Morning Moments with God: Day 93

                             
Day 93:Convict Me of My Sin

Please read the Bible verses for today:

Matthew 21:33-46

We read in Matthew 21:23-27, how the teachers of the law and chief priests questioned Jesus' authority. Then we read in Matthew 21:28-32, the Parable of the Two Sons and today we are reading the Parable of the Tenants. For the past three days, Jesus has been talking to the teachers of the law and chief priests. He is not being gentle in His words to them. Jesus is speaking the truth as clear and as powerfully as He can to convict their hearts of their sin. They have not changed. Let's see if today's parable convicts their hearts, I know it would mine. 

The Parable of the Tenants

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him." (Matthew 21:33-39) 

The landowner is God. The vineyard is the Israelites. The tenants are the teachers of the law and chief priests. The servants are the prophets that God sent to the Jewish people. And the son of the landowner is Jesus Christ. This is a clear picture of the sin of the teachers of the law and chief priests. 

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet." (Matthew 21:40-46)

It is clearly stated in verse 45, "When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them." They knew Jesus was talking about them. They knew He was revealing their sin. They understood it, but were not convicted. In verse 46 it tells us, "They looked for a way to arrest him..." They were going to continue in the very sin that Jesus revealed! They didn't because they were afraid of the crowd, and not GOD! Lord, may that never be said of me!

Pray with me:

Jesus, thank you for showing me that you tried over and over again to reveal the truth to the Jewish leaders. Thank you that you will pursue me the same way. Thank you that you will not leave me in my sin, that you will show me again and again what I am doing wrong so that I may turn from my sin and walk in your ways. Thank you for not giving up on me. Lord, I pray that my heart will be open to hearing the truth, convicted to change and bold to move on. Change me, oh Lord, that I might reflect you in everything I think, do and say. In Jesus' Name, Amen.