to bless the whole world through them.
And that’s what happened.
Here’s the question for us: are we living productively and faithfully, in response to God’s call on our lives? We are not entitled to be part of God’s plan to save the world–it’s a gracious gift to be involved. But, if we don’t take responsibility to live faithful lives, God will move on to other people who are willing.
How can you say “Yes” to the Lord today?
Today’s Scripture:
More on the Minas
I didn’t post anything on Friday, but because it’s such a difficult parable, I decided to skip today’s reading and comment on Friday’s “Parable of the Ten Minas”. Matthew has a similar parable called “The Parable of the Talents,” with which you might be more familiar. It’s also more straightforward than the parable Luke gives us.
Some historical context: when King Herod the Great died (the one who was king when Jesus was born in Bethlehem), his son Archelaus went to Rome to petition Caesar to permit him to reign in their father’s place. Some Jews followed him to Rome to ask Caesar not to accede to his request. (They were unsuccessful, and Archelaus became king.) So, Jesus seems clearly to be alluding to current events as he begins his parable:
“12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’”
The point is that Jesus was accusing some of the Jews of rejecting the Messiah’s reign in the same way they rejected Herod’s son.
As far as the rest of the parable, I like how Klyne Snodgrass explains it:
““Whatever else it does, the parable assumes a time when people will need to be faithful before the kingdom arrives….
“Like some Jews who resisted the reign of Achelaus, so some now resist the reign of the Messiah, but they will encounter judgement; further, the adherents of the Messiah will also be judged regarding their faithfulness. Both themes fit well in the last days of Jesus’ ministry. The parable serves as a warning to Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries–both those who followed him and those who did not….
“Jesus’ harsh language is intended to shock so that people take the warning seriously.””
Oh, and that final command of the king to slaughter his enemies?
Remember who is telling the story!
Jesus is killed on behalf of his enemies. So, why does he add that last line in? My best guess is that he’s just being provocative and alluding to the real-life example of Archelaus.
Friday’s Scripture:
Read Through the Gospels With Me in 2019!
The readings are just Monday-Friday, and we only read each Gospel once, which means we’re moving at a pace with which anyone can keep up. I write a brief post/commentary/devotional on each day’s readings, posted at 3:30 AM every weekday morning.
This page shows every post I’ve written, sorted chronologically below.
For more info about our Gospel reading plan, click here.
The Persistent Widow
The point of this parable is that God is NOT like the unjust judge; if an unjust judge will respond to a widow’s persistent plea how much more will a loving God eagerly respond to the requests of his people?
Today’s Scripture
The Second Coming
I like how Joel Greene puts it: when the Second Coming occurs, it will be “unmistakeable, worldwide, sudden, inescapable, and, for those who are not prepared, calamitous.”
Today’s Scripture
Don't Be Like the Other Nine
There were ten lepers healed.
Nine went on their way and chose not to thank Jesus.
One went back and thanked Jesus.
Don’t be like the nine today.
What, specifically, do you not want to take for granted today? How can you thank the Lord for it?
Today’s Scripture
Sin, Faith, Duty
Luke 17:1-3
Causing other people to sin or otherwise trip up spiritually is a serious sin in the eyes of Jesus. Watch out!
Luke 17:3-6
Be ready to confront sin, and eager to forgive it. (Don’t be like the elder brother in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.) And, though forgiveness is difficult, Jesus says that even with just a smidge of faith, cool stuff will happen when you put his teaching into practice!
Luke 17:7-10
Obedience doesn’t gain you honor or reward—it’s just what’s expected. (I need to read this section to my children!)
Today’s Scripture
Luke 17:1-10
The Parable of the Unjust Steward
This is a difficult parable, but part of the problem is our habit of treating the parables of Jesus allegorically, in that we expect every detail to have a theological correspondence. This is not the right way to interpret parables--rather, the parables are startling stories drawn from everyday life that make surprising spiritual points.
So, in this case, don't try to figure out who the unjust steward is and who the master is and what the oil represents. Instead, focus on the main point, which I take to be this:
If people in this world know how to use their possessions in a way that works with this world's values, how much more should the followers of Jesus know how to use their possessions in in a way that works with the values of the world to come!
In other words, a Christian ought to use his money in accordance of the values of the Kingdom of God.
Does that help?
Today’s Scripture:
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The Two Brothers
In the Parable of the Lost Sons, Jesus shows how there are two ways of destroying relationships:
- The younger son shows the "external way of destroying relationships: outright sin, rebellion, and selfishness;
- The older son shows the "internal" way of destroying relationships: self-righteousness, pride, and resentment.
Note how both ways destroy relationships, but they each do so in different ways. And note how the father wants reconciliation with both sons, regardless.
The danger to the younger son is obvious: his behavior is immediately self-destructive. But the danger to the older son is more subtle and insidious, and in some ways scarier: he thinks he is right even as his self-righteousness is keeping him out of the party.
I suspect that most of us have more in common with the older son than the younger.
How is your pride keeping you from being reconciled with someone today?
Today’s Scripture:
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God Loves the Lost
When the Pharisees grumble that Jesus eats with sinners, he tells 3 parables, the first 2 of which we read today: the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. What's the point he's making?
That God loves lost people.
To whom can you show that love today?
Today’s Scripture:
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Count the Cost
Jesus doesn't want anyone to accuse him of not being forthright about the cost of being a disciple. He uses hyperbolic language ("You have to hate your own family") to show that the only way discipleship works is for faith to be first, and everything else second. (How do I know that Jesus doesn't literally want us to hate our families? Well, to honor your father and mother is one of the Ten Commandments, among other reasons.)
Then, the little Parables of the Tower Builder and Warring King make the same point: understand that following Jesus comes with a cost, and don't say he didn't warn you. And if you aren't willing to pay the price, discipleship just won't make sense for you--you might as well be salt without saltiness.
For me, this raises the question, "Why would anyone choose to become his disciple, knowing that discipleship is so costly?" Here's my answer: because his way leads to life, and no other way will ultimately give us what we want.
Today’s Scripture:
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Are You Going to the Party?
God is throwing a huge party, and wants everyone to be there. How will you reply?
I preached on this parable this past Sunday, and that was the main point.
Today’s Scripture:
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We Look For Loopholes When It's For Us
The Pharisees where sticklers for the Sabbath, but only when it worked for them. Jesus makes the point that they'd find a loophole for helping their children or their livestock on the Sabbath, but that they hide behind the law when it comes to this poor afflicted man with dropsy.
Today’s Scripture:
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Jesus's Sorrow Over Jerusalem
Jesus is here predicting both Israel's rejection of him in Jerusalem and the subsequent destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. He implies that if the Jews had received him as Messiah, then the Temple would not have been destroyed. As it was, Jesus was crucified around AD 30, and the Romans destroyed the Temple in AD 70. I've seen the ruins of the Temple with my own eyes.
Today’s Scripture:
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Will the Jews Be Saved?
In the little parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven, Jesus wants us to understand that we are not accurate assessors of God's work in the world. The Kingdom of God might start small (there's not much smaller than a Crucified Messiah!), but its growth is inevitable.
Then, Jesus again reminds his hearers that the time to respond to the Kingdom message is NOW when they are still able, and not in the future, when it will be too late:
24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’"
Luke 13:24-25
He's warning his fellow Jews that just because they are part of Abraham's family does not mean they get a free pass: they still need to respond to Jesus.
The same message applies to us: the way we show we are his disciples is by doing what he said. Just because we claim to be his followers doesn't count--we have to live like it.
And guess what? There will be some people who look like insiders who turn out to be knocking on the door as outsiders, and there will be some people who would seem to be outsiders who turn out to be insiders:
"Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last."
Luke 13:30
Today’s Scripture:
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God Won't Delay Forever
People want to get Jesus's thoughts on some atrocity that Pontius Pilate ordered:
"Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices."
Luke 13:1
As usual, Jesus flips around the question by first offering another tragic example from current events, and then putting the question back to the questioners:
2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Luke 13:2-5
The little parable he then tells about the fig tree makes the point that it's not too late to repent, but that God's judgment won't be put off forever.
A good message for all of us today.
Today’s Scripture:
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Not Peace But Division
This passage is about the implications of Jesus's message:
- One implication (verses 49-53) is that his message is inherently divisive, because there are people who will not accept and will be opposed to it, even within families.
- The second implication (verses 54-59) is that his message is urgent, and Jesus upbraids the people for missing the urgency and necessity of responding to his message. If they can draw conclusions from the weather, then why can't they draw conclusions from the signs of his messianic ministry? In fact, it is so important that they make a decision for him, that not to do so is like not settling a lawsuit that you are sure to lose. The point: act now!
The
Today’s Scripture:
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A Warning to Christian Leaders
The parable Jesus tells here about an untrustworthy household manager is terrifying, particularly for those in Christian leadership.
47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Luke 12:47-49
Today’s Scripture:
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You Have Everything You Need
Jesus seems to think of the world as a safe place, full of abundance, created by a generous God:
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well."Luke 12:22-31
How would today be different for you if you believed that you had everything you need?
P.S. Sorry about missing the last 2 days....
Today’s Scripture:
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What They Believed About Eyes in the Ancient World
Until recently, I was confused by the words of Jesus we find in today's reading:
33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”
Luke 11:33-36
But this week I came across the following explanation in a commentary, which helped me:
"According to a physiology prevalent in Greco-Roman antiquity, the eyes do not function by allowing light to come in but by allowing the body's own light to go out. The eye is the conduit or source of the light that makes sight possible. Jesus' assertion, 'Your eye is the lamp of your body,' thus expresses a commonly held view, identifying the eyes are sources of light insofar as they allow the body's light to go forth. Given this physiology, the pivotal issue is whether the eyes are sick or healthy--that is, whether the body is full of darkness or light....[Jesus] urges his audience to consider the nature of their dispositions.... v. 35 is present as an existential challenge to self-evaluation, a warning to be filled with light rather than darkness. Clearly, those who test Jesus (v. 16)--as well as those Pharisees and lawyers of the subsequent unit (vv. 37-54), whose inner avarice and malevolence generate a neglect of justice and love of God--are condemned by their own actions as people full of darkness. The possibility of repentance is left open; what is not debatable for Jesus is the certainty that one's inner constitution is broadcast in one's behaviors.
Joel Greene, The Gospel of Luke, pp 465-466 [emphasis mine]
Anyway, I found that helpful.
Today’s Scripture:
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