Having wept as He approached Jerusalem on a donkey and then indicating that His authority can only be recognized and received by people who grasped John the Baptist's mission (Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1) Jesus now settles in to teach at the temple.
THE SCENE
Why won't Jesus simply answer the leader's questions? Oh wait, here comes another story. I love His stories, they always seem to be so gripping and yet layered with meaning.
Rising to a place where He is easily seen and heard, He begins to tell of a vineyard. Everyone in the room was familiar with the long rows of trellises and vines climbing to reach the sun, thirsty for its attention to grow. Grapes, plump and ready for the picking, only to be squashed underfoot, fermented and made into the best of wine. Or better yet, how wonderful was a bunch of grapes in the cool of the day under the shade of a sycamore tree.
Wait, why would those responsible for the vineyard intentionally malign and harm the master. They were intended to eat of the fruit, but it seems these workers are hell-bent on making the vineyard theirs. Why? Hold up, what does a vineyard have to do with a cornerstone? It seems their rejection of the owner's plans exposes their real motives.
The scribes and leaders are now perplexed, thinking, "This is "our" house. How dare this man come in and tell a parable making it sound like we.... wait a minute. This story is against us! As though we rejected something." What follows is a little game of entrapment. However, Jesus is much too clever and He knows what is in a man. So his words become even more penetrating, and yet drawing. In fact, these leaders couldn't pin him down. Instead they began to marvel and sit, dumbfounded by His wisdom.
More entrapment ensues while Jesus, cool as the other side of the pillow, simply maintains the course. "The authority is God's (Luke 20:1-8), I am His long awaited Son coming to tend the vineyard (Luke 20:9-18), God gets the glory so give it to Him (Luke 20:19-26), the Resurrection is a coming (Luke 20:38) and the lives of those who love me will prove it (Luke 20:45-47)."
I wonder, as Jesus provides these teachings and we read it, are we moved in heart like those present were? Even those seeking to destroy him at one point "marveled and became silent." Read those last verses again. Is my faith "a show?" OR does it move me toward greater obedience and alignment with the Word of God, Spirit of God and Mission of God? Do I "live to Him?"
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