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THE TENANTS
“Listen to
another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a
watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another
country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to
the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his
slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again
he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them
in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They
will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they
said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and
get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the
vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard
comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He
will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the
vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at
harvest time.”
Jesus said to
them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that
the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the
Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes?’ Therefore I tell
you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to
a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who
falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush
anyone on whom it falls.”
Jesus’ parables sometimes disturb me. It
may be because I like books and movies with happy endings, where
good overcomes evil. Our lives with Jesus will have happy
endings but in the meantime, there is a lot of trouble and chaos
in the world. How do we deal with this in our lives?
At this time of year, I get inspired to
reorganize, clean out clutter and renew commitments to exercise,
healthy eating, etc. I read with enthusiasm the article in the
Jan. 1 Wichita Eagle by Suzanne Perez Tobias called “This year,
I’ll make life’s margins bigger.” It focused on the ever-elusive
simplicity and spiritual renewal that we hunger for in our
lives. I know I get overwhelmed with work, organizational
commitments and other activities, and soon I’m rushing around
and not making time for what matters most. This is just like the
Pharisees in our parable. They had all sorts of reasons for
rejecting Jesus and the life he wants people to have. I think
Jesus is telling us the same thing he told the Pharisees – focus
on him, do things that really matter and leave room in your life
for spontaneity and daily unexpected joys.
Jesus, help me to focus on you this
Lenten season as I try to commit to those things that really
matter – following you, taking care of myself and my
loved ones, and slowing down to enjoy the creation you have
provided. In your name I pray. Amen
Marsha Meili
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