Sunday's Message - One Decision Can Change Everything

Here's the message I offered during the celebration services in Presbyterian Church of Hopedale, Ohio, on Sunday, October 4, 2020.

Matthew 21:33-46 (Contemporary English Version)

Jesus told the chief priests and leaders to listen to this story:

A land owner once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country.

When it was harvest time, the owner sent some servants to get his share of the grapes. But the renters grabbed those servants. They beat up one, killed one, and stoned one of them to death. He then sent more servants than he did the first time. But the renters treated them in the same way.

Finally, the owner sent his own son to the renters, because he thought they would respect him. But when they saw the man’s son, they said, “Someday he will own the vineyard. Let’s kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves.” So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

Jesus asked, “When the owner of that vineyard comes, what do you suppose he will do to those renters?”

The chief priests and leaders answered, “He will kill them in some horrible way. Then he will rent out his vineyard to people who will give him his share of grapes at harvest time.”

Jesus replied, “You surely know that the Scriptures say,

‘The stone that the builders

    tossed aside

is now the most important 

    stone of all.

This is something

the Lord has done,

    and it is amazing to us.’

I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who will do what he demands. Anyone who stumbles over this stone will be crushed, and anyone it falls on will be smashed to pieces.” 

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these stories, they knew that Jesus was talking about them. So they looked for a way to arrest Jesus. But they were afraid to, because the people thought he was a prophet.

One Decision Can Change Everything

You know, sometimes one decision can absolutely change everything. And you know, what’s really amazing is that the decision doesn’t have to be all that dramatic or seem all that important. Let me give you example.

Did any of y’all happen to watch the Presidential Debate Tuesday evening? Now I understand that Trump supporters, as one told me on Wednesday, they think the President hit it out of the park. I also know that those who support Vice President Biden believe that he stood firm and strong in the face of rude and confused assaults. That’s what they think. Of course, I’m not stupid; that was probably their opinion before it even started. 

Of course, I don’t think either extreme describes what most folks saw. Personally, I thought it was a juvenile mess. And frankly, I was embarrassed: embarrassed that the world was judging our country by what was presented by those two adult men and embarrassed thinking about how parents had to explain this spectacle to their children. Is this what makes America great? I don’t believe any pre-school teacher would have tolerated the kind of behavior we saw from any of her three-year-olds. It was ridiculous, at least in my opinion.

Well, on Wednesday, I was talking about the “debate” with a friend of mine, and of course, we were both bemoaning the future of our country. And then she let loose with something I call a “Dah” statement, because it’s so obvious. But I’ve got to admit, it’s one I hadn’t really thought about before. She said, “You know, the producers or the moderator could have made one very simple decision that would have made all the difference. For each question, Trump and Biden both had two minutes to make their points, right? Well, when one was giving his answer, the moderator could have just cut off the microphone of the other guy. Problem solved.” Now that’s what she said, and after hearing it, all I could say was “dah.” I mean, if this had been the decision made then both men would have known that, if they spoke out of turn, it would be into a dead mic; therefore, the people watching would just see the rule-breaker moving his lips. And knowing how stupid that would look on national television, neither would have interrupted the other.Again I say “dah.” You see, one decision really could have changed everything.

And I’ll tell you, that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning, how one decision that we have the power to make, how it can drastically improve our relationship with God. And let me tell you what that decision is. Right here and right now, we can decide that we’re going to view what we have as gifts rather than possessions. Let me say it again, we can decide to view what we have as gifts rather than possessions. That’s all we need to do. But I’m telling you, when we make that decision, man, it’s going to transform our whole relationship with God, you know, the one who gave us the gifts in the first place.

And you know, that’s really what we’re seeing play out in the parable we just read, isn’t it? But in this story, it’s more like a what not to do, because the people here saw what they had as possessions, you know, their own stuff that they owed and could use for themselves. And I’ll tell you, that got them into all kinds of trouble. Just remember, this was how the parable started:

A land owner once planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and dug a pit to crush the grapes in. He also built a lookout tower. Then he rented out his vineyard and left the country. [Matthew 21:33b, CEV]

Now, that sounds pretty good to me, you know, a nice place for either a B&B or an investment opportunity. But for the Jews, vineyards meant a lot more; they were symbols of God grace and generosity. 

And so these guys were given the chance to rent this wonderful vineyard. But when the owner, you know, the one who had given them this great place to work, when he wanted what was his, the rent, it was right there, these tenants made their decision. Instead of just giving what they knew didn’t belong to them, remember, they did this:

When it was harvest time, the owner sent some servants to get his share of the grapes. But the renters grabbed those servants. They beat up one, killed one, and stoned one of them to death. He then sent more servants than he did the first time. But the renters treated them in the same way.

Finally, the owner sent his own son to the renters, because he thought they would respect him. But when they saw the man's son, they said, “Someday he will own the vineyard. Let's kill him! Then we can have it all for ourselves.” So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. [Matthew 21:34-39, CEV]

You see, it was right here that they made their decision. And they decided that this was their land, by gum. I guess they thought possession was 9/10s of the law. Therefore, what they grew, belonged to them. Now that’s what they decided. And I’ll tell you, I think that led them to do some pretty terrible and actually self-defeating things. I mean, they beat up and even killed the messengers sent by the rightful owner of the vineyard, the one who’d given them the chance to share in this magnificent place. And in the end, they even grabbed the son himself, the one they should have respected, and they threw him out of the vineyard and they killed him. Now that’s what they did. 

And what were the consequences of these actions that flowed from the decision?  

Jesus asked, “When the owner of that vineyard comes, what do you suppose he will do to those renters?”

The chief priests and leaders answered, “He will kill them in some horrible way. Then he will rent out his vineyard to people who will give him his share of grapes at harvest time.” [Matthew 21:40-41, CEV]

Of course, those Jewish leaders knew that Jesus was talking about them, you know, how God had given them his “vineyard,” his love and help and support. But instead of returning to him a little of what was his, they’d claimed it for themselves and killed the prophets who told them that they were doing wrong, and they’d soon grab the son, throw him out of Jerusalem and nail him to a cross. Now that was their take, and it made them really mad.

But even though that specific lesson doesn’t really apply now-a-days, I do think the story can speak to us, reminding us that what have, you the stuff we own and the talents we’ve developed, even the lives we enjoy, man, ultimately, they don’t belong to us. They aren’t ours to possess. Just like the vineyard, God’s given us the chance to “rent” this stuff with the understanding that we’re going to return to him what is due.

But all those words only have meaning, after we’ve make the decision to believe them, you know, to accept them as true. In other words, right here and right now, we can decide to view and to handle the property we own and the talents that we have as gifts from God, gifts that we can certainly enjoy ourselves but that God also wants us to use in order to show love to him and one another. You see, that’s sort of our rent. Of course, we can actually do that in a lot of different ways. I mean, we can always roll up our sleeves and work to feel the hungry and to get some shelter for the homeless. That’s a possibility. Or we can do what we can to welcome and to include those who are often ignored and neglected. That’s also a possibility. Or we can do something as simple as offering a kind word to a stranger or a smile to a guy who might feel isolated and alone. And these are just a few examples. There are all kinds of ways we can use what God has given us on the outside and the inside in order to help someone else. But I’ll tell you, that’s only going to happen when we decide that everything, and I mean everything we have is a gift from God and we’re ready to use some of it to do what he wants us to do, namely to love him and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It really isn’t rocket science.

And I’ll tell you, when we make that decision and when our decision leads to action, I think we’re going to come out the winners. Of course, we won’t have everything for ourselves. But in exchange for giving some, we’ll still be receiving a whole lot more from God, and I’m talking about more comfort and more security and more hope. But maybe even more important than that, we’ll have the knowledge that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves. You see, the world is full of all kinds of vineyard, and they’re filled with all kind of people, many of whom have decided that what they have is a gift which they can use to glorify the giver. And you know, when we begin to work with those other tenants, all those other renters, together we’ll be able to do things that will change the world. And all of this is possible because of the decision we’ve made. 

Now I heard that given what we witnessed Tuesday evening, the Commission on Presidential Debates is going to make some changes to future debates. Of course, I really have no idea what they have in mind. And given the fact that the President now has COVID, all this talk about a future debate may be mute. But you know, if they just made the official decision to cut off the microphone of the one who’s not suppose to be talking, in my opinion, that would be a pretty good change to make. And for everybody who wants a better relationship with God and a little more comfort and peace in their lives, I believe there’s something we can do right this minute. You see, rather than following the example of those stupid renters we read about in the parable, we can choose to view what we have as gifts given to us by God, and I’ll tell you, I believe doing that will transform our whole relationship with him. You see, in my opinion, that one decision can change everything.