We are so excited that Massey will be home soon! Thank You, Father, for seeing him through all he has pursued. You have opened so many doors and provided in so many ways! Praise Your Holy Name!
Luke 20:9-19 (<<click here to read the passage)
Many of Jesus’ parables communicated truths but contained general characters. But in this parable, it is pretty clear who the characters are. And even though they were not happy with their understanding, the religious leaders saw very clearly who the characters in the story were supposed to represent.
The owner of the vineyard is God;
….the vineyard is Israel;
….….the tenant farmers are the religious leaders;
….……..the servants are the prophets and priests God sent to Israel;
….….….….the son is the Messiah, Jesus…
In yesterday’s passage
They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?” v2
In this passage they get their question answered in the guise of a parable. It also showed them that he knew about their plan to kill him.
In that succinct little story, Jesus had laid out a huge swath of Israel’s history. Time and again, God had laid claim to that which He had planted – the nation of Israel. Yet over and over again, leaders had refused to yield to His authority.
Notes from my study Bible* gave me some interesting things to chew on. In our human way of thinking is there any way to put a positive spin on the word “broken”? No matter the context – bones, hearts, toys, etc. – we would not choose to have something we value to be broken.
But when we speak of our relationship with God, brokenness is not just a good thing, but it becomes an essential thing.
God uses only people whose hearts, volition, and pride have been broken. Jesus gives a double warning: those who stumble over that stone – himself –“will be broken to pieces,” while it will crush anyone on whom it falls.
God offers a choice of “brokennesses” if you will. Those who cast themselves on Jesus, submitting their wills and all that they are to him, will be broken by him of arrogance, hard-heartedness, and self-centeredness. It is not a pleasant process but an absolutely necessary one. For those who do not submit to him, he will ultimately “fall on them,” an experience that can only be described as “crushing.” The choice is yours: broken before him, or crushed by him.*
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Nov 9th, 2020, Mon, 7:56 pm
