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

     The place to start when considering this week's reading from Matthew's gospel, is with the message two weeks ago--where it was proclaimed by Jesus, "It's all about God's grace!" It's always important to begin there, because in Holy Scripture, life in God's kingdom always begins with grace. In our lesson for today, we see that again, as Jesus tells a parable.

     This parable is often referred to as the parable of the wicked tenants. It's gotten that name because the tenants in the parable won't listen to the prophets God sends to them, won't return to God the fruits of their labor in His vineyard, and finally, in their desperate attempt to steal the vineyard altogether, they kill the owner's son to gain his inheritance. Yes, it's fine to call this the parable of the wicked tenants--but it might also be called the parable of the grace-ful owner. Because consider the facts in this parable. St. Chrysostom wrote in the fourth century, "observe the great care that the owner took with this place.he himself did the work the tenants should have done. It was the owner who planted the vineyard, set a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and build a tower. He left little for them to do. All they had to do," Chrysostom wrote, "was to take care of what was there and to preserve what was given to them." The tenants were to simply take care of what was there, preserve what was given to them, and then return to the owner of the vineyard, what was rightfully his--the fruit of the vineyard. The vineyard belonged to the owner--everything in it belonged to the owner--the owner had built the vineyard, and allowed the tenants to live in it and enjoy what was there. But the owner, as was his right, expected the tenants to return to him, what was already his--the fruit of the vineyard. But these tenants were stingy, and selfish--they took the vineyard owner for a fool, and thought they could work things so that it would all be theirs, with nothing returned to the owner. So, when the owner sent his servants to collect his produce, the tenants seized them, beat one, killed another, and stoned another. The owner, at this point, could rightly have dealt harshly with the tenants--because hey, this was his vineyard after all! But the gracious owner was patient and forbearing. He sent other slaves, more than the first, to collect the fruit from his vineyard--but again, the tenants treated these in the same way. Did the owner now send the sheriff and his deputies to clear these wicked tenants out of the vineyard? No, the grace-ful owner finally sent his son to them, trusting that these tenants, whom he had treated so fairly and generously, would respect--show reverence to his son, and return to him the fruit that was due him. But the son, they killed to get his inheritance. The Son, they seized, threw out of the vineyard, and killed. And only now, does Jesus, in the telling of the parable, ask, "Now, given the behavior of the tenants, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" And the people responded, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who WILL give him the produce at the harvest time." And then, after his reminder to them that He, himself, is the cornerstone that the builders have rejected, Jesus tells them, "therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom." And then, when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them, and they wanted to arrest him right then and there--and would have, except that they were afraid of the crowds.

     In a sense, we could say that this parable was a self-fulfilling prophecy, because by telling this parable, Jesus was sealing his own fate. Because as the chief priests and Pharisees realized Jesus was speaking about them in this parable--as they realized that Jesus was condemning them in this parable, Jesus' future was sealed--his arrest, crucifixion and death were determined. From this point on, the Jewish establishment try to trap Jesus, and to trip Jesus, to get Jesus to incriminate himself. Which Jesus, himself, knew, already. Because Jesus foretells in this parable, that the son, sent by the vineyard owner, would be seized, thrown out of the vineyard, and killed. He's talking about himself, here--about his own rejection and death on the cross. He's talking, here, about how far the vineyard owner, God the Father, would go to show patience and grace and mercy to those tenants he's placed in the vineyard. And yet, in spite of the grace of God--in spite of the patience, grace and mercy the vineyard owner shows to his tenants--still, when the chief priests and the Pharisees realized they were speaking about them, they set about making plans to kill God's Son, and take the vineyard for themselves. We know that when he first told this parable, Jesus was speaking about the religious folk of his own time. But now, we have to ask, could Jesus also be telling this parable, about us? And if so, is there any chance the kingdom of God might be taken away from us, and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom, and is willing to return to the owner, the fruits that are rightly His?

     These are tough questions, and questions most of us would rather not ask--because in our world today, and even for those of us in the Kingdom of God, there are several misconceptions that guide our thoughts, words and deeds. First, there is the misconception that all that we have is ours, to do with as we please. It shouldn't shock us that this is the case--after all, it's been that way from the first day of creation. God created the Garden of Eden, placed a fence around it, did all the work, and then placed Adam and Eve in the garden to live and love and serve God. But they failed to keep the one commandment God had given them. They decided the garden, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, were theirs, to do with as they pleased. So, rather than obey the owner of the garden, they chose their own path. And in eating of the forbidden fruit, they brought on themselves the consequences of their own actions. They were punished for their disobedience, cast out of the Garden of Eden to live, now, by the sweat of their brow. Which brings us to the second misconception, rampant among us today. The misconception that there is no punishment or discipline, for disobedience and sin. Lutherans are as guilty, if not more guilty of this than other Christians, because we misunderstand the concept of Law and Gospel. Like the heretical Antinomians of old, many Christians believe that the Gospel renders obedience to the Law unnecessary. The reasoning goes, since we are justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law, why should we bother to obey? And following from that, if we don't have to worry about obedience--why would there ever be punishment? The misconception is--that God doesn't really care about sin, selfishness, greed, anymore. That God's love and grace, does away with the need for obedience and righteousness. That God's love and grace, removes any and all punishment or discipline. Which is true, for those who repent of their sin, receive forgiveness, and are set anew, by God, on the path of obedience. After acknowledging our disobedience before God and receiving the good news of the Gospel, we are set free, now, FOR obedience--for doing all that God has commanded us. That is the proper working of Law and Gospel: that we are condemned by the Law, driven to our knees to repent and ask for forgiveness; that we receive the freeing, forgiving Word of the Gospel, so that, hearing anew the call to obedience, we will gladly and joyfully respond by giving all that we have and are, to God, the owner of the vineyard in which we live! Which is why, for those of us who have, supposedly, been convicted by the Law, heard the Gospel, and been set free--for those of us who have been forgiven and set again upon the path of obedience--when we fail to obey; when we ignore God's commands; when we refuse to return to God what is rightfully His--our time, talent and treasure--the punishment is especially harsh. In fact, Jesus says, when we who have been redeemed by His precious blood, continue to live our lives, as if all that we have is ours, to do with as we please; when we who have been lovingly washed in the cleansing waters of Baptism, continue to live in greed, and selfishness, not returning to God the fruits of our lives--then there is the chance, Jesus says, that, "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruit of the kingdom-then, the vineyard may be leased to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."

     And you may be asking, "Do you mean to say, that God expects certain things of us? Do you mean to say that God punishes, disciplines, chastises those who refuse to do His will? Do you really mean to say that the kingdom may actually be taken away from us, just because we are willfully selfish, greedy and unwilling to acknowledge God's sovereignty over our lives?" That's not what I'm saying, that's what Jesus is saying--as you and I stand together in the vineyard, trying to figure this all out. We are standing, together, this morning, looking at this vineyard we've been given--hearing Jesus' words, hoping--hoping he's not speaking about us. We are asking ourselves, do I understand God to be the owner of this vineyard, and do I act like it? Or do I think of my home, my bank account, my possessions, my church--as mine, to do with as I please? We are asking, "Do I return to God the fruits of His vineyard, or do I try to keep them for myself, at all cost?" "Have I been listening to His prophets and teachers and preachers--or have I turned them off, because I don't like what they're saying to me, about my life, and my stewardship and my place in God's kingdom?" Finally, we are to be asking, "Am I listening to, and receiving God's Son--am I showing Him proper respect and reverence as Lord of my life--or do I treat Him shabbily, ignoring Him, denying Him, crucifying Him anew, by my selfish ways, my greedy lifestyle, my desire to go my own way in life?"

     What Jesus is calling us to, is a change of heart, and mind and life. Changes that will not set well, with some of us, because it means giving up, and giving away, and yes, sacrificing. It means, as Paul says, "suffering the loss of all things, regarding them as rubbish, that we may gain Christ, and be found in him--not that I have already obtained this or reached the goal," Paul writes, "but I press on to make it my own--I press on to reach this goal in life--because Christ Jesus has made me, His own." Let us, with Paul, forget what lies behind; let us forget greed, and selfishness and past sin and disobedience--let us press on toward the goal, for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus--let us give ourselves and all that we have and are--to the owner of the vineyard, and His Son, the heir.that we may indeed, live, forever, in His vineyard!

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