Love opens us up…
For my personal devotional time, I’m trying to return to reading from The Divine Hours, a prayer book put together by Phyllis Tickle. If you’re interested, you can read more about it here.
During this morning’s reading, the scripture reading was from Luke 20:9-18, often referred to as the Parable of the Tenants.
As the story goes, a man plants a vineyard and leases to several tenants. When the time comes for the owner to receive his share of the produce, he sends one of his servants to collect his share. The servant is then beaten by the tenants and sent home empty handed.
On separate occasions, three servants will be sent to collect the owner’s share. Three servants return beaten and empty handed.
What does the owner choose to do in response? Verse 13…
“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’
This morning while I was reading this verse I was struck by how utterly ridiculous this seems as a response to tenants who have already beaten three of your servants. Next, you send your son? I think I’d be putting together an army to go in there and teach those guys a lesson… but that’s not what this owner chooses to do.
Jesus obviously tells this story in order for us to connect the owner with God, the servants with the prophets whom God had already sent to Israel, and the son as, the son, Jesus. As far as interpreting the characters in this parable, it’s kind of a “no brainer.”
But what are we to do with this utterly ridiculous response on the part of the owner. This morning, I wrote this thought.
In response to already being wounded by these tenants three times the owner opens his heart even more… allowing himself to be wounded in an even deeper way.
Love opens us up to be wounded.
Perhaps that is what makes the response of the owner seem so “reckless” and some might even argue, “irresponsible.” Love should certainly protect those we love, but truly loving another person often prohibits us from protecting ourselves.
This morning, I’m wondering… In what ways am I allowing my own fears of being wounded from allowing me to truly love God and others?
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