Matthew 21:33-41 "For Whom Do We Labor?"

“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.  When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.  Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.  Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’  So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 


 Let's make sure we put this into the context in which Jesus taught it.  This is during the last week of Jesus' life, just before He was arrested and crucified.  Jesus was at the temple teaching when the religious leaders challenged His right and authority to teach.  Jesus did not answer them, but He taught these parables instead.  It seems obvious that Jesus is talking about the religious institution.  And whatever was true for the religious institutions back then is still true for us today.  These parables give us a glimpse of how the Kingdom functions and how God thinks.

The landowner, of course, represents God.  The vineyard is the ministry of the church (or in Jesus' day, the temple).  God set the church up to be functional -to bear fruit.  The job of the the tenants (church people, Christians, Preachers and Teachers), is to care for the vineyard in such a way that it produces fruit that benefits the true owner -God.  The caretakers (we who are Christians) are not the owners.  We were not given the authority to build our own kingdoms, have our own agendas, or produce fruit just for our own benefit.

When any given local church, or even any given denomination operates the vineyard for personal profit, reputation, prestige, power or influence, it is no longer functioning as the Kingdom.  Even when a church teaches a lot of good things and does a lot of good things, if it has it's own agenda it is not functioning as the Kingdom.  When we do that we are not loving God, rather using God to love ourselves. 

Does God care about this?  After all, isn't the Gospel still being taught?  Maybe.  But, clearly motives and agendas matter to God.  We have a King.  We have a Kingdom.  When we substitute our own agendas for His Kingdom agenda -when begin building our own kingdoms, we are robbing God.  And even though He is patient and gives us plenty of time to learn to love Him and serve Him and repent from our foolishness, if we don't repent their will one day be a consequence.  The owner will visit the vineyard and "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end."


Lord Jesus, as I serve you in the section of the vineyard You have entrusted to my care, help me to mindful of Your desires, Your plans, and Your fruit.  Lord, find me faithful.  I long to hear those beautiful words, "Well done My good and faithful servant."