vineyard to tenants, and then, went to a distant country. When harvest time came, the landowner
sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the harvest. But the tenants seized his
servants, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
Again, the owner sent more servants; but they were treated in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son,
they thought, ‘This is the one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let us kill him, and his inheritance
will be ours.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they realized that Jesus was
referring to them. They would have arrested him, but they were afraid of the crowd, who
regarded him as a prophet.
Reflect
Who are we willing to sacrifice in pursuit of our own success? We may not sell our sibling into
slavery like Joseph’s brothers or kill the heir like the evil tenants, But that doesn’t mean that
we are innocent of that sin. Have we failed to mentor a new employee for fear that they
would outshine us and earn our bonus? Have we supported policies that leave certain groups
of people behind or that damage the earth, but allow us to enjoy added benefits or lower
process? Have we sacrificed time with our spouse and family to chase career success?
Jesus calls us to a different way of thinking. The needs of our brothers and sisters should be
a consideration in every decision that we make. How will the least among us be affected by
my decision? How will this decision affect the earth’s ability to be a safe and healthy home for
future generations? Discipleship demands that we think not only of ourselves. Jesus calls
us to produce the fruit of the kingdom, fruit to be shared with all.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023