Then he leased the vineyard to tenants and went abroad. In due time, he sent a servant
to receive from the tenants the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized the servant, struck
him and sent him back empty-handed. Again, the man sent another servant. They also
struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent another, and they killed him.
In the same way they treated many others: some they beat up and others they killed.
One was still left, his beloved son. And so, last of all, he sent him to the tenants, for
he said, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the
one who is to inherit the vineyard. Let’s kill him and the property will be ours.’ So they
seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. Now, what will the owner
of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to
others.”
And Jesus added, “Have you not read this text of the Scriptures: The stone which the
builders rejected has become the keystone; this is the Lord’s doing, and we marvel at
it?”
They wanted to arrest him, for they realized that Jesus meant this parable for them,
but they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
Reflect
When I was growing up, I used to watch a game show with my mother called,
“Let’s Make a Deal.” (It may still be on television.) On this show, wildly costumed
people would win prizes and then be encouraged to trade them away, hoping to
win abigger prize. Of course, some contestants lost, getting a joke prize called
a zonk.
But what does a silly game show have to do with Scripture? The Gospel today
reminds us that sometimes we are so focused on finding the next best thing or
getting the better deal that we miss what is truly important. The tenants in the
vineyard were so focused on keeping all of their produce that they lost their
integrity, committing murder to try to take possession of the whole vineyard.
And in the end, they lost everything. That which we reject may be the keystone
that holds up the building. If we don’t keep our eyes fixed on what truly matters,
the outcome will be worse than a zonk.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023