Rejection

One of my favorite things to do during the summer is be outside and garden. We have grape vines that produce great purple grapes. Deb makes jelly out of them.

The story I shared with the high school and middle school class on Wednesday evening is about a individual who owns a vineyard where grapes are grown and his tenants who were greedy and violent individuals.

It’s a story about rejection.

It would make a great movie.

One of the worst feelings in the world is to be rejected by someone. We have all experienced it. Friends at school. Maybe a family member. Maybe a brother or sister in Christ who you thought was a true friend.

The Parable of the Tenants
Matthew 21:33-46 (New International Version)

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 went away on a journey. 34When 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. 36Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said.

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.' 39So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

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."

42Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: " 'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone 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. 44He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

This parable is about rejection. The illustration of a landowner who uses his money, time, and resources to build a business of making wine is a parallel on how our Lord was received and treated.

This business was necessary and essential in that time. Others sought to take advantage and then tried to take it away. The landowner put forth efforts and sought others to care for his property. When he sent messengers to collect what was his, they rejected the messengers.

They not only rejected, they became violent, even resorting to murder to get their way and not seek his. Even though it was his vineyard, they only saw it as opportunity to get something without using their own money, labor, or efforts. They wanted for themselves what they were not wiling to strive for. When the landowner sent his son, he expected better treatment; but their true wickedness showed as they killed him, too.

The tenants represent the people whom God brought out of Egypt and slavery, and gave them a land they did not make. God sent His Law and prophets, and they beat and killed them; when God sent His Son, they were to do the same.

A messiah was promised and they killed both the messenger, John the Baptist, and Christ. They sought their own greed. They did not honor or respect the things and call of God.

We do this daily in our selfish walks of life. Rejecting the one who in turn blesses us daily and gives us that second chance.