April 6, 2025
Pastor John Hering
Luke 20:9–16
Luke 20:9–16
9 He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to some tenant farmers, and went away on a journey for a long time. 10 When it was the right time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenant farmers beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. 11 The man went ahead and sent yet another servant, but they also beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 He then sent yet a third. They also wounded him and threw him out. 13 The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my son, whom I love. Perhaps they will respect him.’
14 “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they talked it over with one another. They said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. So what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.”
When they heard this, they said, “May it never be!”
Thank you for taking the risk. Did you fly to church or drive a car? They say it is safer to fly than to drive, so did you take the risk and drive here? There are times when it is very difficult to stop doing something that seems to be beneficial. For instance you have heard about police who are in hot pursuit of someone who is driving a stolen car. They begin the chase down the highway and top speeds of 100 MPH while weaving in and out of traffic. Then the suspect turns into a residential area and runs through stop signs and red traffic lights narrowing missing other vehicles. It is obvious they have no regard for the safety and lives of the people around them. There comes a moment when the police must weigh the benefits of catching the car thief compared to putting the public in danger and call off the chase. I know what I’m thinking at that point. I wish they didn’t have to stop trying to catch the bad guy, but they did for the benefit the public.
Today Jesus tells a parable about the vicious actions of some vineyard tenants that he spoke against religious leaders of the day who were abusing God. Yet, even with their horrible actions we learn of God’s risky behavior to save them, and all the other people of the world. I can’t imagine there is one person here who would have prayed to God 2,000 years ago, “Dear Lord, please send your Son to this world so we can nail him to a cross to save us. Amen.” May the Holy Spirit impress upon your hearts and minds the amazing love of God to inspire you to hold on fast to Jesus so you don’t ever
Don’t Throw Away The Treasure
Who Goes To Great Extremes
This account takes place during Holy Week. Earlier in the week the religious leaders had publicly reprimanded Jesus for claiming to be God by question his authority to teach in the temple courts. Now it was time for Jesus to publicly reprimand the religious leaders as he spoke this parable.
“A man planted a vineyard, leased it to some tenant farmers, and went away on a journey for a long time. 10 When it was the right time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard.”
Those who heard this parable would have had a vivid memory of the words of Isaiah:
“Yes, the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel”
Isaiah 5:7
They recognized God to be the owner of the vineyard. The vineyard were the chosen people of Israel. God goes away and leaves the responsibility for taking care of the vineyard to caretakers, who are the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They couldn’t miss the point: They were responsible for the spiritual care of the people! To help with this work the Lord sent prophets to his people, who are the servants God sent to the caretakers in the parable. And what did they do when God sent his prophets to the religious leaders?
“But the tenant farmers beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. 11 The man went ahead and sent yet another servant, but they also beat him, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 He then sent yet a third. They also wounded him and threw him out.”
Shocking! Three times the owner sent servants to the caretakers and three times they were assaulted! We know it was normal to have the caretakers share the blessings of living on the land, but the caretakers were anything but that. They assaulted the servants of the owner with words and wounds! This sounds like a street gang or the mafia sending a message. Then comes the most shocking part!
“13 The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my son, whom I love. Perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they talked it over with one another. They said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”
The religious leaders doing these horrible actions cut Jesus to the heart. Remember Jesus who cried out,
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
Matthew 23:37
It hurt so much because these prophets were sent with the message of love and forgiveness through Jesus, the promised Messiah. They rejected Jesus and his messengers because they rejected the forgiveness for the sins they refused to confess. But, the story doesn’t net there.
“So what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others.”
Finally the owner will come, but not for the same purpose as the servants and the Son he sent. He will go to Great Extremes Not to Seek fruit from them, but justice on them!
More than once. More than twice. More than three times we have set our own selfish agenda against God’s holy will and abused his patient mercy. The Lord has sent people to us in order to find fruits of faith in our lives. Maybe it was your parents who demanded from us what God teaches in his holy Word. But, we dismissed them and “wounded them” in their hearts. Maybe it was a Christian friend who told us we were doing something wrong and we “treated them shamefully.” Maybe it was a pastor or teacher who laid before us the paths and promises of God through God’s Word, baptism, Catechism studies or pre-marriage counseling and we “threw them out.” God sends us these servants of love and we “sent them away empty handed” and hurt and abused them. In abusing them we were abusing Jesus. There is a strong warning for such people from St Paul:
“Do not be conceited, but stand in awe. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you…. you also will be cut off”
Romans 11:20-22
It doesn’t matter how privileged anyone is, if anyone persists in abusing God’s holy will by rejecting his Word, the owner of the vineyard will Go To Great Extremes Not to Seek Fruit, but for justice to save his vineyard!
Who Saves His Vineyard
Have you been watching the March Madness basketball games. Sometimes a ref has to call a technical foul on a coach or player. These usually are not called flippantly, because the ref wants to give them every opportunity to act respectfully and according to the rules. But, this opens up a gray area for the refs. Some refs might have a quick trigger when it comes to calling technical fouls, while other refs might let coaches and players get away with too much bad behavior. Everyone—coaches, players, fans—will have a different opinion on the call. This makes me think of the same thing when it comes to how people think about God. Some might view God as being too quick in sending tragedy or crisis that harms innocent victims. Others see God as being too lax in putting up with too much bad behavior in the world. Of course people will swing back and forth on their opinions depending on who is involved. So, Biblical scholars have generally given a name to this parable such as, “The Parable of the Wicked Tenants.” That isn’t a horrible name because the parable applies to the horrible religious leaders of Jesus’ day. But, it is also a parable about the extreme lengths God goes to in order to stretch out his mercy to Save His Vineyard! In Luke 20 I have found 10 truths about God’s mercy in action in order to save his Vineyard in this parable. I hope and pray these points will melt your heart and lead you to a humble, repentant heart and strengthen you to Never Throw Away the Treasure of God’s patient love for you.
“One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the good news,”
In three days Jesus would be nailed to the cross with the weight of the sins of the world on his shoulders. What would you be doing right now if you knew you would be dead in the three days? Three days before Jesus dies he is calmly, compassionately meeting with his enemies and giving them the saving message of hope and life in God. Jesus always makes himself available to us at any time, for any reason, to calm us with his promises. Never Throw Away The Treasure!
“A man planted a vineyard.”
You didn’t volunteer to be God’s people. God planted you in his vineyard where he nourishes your faith. If you wonder who you are and why you’re here, or where you’re going, remember God chose you, God planted you and forms you in his image to praise him with fruits of faithfulness to his Word. Never Throw Away the Treasure!
“and went away on a journey for a long time.”
The owner shows trust in placing his vineyard in the hands of his operators. This speaks to pastors and teachers, but it also speaks to anyone who has people around them. God shows trust in you by placing you in the lives of people for their spiritual blessing! Co-workers, neighbors, friends, fellow members at Divine Peace, nieces & nephews, children, grand-children and parents. God trusts you to be active in their lives to share Jesus with them. Never Throw Away the Treasure!
“10 When it was the right time, he sent a servant… and sent yet another servant,….[and sent his] son.”
Who would ever do such a thing. We might even be tempted to call this insanity—doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Who would ever send his son to a mob of murderers!?! Ah! The very point Jesus wants to make! God’s mercy goes way beyond “the normal.” You hear this at the end of almost every sermon you hear: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Phil 4:7). We cannot fathom God’s limits of mercy any better than we can fathom the edges of the universe. Yet, when we realize how bad we really are, we can remember the surpassing goodness of God’s mercy. Never Throw Away the Treasure!
“I will send my son.”
Sinners send retaliation to those who abuse them. The Lord goes to work to send himself to sinners to bring them salvation. Never Throw Away the Treasure!
“I will send my son”
The Lord responds to evil by increasing his patient love, even if it costs him his Son! Never Throw Away the Treasure!
“whom I love.”
God never sends leftovers, but treasures. He gives his Son whom he loves. Likewise we want to send God our thankful treasures, not our leftovers. We show God love when we love him more than anything by giving him what we love. Never Throw Away The Treasure.
“14 “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they talked it over with one another. They said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’”
To what kind of people did God send his Son? To vicious, violent abusers. God did not send his Son just for good people, but for the wicked, repeat offenders, and for faithless people just like you and me. Never Throw Away The Treasure.
“Perhaps they will respect him.”
Perhaps? He sees the pattern of the tenants and their abusive behavior and yet holds out an iffy, “Perhaps.” What a risk! But, it is a risk that he can’t hold back. Let this “perhaps” of God not be a failure in you, but a hope God fulfills in you because you respect his Son. Never Throw Away The Treasure!
“When they heard this, they said, “May it never be!”
The people were flabbergasted when they heard of the wickedness of the tenants and the amazing patience and mercy of God. Well. How did it turn out? These people would soon be so influenced by the religious leaders they would soon be crying out to crucify Jesus. It happened. And even more! For through the suffering and death of Jesus all our sins were paid for. The power of death and the devil was crushed. And eternal life was won for us all. The Lord God Saved His Vineyard. He saved you! Never Throw Away The Treasure!
You take a risk when you fly or drive. It may be wise for police to stop pursuing a car thief because the public is in danger. Unbelivers would consider it foolish that God continued his pursuit of all people at the cost of his Son. But, not you. For you believe what a Treasure Jesus is for you. You believe that God went to such Great Extremes to Rescue you. And today we will leave here with humble hearts full of peace because God saved us, his vineyard. Dear Christian friends. Don’t Ever Throw Away The Treasure—Jesus Christ! Amen!
