The Patient Owner and the Dangerous Illusion of Control
April 12 | Rick Thiemke
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Luke 20:1-18
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
1 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And 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 destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the tension is rising. The religious leaders approach Him and begin questioning His authority (verses 1-8). But beneath their questions is something deeper. They are not seeking truth. They are protecting control. If Jesus is truly Lord, then their lives, their influence and their authority are no longer their own.
That tension sets the stage for the story Jesus tells.
He describes a man who plants a vineyard, leases it to tenants and goes away. At harvest time, the owner sends a servant to collect some of the fruit. But the tenants beat him and send him away empty handed (verse 10). The owner sends another servant, and they treat him shamefully and send him away empty handed (verse 11). Then another is sent, and they wound him and cast him out (verse 12). The pattern is repeated rejection in the face of persistent pursuit.
Then comes a moment that reveals the heart of the story (verse 13).
God’s Patience Calls Us Back
This is not just another messenger. This is the son. The beloved son. The one who carries the authority of the owner himself. And yet notice the question the owner asks (verse 13). It is not confusion. It is compassion. It is the language of a God who continues to pursue, even when repeatedly rejected.
Jesus is revealing the heart of God. God is not distant or indifferent. He is patient. He keeps reaching out. He sends servant after servant, prophet after prophet, invitation after invitation. Even in the face of rejection, He does not withdraw. He moves toward.
The escalation in the story matters. Servants are rejected (verses 10-12), but the owner does not stop. He sends His Son (verse 13). This is not a last attempt of desperation. It is the clearest revelation of who God is.
And this matters for us too. We tend to underestimate how persistent God has been in our lives. Through His Word, through people, through circumstances, through quiet conviction, He has been reaching out again and again. His patience is not passive. It is purposeful. It is meant to lead us to repentance, to soften us and to bring us back.
Rejecting the Son Exposes Our Illusion of Control
When the tenants see the son, everything becomes clear (verse 14). They recognize him. They understand exactly what is happening. And they choose rejection anyway.
This is the human condition. We do not simply misunderstand God. We resist Him. At the deepest level, we want the vineyard without the owner. We want the life God has given without surrendering to His authority. We want control.
And yet the logic of the tenants is tragically flawed. They believe that removing the Son will secure the vineyard (verse 14). They think they can take ownership of what was never theirs. It is an illusion. And it is the same illusion we live with when we act as if our lives belong to us.
Jesus makes the outcome unmistakably clear (verse 15). Rejecting the Son does not remove His authority. It reveals our rebellion (verse 17). The one rejected becomes the foundation. The one cast aside becomes the center of everything God is building.
Then comes the warning. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him (verse 18). Jesus is not being harsh. He is being honest about reality. There is no neutral ground with Him.
We all must answer the same question. Will I receive the Son or resist Him? Will I build my life on Him or continue living as if I am in charge?
The vineyard is not ours. The life we are living is not self owned. We are stewards, not owners. And the Son has come.
The invitation is to surrender. To recognize His authority. To trust that His rule is good. God’s patience has brought the Son near to us. Now the question is, what we will do with Him.
Discussion Questions
Where in your life are you most tempted right now to hold control instead of surrendering to Jesus’ authority?
How have you seen God’s patience pursuing you, and how are you responding to that pursuit today?
What would it practically look like this week to live as a steward of your life, rather than the owner?