My Lover Done Me Wrong

I don’t keep up with country music much anymore. It seems to be a bit too complicated for a simple guy like me. I preferred the days when all country western songs were pretty much all about the same thing. One song after the next was about something like losing my girlfriend, and my truck broke down, and my dog left me, and on and on. It used to seem like country western ballads were all a sort of woe-is-me picture of some guy who presumed himself to have everything in the world turn against him. Everything and everyone who ever meant so much has somehow all turned their backs and walked away. A country singer would tell the tale of I done tried the best I could to give her all my best. And now my lover done me wrong and just up and walked away after I done so much for her.

That’s today’s parable. Jesus is singing a country western ballad about how his lover done him wrong. He tells it through the story of a vineyard.

Luke 20:9–19 NIV

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, “God forbid!” Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

Let’s pick apart this story a little bit today and see what’s going on here. At first glance there is nothing particularly striking about what Jesus is saying. It was very common in those days for people to own land that could be farmed, but they would not work it themselves. Instead they would let others come in and tend the agriculture. Those tenants who worked the land would produce the crop and pay back the landowner, so he could get a profit on his investment.

In this case we see the picture of a landowner who goes the extra mile to set up his tenants with what they need for producing a successful and bountiful harvest. He sets up and plants the vineyard himself. The owner makes all of the initial investments himself. It doesn’t seem as though the tenants have to do any of the work of clearing the field of trees or rocks. They do not have to plow and prepare the soil. They do not have to acquire the grape vines or put them in. The landowner has already done all that work. In other words, the owner has set up everything so that he has every right and expectation to return and see a harvest.

Audience

This parable is for religious insiders

I think those people who listened to Jesus tell this parable heard this story before. In Luke 20 there is a tense conversation that takes place right before this story. Jesus is approached by the teachers of the law and the chief priests and the elders who all question him about his authority. These teachers of the law and chief priests and elders were the religious elite. These were the insiders who had been a part of the Jewish religious tradition all their lives. They had all the Sunday school classes. They were graduates of the local private school and had all their Bible classes. They knew all the right answers and they knew all the expectations.

This is the audience. Jesus knew he was telling this story to people who knew their Old Testament scripture well. This is a story that is pointed at people who saw themselves as religious people. This is a story for people who would already identify themselves as followers of God. This is not a story for the outsider, or the seeker, or the marginalized person who is left on the fringes. Nope. The parable of the tenants is meant as a story for anyone who walks into church on a Sunday morning with a complete comfort and ease of being in a room of exact familiarity. I have been in this place for so long that I know exactly what I expect to take place here and how it will go. I know the religious formula.

And then someone comes along who upsets that formula by doing some things in a way that challenges this set of religious values and priorities that I have held on to so tightly for all my life. What gives him the right? The chief priests ask Jesus, by what authority do you think you can come along and tell us that the way we’ve always done things our whole lives is somehow wrong? Who do you think you are?

That’s the setup for this parable. This is a story that Jesus aims squarely at anyone who has ever caught themselves thinking this must be the right way because we’ve always done it this way. And anyone else who wants to follow God better get in step and do things the same way as I do.

Jesus takes this parable from their religious tradition

Isaiah 5:1-7 (Song of the Vineyard)

So, when the authority of Jesus is questioned by those who think they have all the inside knowledge, and the weight of history and tradition is all stacked on their side, Jesus responds with a story. In particular, this is a story that actually is not a new one. In fact, this is a story that comes right out of their tradition. A few of the details are different, but those religious leaders would have understood the reference immediately. The story of the vineyard comes right out of Isaiah 5. This one comes back from the day when country western songs were real ballads. They just don’t write lover-done-me-wrong ditties like this anymore. With this parable, Jesus revives a retro classic.

Isaiah 5:1–7 NIV

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Point of Reference

Twist - from the vineyard to the tenants

Jesus is playing with a familiar story here. But, he is taking this parable from the prophet Isaiah and turning it with a new twist to once again draw out the message in a fresh way. Last week we introduced this series on parables with a few features which we will always be looking for in any parable. One of those features is the point of reference. We will always be looking for the place in the parable in which we—the audience—is supposed to relate and find ourselves in the story.

This one has a twist. In Isaiah’s version of the parable back in the Old Testament the point of reference was the vineyard itself. Isaiah even says so in stating that the vineyard of the LORD Almighty is the nation of Israel. In that version of the story, it is the vineyard itself that is taken and destroyed. Old Testament biblical history made the meaning of this story clear for the Israelites of Jesus’ day. Isaiah was foretelling the Babylonian exile.

Now here is the twist. The Jewish people of Jesus’ day would have said that this story is over and done. The Babylonian exile accomplished God’s judgement for the sins of those people in that day. And now Jesus puts a fresh coat of paint on this old parable and says, Not so fast. The lesson and the affects of this parable are not necessarily over and done. Now the point of reference has shifted with the introduction of some new characters into the story. The vineyard is no longer the point of reference. Now there are tenants called in to tend and take care of the vineyard. The tenants are the point of reference in which all who here this story should place themselves.

Here is where the point of reference shows how the story evolves to a new time and a new audience. In Isaiah’s version, God gives everything that was needed for his people to flourish and produce a bountiful blessing upon the earth as his chosen people. But instead they produce only bad fruit. Jesus takes this one step further. Now the people turn and full-on reject the owner of the vineyard himself. And they go even one step further, the tenants think to themselves that this is now their vineyard. They steal for themselves all the blessings and benefits of the vineyard by throwing out and killing the beloved so of the landowner.

Twist - from a history lesson to a present day application

Alright. There is a face-value immediate application to what Jesus is saying. Of course, there is a reference here to Jesus predicting his own death as the Son of God at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders. There is a reference here to the spreading of the New Testament church in which the landowner calls for new tenants after killing the original tenants. Here is where the point of reference drives home for us. The religious people in Jesus looked back at the Song of the Vineyard from Isaiah 5 and thought that it was over and done—that it now just stands as a history lesson. And Jesus says, Not so fast, there is still a lesson here you need to learn. Could it be that for us now—the religious people of our own day—that we look at the parable of the tenant and think the same thing. That’s over and done. Jesus has already sacrificed himself on the cross. God has already given the mission of the church over to the gentile world of the surrounding nations. This parable has already happened and now just stands as a history lesson.

And once again the Holy Spirit must come storming into our hearts and declare, Not so fast, there is still a lesson for right now today that we need to learn from this. The parable of the tenants is still given from God as a part of his holy word for his chosen people yet today. Let’s keep digging in to find the kingdom idea so that this will become more clear.

Kingdom Idea

Point of reference was one feature of a parable we learned about last week. The next feature we look for in every parable is the kingdom idea. Jesus tells parables as a way of conveying a kingdom idea which calls for a response. That’s what we gave last week as a definition of a parable. It is a story that conveys a kingdom idea which calls for a response. So, what kind of kingdom idea is going on here? The parable of the tenants seems to end with some pretty dark judgement. Those who get a little too comfortable with God’s blessing and start thinking that it belongs to them are all in for a rude awakening.

Hmm. I thought the gospel was supposed to be good news. I thought the kingdom of God was supposed to be a kingdom that comes in grace and forgiveness. Well, there are some notable details in this parable that we should not overlook. This time around, the vineyard is not destroyed. The landowner doesn’t scrap the whole project. There is no Noah-and-flood kind of house cleaning.

The kingdom of God remains strong in Jesus

The kingdom of God is still a kingdom that is very much alive and strong. In fact, Jesus drives this kingdom idea with another reference to the Old Testament. He quotes Psalm 118:22 in referencing himself as the building stone which was overlooked and has now become the cornerstone. The kingdom of God is not a fragile arrangement which rises and falls on the momentary failures of sinful and broken people. Last week we saw a kingdom idea from the parable of the sower that the kingdom is growing. Today we see in the parable of the tenants that the kingdom remains strong. God’s kingdom is unshakable. And don’t miss this detail. The strength of God’s kingdom is in Jesus. It is not strong because of its traditions or because of its human leadership or because of its institutions. You and I are not the ones who give any strength to the kingdom of God. It’s strength only comes in Jesus.

The kingdom of God continues to call new people

Hold on to that kingdom idea and look at this one right along side of it. Even though the kingdom of God has its strength in Jesus, God still seeks tenants for his vineyard. The kingdom of God is a kingdom that continues to call new people. Yes, God has all the strength and power to hold and lead his kingdom single-handedly all by himself. And yet, God still keeps choosing to call the ones he loves as the caretakers of his tremendous blessings. He still continues to seek out the ones he loves as partners in his kingdom mission for his created world.

Response

Immediate reaction - God forbid!!!

Like all other parables, this is a story that calls for a response. Look at the response that came from the original audience who heard Jesus tell this parable. In recognizing that original tenants were thrown out and killed by the landowner, the immediate reaction from the crowd is, “God forbid!” No way! God is not going to do that. We are the chosen people who live very carefully in ways that follow all those rules in the Bible. God has no reason to throw me out! Sure, back in Isaiah’s day the Song of the Vineyard applied with that kind of judgement for another time with other people. But not now, not today, not here, not us! That’s unthinkable. In fact, it is insulting for Jesus to even suggest such a thing.

What about me? What about us? What is the appropriate response to this parable? One response is repentance. I think that is the response that Jesus is looking for. I mean, just look at the incredible long-suffering patience of the landowner. Look at the way in which God calls again and again for his people to respond to him. It is not the desire of the landowner to throw out the tenants. That’s not his first choice. It is not the desire of God to let people go on and on living in rebellion. He desires repentance. He desires for people to turn their hearts to him in obedience. God, I confess that there are times when I forget that this is your vineyard, not mine. I confess that there are times when I forget that this place is about producing fruit for you, not just hoarding fruit for me.

Repentance

God is patient with his people

If one of the kingdom ideas in this parable is to recognize that the kingdom of God remains strong in Jesus, then I need to respond to this parable in repentance confessing all the times when I want God’s kingdom to be about strength for ME.

Make room

God still calls new people

The other response I see in this story is a call for tenants. The Jewish people who heard Jesus tell this parable responded to that in disgust. God forbid! No way! There is absolutely no way God would ever clear the way for any of those sinful heathen pagan people out there to actually partake in his blessing. I might be willing to allow that God could invite others to join who meet my approval. You know, people who live with the same values as I do. People who know what my set of expectations are, and can live up to it.

Today, in my repentance, I acknowledge that God has placed a call for others to join his kingdom family from all nations, all corners of society, all backgrounds. This ought to come as good news. This means that God’s call is not a call based on position or status or accomplishments. We do not need to live as people who constantly wonder if we are good enough, or if we fit the right pedigree, or if we have an acceptable resume. Because of Jesus, we’ve all been prequalified. We are already in. But this also means that other people are graciously given the same prequalification that we have. The call for those who work the vineyard alongside of us is a call that means I need to go out of my way to make room for others.

What exactly does that look like? In our neighborhoods, in our workplaces, in our church? Show me some real-life examples of what a good response to the parable of the tenants looks like for us here today? What does it actually look like for us to be tenants of God’s kingdom vineyard in today’s church?

First of all, it does not mean that I need to be best friends with absolutely everybody in the world. Jesus himself demonstrated this with his social circles in the gospels. He had his besties—Peter, James, and John. He had his usual squad—the twelve disciples. He had his greater following beyond the twelve. And he had the masses and crowds of people who gathered to him as her went from town-to-town.

As I make room in my life for others who are called by Jesus, it’s okay to still have my close friends, my valued relationships beyond my inner circle, and my points of contact with a wide variety of others with whom God has placed in and around my life. Let’s be honest, our lives only have so much room for time and relationships, and there is no way we can always be best buddies with absolutely everyone who we ever meet. Yet, at the same time I do make room for the variety of kingdom tenants God calls in and places beside me. And I hold a place of value for these people and what feeds and nurtures them as a part of this kingdom, even if it fits a different mold than me.