“He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ – Mark 12:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 13, 2017): Mark 12

Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr said that “forgiveness is the final form of love.” Maybe we could say that forgiveness is the response that only comes because of love. Part of what we don’t understand is that forgiveness is impossible without love.  Most of us have experience that kind of loveless forgiveness, and it just doesn’t feel genuine. It is semantics – just words spoken out of compulsion. And these moments feel like “I forgive you because I have to, but if it were up to me, I would never forgive you, and I still don’t like you.” Forgiveness that is given without love is not real forgiveness. If we are to offer forgiveness wherever it is needed, then we must be able to provide love wherever it is needed.

Jesus tells this parable of a vineyard. In the parable, the owner rents the vineyard out to those who will tend the vines. And when harvest comes, he sends out his servants to collect his portion of the crop – his rent. But the evil vineyard workers plot of a way that they can keep all of the harvest, basically a plan to skip out on paying the rent that was due to the owner. They plan to beat and sometimes kill, anyone who the owner of the vineyard sends their way.

But even though the workers of the vineyard are clearly in the wrong, the owner of the vineyard continues to hope that they will change their minds and give him the rent. He does not call in the army, which would have been his right, and have the vineyard cleared of the ungrateful workers. He seems to react with love and forgiveness, and in the end, and as a final gesture, he sends his son, whom he loves, to the workers to collect the rent. Surely the workers will respect his son.

The workers see the son and somehow think that they can end this once and for all in their favor. They can kill the son. And if they do, then the vineyard will be theirs.

Of course, none of the actions of the workers makes any sense. But the parallel is unmistakable. This is precisely what God has been doing throughout history to the workers to whom he is renting this planet that he created and that he owns. He keeps sending servants into the world with instructions on how the owner would like us to care for each other, and the earth. And we have beaten, ridiculed or killed those whom God has sent. And finally, as an ultimate gesture, God sent his son as a message of love and forgiveness to our world. According to the parable, God hoped that we would respect his son.

But, instead, we killed his son, just as the workers of the vineyard murdered the son of the vineyard owner. Not all were involved in the killing. A small remnant respected the son, and loved him, accepting and receiving the love and forgiveness of God through him. And that remnant grew into the Christian Church. We have become the messengers sent into the world with God’s final message of love and forgiveness. We love and forgive because he first loved and forgave us. We respect the son, and we carry his message into the world that he so loves.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Mark 13