Do you agree with that statement? What is it in our world that poses the reatest threat to faith if it is not apathy and false shadowy conceptions of who God is and what God plans to do. Our world seems to be drifitng gradually away like a boat that someone forgot to tie up to the pier.
For example: "our great grandfathers called it the holy sabbath, our
Grandfathers called it the sabbath, our fathers called it sunday and we call it weekend," Maxie Dunham.
Another example: holy wedlock became holy matrimony which turned to marriage. For many, the bonds of marriage are now nothing more than a convenient socoial convention.
Another example: there was a time when people clearly understood their financial stewarrdship as the tithe. Soon that changed to a pledge based on what you thought you could do. Then it became a gift based on whatever was left over. For many today, it is no more than a tax deduction.
Lest we think that this is a new phenomenon, look at the old testament lesson. Alexander mcclaren provides a graphic word picture of the situation:
"it was not yet six weeks since the people had sworn 'all that the Lord hath spoken we will do and be obedient.' the blood of the covenant was barely dry when they flung off allegiance to jehovah... Their allegiance had been galvanized by the presence of moses and when he disappeared collapsed as as soon as moses disappeared."
He goes on: " we need not cast stones at these people, for we also have short memories of the revelations of God ."
We are adrift. We have forgotten who God is and what God is like. We have drifted far enough away from the shore that, like the children of israel, we have lost sight and we have lost heart.
Jesus has been gone from the world just long enough for us to think that it really doesn't matter what we believe or how we live. This is particularly true in the area of stewardship.
Think about it clearly for a moment. How would your life be different if you knew that the Lord was going toreturn at any moment and you would have to give an answer for the way you lived every part of your life? Wouldn't you live a little more passionately? Wouldn't you seek to make your faith and life count for something more significant. To be more specific, wouldn't you have to agree that your giving woulld be much more regular and in accordance with the tithe if you thought that Jesus was near by watching and making notes on your financial priorities.
The lesson today is that faithlessness leads to a diminishing of moral sensitivity.
The same thing had happened to the jews of Jesus day. They had not had a prophet in years. The coming of the promised messiah had become almost an irrelevant cliche. It seemed so improbable to them at that time that when the messiah did come, the religious leaders failed to recognize him as the one sent by God .
In the mean time their religious life and faith had degenerated into a system based on minute laws and practices of worship that didn't bring people any closer to God . It only gave them an excuse.
The question of the pharisees and Jesus response in parables is in this context.
Dale bruner calls this parable, as well as the preceeding and succeeding one, a trilogy of "true faith parables." that is they contrast a people of true faith in God 's dealings with those of false faith. The first is about two sons who are asked to go out and work for their father. One says he won't but then changes his mind and goes. The second says he will but never follows through. The parable is about the kingdom of God and it teaches that those of true faith are the ones who follow through in obedience even if they don't give lip service to it. The contrast is to those who talk a good talk but whose life does not match their words. Of this parable calvin says: "we learn that faitth does not consist merely in a person giving subscription to true doctrine, but also includes something greatear and deeper: the hearer is to deny himself and commit his whole life to God ."
The succeeding parable in this trilogy is about two kinds of wedding guests. The first are society's elite. The host wants the party to be the biggesst and the best and so he invites a who's who list of dignitaries and debutantes. The problem is that they do not want to come. So the master tells the servants that these people are not worthy to come to the party anyway. Thus they are to go out to the streets and invite whoever they can find to come and share in the party.
In our parable, the wicked are those who do a good job farmning the vineyard but who refuse to give thelandLord or God the credit and try to make it their own and take credit completely for their accomplishment.
They arre ultimately cast out and destroyed and the vineyard is given to those who will give proper credit to God .
While the promary meaning of the parrables has to do with the acceptance ofJesus as the promised messiah of God , I believe that there is another very relevant application as well.
It has to do with stewardship. It has to do with the weakening of faith and the drift away from true faith ad worship - not just in society in general but in the hearts of the poeple of God .
Knowing that the landLord is away, they think that they are not under obligation to pay the agreed upon rent which was the first fruits of the crop. When a messenger comes, even when the son comes, the evade their responsibility. It is only when it is too late; only when the landLord comes to evict them that they
All that God has asked is that we be responsible and obedient enought to give a portion of the crops from that vineyardback as rent. The bible calls this the tithe or the firstfruit offering.
It is notonly our obligation to do so but it is our joy for we are so grateful for all that God has entrusted to us. That is the agreement; the lease. 10% of the fruit of our work in the vineyard God has entrusterd to us.
At no time in scripture or elsewhere has that agreement been negated.