Gist: A landowner tills his vineyard and rents it out to some farmers. Come harvest time, he sent out his servants to collect the share but the farmers killed one of the servants and maimed the others. The landowner finally sent his son but he too was killed.

The wretched, the reading says, will have a wretched end.

This is a continuation of last week's parable about the two sons: one who hesitatingly said yes but followed and one who readily said yes but fled.

This parable of wicked tenants tells of man's Godly trust and man's wicked greed.

Confession: My father is in current quarrel with our neighbor over a small parcel of land. We told my father that the land is too small to cost him his life and we suggested to just let it go. He wouldn't and aimed to fight it off 'to the finish' (whatever that means). And this has been my family's prayers since: peaceful resolution of my father's problem. He is far more important to us than that piece of land.

So this parable scares me because I know what could greed make a man. And with the issue of land titles, even brothers would kill one another.

What is striking in this parable is the landowner's ever forgiving attitude. Why was punishment not meted when the servants were maimed and killed? why would the landowner send his son?

That, I believe, is the unfathomable character of God: His ever-forgiving, ever-understanding nature.

In fact, Jesus didn't say the landowner will punish the tenants. He merely asked what will happen to them and the disciples answered: He will bring those wretches to a wretched end.

From God's heart is a pouring out of never-ending supply of forgiveness and blessings. That doesn't mean we have to usurp it to our content. Let's not. Instead, we should be thankful and mindful of God's awesome power, and that to lead a peaceful life, we should let Him lead us.

Prayer: Guide us, oh Lord, so that our hearts remain in You and not on things that could take us to ruin.