“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my one dear son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours!’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?” —Luke 20:13–15
Destruction follows the path of continuous disobedience. This is man’s choosing, it is not God’s desire. We find this warning in other parts of the Bible:
“What more can I do for my vineyard beyond what I have already done? When I waited for it to produce edible grapes, why did it produce sour ones instead? Now I will inform you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there. I will make it a wasteland; no one will prune its vines or hoe its ground, and thorns and briers will grow there. I will order the clouds not to drop any rain on it.” —Isaiah 5:4–6
“The LORD God of their ancestors continually warned them through his messengers, for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, and ridiculed his prophets. Finally the LORD got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment.” —2 Chronicles 36:15–16
“This is what the LORD says:‘What fault could your ancestors have possibly found in me that they strayed so far from me? They paid allegiance to worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. They did not ask: “Where is the LORD who delivered us out of Egypt, who brought us through the wilderness, through a land of valleys and gorges, through a land of desert and deep darkness, through a land in which no one travels, and where no one lives?” I brought you into a fertile land so you could enjoy its fruits and its rich bounty. But when you entered my land, you defiled it; you made the land I call my own loathsome to me.’” —Jeremiah 2:5–7
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! Look, your house is left to you desolate!” —Matthew 23:37–38
May we not be found in the place of desolation! Consider for a moment all that God has blessed us with! Think about His constant love for us! Do we not owe Him our all?
“What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?” —Romans 8:31–32
Become More
“Now may the Lord direct your hearts toward the love of God and the endurance of Christ.” —2 Thessalonians 3:5
Further Reflection
“He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.” —Psalm 91:4