Advent Devotional

Luke 20:9b-16a

“A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. . .He sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. . . The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ . . . They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.”

Jesus told a story about a man who owned a vineyard. The workers rebelled, mutinied, and took over the land while he was away. After killing the slaves, the master decides to send his beloved son. The slaves killed him, the heir, desiring the inheritance to be theirs.

Jesus told this parable to speak of himself and the Father. After killing the prophets who came before, the Father sent His beloved Son, Jesus, to His land to retrieve what is His but they crucified the Son. This holiday season, remember that the Father sent the Son on our behalf. He came to buy us back. Let us not reject Him as the servants did in the parable or the Jews in that generation. Rather let us embrace the greatest gift ever given.

For Reflection & Discussion: If Jesus came to collect some of the produce from your “vineyard,” what fruit would you offer him?

Prayer: Father in heaven, the beloved son whom you sent, in whom we share an inheritance with, help us to honor him and give thanks to him as Redeemer and King. We are more sinful than we think we are and you are holier and more merciful than we can imagine, thank you for such grace and mercy in sending your beloved Son.  Amen.
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