Parables of Life, Pt. 4: "Pay Up or Pack Up"

PAY UP OR PACK UP (MATTHEW 21:32-44)
US News and World Report (3/31/97) polled 1,000 people several years ago on who they thought were people “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to go to heaven. The person most likely to go to heaven was none other than Mother Teresa, who garnered 79% of the votes. The next four persons in popular standing were curious choices - Oprah Winfrey at 66%, Michael Jordan at 65%, Colin Powell at 61% and Princess Diana at 60%.

The next three, who barely made 50%, among the people’s choice were Al Gore and Hillary Clinton – both at 55%, and Bill Clinton at 52%.

Two persons barely failed the grade - Pat Robertson at 47%, and Newt Gingrich at 40%.

The two people respondents considered most unlikely to go to heaven were Dennis Rodman at 28%, and O.J. Simpson at 19%.

What was more startling was how the respondents rated their chances of going to heaven. They fancied their chances of going to heaven the highest - at 87%, much higher than Mother Teresa’s humbling 75-percent vote (Douglas Stanglin, “Oprah: A Heavenly Body?” U.S. News & World Report 3/31/97).

Most people who think they have a blank check to heaven are in need of a reality check.

Repentant tax collectors and prostitutes – the most undeserving of a place in heaven, according to most people - had a special place in Jesus’ heart. The more they understood their rotten condition, the more they appreciate God’s amazing grace to them. A large crowd of tax collectors and sinners sat, ate and interacted with Jesus and his disciples (Luke 5:29, Matt 9:10, Mark 2:15). One of his disciples was still known to others as Matthew the tax collector (Matt 10:3), so Jesus was affectionately and sarcastically labeled as a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Matt 11:19). Matthew’s text was unique from other gospels, because Matthew the tax collector was the only writer who attested to the inclusion of believing prostitutes, probably the worst kind of sinners in people’s mind, in God’s kingdom.

Why is God disdainful of the proud and merciful to the humble? What similar option has He given the self-righteous and the sinful? How does God expect people to respond to the gift of salvation He freely offered to them?

God Will Hold People to Their Agreement: You are Not Entitled
33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. (Matt 21:33)

A good, positive rental experience can only be enjoyed given the right landlord and the right tenant or tenants.

I moved quite often the first half of the 90s after I arrived in Los Angeles. My first Southern California landlord charged us – 3 housemates - $1,000 for a condominium, another $1,000 for security deposit and $120 for cleaning fee. The contract also stipulated that $30 shall be added to the rental if not made 10 days after rental was due. The landlord made us send the check to her resident. I moved out 7 months later because I could not stand one of the housemates, who is a smoker.

Next, I decided to rent a room in a duplex. That did not work out too, because the landlord had a key to the apartment. I suspect that he had no housing of his own and stayed overnight on different nights at his rental properties. He often entered my apartment and crashed in the living room. Sometimes he would come in the morning, make and eat his breakfast there. Later he brought his girlfriend and her toddler. One morning I found the woman dressed in her bikinis frying bacon in a pan! At the end of the year’s contract, I moved out.

After that mess, I shared an apartment with a friend in a modest 20-unit apartment complex, with a manager on site in one of the units and a handyman in the owner’s employment. The rental was $620, late rent charge was $10 – date not specified, security deposit was $200, cleaning deposit was $190 and key was $10. It was the ideal situation for me and it lasted a good three and a half years. The landlord refunded every cent to me when I left, including the cleaning fee.

The tenants in the parable never had it so good. The landlord was a handy (v 33), savvy, knowledgeable, flexible and thoughtful man. The landowner was no slumlord and the property was a high-end and prime piece of property, not an upper-fixer that required regular repair or much renovation located in a run-down area. The facilities on the rental property included a surrounding wall, a rock winepress and a bonus watchtower. The Greek text implied that a “barrier” enclosed the vineyard (v 33). Putting up a wall, partition or fence is hard work but it added value to the property, discouraged trespassing on the property and gave farmers a sense of privacy.

An on-site winepress was provided to speed wine production and save the farmers money from subbing the work of distilling wine to a middle man. A winepress requires space. In 19th-centruy Italy, caves were commonly used as winepress; so, an on-site winepress was definitely a luxury few had. Further, the farmers needed not stomp the grapes or crush them the old-fashioned way, using stones on grapes placed in a large vessel to produce wine, but a rock-solid stonepress dug from the ground did the job. A press was used in the old days to separate any remaining solid matter through gravity or centrifugal force into a barrel. Building a private watchtower is unheard of and an extremely costly project.

The farmers knew a bargain when they saw one. It was too good to be true. They could hardly control their delight. The vineyard was priced for rental. They read the contract, understood the terms and inked the deal. They were farmers the easy way. All the farmers had to do was to reap the harvest, process the wine, sell the product, pocket the profit and, of course, uphold the agreement.

God Will Hold People to Their Arrears: You Have No Excuse
34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. (Matt 21:34-36)

A decade ago, Michael Keaton, the original Batman of the 80s, played to perfection the role of a psychotic, evil and creepy tenant who attempted to run his landlords out of their house. To finance a three-flat, $750,000 house in San Francisco’s “Pacific Heights” (title of film), a young couple decided to rent out two units. Unfortunately, one of the tenants was a landlord’s worst nightmare.

Keaton evaded a background check, promised a wire transfer that never came, slipped into the rental unit and locked himself inside. He did not answer the door, but hammered and drilled non-stop inside the room, even changing the locks. When the landlord turned his utilities (gas and electricity) off, he was punished by the court simply because a landlord cannot remove a tenant that had moved in even though he had never signed a lease, paid a dime or was a tenant. Soon, cockroaches from the unit infested the house, forcing the good tenant in the other rental unit to move out. Not only was the couple’s relationship strained, their mortgage payment was a hardship now.

When the landlord angrily punched Keaton, he was charged with assault. Keaton took out a restraining order against the landlord, barring him from coming 500 feet near Keaton, thereby effectively forcing the landlord out of his house. The landlord’s lawyer anticipated a civil suit for bodily injury would strip the landlord of his house, with the money rewarded to the supposedly injured tenant. When the couple finally obtained the legal injunction to enter the unit, all the fixtures were missing, the walls and the floor were damaged, and the tenant was gone.

The word “rent” (v 33) appears four times in the Bible, but is exclusive to this parable (Matt 21:33, Luke 20:9, 41, Mark 12:1). The farmers had the vineyard as a lease. The Greek text uses the verb “gave out” (v 33) for “rented,” so we do not know how much the owner charged them. The Greek text adds that the owner went away “to a far country for a long time,” as far as the prodigal son did from his father’s presence (Luke 15:13). Unlike many landowners, this one did not snoop around, drop in unannounced or make spot checks.

When the owner sent his servant for rent in the lenient terms of fruit (v 34) - not cash, the farmers reacted. The owner did not send servants daily, weekly or monthly for rent, but only during fruitful season or in ripe time – “the time of the fruit” in Greek. The time specified could even be at the appointed time or at harvest time or at vintage time, but the tenants became unreasonable, disrespectful and abusive. The dispute was not about better conditions, lower rent or needed maintenance and repairs. Also, the owner did not raise their rent, violate their rights, ask for interest, deny them services or call the authorities. Not only did the tenants not pay anything, they turned violent. The servants were beaten, stoned and killed. Talk about shooting the messenger! The farmers were ferocious, barbarous and murderous. One was beaten, another was killed and the third was stoned. More servants the next round (v 36) ended with the same result.

Jesus’ parable was intended for the Jews who opposed Him, just as they mistreated the prophets God sent them (Matt 23:37, Luke 13:34). Their behavior deteriorated from bad to hardened attitude, from irrational to insane behavior, from vehement to violent opposition.

The beating was abnormal, inhuman, and savage. The Greek word to describe what they did in the corresponding text of Luke 20:12 is traumatizo or the word “traumatize.” They did not just bruised, but bashed the servants; not just wounded, but wasted them; not just pounded, but pulverized them, not just troubled, but terrorized him. The word “traumatized” has also been translated as “left bleeding” elsewhere (Acts 19:16). One servant after another was beaten senseless, beyond recognition, to a pulp. Still, the owner tolerated the renters; he did not evict them, ask for compensation, send them bills, file a complaint and press for charges. He sent them servants after servants, gave them chances after chances, but the fists, the sticks and the rocks kept raining on the servants. They did not hold back or turn from their bloodthirsty, heartless and cruel ways. While God did not keep score, He did not forget their arrears. Their debt kept on piling and piling to the sky, but God did not keep count and keep record of their outstanding bills. It’s been said that there is only one equivocal definition of a good tenant: one who pays rent.

God Will Hold People to Their Actions: You Can Not Escape
37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” (Matt 21:37-44)

Here are some Internet sayings about bad tenants:
“A bad tenant is almost always more trouble than the lease payments are worth.”
“A bad tenant is worse than no tenant at all.”
“A bad tenant is very expensive.”
“Bad tenants are always going to be bad tenants. Think of it as their job.”
“Bad tenants are like burglars, they will tackle the easiest mark.”
“Three out of ten tenants are bad tenants. In addition, half of those bad tenants are extremely bad tenants.”

Have you heard of Murphy's Real Estate Laws? It says:
That sweet little girl with the baby that you rented to, will start dating the mad motorcycle man from hell ... and several of his friends, ... the very next week.
Tenants have at least one relative get sick or die per month, so they will just have to pay you later.
If a tenant attempts to replace the washer in a faucet, plan on replacing the faucet; perhaps all the plumbing in the building.
Prospective tenants who make an appointment to see your rental across town,
often get kidnapped on the way there... so there was just no way they could call you.
Tenants only lock themselves out in the middle of the night... or on Christmas.
When a furnace breaks in mid-winter, it is always the heat exchanger.
At least one tenant's check will be “lost in the mail” every month.
Every lost pet will find its way to your rental.
The hardware store closes five minutes before you get there.
A tenant's ability to see dirt and damage is much greater when they move in than when they move out.
Your best tenants always get job transfers during the worst rental markets.
Everything in your rentals will break 100 times faster than in your own home.
The insurance inspector always shows up to take photos of the building as you are putting the evicted tenant’s possessions on the curb.
Tenants always swear under oath that the window was broken when they moved in.
When a tenant calls and says, “Hi, how are you?” something is drastically wrong.
If it exists, your tenant will try to flush it down the toilet.
If you have any questions about anything, ask your tenants.
If it is pouring rain, you can be sure the windows are open at one or more at your units.
Proper disposal of chewing gum is in the carpet. http://www.fourjokers.co.uk/murphy/m6.shtml

Bad tenants are a dime a dozen.

Suddenly the parable turned serious and became personal. The Greek text reveals the identity of the owner now as “the Lord of the vineyard” (v 40), a title exclusively used midway of a story in Jesus’ other parables (Mt 21:40, Lk 20:13, 15, Mark 12:9, Matt 20:8), specifically when the drama reaches a turning point and the end is near climax. The phrase “my son” (v 37) was the name given to Jesus when God utters his first words in the New Testament, as recorded in Mark 1:11.

The word “heir” (v 38) is exclusive to this parable and nowhere else in the Gospels (Matt 21:38, Mark 12:7, Luke 20:14), a claim Jesus made concerning his status and relationship to God the Father before going to his death in Jerusalem. How the farmers got to the point they were thinking they could get the designated inheritance is beyond me. They were not just tardy, they were delinquent renters; they were debtors, trespassers and squatters that wanted to be owners. Their problem wasn’t that they were unwilling to part with the fruit or pay the rent; they wanted to keep the whole estate – the land, the fence, the fruit, the tower, the whole nine yards, but they did not want to pay the full price, go through proper channels or risk the thought of rejection. They decided not to pay, negotiate or wait. They wanted to legitimize their presence and the right of illegal occupancy, unlawful possession and dishonest ownership.

When all things failed, the owner’s last course was to send his son, thinking that the tenants would give face to him, talk terms with him and seek leniency from him, but this also failed. What the owner wanted was admission of ownership, not return of the vineyard. The lord of the vineyard did not line up renters that were willing to take over or pay more, but send out his heir who was able to hear or help them out. Early termination, more time and financial plans were negotiable. He did not come to sue them, evict them or bankrupt them. The problem of the renters was not poverty, but greed and selfishness. They also did not apologize or pay for medical fees and they killed without thinking of the consequences. The owner did not let them get away eventually. The consequence for their actions was death and destruction for murder.

The stone (v 42) now has now become the capstone or cornerhead. Formerly, it was a regular stone (lithos), not even a rock, but now it was a menacing cornerhead that shattered and ground those in the way. The Greek word for “break to pieces” (v 44) is “shatter” and for “crushed” is “grind.” These two New Testament words are exclusive to this parable not found elsewhere. “Shatter” means smash to pieces and grind, more drastically, means “reduce to powder.” Nothing or nobody will be able to endure or slow the capstone’s progress. It will not only roll over them, but run into them. Talk about shock and awe, this is shatter and scatter.

Conclusion: The rent is due, the lease is up and the jury is out. God is looking for good men to replace the wicked men in his vineyard. God did a marvelous and miraculous thing by including repentant tax collectors and prostitutes in his kingdom (v 42). One day God will be all businesslike and no-nonsense in his demand for an account for our words, actions and lives. Are you the ungrateful, unresponsive and uncaring renter in the parable? Are you usurping the place of God as the rightful owner of this world and your life? Is God’s patience running out on you? Are you delinquent in rent, stubborn in acknowledgement and slow to repent?

Discussion Questions (Contributed by Daniel Hung)
1. Why did Jesus tell this parable to the Pharisee and the chief priests and what is the message to us today?
2. What does it mean when Jesus said, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”? (v 42)
3. The vine owner expects to get “fruits” (vv 34, 41) from the tenants. Does God demand the same from us today? What “fruit” can we give to Him?

Reflection Question
1. Who group do you think you belong to – the Pharisee and chief priests or the tax collectors and prostitutes? Is God’s patience running out on you?