April 15th

Scripture - Luke 20

Observation - The parable of the vineyard hit home to many of the people who were listening to Jesus tell it. The owner of the vineyard represents God; The vineyard is Israel; the tenant farmers are the religious leaders; the servants are the prophets; and the son is the Messiah. Jesus creatively told the coming of his death and resurrection through this parable. Most of the people are shocked by the details of this story and couldn’t believe the mistreatment of the servants and death of the son. But hey didn’t realize that they soon would give Jesus over to be killed. The good news is that Jesus is the cornerstone that holds up God’s kingdom. Soon the people will have a choice; reject God forever, or come to know him through his son, Jesus Christ.

Application - Have you ever felt rejection in life? It’s a tough pill to swallow sometimes. How did you handle the rejection? Just think how Jesus might feel when we have rejected him at times in our lives. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t become bitter like we tend to do. Instead he so graciously still loves us and always has his arms wide open to welcome us home when we are ready for him. Throughout this chapter, we read about Jesus’ interaction with ‘religious’ people and leaders of the day who didn’t realize that the savior they were waiting for was standing right in front of them. How can reflecting on the fact that Jesus overcame the grave for us change the way we’ll live our lives out today?

Prayer - Lord, help me to see what You are doing throughout the day. Help me to live a life that is a reflection of you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.