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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. 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. 37 Last 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.’ 39 So 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.” 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. (Matthew 21:33-46 NIV Bible)
A blessed Monday to you, dear Friend. I pray the blessings of the Lord enrich your life and allow you to become a wonderful blessing to many, Prayers today for Mr. Bill Meadows of First Methodist Church of Gonzales who is having a surgical procedure today in Seguin. May God bless Bill with a victory and a speedy recovery. Pray for all who have asked prayer from us and may God bless you in your needs.
Jesus shares yet another vineyard story. He always knew His audience and so captures today's crowd with this story. This one a bit more personal. It hits very close to home. The story is about the owner of the vineyard and his son. We all should, by now, know what and Who Jesus is talking about. But, let's follow the story. This owner, having moved away, has rented out his vineyard and his winepress. The day comes that the rent is due and so he send his servants to collect the rent. These tenants grabbed the servants, beating one, killing another and stoning a third. Not what he expected, and so he sends other servants, more than the first time, to try and collect the rent, and the same thing happens. Finally, the owner decides he will send his son to collect the rent, thinking the renters would respect his son. But the tenants had other ideas thinking, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance." And that's what happened; the son was thrown out of the vineyard and killed him." Then Jesus asks, "When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" The audience replied, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." The question is asked by Jesus, "Have you never read the scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, an dit is marvelous in our eyes'? "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. Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed." Ouch. For in the audience were the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were smart people and they knew who He was talking about and so decided they would look for ways to get Jesus arrested, but also feared the crowd because the people held Jesus to be a prophet. Funny, because that's exactly who Jesus was talking about; God sending His prophets to speak His word and most of them were killed, and Jesus knew what fate awaited Him.
We must not overlook the declaration Jesus makes about Him being the cornerstone. He was rejected by the religious leaders of His time, just as the landowner's son was rejected by the wicked tenants. But, we thank God that His plan prevailed, and Jesus became the cornerstone of our faith, our salvation. But here is the reality; we will all be held accountable for how we've managed the resources and opportunities that God has given us. This is our time to reflect on our lives and ask whether we are producing the fruits of righteousness. This parable calls us to recognize Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith and to use the blessings in a responsible way that bears the fruit of love, grace, and obedience to God's will. God's patience and grace provide us with the opportunity to turn back to Him, even when we have strayed. May God give us the strength to respond to His call and faithfulness.
PRAYER: Loving God, rain down on us Your grace and love to do Your will. May we seek to share Jesus as cornerstone with others; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Make Jesus the Cornerstone of your life.
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
