May 23, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Behold, it is written before Me: ‘I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will pay it back into their laps, both for your iniquities and for those of your fathers,’ says the LORD.” (Isaiah 65.6,7)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

As I continue to read, study and ponder on these verses and their connection to God’s promise of “vengeance,” I am remembering one of the parables Jesus taught. It is a parable teaching about the coming of Christ in His “first” and in His “second” coming. We hear it in the gospel of Matthew (21.33-46) as “The Parable of the Tenants.” When Jesus finished with this parable the Chief Priest and Pharisees knew that He was talking about them. The accountability question within the parable was, “What will the owner of the vineyard do to the tenants upon his return to inspect his investment?” Their reply was “He would bring them to a wretched end.” This was, of course, that exercise of justice which we considered yesterday in the reflection upon Isaiah 65.6-7. The word used was “vengeance.” It was about retribution for the wrong which had been perpetrated. To whom was the wrong done? In the parable we would say the wrong done was to the servants of the owner who were beaten, stoned and killed. There were two different groups of servants sent who received the same treatment. We could call them ambassadors because they represented the owner and the owner’s investment. There was more. When the owner had not received a report from either group of ambassadors, he sent his son. Sadly, the son fared no better at meeting with the tenants of the owner’s vineyard. Their concern for the servants was only for keeping the finances gained for themselves. They believed that the owner was too far away for them to be brought to justice and would lose interest. When the son appeared, their “love for money” accrued great interest. So much, in fact, they determined that killing the son would then give them the right to the vineyard as it was, most likely, the son’s inheritance. Would they have designed a ruse as did Joseph’s brothers to convince their father, Jacob, that he was killed by wild animals? Those who were “in the know” would have considered the connection of these two stories. That would include a far greater circle of people than just the Chief Priest and the Pharisees. Curious eyes would have glanced from Jesus to the Temple leadership like following a ball in a tennis match. What would they do?

The story continued, however, with the return of the owner of the vineyard himself. Having not heard any word, he took it upon himself to investigate the matter. Had he done so because he heard by other sources the fate of his son? Had he come to mourn? Had he come to seek justice? Probably both, but the purpose of the parable was not to dive into the depth of that question. This was a matter of fact and the urgency of the lesson was upon those who threatened “the son of the owner of the vineyard.” This was a parable of foreshadowing and the shadow of death loomed large. As Matthew retells this parable of Jesus it is set within the week of Passover on which the Son of God, the true owner of Heaven and earth, would be killed. The emphasis for Matthew’s audience was to make the connection themselves as to the “owner” and the “tenants.” While Matthew’s audience would have been primarily Jewish Christians who received the commissioning to receive and to share the gospel, there would have been Gentile Christians in their midst as well. The identity of the owner’s son to be synonymous with Jesus, the Christ of God, would be undeniable. The angst against those who taunted, challenged, persecuted and eventually killed the “owner’s son” would have been on the rise. The fear of those “first tenants” was stated as (verses 26 and 46) “they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he (John the Baptizer) and He (Jesus of Nazareth) were God’s prophets.” And while there may have been a seen of “crying out for justice” against those who persecuted Jesus (the Temple Leadership), it would have been equally against those who were persecuting the Christian community now forty years later or more. They were the “new tenants.” Why is that fact important? Because the fate of the first should be a reminder of the accountability of the second. The owner would return to receive what was owed to him. The owner was not an absentee owner. He would make his appearance and demand “justice.” Now justice included the full spectrum of meaning and import. It wasn’t merely about retribution. It was about the fruit of his investment and trust in the new tenants. At this point, mighty ones of God, we should be considering another parable and its consequence. I am speaking of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25.14ff). Everyone has the responsibility of returning to the owner a return on his investment. What a powerful challenge to the “new tenants,” the Church as the Body of Christ. Peter’s “priesthood of all believers” makes great sense at this point because every believer had been given the responsibility of making disciples. It was not given to just some. It was given to everyone. Peter’s reconciliation story (John 21) speaks to the definition of such responsibility: feed my flock (Jews); feed my sheep (Disciples); feed my lambs (converts to the faith, i.e. Gentiles). Moreover, the transfer of power in this story hinges upon the reality of the resurrection! The “owner” who will return is God the Son who had been crucified and raised from the dead. He is the perfect judge. There is no escaping the unrepented sins which lead to the death of the Son of God, the owner of the vineyard (Jerusalem, Israel and the entire creation). Here is where we find the impact of Isaiah’s prophetic message for justice on the current generation as well as their fathers. They would not be held accountable for their fathers’ sins. They would be the weight of not distancing themselves from those bad decisions of their fathers and walking in righteousness. Instead of falling away from their fathers, they were falling away from “the Father.”

Mighty ones of God, that day is coming!

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness which we know is folly but righteous works which declare Your glory and further witness the truth that can set all who believe free. Hear our prayer, O Lord, and be gracious to us in the name of Jesus. AMEN.