Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. “Surely they will respect my son,” he said. But the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.” So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.”
– Matthew 21:33-39
Devotional
Jesus spoke this parable in the temple courts following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He was summarizing and reminding the people of their sad history. For thousands of years they had rejected God’s prophets and their messages. “In the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son.” Now the Son returns, and He prophesies His imminent death at the hands of God’s people. How could God’s people be so blind? How could they not recognize the One who came from the Father full of grace and truth? Four hundred years of spiritual darkness set the stage for such a tragedy. Yet, God uses this to bring about the salvation of mankind. God’s divine purpose plays out exactly as God planned it.
The Big Question
In the book of Isaiah, we read, “Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed Him as His counselor?” Human reasoning would not have chosen these political or religious settings to send Jesus into such a hostile environment. What does this parable reveal about the heart of God? What does this parable reveal about the character of the Son? How do these revelations about the Father and the Son impact you today?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence reflecting on what God revealed to you today.