“He had one more man to send, a beloved son; he sent him to them last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ And they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.”

For the most part, we refuse to fight for what we do not believe in. Anger often reveals our passion in a certain matter or area. After the killing and abuse of the vineyard owner’s slaves and messengers, the vineyard owner took final attempt to get His rightful share of the produce. He sent His son. The vine growers already had malicious actions but, today, we get insight into their motivation—greed. They were so insistent on getting what they wanted, they killed the messenger the beloved son they were supposed to respect and embrace. This is what was done to Jesus, He was rejected and killed by those who were supposed to be God’s people. The greed for their own way blinded them to their destructive actions against the Son of God.

As Christians, our lives need to be in constant submission to God’s revealed way. God has communicated who He is and who He has called us to be in Scripture. The Bible is more than just stories from long ago but a way to know who God is and how He is working in the world today. It is natural to insist on our own way and do what we think is best but without the guidance of Christ it will never amount to anything. We are to be people with open hands instead of clinched fists. We have been equipped and called to live in the way of Christ, embracing the Son God has sent.

• How are you seeking to live in God’s way? How do you discern what God’s direction is?
• Who can keep you accountable to living in God’s way when you start insisting on your own? Would you listen to them if they pointed out an error in your ways?
• Pray and ask God to show you the ways you have insisted on your own way instead of embracing Him.