Moment of Meditation: Killing the Son (Matthew 21:37-41)

''Finally [the vineyard owner] sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.' And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons" (Matthew 21:37-41).''

In the parable of the wicked tenants, Jesus points out to the chief priests and elders of the Jews that they are the wicked tenants God has rented out the vineyard of His people Israel. They were in charge of the Temple. They led worship and provided religious and spiritual counsel to the rest of the Jewish population. God had sent many prophets into their midst to bring about the fruits of faith, but they were heckled, imprisoned and even killed by the priests of their days.

God finally decides to send His Son into the vineyard. "In the fullness of time" (Galatians 4:4) Jesus came to His people to bring faith and redemption. The chief priests and elders wanted nothing to do with the true Way. They had made their fortunes by their Temple worship. Jesus was a threat to their livelihood. They wanted it all, but Jesus was going to take it all away from them.

So they devised ways to kill Him so that His teachings would die out. But Jesus wouldn't stay dead. According to the early chapters of Acts, even some of the priests in Jerusalem converted to Christianity before they were dispersed in persecution (6:7). Did some of them hear this parable from Jesus' lips? We can't be sure. But every person must understand that they have killed the Son of God with their sins. Your sins killed Jesus just as if you drove the nails into the cross yourself. You killed the Son, but the Son rose from the dead to give you eternal life through faith in Him. Amen.