As we enter Holy Week, we will be reflecting on the journey from Jesus’ triumphal entry to his death and burial. Before reading the reflection below, spend a minute or two asking the Holy Spirit to open your soul to worship and meditate on Christ’s journey to the cross.
Read (adapted from Mark 12, The Message)
After Jesus and the disciples arrived in Jerusalem he started telling them stories. This is one of them.
A man of means planted a vineyard.
He fenced off the grapes, dug out a winepress, and built a watchtower, so that he would be able to protect his crop. Soon though, he turned it over to the farmhands, and went off on a trip. When it became fall and was time for the grape harvest, the owner of the vineyard sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect the profits from the crop.
When the servant arrived, the farmhands grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him off empty-handed. Hoping for a better outcome, the man of means sent a second servant. This time, the farmhands did more than beat the servant, they tarred and feathered the second one. Agitated, the owner sent a third servant. Wanting to get their message across, the farmhands killed the third servant. And on and on—many other servants were sent by the bewildered owner. Some they beat up, some they killed.
Finally there were no servants left who had not been beaten or killed. All that was left was the owner’s beloved son. In a last-ditch effort, the owner sent the son, thinking, “Surely the farmhands will respect my son.”
But those farmhands saw their chance. They rubbed their hands together in greed and said, “This is the only heir to the vineyard! Let’s kill him and have all the land and all the profits for ourselves!” So the farmhands grabbed him, killed him, and dumped the body on the outskirts of town.
Tell me, what do you think the owner of the vineyard will do?
Pray
Take a few moments to pray that God would impress on your heart an overwhelming thankfulness for the sacrifice Jesus prepared himself to make on the cross.