9 Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed.

11 So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed.

12 Then he sent a third, but they wounded him and threw him out.

13 ‘What shall I do?’ asked the owner of the vineyard. ‘I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him.’

14 But when the tenants saw the son, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So 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 kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others.”

And when the people heard this, they said, “May such a thing never happen!”

17 But Jesus looked directly at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone’?

18 Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Nathan Ting

In today’s passage, Jesus tells a parable to call out the wickedness of the religious leaders – the chief priests, scribes and elders of the people (20:1).

The tenants in the parable represent these false spiritual leaders. The tenants are tasked with looking after the owner’s vineyard. At harvest time, the owner of the vineyard – who represents God – sends servants to collect the fruits that the vineyard had produced. The fruits of the vineyard rightfully belong to the owner, however we see that three times the tenants abuse and reject the servants that the owner has sent.

The owner then sends his own son, thinking that surely because it is his own son, the tenants would not treat him like they did the servants. But in verse 14, this actually has the opposite effect. Blinded by their wickedness and greed, the tenants foolishly think instead that if they kill the son, they will gain the son’s inheritance.

Jesus warns the crowd that the owner of the vineyard would not let this go unpunished – the tenants would pay for their wickedness with their lives, and the inheritance that they had been greedy for would be given to others.

The chief priests and scribes knew instantly that Jesus was talking about them. But what about us? Although we aren’t chief priests or scribes, I wonder if the parable applies to us more than we might immediately think. For me, there have been (and still are) plenty of times when I have intentionally turned a blind eye to my sin. I am reminded that while Jesus has already cleansed us from our sin by taking our place on the cross, continuing to live for Jesus means living in repentant obedience to Jesus and His authority.

Spend some time now remembering ways you have been stubborn-hearted and have rejected Jesus’ authority. Give thanks for God’s kindness and mercy in sending Jesus to die on the cross, and pray that you would continue to live a repentant life that honours God.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nathan is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and scribes, together with the elders, came up to Him. 2 “Tell us,” they said, “by what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

3 “I will also ask you a question,” Jesus replied. “Tell Me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?”

5 They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”

7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from.

8 And Jesus replied, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Rebecca Shead

On a first reading of this passage, I felt sympathy for the chief priests, scribes and elders. It seems like they are being diligent leaders, testing Jesus to protect the people from a fake Messiah. It sounds like a genuine question. But remember what we saw yesterday in the verses immediately before these: “the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill” Jesus (Luke 19:47).

When they ask him, “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” their question was a trap. They have seen the “things” Jesus was doing – in fact, they have seen everything they need to draw the right conclusions about him. But they simply don’t want to, so they try to devise another question to discredit him.

In the previous chapters, Jesus has been teaching about the kingdom of God; he healed sick and blind people and even raised a girl from the dead; he entered Jerusalem as the promised king; and yesterday we saw that he cleared out the dishonest people from the temple.

The chief priests, scribes and elders knew their Old Testament. They should have recognised that everything Jesus did was fulfilling God’s promises. But their hearts were hard and instead of rejoicing that Jesus was the promised Messiah, they wanted to kill him! Jesus knew their hearts. His authority is reinforced by his clever reply to them.

This makes me think about how we respond to Jesus today. We know the end of the story – that Jesus will die on the cross and be raised to life again. We have even more evidence than the chief priests and scribes! I am so thankful that in his mercy, God has opened my eyes so I can see the truth about Jesus our saviour. Do you see it too? If you do, join me in praising God! If you don’t trust Jesus yet as your king, ask God to reveal Jesus to you by his Holy Spirit, and accept his gift of eternal life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

45 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there. 46 He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’ ”

47 Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him. 48 Yet they could not find a way to do so, because all the people hung on His words.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Paul Bogg

At church, we have just finished a sermon series on Leviticus.  In God’s love and overwhelming grace and mercy in bringing his people out of slavery and leading them to the promised land, he laid out a set of rules and principles on how to live as a people group that belong to Him.  These rules and principles help establish what sanctification looks like – being set apart and wholly devoted to God himself.  The temple played a significant role in all of this – it was the place where sacrifices were given so that people seeking to be right with God could be made clean.

In today’s passage, Jesus enters the temple grounds where he finds, instead of a place devoted to making a people group right with God, big business is happening.  The process of sanctification has been commoditised.  Money exchange tables have overtaken altar tables. Rather than being a place where prayers of dependence on God are made, it has become a place that fosters a dependence on money.  And because of all this, Jesus is not happy and drives people conducting business out.

Jesus died once and for all, to be the final sacrifice needed for us to be right with God.  But we can still be tempted today to commoditise our relationship with God.  For example: If I give more money to church, maybe God will give me more favour.  Or: If I give more money to a ministry, maybe God will overlook some more of my sins.

Both Leviticus and Jesus tell us that a relationship with God cannot be commoditised. In fact, the only exchange that gains us anything from God was a substitutionary sacrifice that he himself provided – Jesus’ death for us. When we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we’re free to use whatever money or business that we have in our lives for God’s kingdom and glory, knowing that in Christ we already have inherited an eternity of relationship and fellowship with other believers, a type of richness that money could never buy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ian is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.

41 As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it 42 and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God. ”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Elise Le

We read just yesterday that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a colt, and we saw people spreading their cloaks on the road, praising Jesus as the King. But the Pharisees detested the crowds’ exaltations and did not recognise that the very man in front of them was the one of whom the prophets had spoken (Zech. 9:9).

In today’s verses, Jesus weeps because the people in Jerusalem don’t truly recognise what he has come to do. They praise him as King, but they fail to see Jesus as the Son of God, the Lord of the universe, and they do not understand that he must first suffer many things, be rejected, and die for their sins. Jesus describes the judgment that they will face in the future, pointing towards a day when their city will be besieged. This foreshadows the divine punishment that will come upon those who do not know Jesus as their King on the day of his return.

When I travel home from work at 3pm, there is always the pain of having to drive through school zones. There have been many times when the person in front of me has continued to drive at 60km/h, maybe not realising the speed limit sign, and flash... they get caught by the speed camera. The people in Jerusalem failed to see the signs of Jesus being the Messianic King and would face the consequences, just like failing to see the speed sign as you drive through a school zone and receiving the penalty of a speeding ticket.

When I first read Luke 19, I was quick to judge those in Jerusalem. But on reflection, I know I don’t perfectly live every day with Jesus as my King. I need to ask myself: Do I remember that Jesus will come back as judge, and do I live each day in light of his return? Pray that we will live such holy lives that are shaped by knowing Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Elise is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.

36 As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
39 But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”
40 “I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Daniel TK Nguyen

Upon reading this passage it gives me a sense of great encouragement. In the second half of verse 37 it says, “the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen.” How amazing this would have been to have seen and heard in person! I can’t remember the last time a group of people walked down the street singing praise to God out loud, can you?

In a society where many people think Christianity is weak or passive, this passage reminds me that it’s the complete opposite. We must stand firm in our faith and not be silenced! If we feel like singing praise to God in the street, let’s do it! What’s the worst that could happen? We have so much reason to be joyful.

Let us pray that God will help us to be courageous to praise him and to be continually thankful for what Jesus has done for us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TK is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.

28 After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

29 As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

32 So those who were sent went out and found it just as Jesus had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 “The Lord needs it,” they answered. 35 Then they led the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over it, and put Jesus on it.

REFLECTIONS

Written by James Davidson

Why do you think Luke goes into so much detail about how Jesus got hold of this colt to ride on into Jerusalem? It’s because by doing this Jesus was making a powerful statement about who he was and what he’d come to do. Jesus was deliberately fulfilling the words of the prophet Zechariah in the Old Testament. This is what Zechariah 9:9-10 says:

“9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
See, your King comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the horse from Jerusalem,
and the bow of war will be broken.
Then He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion will extend from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.”

Zechariah foresaw that God’s King, the Messiah, would come in humility. As a sign of this humility, he would come riding on a young donkey. He would not come on a huge war horse as a conquering general. This was because his mission would be to bring peace to all nations by doing away with war altogether.

This is exactly Jesus’ mission. He came in humility to serve his people from all nations by laying down his life for them. As we trust in him, we are reconciled to God, and we are also reconciled to one another. Jesus knew that wars would continue until his second coming. But when he returns, he will establish a new creation where people from all nations will live in perfect peace.

Let’s pray: Father, we thank you for Jesus our humble donkey-riding king. Thank you that because of his death on the cross, we have a certain hope of a new creation where all people will live in perfect peace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James is an Assistant Minister of our Bossley Park and Fairfield Early congregations.

Note: This passage talks about “minas”, which were a type of currency used in Jesus’ day.

11 While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently. 12 So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. 13 Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said.

14 But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’

15 When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned.

16 The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’

17 His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

18 The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’

19 And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’

20 Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’

22 His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’

24 Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

25 ‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

26 He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

I find this parable both challenging and encouraging.

Christ Jesus is talking about himself. He is the King who has been appointed, he has left for a while, but he will return. While he is gone, he has left us with the resources to get on with the work of his Kingdom. He’s given us things like time, energy, money and relationships to use now to build up the church and help reach the lost with the gospel.

The challenge for us, then, is this: are we using what God has given us well? Are we investing things like time, energy and money into ministry? Are we investing in relationships to see people know Jesus and grow in Jesus? Imagine Jesus returning right now. If he looked at our calendars and bank statements, what do you think he would say? Would he say, “Well done my good and faithful servants?” I find that a sobering question to ask myself.

But there is also an encouragement in this. King Jesus recognises that each of us has different capacities to serve him. We don’t all have as much money to give; we don’t all have the same amount of social energy. He expects us to use what we have been given, but not more than we’ve been given.

Our King expects us to faithfully serve him now – and he is both fair and full of love for us. I need to keep reflecting on both those truths. When I’m tempted to be self-indulgent with what he’s given me, I need the reminder that he’s coming back! When I’m at capacity, I need to remind myself that he expects only as much as he’s given me capacity for.

Pray that our Heavenly Father would help us reflect on our lives. If you’re aware that you’re not serving God in the way he expects, pray that he’d help you do that. If you’re feeling grief or anxiety that you can’t serve God more, pray that God would remind you that he is delighted when you serve him in whatever way you are able.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is an Assistant Minister with our Fairfield congregations.

1 Then Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was very wealthy. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but could not see over the crowd because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”

6 So Zacchaeus hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully. 7 And all who saw this began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinful man!”

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Laura Lie

As a child, I thought this passage was all about Zacchaeus. I suppose that was reinforced by the songs we learned about him in kids church: “Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in that sycamore tree, the Lord he wanted to see…”

To me, Zacchaeus seemed to be something of a genius. “He ran on ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see Him, since Jesus was about to pass that way” (v4). Brilliant! What a clever man! His strategy works too – Jesus sees him, calls him down and to the general irritation of the crowd (v7), goes and has a private lunch in HIS house.

The cleverness continues. Zacchaeus realises he’s been a bit self-centred and clumsy with his tax collecting, renounces his ways, and Jesus welcomes him to the fold: “…salvation has come to this house…” (v9). Job done.

As an adult, I reread this passage and realise it is all about Jesus – as he says in verse 10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

It occurs to me that Zacchaeus wouldn’t have been the first to think of climbing a tree to see Jesus. I always had visions of him perched up there alone, easy for Jesus to spot. But there were large crowds gathering to see Jesus, so there were probably lots of people climbing trees, not to mention the thousands thronging the streets to get a glimpse of the Messiah.

So how did little Zacchaeus, up in the tree, end up sharing a meal with Jesus? 

Jesus was looking for him. He called him by name. “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today” (v5).

How incredibly humbling, mortifying, gratifying – what a rollercoaster of emotions that must have been, to be called by name by the Son of God! Out of the crowd of thousands, who he had probably taxed and cheated (into significant poverty!), Jesus sought Zacchaeus out. 

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (v9-10)

As a child, I loved the story of how Zacchaeus was able to be seen and saved by Jesus. As an adult, I am so thankful that Jesus sought Zacchaeus out, that he still seeks to save the lost like us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

35 As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.

37 “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him.

38 So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

39 Those who led the way admonished him to be silent, but he cried out all the louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

40 Jesus stopped and directed that the man be brought to Him. When he had been brought near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want Me to do for you?”

“Lord,” he said, “let me see again.”

42 “Receive your sight!” Jesus replied. “Your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people who saw this gave praise to God.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Michael Legaspi

Hopelessness, desperation, defeat. They are heavy words, but I think almost everyone can relate to them. If you’ve ever experienced that, what happened in your life to make you feel that way?

In this passage we meet a man who can’t see the one who could save him. But he asks as he begs on the street, “what’s happening?” Only then does he hear the name “Jesus of Nazareth.” It seems that he knows his Old Testament, because he shouts out something peculiar: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Son of David – the Messiah, the promised King! How did he know? Had he heard rumours of the things Jesus had been doing?

“Those who led the way” in front of Jesus rebuked the man and told him to remain quiet, but he cried out even louder (verse 39). When you’re desperate, you would give anything to escape the hopelessness of life. I found the blind man’s words strange – “have mercy”. I would have expected, “help me, heal me.” But his anguish means he doesn’t concern himself with their discouragement.

The people rejected his plea. But Jesus ordered that this poor, desperate nobody be brought to him – what extraordinary compassion! Jesus asks an amazing question: “What do you want me to do for you?”

If you were asked the same question, what would you ask for?

In Jesus’ loving character, he heals the man. But he hints at something more than just physical healing when he says, “Your faith has healed you.” Jesus is the one who can not only help him, but save him from the judgment and condemnation that we all deserve. No wonder the man starts following Jesus and glorifying God!

There is no shortage of suffering in life, and each one of us will have to endure it. But how? Seeing how Jesus calls the blind man even though others reject him helps me greatly. It’s even better to know that Jesus gave up his life for us out of his great love and mercy. There is great comfort in knowing that he knows our failings and inadequacies, yet he approaches us to seek our good.

That not only helps us to endure pain and suffering, it will motivate us to follow Jesus and glorify God, not because he forces us, but out of love and thankfulness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.

31 Then Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything the prophets have written about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. 33 They will flog Him and kill Him, and on the third day He will rise again.”

34 But the disciples did not understand any of these things. The meaning was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend what He was saying.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Tara Sing

Sometimes I feel really sorry for the apostles. Walking with Jesus while he healed people, calmed storms, walked on water, multiplied bread and fish, raised dead people to life and many other miracles must have been very confusing at times. How many times do the apostles ask each other "Who is this man?" and how many times were they absolutely baffled by things Jesus said or did?

Today's passage is another one of those moments, where Jesus speaks clearly and plainly but completely baffles his friends. They believed he was the Messiah, the Christ sent from God. They believed he was the one whom the prophets spoke about. And yet there was so much that didn't make sense to them.

Firstly, because it didn’t fit with what they thought the Christ would come and do. They were expecting political revolution, freedom for God's people from oppression and foreign rule. They weren't expecting him to die.

Secondly, they couldn't make sense of what Jesus said because the true meaning was hidden from them. In God's wisdom, it wasn't the right time for them to fully understand exactly how or what would happen.

To you and me, Jesus’ words seem very clear. We know that he went with his disciples to Jerusalem. We know that he was handed over to the Gentiles when the Pharisees brought him before Pontius Pilate. We know that he was mocked, insulted and spit on by Roman soldiers, brutally beaten before being sent to die on a cross. We know he was nailed to the cross, and mocked and insulted again whilst hanging, gasping for air. And we know that after he died, he rose again on the third day.

But it wasn't time for the disciples to know yet. In God's kindness, he does reveal to the disciples the full meaning of these things once Jesus has risen. It all clicks and makes sense, because God allows it to.

At the end of the day, the gospel message can really only make sense to anyone because God allows it to be so. God conceals knowledge and God enables understanding when he sees fit. Give thanks that in God's kindness, we understand Jesus’ words. Pray that God would show his mercy to those who do not understand and that one day they will understand and accept what Jesus has done for them too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tara is a member of our Bossley Park Morning congregation.