Living in the Spirit

October 7, 2023

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:33-46
‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:
“The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
   and it is amazing in our eyes”?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Sound familiar? We elect people to represent us in Congress, as is appropriate in a democracy based on a representative form of government. Yet, the more outspoken our representatives become, the more interested they are in their power and financial well-being rather than their constituent’s well-being. The purpose of a democratic form of government is to find common ground to provide for the Common Good. Some of our leaders drum up controversial issues that have little, if anything, to do with most people’s lives, often playing on prejudices that distract us from our leaders not addressing the significant issues in our lives.  

Matthew 25:31-46 tells us that God will judge the nations on how well we feed the poor, provide water for all to drink, clothe the naked, care for the sick, reform the prisoner, and welcome the stranger. Our failure to meet these basic needs and provide for the Common Good will be our downfall.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the strength to ensure that our leaders understand your vision of the Common Good and help us work to fulfill it. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.