A Whole New World
In the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus tells a story of a landowner who plants a vineyard, rents it to some farmers, and when the owner sends his servants to collect the fruit, the farmers strike them down.
When the owner sends his own son to collect, they even kill him, too.
And it leaves the owner with just one option: it’s time to pass along the land to some other farmers.
This parable reflects the rejection Jesus faced. The Son of God had come to a world meant to bear fruit for the kingdom, but instead, He found it barren. By week’s end, the Son Himself would be struck down.
Jesus’ words here are both a challenge and a comfort.
The challenge? Fruitfulness matters. God’s kingdom isn’t about titles, traditions, or appearances—it’s about producing the fruit of faith, justice, and love. If we’re not bearing fruit, we’re missing the point.
The comfort? Those who feel excluded or unworthy are invited to take part in the kingdom. Those who seem “last” are welcomed as “first.”
Holy Week reminds us that in Jesus, everything changes. The kingdom is for those willing to receive it and bear its fruit. That’s both a sobering call and a hopeful promise.
The Mission of God
All of our lives are spent on something.
Most people spend their days focused on growing a family, building a career, or amassing possessions. While none of those things are necessarily wrong, they can become distractions from our ultimate goal in life.
In the book of Acts, we see Paul’s transformation in Christ. As a result of meeting Jesus and being changed by His grace, Paul spends the rest of his life preaching the good news of Jesus.
For Paul, God’s grace and salvation were so great that nothing on this earth could compare to doing His work.
Paul said that nothing in his life mattered as much as telling others about God’s grace. His goal in life was to finish his own race well by faithfully accomplishing as much of the mission of God as possible:
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 NIV
The mission of ...