living in the Father's vineyard Isaiah 5:1-7, Matthew 21:33-46

God the Father wants the best for his daughters and sons. He does not want what we want or think best; rather God desires to give the best. God's been calling his people to the best way of living. It started with the law and prophets. Isaiah spoke this call and it continued in the words of Jesus. This is a word of law that pulls away a whole lot scar tissue and lays open a hurt soul. It's this opening that can bring the rest that comes from Good News.

Both Isaiah and Jesus explained the relationship between the Father who loves so much and people who turn away with vineyard stories. Why not? Vineyards made sense, people planted and worked in them. They enjoyed the grapes and wine made from grapes. Two parables about vineyards define God's love for his people through the image of a vineyard that had lost God's protection.

Isaiah told of a friend who planted grapevines on a hillside with rich soil Isaiah 5:1. He did everything right hoping good grapes would come Isaiah 5:2-3. Instead the harvest came and there were only bad ones Isaiah 5:4. Isaiah's parable gets me thinking: What should be done with the bad grapes. The response frightens me. All the protection God provided could be taken away Isaiah 5:5-6. Isaiah wasn't speaking about a vineyard. These blunt words from God were for Israel and Judah. He came looking for justice -- but he didn't find it.

Jesus spoke of a vineyard too. It was rented out Matthew 21:33-34. When time came the land owner sent servants to collect his share of the produce. The tenants beat some and killed others Matthew 21:35-36. And last of all the landlord sent his son. The tenants, some commentators think, were scheming to take over the land by squatters rights. After all the landlord's heir was dead. They must have assumed they would now have control.

Jesus left the story unconcluded. He asked the chief priests and the elders of the people what they thought would happen. They responded the renters would be put to death and the land rented again Matthew 21:40-41. That wasn't Jesus answer. And this is the real twist. We don't know what the landlord did. But we do know what God the Father did when His Son was rejected. He raised him up on the 3rd day.
Peace, and thanks for reading.

Forgiveness Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness matters to Jesus. And it will invariably matter to anyone who follows in Jesus' steps—if you don't believe that's true just listen close to what Jesus said to his friend and close follower Peter. When Peter asked, “How many times should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Isn't 7 going to be enough?”

I think Peter picked 7 because it seemed to him, like it does to me, that 7 was an outrageous number of times to forgive somebody. Forgive somebody—yeah seven times is enough. Even for Jesus 7 times would have been enough, Peter likely thought. But Jesus said no.

For Jesus forgiveness can happen 7 times sure. But it can also happen 77 times or 70 times 7 times. Jesus' math seems so strange to our earthbound ears—why because forgiveness costs us something—but we way to often miss what forgiveness gives us in return. Forgiveness in truth changes who we are—and forgiving like Jesus says 77 times or 70 times 7 will always sound so over the top. But it's that over the top life transforming gift of forgiveness that opens us up towards the new future that God has in store.

Forgiveness matters to God the God of Easter Morning; just listen close to Jesus' story in Matthew 18:23-35. This man was forgiven so much by his king. But then that same man couldn't or wouldn't forgive someone who owed him so much less. The king was upset—he heard that this forgiven man wouldn't let this small matter go. And the king had this forgiven man locked up until he could make right a debt that he'd never be able to pay back. There's power in this story. We've been forgiven a great deal by God. Don't ever think other wise—and it's with that reality in mind as forgiven people given a fresh start that Jesus invites us to forgive others who have hurt us.

It's clear listening to Jesus that forgiveness matters to the God who loves us enough to die for us. Forgiveness was one of the words on Jesus lips as he died on the cross. Make no mistake real forgiveness isn't the resumption of an old broken way of being. Ask anyone who has lost a loved one because of anyone else's terrible choice if they will ever forget the person they've lost. No they won't and God isn't asking them to either. Forgetting isn't forgiveness. Instead forgiveness is opening up the door towards the future. Forget forgetting—forgiveness is opening up the door to the future that God has in store for all his people. Forgiveness is opening up the door so that even those who do wrong to others—which in simple truth is everybody here and everybody alive today—can rediscover who they were meant to be at the start of all times—people made in the image and likeness of God.
Peace and thanks for reading. John