Matthew 21:33-41
“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.” vs. 33
After entering Jerusalem on his final journey Jesus tells the gathered crowd a new parable that made use of an old metaphor for the land of Israel. It’s a story about tenants who forget that they are stewards while the owner is away…and who imagine that the fruits of the vineyard belong only to them. While it’s obvious that Jesus is telling this parable against the chief priests and rulers we can’t help but see its application to our own stewardship. We are good at affirming God as the source of all that we have, even acknowledging that we are “under God” in our pledge of allegiance to the flag, but in reality we have pretty much taken over the vineyard. We’re reluctant to part with our “hard earned” income in providing for the needs of others and do everything we can to preserve what we have come to call our own. It may not be that we’ll face the ire of an absentee landlord, but what a tragedy it is for us to forget that we are stewards. No wonder our earth faces environmental catastrophe…we humans have forgotten our calling to take care and share! When will we remember that all we have is a gift and a trust from God? We can only pray that it’s not already too late!
Thought for the Day: How much do I owe God?
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