9th April - A Parable

Luke 20:1-19

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

1 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants

9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 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.’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone’?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Paying Taxes to Caesar

19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

Reflections by Elder Jason “Jacko” Ju

I grew up in a Christian family, with my mum's side being 4th generation believers. I went to church all my life, but for a long time I was just going through the motions. As a kid, I remember one night being hit with the fear of death—it shook me and got me thinking seriously about whether God was real.

In high school, I drifted. I was caught up with the wrong crowd—drinking, smoking, living a double life. But by God’s grace, I still went to church. Things changed when I went to a youth conference in Year 10. The speaker shared from Philippians 1:21, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” That night, God opened my eyes. I saw the weight of my sin and realised how desperately I needed Jesus. I gave my life to Him that night in prayer.

Since then, God has been shaping me and molding me into the godly man He wants me to be. I still fall short everyday—just ask my kids when they say, “Dad, take your cranky pants off!” This is the real, ongoing life of sanctification. But even in the ups and downs, I hold onto Ephesians 2:8–9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, eso that no one may boast.”

What jumps out at you from this reading?

That Jesus knew exactly what was going on. This parable is about Him—the beloved Son sent by the Father. He tells it in front of the very people who will soon plot to kill Him. But He doesn’t hold back. He speaks the truth with clarity and courage.

What questions does this reading raise for you?

How often do I try to take what belongs to God and make it my own? How do I respond when God confronts me—do I listen, or resist like the tenants?

What do you think the writer is urging his readers to believe or do?

To recognise who Jesus is—the Son of God—and not reject Him as the others did. This parable is both a warning and an invitation.

What in this reading would you talk about with a friend and why?

I’d talk about how patient and gracious God is. He sends messenger after messenger, and finally His own Son. It shows how far God is willing to go to call us back to Himself—even to death on a cross. That’s a love worth talking about. That is the grace and mercy extended to us.