Tuesday's Teaching Points to Important Truths
Today, Jesus sits down and in simple words or parables teaches those closest to Him the meanings that He believed they would need to know in the near future. Then the religious leaders sat on the fringes as Jesus taught and preached ready to criticize and challenge him. Jesus challenged them right back by asking where the baptism of John, the Baptist was from — earth or heaven? The religiosity leaders started whispering among themselves because they did not want to say it was from heaven because Jesus would ask them, “Why didn’t you believe, then?"
So, they decided to say it was from earth but then they feared Jesus’ followers because they generally believed that John the Baptist was a prophet. Oh, my, what a dilemma they had trying to protect themselves from His “all-knowing eye”. So, they came up with a safe answer, “We do not know.” Jesus did not mock them; He simply said then, “I will not tell you, the authority behind my actions and my words.”
The Vineyard Parable
When the householder built his vineyard, the plan was to let it out to caregivers then he would go traveling and enjoy himself. He knew what he had planted and when it would start yielding fruit, so he sent his servants back to the vineyard in order to “pick up” the harvested fruit. But in the meantime, the caregiver decided he wanted all the fruits to himself, so he killed the servants because of his greed.
The householder or ranch owner was so disappointed, but he made one more effort to get the fruit that was rightfully his and sent his son to plead with the ranch hands, but the greedy men killed him as well. Jesus asked his listeners, “What do you think the lord of the vineyard will do to those ranch hands?” The answer was not what Jesus was hoping for because those gathered around him to hear and learn replied, “He will destroy those wicked men and find new caregivers who will give the lord of the vineyard his fruit.”
Jesus replied to these chief priests and pharisees that they didn’t know what they were talking about because the stone that is rejected will become the cornerstone, or the most important of all of them. The end result will be that all the good things will be taken from those who thought everything belonged to them and no one else. The kingdom of God will be given to those who cherish it as something of great value.
The religious leaders who sat at the back of the group of Jesus’ followers, stayed silent because they knew that he was talking about them. They had not been good stewards of spiritual opportunities but rather capitalized on their power in the religious hierarchy. Jesus’ blessings now are going to the humble followers who sat at His feet to learn and be better people. The blessings were also going to the Gentiles.
The Lesson
Jesus wanted to teach his followers the value of His teachings and the meaning of what He was going to be completing for them come the end of the week. He also wanted to reinforce with them that bearing fruits is important to living a Christian life. This is the second time in two days that Jesus pointed out the importance of fruit in their lives.
In John’s account of the teaching that day, he relates some other very important words of Jesus. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” There you go, Jesus reminds his followers of the importance of their fruit and perhaps he was also making a veiled reference to His own death later in the week.
Jesus finished by saying, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Jesus knew the death He was facing, “lifted up” onto the cross but that very act of shedding His blood would draw all men to Him for their salvation.
Readings for Tuesday — Matthew 21:23-22:46; Mark 11:27-13:37; Luke 20:1-47; John 12:23-50