And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them – Luke 20:19

For Meditation

They heard Him very well. The Parable spoke to their hearts and judged them. The Lord Jesus clearly outlined the offenses as in a courtroom and left them with no defense.

Guilty as charged, the gavel went down!

They knew their history—the condemnations from the prophets to their ancestors and their rejection of the messages. God sent more prophets to call His people back to Himself, but they repented only during times of foreign oppression (Judges 3:9). Some prophets they prohibited from speaking, and some they killed. When Jesus told the Parable of the Tenants, the people shouted,

 “God forbid!”

However, the leaders understood what He meant, and it got under their skin.

They recalled Psalm 118:22 they always sang during the Feast of the Tabernacles, and what it meant—a messianic song.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

So why did they not ask for forgiveness? Why did they prefer to plan to kill Jesus (Luke 20:19)?

We are so like them—so human!

We often reject the truth that reveals our hearts in embarrassing ways (Hebrews 4:12). It stings and makes us uncomfortable. Instead of accepting our mistakes and changing course, we fight to make them right, rationalizing and defending ourselves. The bearer of the truth becomes the villain. Rather than repent, we go after them with a vengeance.

We can be different. We can make this year a season of repentance and renewal and do everything possible to free ourselves from the tyranny of sin, humbling ourselves before the Lord and allowing Him to cleanse and renew us with His word!