St. Charles' Episcopal Church – St. Charles, IL

The Fifth Sunday of Lent – Lent 5 – Year C

Sunday March 25, 2007 

Exodus 3:1-15 -- Psalm 103 -- I Corinthians 10:1-13 -- Luke 13:1-9

Rev. William R. Nesbit, Jr.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Heaven forbid! Heaven forbid, the people cry when they hear the end of the parable of the vineyard and the tenants. "He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." The vineyard, you see, is a common metaphor for Israel throughout the Hebrew Bible, so when they heard it was to be given to another they reacted with their gut...Heaven forbid!

One might expect this kind of a response from the scribes and chief priests, the recognized and obvious "bad guys" in this passage, but the response comes from all the people. Were it not for this response it would be easy to mistake this story as a simple allegory – the tenants are the Jews who have rejected Jesus thereby losing their cherished position as the apple of God's eye. That position has been given to the others, those who have accepted Jesus.

Though this was surely a part of the message of the story, it is not the only par. Like all parables, there is much more. What is it that is so frightening about this story, even to those who are loyal followers of Jesus? Well, as one loyal follower of Jesus, there are two things that jump to my mind right off the bat. The first is that judgement will come and the price of failure is ultimate. If we fail, our destruction is complete and all that we have been given is taken from us. That is a truly frightening prospect. Yes, God is forgiving so we don't have to get it right the first time, but God's forbearance has a limit. Judgement may be postponed, but not indefinitely. The judgement day will come.

The second thing, and this is kind of a good news-bad news thing, is that we will be judged on our actions. Now I don't know about you, but the more I know about God, the more I see where I fall short; where my actions fall short of the high way God has set for me. And so I see this parable as a powerful reminder of the need for us to remain humble before God. Always. To remember that whatever metaphorical vineyard we till, it is not ours, we are only the tenants, and ultimately, a rent is due. All of this sort of begs the question, if we are to be judged by our actions, then what are the expectations God has for us? The Bible is full of expectations for us, as well as examples of people, many of them quite famous, who don’t live up to them. There are far more than we have time for right now, so let's just stick with our parable. As you will see, there are enough there to make the point.

In our parable today there are two big expectations that are raised up; giving God what is due to God, and receiving God's Son with hospitality. Well, let's look at them separately. What do you think God expects from you? Is it showing up in church on Sunday mornings 50 times a year? Is it living by the ten commandments most of the time, or at least trying to? Is it tithing to the church the first ten percent of your take home pay? Is it a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience in a monastery? Is it enough to read the bible every day? Is it enough to say that Jesus is your Lord and Savior? Is it enough to be Baptized and Confirmed?

What do we really owe God? It's not at all an easy answer, if we are honest with ourselves. I have always tried to live my life by the summary of the law, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself." Some days I do better than others, but even on good days I wonder if that's enough. I suspect I'm not that different from most of you.If this parable makes you uncomfortable, good! It should. I believe that is why it is important. I think that is why Jesus shared this parable with his followers at the height of his popularity, right after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the scouring of the temple. He didn't want anyone feeling smug or self-righteous, his disciples two thousand years ago, or his followers today.

And now let's look at the second expectation from today’s parable. When it comes to receiving God’s Son with hospitality, what will the parameters of our judgement be? How will we be judged on how we receive the Son? Now again, at first blush you might think we're in pretty good shape. We do go to church. We may even say that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, but do our lives reflect that reality? What if judgement day isn’t a Sunday?Are you an obvious Christian the other six days of the week? Does your ability to love others make you stand out from the crowd? If Jesus walked down the street tomorrow, how would you know him? And how would he know you? Is the Jesus you know locked in the Bible? Finding Jesus in the face of others takes practice. And welcoming that Jesus with hospitality and not mere tolerance, takes even more practice. Is it a skill you have acquired and are perfecting? Or do you just use it when it is convenient?

Do these questions make you uncomfortable? Good! They should. I kind of think that is the whole point this week.We should always be a little uncomfortable in the presence of God. Last week we heard about the irrational abundance of God's love. But we need to remember also that unconditional love does not abolish the reality of judgement. This week we remember that we stand under God's judgement as well, and that is never a comfortable place to stand. If it ever is, then you’re really in trouble!

We will need to remember both love and judgement as we enter the ordeals of Holy Week; walking with Jesus from the triumphal entry through the gates of Jerusalem, to the new commandment given in the upper room. From the trial and betrayal in the garden, to the trial and condemnation before Pilate. From the streets of Jerusalem in disgrace, to the holy cross on Golgatha. Both love and judgement linger in surprising places throughout the journey of Holy Week, waiting to break our hearts open; to make them new again.I bid you, Be ready! The words of Isaiah call to us out of the wilderness..."I am about to do a new thing...do you not perceive it?" Amen.