I was recently reading the “parable of the tenants” found in Luke 20:9-19 (also Mark 12 & Mathew 21). As Jesus tells the story, a man planted a vineyard, and leased it to several farmer tenants. When the harvest came, the owner sought to receive some of the produce, so he sent a servant to collect his share. The servant was unexpectedly beaten by the tenants, and sent home empty handed.
The owner did this two more times, with two other servants, getting the same result each time. Those poor servants! Then, having had 3 servants beaten and nothing to show from his tenants, he decides to send his son the fourth time. What?! I mean, thank goodness on behalf of the servants, but he thinks sending his son is a good idea? How about sending no one?
But the owner says in verse 13, “What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.” This of course, sounds ridiculous to you and me. And of course, this ends with his son dead. It sort of makes me angry every time I read it.
But I have to understand that this parable has a meaning, of course. And in this story, God is the owner, and Jesus is the son. And we are the tenants. You were hoping I would say some other people group were the tenants weren’t you?
Unfortunately, most of us, no matter how much we’d like to think otherwise, would have rejected Jesus, just like most of the people in the first century did. Perhaps we might have even been some of the ones shouting insults, laughing or relishing his pain. We don’t like to think of ourselves in such a dark manner, but I’ve seen Christians, people just like you and me, do some really terrible, hateful things. Often Christians are the most judgmental and cruel of all. For a people who are given such boundless grace, we often fail to extend grace to others.
But this parable is about the tenants or us. Rather it is about the owner, God, and the son, Jesus. The owner should have been hurt, disappointed, and well, angry. Instead, he seems to accept the outcome rather calmly each time. And then, as if his beloved son will be respected by these unruly tenants, he risks his own flesh and blood to give them one more chance to do the right thing. When people reject his generosity, and mock him and his servants, the owner continues to give opportunities for redemption.
God’s love is deep and generous. It is truly hard for us to understand, because our love usually has limits. I can only compare it to the love I have for my children. I have told them over and over, there is nothing they could do to stop me from loving them. Nothing. I might be disappointed, angry, frustrated, or sad. But my love for them will remain, no matter what. God’s love is like that, but bigger.
There are consequences to our actions, of course. The end of this parable has the tenants dead. Their greed and cruelty didn’t pay off. But the owner remained generous with his gifts. He simply gave the vineyard to others, probably undeserving others like you and me. It’s ridiculous, if you think about it.