Jesus used this parable to answer a question and to forcefully reiterate a point he had made on several previous occasions. The question the parable answers was the one put to him by the chief priests and the elders, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” (v. 23). The point he had made before and was driving home again was that kingdom of God would be taken from the religious people who assumed they were God’s favorites, while streaming into it would be Gentiles, tax collectors, and prostitutes (Mt. 8:11-12; 21:31).

Jesus appealed to an image had already been made explicit by the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 5:1-7). So –although the Lord slightly reworked it, because in the earlier version the people addressed were compared to (bad) grapes while in Jesus’ version they were the vine-growers (Isa. 5:2). At any rate, in both cases it turned out badly for the audiences to whom the parables were directed.

There are only two classes of people in Jesus’ parable. First there are those who try to control religion, keep it to themselves, and personally profit from it. The other group are those to whom the vineyard (or kingdom of heaven) is graciously given and who faithfully turn its yield over to God.

When You come to us, O Lord, what sort of fruit do You hope to gather? What specific actions or accomplishments do You want us to present to You? Justice? Righteousness? Compassion? Although the specifics may not be clear to us, we have Your example and therefore trust that we will not be off the mark if we devote our lives to loving the Father with all our heart, mind, body, and spirit and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus envisioned the kingdom of God as a wedding feast and the call of God as an invitation to a party. Through Jesus, God calls us away from our worldly pursuits and to himself and the banquet of his Son. To answer that call is to turn from every distraction and bring our attention fully to God in the present moment. Certainly we have time for this despite our “farms” and our “businesses.”

We would do well to pause at Jesus’ description of the wedding guests who were “both evil and good.” The criterion for them entering the dinning hall was neither moral nor religious, but relational. Guests are not invited to wedding receptions because they are good people, but because of the way they are related to the bride or groom. So in Jesus’ parable, we are invited into a relationship with God without regard to whether we are good or bad when the invitation comes. The worst form of judgmental Christianity is that which bars the entrance to the kingdom to someone who does not seem good enough (Mt. 23:13).

When one of the guests showed up for the reception in street clothes, he was confronted and thrown out. He did not come to the feast for relationship, but for the food and entertainment. The event defines how one must come and appropriate attire. The man’s lack of respect for the host indicates his unwillingness to enter a relationship with him. That the host meant to be in relationship with his guests is evidenced by the fact that he addressed the man as “Friend” and gave him the opportunity to explain himself (v. 12–even Judas was addressed by our Lord as friend, 26:50). Continue reading →

In the previous story, there is a very clear rift between the common people, who believed John the Baptist was a prophet, and their religious leaders, who did not believe John (vv. 25-26). So who stood the best chance of being acceptable to God? The common people with all of their daily defilements, compromises, and wrong-headed ideas about theology or the chief priests and elders who practically lived in the temple and were involved in worship every day?

In the parable, Jesus tells a story of two sons. One of them said the wrong thing, but changed his mind and did the right thing. The other said the right thing, but never got around to doing it. Through the story, Jesus illustrated why tax collectors and prostitutes–that is, people whose lives said the wrong thing–were entering the kingdom of God ahead of the priests and elders, whose religious lives said the right thing. In other words, the parable reveals why the leaders would lose their way and the losers would lead the way.

Lord Jesus, You are the Giver of hope. If we have lived according to our own will while refusing to do God’s will, we can change our minds and right now You will take us to the front of the line. If we have lived pious and moralistic lives but without ever getting beyond mere words, we can hand our hearts over to You and right now You will make our spiritual life real. What matters is not what we have done or failed to do until now, but only that we surrender to Your kind heart which will empower us to be and do exactly what our Father wants.

The chief priests and elders were certain that Jesus would not have an acceptable answer to their question regarding his authority to clear out the money changers and teach in the temple. The only legitimate authority over the temple was in their hands and they had not authorized him. In fact, no one in any official office, legal or religious, in Jerusalem would have endorsed him. They were convinced that, acting on his own, he had no right to treat the temple as if it were his Father’s house.

Jesus was willing to answer their question, but he told them that they had to play fair. (Notice how, in this subtle way, even over them he exercised authority!) If they were going to raise the question of his authority, then they should be able to explain where other recognized spiritual leaders got their authority–John the Baptist, for instance. Only Jesus took the issue to a new level; one which I doubt they had anticipated.

They had been thinking of institutional authority: Which humans held religious control over the temple? Jesus, however, set human authority over against heaven’s authority, backing them into a corner. Taking the coward’s way out, they answered, “We do not know.”

O Jesus, what gives You the right to step into our lives and tell us what to do with our bodies (the temple of the Holy Spirit)? Where do You get authority over our thinking, words, or actions? From our heavenly Father who created us and determined the purpose and meaning of our lives. We surrender to Your authority, for You know what is best and demand only what is necessary. We are the clay, You are the Potter. Reveal in our lives the wonderful work of Your hands.

Jesus became hungry, he became thirsty, he became weary (Jn. 4:6; 19:28). Jesus was a human who had needs that were identical to our own.

See if you can make sense of this: Jesus would not turn a rock into bread to satisfy his hunger, but he would curse–and instantly destroy–a fig tree that failed to give him something to eat, regardless of the fact that it was not the season for figs. Why would he not instead miraculously put figs on the tree?

The fig tree is a symbol that explains everything that happens in this chapter from verses 12 to 46. It represents a fruitless religious system that had failed its purpose and calling.

Jesus went to the tree because he wanted to satisfy something within himself, a hunger, and the tree failed to do that for him. Do not waste time wondering whether Jesus was fair with the tree, but think of Jesus. He gave the tree an opportunity to serve his purpose, to meet his longing.

May we remember, O Lord, that You do not come to us like a tax collector, telling us, “You owe God! Pay up.” Instead, You come to us with a longing. You give us the opportunity to open our heart, to share with the needy, to give food to the hungry and water to those who thirst. You teach us that nothing can stand in our way, because with faith we can move mountains. Then You give us the privilege of doing the things You long to see done.

The critics of Jesus made no effort to restrain their anger and contempt. On different occasions they accused him of blasphemy, violating God’s law, and being in partnership with demons. Jesus knew what it was to be the target of others who turned their malice on him. They vented their misery on the Lord as if he were the cause of it rather than the cure.

Righteous people–religious people–and professional clergy “became indignant” when they “saw the wonderful things He had done.” Some of us find it difficult to connect with these people. We feel more like the dying thief who said, “We are receiving what we deserve . . ., but this man has done nothing wrong” (Lk. 23:41). Sadly, there are too many believers who are very like the chief priests and scribes–easily angered and quick to express it.

Jesus was not affected by their anger nor did he throw it back at them. He let himself become their target. When he spoke, it was in defense of others–people in need who came to God’s house of prayer and were being exploited, the blind and lame who came to him to be healed, and the children, who once again enter the story to show adults the way to live and behave before God.

It is the beauty of Your life, O Lord, that makes us love You and long to know You more and more. We are fascinated by the restraint You showed with those who abused You, Your willingness to put up with their cruelty, and, at the same time, Your unrelenting compassion for the sinners, the disabled, the outcasts, the children, and for us.

There was no committee to plan Jesus’ grand entrance into Jerusalem, organize advance rallies, or hang “Jesus is the Messiah” banners. Jesus had to make the preparations himself. No trumpets greeted his arrival, but as soon as he began his descent, the crowds that knew him and his ministry announced him with their voices and provided their coats to give him a red carpet welcome.

When Jesus sent two disciples to fetch his ride, all he gave them was a simple set of instructions. No money, no appointments with important people, and no miracle. However, his instructions called for bold daring on their part. When they began untying the colt that was tethered near the entrance to the village, someone might challenge them and ask, “What do you think you’re doing?”

If that should happen, they were to say, “The Lord has need of them.” That would be their cover. How could bystanders know that by “Lord” the disciples meant Jesus and not the owner?

It is far too easy to get distracted when we are supposed to be doing the Lord’s work. We think we need organizations, funds, months of planning, and hopefully a miracle or two if our efforts are going to amount to anything significant. But there are more resources available to us than we realize. There are plenty of cost-free ways to pursue God’s will that only require faith, courage and daring. Jesus would have it this way, so that he can at all times remain the center of our total attention and devotion.

Only a few moments prior to this scene, the mother of two disciples bowed before Jesus and requested that in his kingdom her two sons would have the honor of sitting one at his right and the other at his left (vv. 20-21). Now two beggars shout at Jesus and they, too, want something from him.

Jesus asked them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” knowing that there was nothing they could ask that he could not give them. When they asked him to open their eyes, his kind heart was moved with compassion, he touched them, and “immediately they regained their sight” (v. 34).

How many people passed the beggars every day without offering them a single coin, a piece of bread, or a cup of water? But Jesus could not pass them by without asking, “What do you want?” Then he satisfied their want, and having received their sight, they were able to follow him.

When people request to meet with me, I could ask, “What do you want?” but there is precious little I can give them. A slice of time, a bit of wisdom, a prayer is about all I have to offer. In fact, there were times when the first thing a counselee said to me was, “I know you can’t do anything for me.” They were right. But when Jesus asks . . . well, that’s a different story.

O Jesus, Son of God, You are all that we need. What do we want, Lord? We may say, “Money to pay bills,” when what we really want is a peace and that cannot be purchased for any amount of money. Not knowing our own hearts, we ask for the best gift, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.”

Jesus could promise James and John they would drink from his cup of suffering and sorrow, but he could not promise them seats of honor in his kingdom–other than what he had already guaranteed (Mt. 19:28). While he was on the road of the condemned, they were trying to travel the road to greatness (see vv. 117-19).

There was trouble in Jesus’ small community–ten disciples against two. How did they express their indignation? Were voices raised? Were insults thrown back and forth? A rift occurred that broke up the tight team and got each one thinking only of himself. If we assumed that having the perfect leader eliminates internal conflict, we need to think again.

What did Jesus do about this infighting? He redefined what it meant to be great or first in any sort of social group. Until this conversation, the only model of roles and ranking in families, communities, or organizations the disciples knew were those they observed in their world. Without exception, the person with the most power also wielded the most influence and was accorded the greatest honor and the best service.

The structure of worldly systems would prove useless to the disciples. The greatest in Jesus’ kingdom do not ambitiously climb over others, but become servants to everyone else.

O Jesus, our Lord and Savior, thank You for redefining the social constructs that have shaped our thinking. Your model restores unity among us. If acceptance in Your kingdom meant we had to claw our way to the top, few people would make it. But anyone can become a servant. You have redefined our reality. The goals of our brothers and sisters are our concern as well.  Now . . . how can we help?

The reason I chose to spend three hundred and sixty-five days with Jesus in the Gospels was to get to know him through those who lived and traveled with him and whose lives were transformed by his teaching, touch, and person. To know Jesus Christ is the ongoing goal of Christian spirituality (Php. 3:7-10).

In the passage above, Jesus was walking with his disciples into his destiny. There were others on the road with them, but for this particular message he took the twelve aside so that he could speak to them privately. What he had to say was not for the crowd, but only those closest to him.

Why did Jesus tell the disciples what was waiting for him in Jerusalem? I doubt that it was to prepare them for it, because they never understood these brief announcements (Lk. 18:34). True, he wanted to give them notification that these things would happen so they would not stumble, but remember when they happened that he had known they were coming (Jn. 16:1, 4). There was another, more important, reason Jesus unburdened his heart to them.

The stress of what Jesus was carrying proved to be too much for his mortal heart and mind–it was enough to kill him (Mt. 26:38). He wanted to share the burden of his suffering and sorrow with others who loved him. The wonder of it, is that he opened his heart to humans rather than to angels. He showed them his future, but he also let them look into his soul.

Lord Jesus, it is in giving Yourself to us completely that we come to know You. We see in Your pain and grief, experiences that are not unlike our own. Oh Lord, You too know what this feels like. Only in Your case, it is for us that You suffered. Thank You for drawing close to us so that we can draw close to You.