The Orchard

When God was born as a man and walked among us, his preferred form of teaching often included stories & allegories.

One of these stories Jesus told went something like this…

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there was a landowner who decided to plant apple trees on his sprawling estate. He picked out the varieties, he dug the holes, and he planted the saplings. He built a fence around the entire orchard, and a large farmhouse at the center. When it was all ready, he decided to allow some of his neighbors to rent the house and the orchard for the summer while he traveled abroad. They were very appreciative of the opportunity to live & work on the land he owned.

When the trees were finally ready for their first harvest, the landowner sent one of his employees back to his estate to collect some of the apples for his family to enjoy. But his former neighbors, his renters, had grown increasingly greedy and selfish during the time he was away. They felt the estate was their own, for they had worked hard to maintain it. And so when the landowner’s employee arrived with his empty bushel to pick apples, they ambushed him, beat him up, and sent him back with nothing.  

The landowner was shocked. He sent another employee, and that one came back with a black eye and a broken nose. The next employee he sent, they threw off a cliff. And so on it went, each season as the apples were ready to be harvested, the renters beat or killed any employee their landlord sent.  

Now the landowner still had one left to send, but it was his oldest son, his beloved son. He thought, “Even with everything they’ve done, surely, they will respect my son.” So his son set off to the family estate. When he came over the last hill before the orchard, the renters saw him. They couldn’t believe their luck. Believing the landlord must have finally died, they hatched a plan to kill his son, thinking the estate would finally be theirs forever. When the son entered the orchard, they attacked him, beat him, mocked him & his father and after a time, they killed him.  They killed their landlord’s beloved son. They threw his body over the fence his father had built.  

At this moment, you could have heard a pin drop. Jesus looked around. “Now what do you think the owner of the orchard will do?” Right. He will come, riding on his white horse, and he will crest the hill like Gandalf before the armies of Orcs below.  He will have his just vengeance on those ungrateful, wicked renters. They will get what they deserve.

Jesus finishes his parable by quoting a well-known Messianic Psalm:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Even though the beloved son is rejected by men, by ungrateful renters like us who think we are the owners of what God has given and are constantly greedy for more… this was the mysterious plan of redemption, the mind-bending grace of God our King. The murderous rejection of his very own Son was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous.  

“Behold the man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished.”

And this reminds us of our need to confess our sins, pray with me.