Lenten Daily Reflection 2020-04-08
Mark 12:1-11
12Then he began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watch-tower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 2When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted.5Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” 7But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” 8So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10Have you not read this scripture:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;*
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes”?’
I have an embarrassing confession to make: I was halfway through writing my reflection when I realized that Jesus wasn’t siding with the tenants. I know this is absurd – call it quarantine-brain, where I am thicker, slower, and more forgetful than usual, and my usual is… not great. But I’m a tenant, and I automatically inserted myself into the story at the word I identified with most. And of course, I made myself the hero. Oops.
I am, of course, the tenant, but the tenant is not the protagonist. The tenant is a lazy cheat who hopes to get away with enjoying the fruits of the earth without giving back her fair share. That’s not how anyone likes to think of themselves, but in my case, it’s not inaccurate.
I rent this body. I rent this time here on earth. I am reminded, in ways subtle and less so, that a renter can’t go through life taking up space and resources for free. But back to the message here: now that I know God is the vineyard owner, Jesus is the son, and poor shabby humanity is the tenants, the meaning is clear: get the message, or I’ll find some tenants who will.
I don’t believe in storms sent as punishment or plagues sent to make a point. I don’t think COVID-19 is God’s judgement on earth. But like anything that makes a world wobble on its axis, whether it’s your own personal world or the whole planet, it does demand some stock-taking. The rent is due, and it’s not money, it’s things even more precious: patience, perseverance, kindness, courage, hard work, responsibility.