March 30, 2023 – “Breaking Down Walls”

“And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.When the season came, he sent a servantto the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” Mark 12:1-9

“We need to know that those who reject the Son of God today also face dire consequences. While God is supremely generous about grace, the consequences of rejecting that grace and having to face the full wrath of God are horrific.” (heartlight.org: Mark 12:9)

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants begins with these words, “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it…”.  Why do so many people put a fence around themselves and refuse to share their fruit with others? When we put up fences between us and our neighbors, we are, in essence, putting a fence up between us and G-d. But there are many reasons why people decide not to share their G-d-given fruit with others.

First, they believe that what they have is only theirs. Selfishness and ego get in the way. What is theirs is theirs and it will never be shared with anyone.  They forget that all we have comes from G-d. Second, by hoarding their things, they believe they have more – more blessings, more possessions, more security. Their seems to be comfort in stuff.

I know that at times we pray for G-d to put a hedge of protection around us so that we are protected from our enemies. But this hedge of protection can become a wall that separates and isolates us from the “others” around us. G-d asks us to love G-d with all our heart and soul, which then compels us to love the “others” around us—not just in our own personal sphere, but those all around the world.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, your love compels us not to put up walls, but to break down all barriers around and between us. Help me break down my walls and to share generously and to welcome others instead. Amen.

Pastor Dave