“I’m in charge here”

A new year is good time for taking stock, for assessing the things that surround us and shape our lives. What constantly surrounds me? What is shaping my life – often without me realizing it? 

In the final few days before his death by crucifixion (and his rising again) Jesus brought to the attention of those around him all of these major basic factors. Another of them (see the previous two Infos) is part and parcel of the incident recorded by Luke, the historian, writing around AD 62. What third basic but highly influential factor in people’s lives is identified in this incident?

The “people” whom Jesus addressed were the people of Jerusalem. Jesus’ parable likened all those people to tenants of a vineyard. The vineyard’s creator resided in another country but sent servants to receive “some of the fruit of the vineyard” which he had planted.  

 

The parallel develops with unperturbed pace. Not only are the first servants sent by the man who planted the vineyard beaten and sent away empty-handed but also the second and third servants are wounded and cast out. The vineyard creator receives nothing except returning injured servants.

The man who planted the vineyard then sends his “beloved son”.  But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

What, then, is the intangible thing which is the key motivator in the minds and hearts of these tenants? A secondary motivator is undoubtedly greed. But what is the primary motivator? What major thing within them is a deal-breaker? Something which they will not give up no matter what?

Try this for size. Is it “authority” and “increasing authority”? They are tenants of the vineyard. They have authority over it. The vineyard planter strictly has authority over the tenants and seeks some of the fruit. No. No – we’re in charge. I’m the boss of my life.

We all know what the “people” of Jerusalem in AD 30 did to Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, Son of Man. Was the vineyard taken away from them? Exactly 40 years later – AD 70 – Jerusalem was razed to the ground. A Jewish rebellion against their Roman overlords (authority again) was fiercely and cruelly put down with a huge loss of life. The Jerusalem Temple was totally destroyed.

 

Authority? Two further thoughts.

First, today “people” often say (in pursuit of their own authority over their lives), “How can you believe in a Creator God? You can’t have read Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. You’re deluded.” That book has sold millions of copies. John Lennox, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University has written a rational response “Gunning for God” (available from the Christian Bookshop, Central Market and elsewhere). Lovers of their own authority will not want to read it.

Second, authority is the primary aggravator on both sides in today’s marital and relationship breakdowns. No wonder Jesus gave authority such prominence in the last few days before his death. The wonder is that he allowed authority to take away his life. Why did he do that?