(14)  But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.  (15)  So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?  (16)  He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others.

Luke 20:14-16a

Explanation:

So, the landowner does what he had planned.  He sends his own son.   Look at the illogical reaction of the husbandmen.  “This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.”  Do they not understand how wills and inheritance works?

If you kill my heir that pretty much ensures that you are not going to get into the will.  Right?  If you killed one of my kids, by God’s grace I may get to where I can forgive you, but you still may not end up in my will.

Yet this was the exact thinking of the Pharisees.  “If Jesus is right, and He is God, then our interpretation of the scripture is flawed.  We will be seen as those who have deceived the people.  We will not have the religious authority that we once had.  We will lose at every level.  We want God’s authority over the people without submitting to God’s message sent through God’s beloved Son.”

That thinking lead to what they did.  In the story they killed the son.  What was the landowner to do?  Put them in the will?  Of course not.  He would give their stewardship to someone else.

Application: So often we want God’s blessing without submitting to God’s authority.  Think about what the Bible says in James.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

God has given us everything we have, and yet we do not always acknowledge Him as that source of everything that is good.  In fact, Romans says that the pattern of Christianity is to not acknowledge the Creator in worship, but to rather give credit and worship to the created thing in idolatry.  Paul put it this way in Romans.

(20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  (21)  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  (22)  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,  (23)  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Romans 1:20-23

These husbandmen wanted the benefits of the vineyard without recognizing the ownership and authority of the Lord of the Vineyard.  Are we any different?

God gave us His Son, and the Bible says that He is the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through Him.  We must not reject the Son!  We must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved!

Response:

How are you putting creation ahead of the Creator in your life today?