Readings for today: Matthew 21:23-46, 22:1-14, Mark 11:27-33, 12:1-12, Luke 20:1-18, John 12:37-50
Imagine how you would feel if someone lived in your home and trashed the place. I have a good friend who owns a rental house in the Denver area. Several years ago, a tenant used his house to grow weed and cook meth. After going to court to get his tenant evicted, my friend had to gut the house and start over. It cost him thousands of dollars not to mention the time and effort he had to put in to get his house back in working order so it could be rented again. Now put yourself in Jesus’ sandals. The people you’ve entrusted your home to have trashed the place. They have turned it into a den of robbers. Exploiting the pilgrims who come for Passover each year. They make hefty profits by price gouging the people, especially the poor. So He makes a whip of cords and drives them out. He turns over the tables and throws them out. Do you understand now why Jesus is so upset? Zeal for His own home has consumed Him and He will do whatever it takes to restore His house to its former glory.
All four Gospels tell the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple. And it is that particular action that prompts the question that begins today’s reading. “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?” Jesus responds in typical fashion. He answers their question with a question of His own and when they fail to answer, He tells them a parable. He talks about a landowner who plants a vineyard and then rents it out to tenants. When the time came for the harvest, the tenants didn’t want to give up the produce. Instead, they attacked the landowner’s servants. Beating them. Stoning them. Killing them. So the landowner sends his son to assert his rightful authority over the vineyard. But rather than submit to him, the tenants seize him and put him to death in hopes of stealing his inheritance. This begs the question, “What will the landowner do to these tenants?” The answer, of course, is destroy them and lease his land to others.
The point Jesus is making could not be more clear. Jesus is claiming rightful authority over the Temple. But not just the Temple. He is claiming authority over all of Israel - God’s vineyard. He is making it clear to the religious leaders - the tenants - that their stewardship of God’s people has come to an end. His house shall be a house of prayer. A hospital for healing. A sanctuary for praise. And how do the religious leaders respond? Exactly the way Jesus predicted they would. They look for an opportune time to arrest Him. Try Him. Sentence Him. Execute Him. They cast Him out of His own vineyard and put Him to death, hoping to remain in power. But God flips the script on them. He raises His Son from the dead. He uses the Romans to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, take away the power of the religious authorities, and He gives it to those who will bear the fruit of His Kingdom. “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.” (Matthew 21:43 CSB)
Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 22:15-46, 23:1-39, Mark 12:13-44, Luke 20:19-47, 21:1-4, 13:31-35