Landlord Nightmare

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Anyone ever get into renting?

Because if you have ever rented something you know that it can be aamazing but then their are times it can look like the story we just heard, where it is a complete nightmare.

And the reason I am telling you this is because we have been in this series called parables and throughout this series we have been looking at these stories that Jesus told

And the basic definition for parables are an earthly story, with a heavenly meaning.

And today Jesus tells a story about what would be a Landlords nightmare.

And this story we just listened to, to shame.

And so we will be in Matthew 21:33-46 and will be starting in just the first verse.

It says this in verse 1:

Matthew 21:33 NIV

33 “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.

So the story starts out great because we are told that there is a guy that owns land and he plants a vineyard.

And if you have ever planted something you know that to form a nice garden it takes time right?

I mean I thought I could just clear some grass and plant a few things and they all ended up dying.

Because farming is not just this easy thing, but its a lot fo work right.

And in this story we see the Landowner, plant this vineyard, and not just that but he does everything to make sure this vineyard is ready to thrive.

He puts a wall around it, to keep animals out, He digs an area for a winepress, He even builds a watch tower so He can see the entire vinyard and make sure there is nothing coming that threatens the Vinyard.

I mean He poured His heart into this thing and created it in a way that whoever runs it can make it thrive.

And heres what I want you to get because in this passage the landowner represents God and then the vineyard represents what God has created.

And really before anything Jesus is communicating in this story that God has created a beautiful world.

I mean have you ever stepped back and looked and the beauty of the world that God has created.

Did anyone ever grow up playing the Sims games, Zoo or Rollar coaster Tycoon.

I don’t know if anyone was like me, but I was a messed up kid

and when I made these things I never would strive to create this beautiful park, I always would always create terrible homes, I would do things that would cause these fake people in this game to get angry, they would break out it fights, all the animals would get loose, the roller coasters would crash into things.

I needed Jesus.

But the reason was I did not care, about the fake people. Hopefully if it was real I wouldn’t do that…

But heres the thing, because God created the heavens and the earth, and He does not go “this would be funny” or “I don’t really care about this detail”

But we see him carefully planning every detail and creating this beautiful creation,

And He does it for the people He creates.

He does it with us in mind.

And in this story the landowner has the farmers move in to fill and work the Vinyard.

And if you look at Genesis, we see God doing this, because He brings in Adam and Eve into this creation and He gives them only a few commands and sometimes we focus on the one commandment that was not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, but listen to the others,

Because God commands them to reflect His image, tend to the garden or work it, take charge of the animals, and to multiply where they fill the earth.

And so in this story God creates this beautiful place and He says fill this place.

And lets go to the next part verses 34-36 because there is a really drastic shift in the story. It says this:

Matthew 21:34–36 NIV

34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.

So harvest time approaches and the servants come to collect the fruit that they owed the landowner, but there is an issue right?

Because instead of going here you go, here is your fruit.

They actually beat the first, then the second gets killed, the third gets stoned.

And it says that the owner actually keeps sending servants and the same thing just keeps happening.

I mean it would be like if I you said hey Brendan, can we borrow your laptop? I really need it, because I want to to look up information on butterflys (hand laptop to someone) And I said sure, here you go!

So a month later I come to him and go hey, do you have my laptop, and they go I am not giving it to you, I haaven’t even looked up what I wanted yet.

And I go what have you been doing?

So then they beat me up

And thats kind of whats going on here right?

Because the servants come to these farmers and they are beating them up, killing them, stoning them.

And I kind of wonder if they if after a certain point after the farmers beat the first servant if they felt like how could they not just keep going, because if they submitted, they probably are thinking we are done here.

And If I had to guess the servants are going how could we turn back? I mean you can picture just how deep this hole is.

And whats amazing is the master keeps sending the servants to these guys that I would have probably waged war of right?

And then look at this next verse and I want us to read this together because this would have been shocking.

Matthew 21:37 NIV

37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

They beat all of the servants and then he finally sends his very own son.

And I am not sure if you read this and go why in the world would you do this?

I mean doesn’t that seem a little weird to keep sending person after person and then finally you send your son.

And I want us to get this because in this story, I think sometimes we view this story like the landlord was a business manprotecting his investment, rather then a loving God who wants to be with His tenant.

And I think sometimes we think oh the fruit was what mattered, or the vinyard its self was the thing that the master really wanted. And thats the thing that had value

And can I be honest I don’t think thats the case, because in our walk with God while the creation God has given us matters and what we do with it matters and even what we do with our life matters.

I think the the thing that God looks at and sees the highest value in is us. Its you.

And He wants to be with the tenants

So much so that He sends servant after servant which represented prophets in the Old Testement, and then He finally sends His son which was Jesus.

Can I just pause here and say we can dig a pretty deep who but the beautiful part of this story, God’s overarching story and our story is that we can run from God.

In fact we can push Him away, but He continues to pursue us.

I don’t know about you guys but thats something I need to hear.

That I am of value, and God will keep pursuing even when the hole I dig is deeper then I ever thought it could be.

And what is crazy about this story is the servants response when they learn that the master sent His son. look at the next couple of verses

Matthew 21:38–39 NIV

38 “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.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

And this is what happens to Jesus yet God stull pursues and let me just read the last part of this passage: verses 40-46. It says:

Matthew 21:40–46 NIV

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “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.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

You know there is a lot to unpack and I am not sure we will unpack all of that, but whats really shocking is sometimes we read this and go this is about my crazy neighbor down the street that is just a wild person.

But whats interesting is Jesus doen’t go this is about that guy (although it can probably be aapplied) but He goes this is about the religious leaders, this is for the people that go to church every Sunday.

This is about me.

Because I think what can happen is we view ourselves as holyier then thou

And we end up getting to a place where we maybe unintentionally go I am pretty good person and I don’t need God and we reject him too.

And I want us to understand this because we need God, whether we have never accepted Him or we have walked with him for 80 years.

And we need him just as badly as the person that has never accepted Him

And let me just end on this because Jesus ask the religous leaders what should the tenant do?

And they go He should bring those wretches to a wretched end! The Brendan Shea Version, would be He should end them!

And I love this because Jesus goes are you guys blind, because this is about you.

You know have you ever noticed how its really east to notice others flaws and miss your own.

I am a little biased, but I think beards are pretty cool, but they are gross.

Because if you have ever been around me eating something that has sauce my beard gets covered in sauce,

And if Arika is not around its embarising because I have not idea

And I walk around and no one tells me.

And you know I guess as we close I think their is an important part of this story where we need to sit a little in self examination, because this story is not about the person down the street, or the person that your thinking “wow, I wish this person could here this…”

But this message is for you.

Because often times we dig our hole and we either don’t notice how deep the hole is or we think their is not way to return.

But the good news here is that we have a landlord that wants you.

And when we follow God, we start to produce a fruit that we cannot produce without him.

Lets pray