The Rev. Paul J Cain, Jr.
St. Matthew 21:33-43
The Vineyard, Servants, & the Heir
Proper 22 A, 02 October 2011, LWML Sunday
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Wyoming
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
"Hear another
parable…But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the
heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and threw him out of the
vineyard and killed him. When therefore
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 let out the vineyard to other tenants who
will give him the fruits in their seasons."
This is the Gospel of the Lord? Well, yes.
Earlier this morning when I spoke those words, the word “Gospel” refers to
Gospel in the sense of coming from the whole of the teaching of our Lord. The
Master of the House showed remarkable patience and longsuffering to the
tenants, but in the end no Gospel in the narrow sense—meaning the forgiveness
of sins—to the persistently wicked tenants.
As always, our
Lord’s Words to us each Lord’s Day are food for thought, Bread of Life, which
renews our minds. I didn’t appoint this text to be read this day. That was done
for me by the lectionary. But what food for thought it is!
Jesus’ parable is
one calling for repentance. Who would want the punishment given at the end?
"He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard
to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons." The
parable warns us that this is the punishment for those who act as did the first
tenants. We Christians can learn much from…
The First Tenants…
…the house of
Israel, the men of Judah—Jesus’ people, the Jews. This is not the first time
that the Lord has spoken of a vineyard. He blessed the people of Israel so that
they would be a blessing. Israel was His lovingly prepared vineyard and it
yielded only wild grapes. The vineyard of Israel was spoiled by the people,
just like Eden was ruined by Adam’s sin.
With that context, do
you remember Isaiah 5, the Old Testament reading this morning? The Lord
presents His case against Israel as if in a court of law. What more was there
to do for my vineyard…? Judge for yourselves, He says. That means the answer is
obvious. The Lord is loving, but He is also just. Trespasses against His
righteousness must be dealt with. There must be justice in addition to His
love.
So we have Jesus
tell the parable. Can you picture in your mind how the faithful Old Testament
prophets of the Lord were ignored and abused? And the tenants took his servants
and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the
first. And they did the same to them.
God blessed Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, and by the time of Moses, their descendants had forgotten
about how the Lord had blessed their vineyard. Their grumbling against the
Lord’s servant, Moses, was to the point that a whole generation would pass away
before the people entered the promised land. Judges weren’t good enough for
them. They wanted a king. And kings were given them. They sinned. First Saul,
then David’s adultery and murder, and Solomon’s sin of going after false Gods.
King after king in the then divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah sinned,
worshiped false gods, wrongly combined the worship of those false gods with
that of the True God, or ignored the True God altogether. Wicked rulers
persecuted prophets with words of warning and worse. Eventually, the northern
kingdom fell and the south was taken into captivity. The Lord sent His
servants, but they were ignored, but not by all individuals. But as a people,
the kingdom was taken away from them. And still the Lord preserved a faithful
remnant.
Pastors are Servants
Pastors are literally shepherds. The Latin, German, and English
words spelled p-a-s-t-o-r each mean the same thing—shepherd. Shepherds carry a
crook—the staff end to pull sheep out of danger, the rod end to beat away
wolves. Pastors are never to beat the sheep with the rod. Pastors are not
kings. They’re not CEOs either. They are not to lust after power. They are servants—servants
with authority. They first serve the Lord by being servants of His Word, and
that is how a pastor best renders service to the place the Lord calls him. The
authority is only the Word of God. The Lord has use of the ones He has placed
into the office of the Holy Ministry.
Christians hear the
horror stories of pastors abusing their office and of congregations abusing
their pastors. The burnout rate among Christian clergy is rather high. Even the
joke about pastors only having to work one hour a week fits into this.
When a pastor is
installed, the congregation he is given to serve is asked a few questions:
“Will you receive him, show him that love, honor, and obedience in the Lord
that you owe to the shepherd and teacher placed over you by your Lord Jesus
Christ, and will you support him with your gifts and pray for him always that
in his labors he may retain a cheerful spirit and that his ministry among you
may be abundantly blessed?” The people respond: “We will, with the help of
God.”
“Will you honor and
uphold your pastor as he serves Christ in all his God-pleasing
responsibilities? Will you aid him as he cares for his family? Will you be
diligent to ‘put the best construction on everything,’ recognizing that ‘love
covers up a multitude of sins?’ Once again the people respond: “We will, with
the help of God.” (LSB Agenda, 180)
It has been two and
a half years since we heard those paragraphs in this room. I pray we may
continue to serve together for many more! And, hear them again as our Assistant
Pastor is installed soon!
Remember, your
pastor is human, too. He is a servant with authority in the office of the Holy
Ministry, not Superman, not Mr. Holy. He is a sinner in need of forgiveness just
like you are. Do not despise preaching and God’s Word, but hold it sacred and
gladly hear and learn it! That is the best thing you can do to support any faithful
pastor.
The Tenants’
Counter-Example
We can learn much
from the counter-example of Israel, the tenants, who despised the preaching of
God’s holy prophets and ignored God’s Word to them. And then, Jesus came. 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 have his
inheritance.' And they took him and
threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
When therefore 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 let out the vineyard
to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."
All of the first
Christians were Jewish. All the disciples were Jewish. All of the authors of
the New Testament with the possible exception of Dr. Luke were Jewish. Church
historians tell us that one million Jews were Christian by the end of the first
century. Not every Jewish person was a wicked tenant.
Even so, as a
nation, Israel rejected Jesus. The elders, chief priests, scribes, and teachers
of the law along with temple employees and average people put Jesus to death
because He threatened their future in the vineyard. We Christians, i.e., Jewish
believers in Jesus and Gentile believers together, are the new Israel, the Holy
Christian Church, the new tenants.
It Is Marvelous in
Our Eyes
It is marvelous in
our eyes to behold the salvation of our Lord. All has been planned in advance.
Nothing is left to chance. The Lord sent His Son, identified later by the
prophet Isaiah as the Suffering Servant. This servant is Jesus, the Heir to the
Vineyard, the heir to David’s throne.
Remember the timing
of Jesus’ words, His parable. Jesus has entered Jerusalem on a donkey and
hailed as the Son of David. He has just cleansed the Temple and cursed the fig tree.
The chief priests and elders have challenged His authority. And they are
listening. And they will be plotting to kill Him. Our Lord knows this. He even
foretells His death in the parable: 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 have his inheritance.' And
they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
The past tense verbs
of the parable are future tense from Jesus’ own perspective then. He knew they
would come to pass. He knew they would reject Him. He knew that the Lord would
reject them so that all nations might become new tenants.
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 marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I
tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people
producing its fruits.
These are the fruits
of faith born of the Word and the working of the Holy Spirit. The classic
Lutheran confession, the Augsburg Confession, says this about the Office of
Preaching: (AC V, German, Kolb ed.) To obtain such faith God instituted the
office of preaching, giving the gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as
through means, he gives the Holy Spirit who produces faith, where and when he
wills, in those who hear the gospel. It teaches that we have a gracious God,
not through our merit but through Christ’s merit, when we so believe.
Pastors are the
Lord’s instruments. Pastors are servants with authority. The Lord has His use
of such a one when His gospel is preached harmoniously according to a pure
understanding and His sacraments are administered in conformity with the divine
Word.
See all the
blessings He has laid out before you, a planted vineyard with a protective
fence, a winepress and tower and generous lease. Remember the counter-example
of the previous tenants and repent lest we become like them. Remember that your
pastor is the Lord’s servant who will serve best when he and his family are
cared for, in contrast to those who mistreated the Owner’s servants. Above all,
cherish Christ your cornerstone, upon whom your salvation is built by the
Lord’s doing. The Lord creates, gathers, and sustains you, His Christians, the
new tenants of the vineyard, building His kingdom upon the cornerstone of
Christ. And it is marvelous in our eyes. Amen.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
