Luke 20:9-16

Luke 20:9-16 He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When the people heard this, they said, “May this never be!”

Acts 7:51-53 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him — you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”

From the beginning, the children of Israel had trouble obeying God's commandments, his laws. Stephen affirms this reality by saying to the Jews, And now you have betrayed and murdered him (Jesus) — you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it. Stephen observed, You always resist the Holy Spirit! The Luke parable shows a man renting out his vineyard to some farmers. This depicts God giving the Jewish people a special place to live with divine inspiration, the Law, to instruct them. But rather than producing fruits of righteousness and goodness, the people (the Jews), produced rebellious and bitter fruit. Instead of praising the owner for the gracious gift of this bountiful vineyard, they rejected his ownership of the land (their lives) and lived for their own gain.

When the owner (God) sent his servants to remind the people of their responsibilities and to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard, they abused his servants (the prophets) instead of heeding them. Stephen said, Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? The Jews did not accept the admonitions of the prophets of God; instead, they listened to their own false prophets who said it was all right for them to use the blessings of God for themselves. In their stubbornness, they rebelled against the owner of the vineyard, thinking because of his goodness he would not judge them for their selfish lives.

Finally, the master sent his son (Jesus), believing they would respect him. Surely, the son who owns everything would be respected by the people of the vineyard. However he was rejected, even though he performed miracles, did only good, and loved the inhabitants. They not only rejected him, they murdered him, as Stephen points out. This dastardly act of betrayal led the owner of the vineyard to punish the inhabitants and to give his vineyard, his blessings, to others. This act of rejection by his chosen people brought redemption to the whole world. Now the call is that whosoever will can receive the vineyard: the indwelling and fruitfulness of the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, do we use God's vineyard for our own purposes or for his? Are we using the blessings of God, his peace and the indwelling Spirit, for our flesh or for the Lord's work? Do we view his wonderful gifts as a means to get ahead in the world or do we use them to bless others? I have known many Christians with wonderfully gifted children. The vineyard, the presence of the Holy Spirit in their families, has produced a good harvest. These children do well in school, having profited from a blessed household, a peaceful and orderly home. Now, how will we use this blessing of God? Will we direct our children to get the most from this world or will we point them toward a sacrificial life for God? Sometimes, I have seen Christian parents wanting their children to have more of the world than they have, to use the blessings of God to attain more and better things, to get further ahead in the world.

Do we want our blessed children to inherit the world or to win the world for God? Do we want them rulers or servants who live for him? He wants his blessings to flow back to him from every life as the fruit of the Spirit. If our children's lives produce only the material things of this world: bigger houses, better cars, more vacation trips, their lives will lack godly fruit. God's spirit does not abide and prosper in self-willed, self-directed lives. The children of Israel tried that way of life. Therefore, God searched for a people to use his vineyard for HIS PURPOSES. Let the blessings that we receive be directed towards serving him and not ourselves. Let us teach our children to seek and to serve God, not to serve themselves, for this is his vineyard. We are his people who should produce HIS FRUIT for his glory.