Wow, those other people just don’t get it.

Posted by markbullman on Jul 14, 2009 in Daily Bread | 3 comments

In Chapter 20, Dr. Luke is fast approaching the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The leaders of the Jewish people are getting anxious about Jesus’ popularity and what He might do next – and with good cause, as Jesus just entered Jerusalem in a procession that mimics either a leader returning from a successful military campaign or the public introduction of a new king. They have heard this carpenter’s son, who keeps company with prostitutes, blue-collars workers and representatives of their own internal revenue service, espousing very questionable philosophy – suggesting people who are poor in spirit, mourning, hungry, merciful and persecuted are highly favored by Jehovah. Forget that His teachings follow Torah and He had already fulfilled most Messianic prophecy, this is just not good politics. This clearly was not coming from the Jewish leaders’ play book. I mean really, “turn the other cheek?” The Jewish leaders are expecting someone to come in and take down the Roman oppressors, like David took out Goliath with a stone and a sling-shot or Moses who kept kicking butt, as long as he could keep his arms in the air. Somehow, they have to prove to the people (and themselves), that Jesus of Nazareth is not the Christ, so they put their greatest minds to the task of catching Him in a big, vice-presidential sized gaff. Then the people will stop following this purveyor of parlor tricks (impressive as they might be) and get back to the business of religion – after all, they have already figured out how God needs to handle the situation, you know. . . “the Vision.”

So, after Jesus caught the Jewish leaders in a Catch-22 scenario a few minutes earlier, and they are standing around scratching their heads and wondering why their latest, clever ploy has fallen flat, again, Jesus tells the people a story about how a landlord entrusts some locals with a significant piece of land. When it is harvest time, the land owner sends his servant to obtain an accounting of the use of the land and to collect the rent. Instead of coming back with the rent, the tenants beat up the land owner’s servant. And what makes matters worse, the tenants do this, not once, but three times. Finally, the landlord sends his son and heir (the guy that is going to own the land some day). But, instead of giving him the respect he deserves (as their future landlord and master), they kill him. The people do not like the tenants’ behavior in the story and voice their disapproval of such behavior. The Jewish leaders leave in a tiff to plan their next scheme, madder than ever, as they know Jesus has been talking about them.

What a great story. Jesus gets the religious leaders again. (We always pull for the apparent underdog. After all, we know how the story turns out.) God kept telling them over and over about His good news and they just didn’t get it. They had the prophets, judges and then even the very Son of God Himself came to share the Gospel of grace, and they refused to recognize His plan, His call to repentance. And good news it is. Even after God’s creation refused the Master’s overtures of love and grace over and over again, He still sent His Son to die that we might have life. Thank goodness we got it, and we aren’t like those slow Jewish, religious people or even those around us who have not yet figured out the Good News… right?

When we see a passage like this, we all too often speak confidently about how we would not have missed who Jesus was or His message of love and forgiveness, like the Jewish leaders and others of His day. But sometimes it appears that we gloss over such parables a bit too easily. Could this story apply to us as well 2,000 years later? I think perhaps He it does. In the passage, Jesus tells of a master who entrusts servants with a job to do, expecting an account of what they have done with the resources which they have been given. He tells how the tenants are asked again and again to account for themselves, but each time, they refuse to recognize the call of the master or his messengers. They are so arrogant that, even when the son of the master (who they recognize) arrives, the servants ignore even him. Ignore the message or not, eventually Scripture says that the Master will have his accounting (see also the parable of the talents in Luke 19) and, according to Jesus, the consequences for failing to heed His call are severe indeed (see Luke 19:24-27 and Luke 20:18).

Sometimes, as God’s people, we forget that we are called to walk like the Master. We see sign after sign of God’s call on our lives, individually and as the Body of Christ (Cumberland and across Christendom), to fulfil the Great Commission, to love those around us with reckless abandon, to seek first His Kingdom but all too often, like the pharisees of 2,000 years ago, we just don’t want to let go of our own plan in favor of His greater purpose. We must be careful not to ignore His call and stumble on the Stone that the builders rejected, or we too will find ourselves broken to pieces and watch, as the Master gives His call to others. While the message is a hard one to hear, the Gospel is indeed good news. He waits with great love and patience for His children to hear our Father’s call and respond. How amazing is His grace.