We read a story about a vinegrower in Mark chapter 12:
"A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey. At harvest time he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his portion of the crop. But those tenants seized his slave, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. So he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously. He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed. He had one left, his one dear son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and the inheritance will be ours!' So they seized him, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard." (Mark 12:1-8 NET)God prepared a beatiful land for His people and entrusted it to them. This land (Israel) is described in Exodus 3:8 (and others) as "land flowing with milk and honey" and Ezekiel 20:15 further describes it as "the glory of all lands" (NASB) and "the most beautiful of all lands" (NET).
He sent prophets to prepare the people to return to the Lord their God, but those prophets were rejected, mistreated and even killed in His name (see Mark 6:21-28 as an example).
God sent His one and only Son, Jesus to redeem the debt, but He too was rejected and murdered. Ironically however, His death was the absolute redemption for all sin and as v.11 says, this is marvellous!
"This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" (Mark 12:11 NET)Praise God that He ushered in the Age of Grace during which all men can turn to Him:
"What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others."and Jesus has become the Cornerstone of the church
"Have you not read this scripture: 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."Jesus put a spiritual emphasis on harvesting as an eternal endeavour when he said,
Don't you say, 'There are four more months and then comes the harvest?' I tell you, look up and see that the fields are already white for harvest! The one who reaps receives pay and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together. (Jn.4:35-36)The farmer has to have wisdom about the right time to harvest; in a spiritual context we might be called to sow, or we might be called to reap, so we need to sensitively discern!
For in this instance the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." (John 4:37-38 NET)If the crops are not harvested at the right time, they will spoil. Don't miss the opportunity! I love Isaiah's enthusiasm when God calls for someone to go:
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isa 6:8 NASB)We should be this enthusiastic to go when called!
A time is coming when another harvest will take place; that is the harvest of the wrath of God.
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe." Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe." So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles. (Rev 14:14 NASB)
We are the redeemed who have accepted the debt paid on our behalf by Jesus, so we have the responsibility to proclaim His message in this age to save others from the harvest of God's wrath in the age to come.
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