Luke 20:9-12

Luke 20:9-12

And He began to say to the people this parable: “Some man planted a vineyard and leased it to keepers of a vineyard as tenants.  And he traveled away from his own country for a sufficient time.  And by a time he sent forth a slave to the keepers of the vineyard in order that they will give to him from the fruit of the vineyard.  And the keepers of the vineyard dismissed him in vain after scourging him.  And he decided to send another slave.  And the ones who scourged and who dishonored that one sent him out in vain.  And he decided to send a third.  But the ones who wounded this one cast him out.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As we look at this passage, set the context.  A person creates a vineyard and then leases it to other people.  This is the nature of God.  God creates for other people to enjoy.  God creates for other people to be blessed.  God creates not because He has a need; God creates because we do.  The context of this passage is the blessing and provision of God.

Do you see God as a provider?  How mindful are you of God’s provision each day?

Second Thought:

In the midst of the vineyard owner’s blessing, we see expectations.  The same is true with God.  While God blesses us far more than we could ever return to Him, He does ask for some things in return.  He wants us to bear fruit.  He wants us to share with Him out of the fruit that we bear through His provision.  It is a very reasonable request.  He does far more giving than receiving; but why shouldn’t He receive something in return and share in the creation He made in the first place?

How grateful are you of God’s provision?  How do you ask God to share in the fruit you bear through His creation?

Third Thought:

The tenants are not grateful in the least.  They mistreat the slaves that the owner of the vineyard sends.  They want to keep all of the fruit for themselves.  So it was with the Hebrew people.  God provided for them all throughout history, but they mistreated the people of God that He sent to them.  The same can also be true for us.  If we are not careful, we can find ourselves looking upon God’s messengers to us with scorn and derision.  When we forget about being grateful for the provision of God, we can become bitter towards the people who come to remind us about Him and His ways.

Have you ever mistreated people who brought God’s Word into your life?  When can this behavior creep into your life?  How can you avoid this feeling?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 20:13-16