Day 15 – Will you go?

“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same. “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.” Matthew 21:33-37 NLT

We are all very familiar with the end scene of this parable. The wicked lessees kill the landowner’s son in the vineyard. To me, there is a twofold message. The first and most obvious is the symbolism of Jesus sent by our Father, the Gardener, who will be killed by the wicked in the garden.

The second is that of the servants the landowner sent. I am not sure if I would have been so willing to go to this vineyard when I knew my brethren were killed there. “Master, is there not another, safer vineyard we can go to?” was probably the question on many of their minds. The garden God gives you is never in your comfort zone or the place you might think. I thank God for the missionaries willing to go to the vineyards He sends them even though it might be dangerous. We are very quick to put our hands up and say “Yes Lord, send me!” but when it comes to the sending, we have various reasons not to go to the vineyard of our Master. Knowing the danger or history of the place God sends you, will you go?

Prayer: Gracious Father, our Gardener and Landowner. Thank You for sending Your Son to face the wickedness of the world unto death for us. May we learn from this parable to have an open heart and willingness to go where and when You send us regardless of the destination and the history. Your Word will reach the ends of the word as promised and we, Your servants, need a willing heart to take it there. Amen.