Matthew 21:33-46 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 21:33-46 on biblegateway.com
Verse 33"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. Verse 34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. Verse 35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Verse 36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Verse 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' Verse 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance." Verse 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Verse 40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" Verse 41They 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 the harvest time." Verse 42Jesus 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'? Verse 43Therefore 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. Verse 44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls." Verse 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. Verse 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
Devotion
As a kid, I loved a brand new box of crayons. The colors were so vivid, the ends so sharp. They were in the perfect rainbow color order, and they were all the same length. I didn’t want to use them, knowing that all of that would quickly change. But the longer I kept my new crayons in the box, the fewer pictures and projects I created, and the less joy they brought me. My new crayons were meant to be used and even (gasp!) shared with others.
As an adult, sometimes sharing is still hard. We tend to want to keep the good things for ourselves or for our families and friends. In this story from the Gospel of Matthew, the Jewish leaders wanted to keep God’s teachings only for themselves and their fellow Jews. Jesus’ teachings, however, were and are for everyone. The word of God and the teachings of Jesus are meant to be taken out of that “box” and shared, not hoarded. Blessing is always connected to generosity.
Prayer
Father God, we thank you for sharing your word, your son, and his teachings with the world. We are grateful for your generosity, your grace, and your unconditional love for us. Amen.
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