You have a rental
property and write a lease with a tenant for three years. At the end of the
lease term, you approach the tenant about renewing the lease or moving out. The
tenant refuses to leave and starts defaulting on the rent. If you think it is
not normal, think again.
We hear such stories in the news more and more. A man in Decatur, Georgia in the U.S came home from his military service on vacation and found out that someone was already living in the home. Deployed soldier unable to return to his Decatur, GA house because of squatters (https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/ ). A couple in MD closed the house and had just signed the contract on their new house in Clinton on Thursday when they decided to drive by to take another look at the digs and celebrate the purchase, were shocked to find a U-Haul truck in the driveway and people moving in. Now those strangers won’t leave, claiming they signed a lease for the house. (https://nypost.com/2022/10/23/squatters-move in)
Such people who take over unoccupied properties are called Squatters who have special rights. A squatter’s rights may vary by state — but in many areas, a squatter can take legal possession of the property after a certain amount of time if they prove adverse possession (meaning they are open about living there without the owner’s permission, haven’t signed a lease and have lived there illegally for long enough that they become the new legal owner). It is a pattern being played out in many cities in the United States. It also is common in Europe, where squatting has become a political movement with support from the left.
'The Parable of the Wicked Tenants' is a story about a landowner who planted a vineyard and lease it out to tenants. It is similar arrangement what mostly know as “share cropping”. You have land and you agree with a farmer to use the land for farming and agree that a certain portion of the crop yield is given back to you as the lease. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit, but the tenants mistreated and abused or killed everyone the owner sent. Then he sent his own son thinking that they will change their ways. They killed him too. The servants saw that by killing the son means for them to take the land for themselves. So they seized the landlord’s son and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
Like a precious vineyard, God planted Israel in Canaan. In KJV, the tenants are referred to as husbandmen. Husbandmen were people who worked on the land and took care of it. These people were given the land as a gift. They did not fight or earn it. But they were ungrateful and became rebellious. God sent them, priests, prophets, and other leaders to correct them. Yet they did not turn their ways to God. God eventually sent His only begotten Son as their Messiah.
The parable presents the plan of salvation in four parts. First, it looks back at Creation and the choosing of Israel: “There was a landowner who planted a vineyard…” Through Israel, God began to reveal himself and his plan of salvation. The second part involved the sending of numerous prophets, including the greatest prophet, Moses, up through John the Baptist: “When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce…” The prophets were men of God’s word, calling the people back to the Law and the covenant, but usually with little success: “But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.” Jesus, of course, strongly condemned the scribes and Pharisees as “sons of those who murdered the prophets” (see Mt 23:29-37).
Third, God sends a final messenger: “Finally, he sent his son to them…” The Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ ushers in the final age, in which redemption is offered to everyone through the saving power of the Cross and the witness of the Church.
Fourth and the final part refers to a season of accountability. It is presented as a question: “What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” Hebrews 1 says, “1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”
God created human and gave all the creation under him for him to tend it and enjoy. Psalm 8: "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels[e] and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas."
Truly God has given us
wonderful blessings. We became inheritors of a beautiful creation that we
did not build or deserve.
He made us worthy to be "partakers of the inheritance of the saints" - Colossians 1:12. God sent His own Son, but the world rejected Him and killed him. For them to take the Son seriously and listen to him was to make a U-turn, to abandon habits, to control instincts and impulses, and will have to turn away from their wickedness. In Christ we have "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Colossians 1:13)
God has been patient and gives us opportunities after opportunities
God is patient because He does not want anyone to be eternally lost1. He is forgiving and always ready
to comfort us and walk us through our lives. God's nature is unchanging, so He is always patient with us
He loves us and desires that we experience Him and His goodness, but also calls us to be holy and
righteous. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (2 Peter 2:9).
God is just and there will be a time of accountability.
the land as if it was their own. Somehow that they forgot that it never belonged to them, they forgot, or
rejected their covenant with the landowner. Indeed, as Jesus said, "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." (Lukek 12:48) Always we need to remind ourselves that our life is a gift from God. All the resources we enjoy are just
accountability. God is looking for faithfulness.
those who are in the kingdom, namely living under the authority of the Owner, and produce and giving
back the proper fruit.
These wicked tenants forgot that they were merely stewards or managers. We sometimes forget
owner of all things. All we have belongs to God. We are stewards.
What does “ownership” really mean to us anyway?
We own lands and houses. But what does that really mean? We may have possession of that land until we
die. One day we will be buried in one burial plot he owned. The land eventually will own us. The same is true to a degree of all that we own. There are no U-Haul trailers behind hearses. We leave everything when we die. We see that the Bible is accurate when it describes us as stewards. We have possession of things for a little while.
And the Bible reminds us that we owe everything back to God. When we hear the church speak of giving ten percent of our money as a tithe, many people bristle, they
feel as if the church is entering into their personal business. If we really understood who the real owner
is, we would not object to paying our tribute to God.
The Kingdom will be Given to Others (Matthew 21:43-44): In response to the rejection of the Son, the landowner declares that the vineyard
will be given to others. Jesus asks the Jewish leaders how the story should conclude. The final part is
presented as a question: “What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
Jesus wanted the listeners to write their own answer to complete this story.
It is a question we are being asked every day. What would God do to us on that day of accountability?
It is for each of us to answer that ourselves. I cannot answer on behalf of anyone else. It is a personal
accountability.
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection from Picasso to Michael Angelo to Monet to Van Gogh to Raphael. They often would sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam war broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified, and he grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood there with a large package in his hands. He said, “sir, you don’t know me. But I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day. And he was carrying me to safety when he was hit. We were close friends, and he often talked to me about you. He told me about your love for art. I know this is not much. I am not really a great artist. But I want you to have this painting.”
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man.
The father was amazed at how this soldier had captured his son’s personality in the painting. He offered to pay the young man. “Oh, no sir, your son gave his life for me. This is my gift to you.” The father hung the picture over his mantel, and visitors came, he showed them the painting of his son before showing any of the other great works of his collection. A few months later, the man died. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many people gathered, excited over the possibility of purchasing one of the great works. The auctioneer first presented the painting of the man’s son. “We will start the bidding with this portrait of his son. Who will bid for this picture?” There was silence. Then a voice came from the back of the room. “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one. Let’s go to the good stuff – the Raphaels, the Vangogh etc. But the auctioneer would not bend. “The son, The son. Who will take the son. Finally a voice came from a corner. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I will give ten dollars for the painting; I loved that little boy. Wish I had more to offer.”
“We have ten dollars. Who will bid twenty?” No one bid any more. They didn’t want the picture of the son. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. and said the painting is sold for ten dollars. The auctioneer then laid down his gavel, “the auction is over.” What about the other paintings? The crowd asked. “I’m sorry. I have my instructions. There was a secret stipulation in the will, which I was not allowed to reveal until this time. Only the painting of the son will be auctioned. Whoever bought the painting of the son would inherit the entire estate, including all the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything”. God sent his Son two thousand year ago to die for the world. Much like the auctioneer’s call, God’s message is “Who will take the Son?"
Let us take this message to heart, recognizing Jesus as the cornerstone of our faith and striving to bear fruit for God's kingdom. As faithful stewards, we should be open to His messengers, obey His word, and share the good news with others. In doing so, we become part of the spiritual harvest that glorifies our Heavenly Father. May we all seek to honor the landowner, who is God Himself, by producing abundant fruit for His kingdom. May we leave here today with a renewed commitment to be faithful stewards, to bear fruit in our lives, and to accept the grace and authority of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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