Luke 20:9-18

And He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. And he proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out. The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance will be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!” But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone’? “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”^[1]

Anyone that knows Old Testament history will recognize this parable as a reference to the treatment God’s prophets received from the hands of the Israelites. They sinned so brazenly against God that they did not merely resist the voice of the prophets but dealt with them violently. The parable is also a prophetic allusion to the passion of Christ. More importantly, perhaps, is the reference to the possible retaliation of the owner of the vineyard, the owner being our Heavenly Father. Not much is said about God’s retributive justice in this passage. More attention is focused on the rejected stone that becomes the corner stone. But then there is this troubling verse, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

A polite Church declines to emphasize the life and death nature of the imperative that we be ‘born again.’ Desiring to be ecumenical and sensitive to interfaith cooperative initiatives we unwittingly water down the gospel message. We have become so inclusive that we have almost lost sight of the fact that Jesus is the only way to salvation. The sad truth is that while there is a heaven for everyone that comes to Jesus, destruction waits for those who do not. Sometimes we miss this simple truth. It is Jesus who saves.

“Thank You Lord for saving our souls! Thank You Lord for making us whole. Thank You Lord for giving to us Your great salvation so full and free.” Enable us to remember all the great and wonderful things You have done for us. Never let us forget the price You paid for our salvation. Never let us so water down Your message of salvation that it is loses it meaning and rendered impotent. All of this we ask in the strong name of Jesus.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Lk 20:9–18.