Monday, March 8, 2010

Have you been rejecting?

Mark 12:6-12: "Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 7 "But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 11 This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" 12 And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

In this parable Jesus was speaking of a man who had a beautiful land; he prepared it perfectly for a vineyard. He had a place for the vines to grow, a place for a wine vat, and even a watchtower. He leased the land out and when it was time for the harvest he sent men to receive his payment for the land. The first person the man sent they sent away empty handed. Still the owner sent more men for the payment. Nevertheless, the vinedressers would beat and stone every one that would come to the vineyard; they even killed some of his men. Until in desperation the landowner sent his son, thinking to himself that surly they would not harm his son. When they saw the landowner’s son they killed him thinking now that the heir is dead, they would have the land all for themselves. When the landowner found out he went and destroyed the vinedressers.

Generation after generation God had sent godly men and women to His people in order for them to turn and follow Him again. Prophet after prophet were rejected and killed by the very same people God was trying to reach. God was crying out seeking a relationship with His own people and they had been rejecting Him. Jesus was just telling the Pharisees what He all ready knew was festering in their hearts; that they were plotting in their hearts to kill the landowner’s son. Only this time the generous landowner was Almighty God and His Son was Jesus. The interesting part of the parable is that chance after chance the evil vinedressers had opportunities to make the situation right, but they rejected the offer. However, when their last chance came to make it right with the Son and they rejected Him that is when the landowner’s punishment came swift.

God sent His son Jesus to this world as a last chance for us to make it right before God. There will be no more chances. When we reject Jesus we reject the offer from God and that has consequences. We must accept Jesus in order for us to make it right with God. If we choose not to accept Jesus as the payment for our sins, we are then rejecting Him.

Tomorrows Readings:
Old Testament: Deut. 8-10 New Testament Mark 12:28-44

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