“The Fitting and Filling of God’s Vineyard”
Luke 20:1-19
Then the owner of the vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.” – Luke 20:14
“When the shoe fits, wear it.” Have you heard the saying? Not scripture, but certainly describes a dynamic in God’s Word.
Way back when I attended Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, I used to say to myself, “why is Pastor Gibb speaking about me?” But then I started to think, Pastor Gibb doesn’t even know me [it was a large fellowship]. So, then I started to ask myself, “How does Pastor Gibb know about me?” Well, the fact of the matter is that he didn’t. But God knew; and specifically, it was God’s Word that revealed.
“For the word of God is living and powerful [“active” in the NASB], and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints a marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” [Heb 4:12] Isaiah said, “He has made My mouth like a sharp sword” [Isa 49:2]. Paul instructed the Ephesian saints to take up the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [Eph 6:17]. And in Revelation John wrote that “out of His mouth goes a sharp sword that with it He should strike the nations.” [Rev 19:14].
God’s Word is a sword; a scalpel in Heb 4:12. It is precise, clear, clean, and effective. It speaks to us as individuals and with utmost accuracy. The
question is will we receive it?
This is the dynamic that we see in our passage. Jesus had entered Jerusalem; He had entered [and cleansed] the Temple. His desire now was to cleanse Israel. He began teaching in and around the Temple to all who would hear. But it was one thing to hear, and quite another to receive.
The Parable of the Vineyard was given to Israel, although the application is for all. But Israel [that is religious Israel] did not receive it. “And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people – for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.”
The shoe had fit but they weren’t willing to wear it. We would be wise not to make the same mistake.
When God’s Word speaks to our hearts, we must respond.
When the shoe fits, we need to wear it.
