Matthew 21:33-46: The parable of the "Wicked Tenants", told near the end of Jesus' ministry, is part of a longer conversation between Jesus and the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem in which they were once again questioning Jesus' authority. Its a story with characters who would have been familiar to Jesus' listeners - a landlord and tenant farmers - but like many of Jesus' stories there are shocking reversals and behaviours.
This story challenged the Jewish rulers; the kingdom of God is breaking through in new ways and Jesus is the "cornerstone" of these new structures. God wasn't contained in the religious structures of Jesus' day with their uneasy compromises with the Roman empire. Its a story that challenges us; God won't be contained in our church structures either. As Dr. Brian J. Walsh said at a conference I attended recently, "Jesus is on the move; he refuses to recognize the boundaries we have set up in the church." Epiphaneia presents Resident Aliens 25 Years Later with Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon, May 16, 2014, Toronto.
As in many of Jesus' teachings, there is an emphasis on "bearing fruit". The landowner wants tenants who will give him produce at harvest time. Being a follower of Jesus isn't just about believing the right things; its about behaving in right ways. Ways that are life-giving. Ways that are worthy. Ways that bear fruit.
How is God's kingdom breaking through in surprising ways in our world today? How is that challenging the institutional church?
What "fruit" does God expect from those of us who say we are followers of Jesus? How do the ways in which we speak and act profess the values of God's kingdom and give the world an alternative vision of what it means to be human?
Marilyn Malton
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