Today's Word
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Our Lord is so good, He grants us many blessings. We can see Him in the daily course of events, in our homes, our jobs, our lives. I pray that these words help you to grow in your faith and recognize His hand in even the most mundane circumstances.
The picture to the right is of a Celtic Chapel located in Cornwall England. This building is approximately 1700 years old, and contains a holy well known for its healing powers.
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Lectionary Scriptures for April 6, 2025, Fifth Sunday in Lent: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:(4b-7) 8-14; Luke 20:9-20
“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, ‘Yahweh has done great things for them.’” Psalm 126:2, WEB
After years of drought, which are not over, we had a wonderful rainstorm a few days ago. The rain was wonderful, but it will take a long time for our water levels to be normal for us. The weatherman said it would take at least three or four storms like we had last week to fill our aquifer. Though there are wildflowers to bloom, there are fewer because the plants did not have what they needed to germinate. Those that did grow over the winter may not struggle as much as we expected. I was happy to see blue patches along the highways in the past week or so, and I caught a glimpse of red the other day. The bluebonnets are late, but growing, and the Indian paintbrush are beginning to shine. The rain also brought out the rain lilies that only grow after a good rain.
Unless we get lucky again soon, we will go back to being dry, but for now we can enjoy the wildflowers. Bluebonnets are many people’s favorites here in Texas, but every place has something to let them know that the long winter is finally over and spring has sprung. For some it is the crocus, for others the daffodil. In Washington it is the cherry blossom. I remember longing for the first lilacs to bloom on our bushes in Pennsylvania. When we see the color on the bushes and in the fields, we know something new is about to happen.
Lent is nearing an end. Holy week begins on Palm Sunday. The long winter is coming to an end and something new is about to happen. Isaiah tells us about the promise. Do you not perceive it? It is like waiting for those first flowers of spring to burst forth; we wait longingly for it to happen and then when it does, we can expect warmer days and green grass.
When I read the Gospel passage, I can’t help wondering how anyone can think that killing the son will make the landowner turn his property over to them. It doesn’t make sense to me and yet seems to make sense to these tenants. They think they have a right to the vineyard; they think that all they need to do is remove the obstacle that is keeping them from what they think they deserve.
I wonder about the same thing when I hear stories about people doing extraordinarily horrific crimes. How does a mother get to the point that she truly believes that God has told her to drown her children in a bathtub? How does a young man decide that the best way to solve his problems is to take guns into a crowded building and shoot anyone in his way? How do residents in a city destroyed by a natural disaster think that it is right to break the windows of stores and take anything they want? How does it help a cause to target people who have nothing to do with the reason the people are protesting?
I know that it is tempting for a hungry person to steal a loaf of bread, and while it is wrong, we can have empathy for that person. However, what about the young man who has been regularly stealing from a grocery store because the store is owed by a billionaire? “I hate that the man has so much money, so I’m going to take my share by stealing.” This doesn’t hurt the billionaire. It hurts the local store. It hurts the employees. It hurts the suppliers. It hurts the neighborhood. Does the end justify the means?
Looting after a natural disaster often begins with one person stealing a loaf of bread or a jar of peanut butter to feed their family, but human nature quickly turns to a different purpose. They don’t steal because they have a need; they use the circumstances to satisfy their desires. They think they deserve what they steal, even if they don’t need it.
In today’s Gospel lesson, the tenants owed the landowner rent, but they decided that they deserved to keep the fruit that they produced. They did all the work. They tended the vines. They harvested the grapes. They even produced the wine. They worked hard: don’t they deserve to keep the result of their hard work? Besides, the landowner was wealthy. Why does he need a few bottles of wine when he already has so much? They made an agreement with the landowner but refused to fulfill their part of the bargain.
This story does not begin with the assumption that they deserved the inheritance. When the landowner sent a servant to collect the rent, they simply said no and sent the servant back with a few bruises. The second and third servants received the same greeting.
Did the tenants actually do all the work? The landowner bought the land and planted the vines; he had a financial stake from the beginning. Is it fair for the tenants to keep all the fruit just because he had more than they? Is it fair for the tenants to live on his land and benefit from his work, without giving him his due? Is it right for them to go against the agreement? The landowner was disappointed by the response of his tenants, but he gave them several chances. He sent servant after servant; each one was beaten and sent back empty handed. How would you respond? Would you send your son?
While I might understand thinking that they deserved to keep the wine, I can’t understand how they thought that they deserved to own the whole vineyard. How does one go from tenant to owner at someone else’s cost? How does anyone justify killing the son? How can they possibly think that the landowner will respond to the death of his son by giving the land to his murderers? They think the end justifies the means, and the only end that matters is the one that will benefit them. Sadly, this is a tendency of human behavior.
We look down on the tenants, just as we look down on those who think that the end justifies the means, but we are no better than either group. We are human and tend to focus on our own self-interest. We think the end justifies the means when it is convenient for our lives. We think we are better than them, but we don’t know what circumstances might cause us to do whatever is necessary to meet an understandable need and then justify our actions as we walk out with more. We think that we should own the vineyard.
This is a story about God’s Kingdom. The scribes and the chief priests understood what Jesus was saying, and it upset them. They perceived that Jesus was speaking against them, saying that they were not serving God as He intended. They were right. The servants sent by the landowner were the prophets who had been sent by God over and over again to call the people to faithful living in the covenant. They claimed to follow the letter of the law, but they did not live in a relationship with God. They pursued a righteousness based on their own good works and they rejected the Son who would make them right with God. And they did exactly what Jesus said they would do: they killed the Son.
Now, before we act holier than thou, let us consider our own human nature. We can easily ask the question, “How did they get there?” when faced with a story like this, or when faced with very real stories that don’t make sense to our consciences. I don’t expect to do anything extraordinarily horrific in my lifetime, but can I honestly say that I’ve never done anything wrong? Can I honestly claim to be righteous before God? Haven’t I rationalized some sin because I faced extraordinary circumstances? Do I ever think that the end justifies the means? Have I told a lie because I thought it was for the right reasons? Have I taken something that wasn’t mine to be helpful to others, even though it is wrong to steal?
Did I kill the Son of God?
It is very easy to see sinfulness in others and think that we would never do what they did. I can’t imagine ever going against a contract with someone who entrusted me with his property, but what would I do if after all my work the harvest was poor due to a drought? What if my house was destroyed in a natural disaster? Would I resort to theft so my family could eat? I hope not, but can I say for sure? I’m human and I can be tempted to meet my needs, and even my desires, at the expense of someone else. I’m not as different from those tenants as I want to be.
Just as the landowner bought the land and planted the vineyard, God set the foundation and planted the seeds for His Kingdom. The Israelites were given the responsibility to take care of what God began, but the Kingdom belongs to Him. He doesn’t ask much in return, just faithful stewardship and respect. They refused to give God the respect He was due; they beat His prophets, and they would kill the Son. They were unfaithful, so Jesus promised that God would give the Kingdom to others.
The scribes and chief priests saw the “others” as being far from God; the gentiles, pagans, and tax collectors were sinners. The Kingdom was theirs because they were the ones that God brought out of Egypt. They were inheritors of the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their forefathers were the ones that experienced the exodus. They deserved the Kingdom; they earned it. They were relying on the past, but God had something greater planned. They were relying on their heritage, but God was about to do something new.
After the long wander in the wilderness of Lent, we are waiting anxiously for this new life that is promised in the text from Isaiah. The God of Isaiah, the God of the Israelites, can do amazing things. He made a path through the Red Sea for those who left Egypt to travel as they escaped slavery and oppression. We are not slaves to Egyptians, but we are slaves to our flesh. We are oppressed by the expectations of this world and by the burdens of the Law. We rely on our past and our own good works. We are controlled by our own self-interest.
But God is about to do a new thing. He is about to create a path through the sea of oppression so that we will be free. Jesus Christ is the living water that He promises, water in the wilderness that we are given to drink. Soon, very soon, as the blossoms spring forth in the joyous proclamation of the resurrection, we will sing praise to God with all the hosts of heaven.
My mother managed a fabric store in a mall when I was a girl. I would often go to work with her when I was off of school. I spent the day roaming the mall, hanging out in the drug store or “five and dime.” I usually took some books to read or things to do (this was long before handheld video games!) Sometimes I helped my mom with the store. I often got bored and I’m sure I drove my mom crazy, but I remember the fun I had during those days.
The best days were when my best friend went with me for the day. It was more fun to hang out with a friend than to wander around the mall on my own. We often planned to see a movie on those days, which would use up several hours of our time. One day we went to see “Mary Poppins.” The main feature was preceded by an educational documentary about animals. I can’t remember even the type of animal because we did not pay much attention to that film. Instead, we got the giggles. We were being silly and accidentally spilled popcorn all over the floor, making us crack up with hysterical laughter every time we looked at it. Our laughter annoyed the other movie patrons and even earned us a dirty look or two. We tried to behave and remain calm, but it was hard. The pile of popcorn gave us a good reason to laugh. Now, fiftyish years later, the story still makes us laugh. It is a memory that brings us joy.
There are several places in the scriptures that suggest that we should not laugh but mourn because we are sinners. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:3, “Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.” Laughter is seen in a negative light, which leads many to go about taking life too seriously.
However, the Bible also talks about the joy of God’s deliverance. When the Israelites made it across the Red Sea, Miriam danced. When the Ark of the Covenant arrived in Jerusalem, David danced. It is very difficult to dance in celebration and joy without laughing! Joyful laughter shows the world the condition of our hearts. Joy comes from God, and when we know He loves us, we feel the joy of His salvation. When we know the joy of the Lord, it is impossible not to laugh. When we do, the world sees that God has done a great thing for us.
Do you remember the good old days? This question might bring up different memories for each of us. For some, it is the joy of childhood that is brought to mind, like that day in the movie theater. For others, it is a remembrance of a specific day or year. Some remember a decade as the good old days, others a century. They long to be there, to return to the ways of that culture and the experiences of life in that time. While it is a pleasure to remember, we can’t continue to live in the past. We don’t get very far on a journey if we keep turning back. We don’t see the joy and peace that is coming if we spend so much time thinking about yesterday.
God did amazing things for the Israelites. When God finally led His people into the Promised Land after wandering in the wilderness for forty years, He helped them to begin their new life there. The first thing they did was celebrate the Passover, a remembrance of God’s deliverance from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Even today, Jews all over the world continue to remember the Passover and celebrate with special meals and ceremonies. It brings them joy.
Centuries after they entered the Promised Land, Israel was exiled to Babylon because they tried to worship false gods alongside God. God spoke to the exiles through Isaiah, assuring them that the promise was still real. God did great things, but He was about to do even greater things. They would be set free from Babylon and sent home. These words were specifically given to the exiles, but they reach far beyond the day they returned to Jerusalem. This is a promise for all creation. Through Isaiah, God told the people to forget the things that had gone before, especially the suffering they experienced. “Behold, I will do a new thing” He said. He spoke of making the water flow in the desert, bringing life into the wasteland. It will look like Texas does after the rains come in spring. This would be such a great thing that even the wild animals would honor God. The people would drink and proclaim praise for God, not just the exiled Jews, but all who trust in Him.
The old is past and the new is coming. The psalmist sang praise to God because He delivered the people from the exile. They rejoiced as they went home, laughing and singing along the journey, giving praise to God in joy and thanksgiving. They once sowed in tears, but they returned with songs of joy. The old is set aside for something new.
Our psalm for this week comes in the middle of a grouping. They were not written together; some are attributed to David (122, 124, 131, 133), one to Solomon (127), several are from during or after the exile, and others may be attributed to descendants of David. The editor of the Psalter, perhaps Ezra, grouped Psalm 120-134 together and added the title “A Song of Ascent.” It is possible that these psalms were already being used by pilgrims traveling toward Jerusalem for a festival at the time of editing, but they were definitely used in liturgical form afterwards. You can almost imagine the exiles singing these psalms on their way home to Jerusalem. Psalm 120 bemoans being far from home, and there are places in these psalms where it seems like the singers were able to see Jerusalem from a distance. Jerusalem was built on a hill, and the temple was made with white marble, so it almost glowed when the sun was just right. In other verses, you can imagine that they’ve lost sight of the city and are feeling tired and frustrated.
Each of these Psalms has a simple theme and can easily be adapted to other situations for focused prayer. I’ve used them as I’ve prayed for our nation, fitting the words to fit our needs, praying for God to help us. These psalms have words of lament, comfort, confidence, celebration, thanksgiving, wisdom, instruction, deliverance, penitence, forgiveness, unity, and praise. They go back and forth between lament and celebration. Isn’t that our life’s journey? We struggle and we praise. We lament and thank God for His blessings.
In Psalm 126, the psalmist wrote, “Those who sow in tears will reap in joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.” We rejoice with the harvest, just as they must have done, but there’s more to this passage than praise and worship for God's provision.
Some suggest that these verses about sowing in Psalm 126 reflect the myth of Baal. One practice in their worship included mourning as they scattered seed in the field, as if they were scattering the Baal’s body after death, but the sadness of that moment was overcome with the joy that came with the growth of new life and the harvest of the fruit. Though this was not the way God intended for His people to worship, it was embraced by His people, especially the common folk, because it was a practical way of understanding the mystery of nature.
They didn’t stop worshipping the God who delivered them out of Egypt, but they added to their worship the god that suited them. Over and over again the people continued to fall into the patterns of the world around them, rejecting God for their own ideal. The prophets warned the people over and over again to reject the local gods, but when they did not, God turned His back. Over and over again they repented and turned back to God. He always heard their cry and saved them from the consequences of their unfaithfulness. They learned their lesson until the next generation, which fell into the patterns of the world. It is still happening; we continue to conform to the world, rejecting the God who has called us to work His vineyard, killing the Son to steal that which is not ours without God’s grace.
Thankfully God does not allow us to wallow in the consequences of our unfaithfulness. We stand with the Pharisees, knowing that the story of the tenants is about us and that we, too, killed the Son. However, God did not end the story with His death; the death of Jesus Christ brings forgiveness and resurrection for all those who repent and believe in Him.
Paul had a great set of credentials. He could easily have held his genealogy and his blamelessness above all others because he was right with God according to the Law of Moses. But, in Christ he realized that his credentials were meaningless. Instead of being someone above all others, he knew that his place in God’s kingdom made him a servant of all. He realized that he was not greater than anyone and even suggested that of all sinners he was the greatest. He had persecuted Christ’s church and thus persecuted the Savior. He knew now, in Christ, that all that he had was useless. Only in Christ is there righteousness.
The letter to the Philippians was written as a thank you note for the ministry support given to Paul by the church in Philippi. It was also written to encourage them to stand fast in what they knew to be true. They were facing persecution, perhaps from the Romans who lived in the town, but also from the Jews who were trying to convince the Gentile Christians that they needed to be circumcised to be true believers. Paul reminded them that they did not need to pursue a righteousness that comes from obedience to the Law; Christ made them righteous by His work on the cross. They couldn’t earn their place in the Kingdom; Jesus the Son gave them their place in it. Paul had every reason to believe that he deserved to inherit the Kingdom, but he knew that it was all worthless. The only thing that mattered was to know Jesus. The only thing that matters for us today is to receive the Son.
Paul did not believe that he has already obtained it all; he was striving for that which has already been promised and was assured by God’s faithfulness. He encouraged the Philippians and all God’s people to set aside what has gone before so that we can continue moving forward toward the promise. God has done something new. While the acts of God from the past are great, we can rest in the promise that the best is yet to come.
We are no different than those tenants, trying to take control of the Kingdom which belongs to God. The death of His Son is on our shoulders, as it was on theirs. But God’s mercy is never ending, and even such a great offense is not held against us. We who now believe are welcome into the Kingdom and we are forgiven, even when we fail. Whose vineyard is it? The vineyard does not belong to us, it belongs to God. He has made us stewards and calls us to serve him with humility and joy.
Like the Israelites, we have entered the Promised Land and returned home from exile, but we still face the temptation to conform to the ways of the world. Let us pray that He will always be the center of our faith, so that all might benefit from the grace He has promised. We may go out weeping as we sow the seeds, but God will produce a harvest that will bring such great joy that the whole world will rejoice. He has promised those He has chosen, but His blessings rain on all. Don’t let the wild animals sing His praises louder, for God has created you to declare His praise for all the world to hear.
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Part of my prayer life during Lent will be an examination of conscience using the seven deadly sins. I will daily pray through a number of questions for each sin: Pride, Envy, Sloth, Lust, Covetousness, Gluttony, Anger. Will you join me? Remember, this is about examining yourself, not seeing others in these questions. If you see others, consider it as a mirror and ponder your own life in light of that judgment.
This week is “Covetousness.”
“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” And he said, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.’” Luke 12:13-21, WEB
Covetousness is the one sin we find directly in the Ten Commandments. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” The other sins break the commandments in their own way, but God saw fit to list coveting in the big ten. I think part of the reason is because there is a sense of coveting in all sin, even the sins against God. The original sin was about coveting, as the serpent told Adam and Eve, “You won’t really die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” They wanted to be like God; they were not satisfied with Him and wanted authority, power, and control over their lives.
Isn’t that what we do all the time? God made the first table of the commandments, the ones that teach us how to relate to Him, because we need to be constantly reminded that we are not God. God commands us to hold Him above all other gods (including ourselves!). We are not to make idols or to misuse His name. As Jesus taught, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” We sin against God when we covet what truly belongs to Him.
When it comes to the second table of the Law, those commandments that teach us to deal with one another, coveting is the root of those sins, too. We dishonor authority, kill, commit adultery, steal, and bear false witness because we covet something that the people we sin against have.
In the Examination of Conscience that I am using as a prayer practice this Lent, covetousness is defined as “a disordered love of the goods of this world.” The questions this week focus on what we learn about coveting in the Ten Commandments: not desiring people and things. Do I dispose of my money properly or selfishly? Do I discharge my duties in justice to my fellow man? Do I discharge my duties in justice to the Church?
Yet, I think we need to consider coveting from a deeper understanding. Martin Luther thought coveting is the opposite of faith, as it reflects a lack of trust in God's provision and a desire for things outside of His will, and he urged believers to cling to God’s promises and seek contentment in Him. It is all about how we pursue wealth, which can be understood in so many ways beyond tangible blessings. Covetousness, which is often used interchangeably with greed, is an intense desire for something someone else has because they have it and you don’t. Greed is a more general desire for more than we have.
The text for today shows brothers quarreling over stuff. As we saw in the parable of the Prodigal Son, the inheritance was probably set by the laws of that time. This was probably the younger brother wanting his “fair share,” and he wanted Jesus to make things “right.” There is more here than just the stuff but also control over the family estate. He wanted what was not his. Jesus told him that it wasn’t His place to change what was done according to the Law. Then He warned everyone else that our dissatisfaction is a symptom of our lack of trust in God. The problem with coveting is it is an inward attitude, one that others may never even see, but it leads to sin that is acted outwardly, in dishonoring authority, killing, committing adultery, stealing, and bearing false witness.
What do you covet? How is your intense desire destroying the lives of those who have what you do not have? Is your intense desire affecting your faith because you are not content with the life God has given for you to live?
The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Savior Jesus Christ, as well as a fictional perspective of the Crucifixion. Spend time in God's Word, read about His life and learn of the wonderful gifts He has for you. Know Jesus Christ and honor Him today. Thanks be to God.
The Story of our Savior's Passion
The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective
When researching, I use several versions of the bible, including the New International Version and English Standard Version. Due to copyright restrictions, I have not included quotes for the scriptures on some of the archives, but highly encourage you to open your own bibles to read the scripture passages for yourselves. Where scripture is quoted, it is usually the American Standard Version or World English Bible which belong to the public domain. Any other versions used in quotes are identified.
The devotion posted on Wednesday is based on the Lectionary texts used by millions of Christians each Sunday. The Lectionary consists of four texts: an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from one of the Epistles and a Gospel text and follows the church calendar. Archives for these writings are found at Midweek Oasis.
You are welcome to use these words to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you these gifts, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring them to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom you've shared it. Peggy Hoppes
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