In our study of the Parable of the Tenants, we confront the sobering reality that while we are precious to God, we are not indispensable to His ultimate plan. We recognize that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day missed the blessing of obedience because they were more concerned with their own power and public opinion than with the truth standing right in front of them. We understand that God does not need us to accomplish His mission, but He deeply wants to include us in it. By shifting our perspective from viewing service as an obligation to seeing it as a joy-filled opportunity, we move from a checklist-driven faith to a life sourced in the “Cornerstone,” ensuring we don’t miss the profound blessing of being used by an amazing God of grace.

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Good morning! It is good to be with you on this Wednesday morning. As we get back into our regular rhythms, things feel a little different—usually, we would be gearing up for our Wednesday Night Live programming, but we are giving everyone one more week to get their feet under them after the holidays. We’ll be back at it next week!

I’m so glad you’ve joined us for Rooted in Christ today. We are continuing our journey through Luke, picking up in a challenging section where Jesus uses a parable to speak directly to the hearts (and the pride) of the religious leaders.

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The Vineyard and the Cornerstone (Luke 20:9–19)

Let’s look at this powerful teaching from Luke 20:

“A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time… He sent his beloved son; perhaps they will respect him. But the tenants said, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.’ So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

The Myth of Being Indispensable

This parable ends with a famous quote: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

In ancient building, the cornerstone was the most essential part of the structure; it was the stone that set the alignment for everything else. If the cornerstone was rejected or misplaced, the whole building would fail. Jesus is clearly identifying Himself as that stone.

But there is a humbling lesson here for the “tenants” (the religious leaders) and for us. The tenants mistakenly believed that if they got rid of the son, they would own the vineyard. They thought they were in control. Jesus warns them that the owner will simply give the vineyard to others.

We must realize that we are not indispensable. I am not indispensable to St. Matthew’s. If I were gone tomorrow, the church would still be here because it is God’s church, not mine. Apart from our families and our close friendships, in the grand scheme of God’s universal plan, His work does not depend on any one of us. If we refuse to be obedient, God will find another way. God’s plan does not rest on our shoulders.

Wanted, Not Needed

Now, that might sound a bit harsh, but it’s actually where the beauty lies. It isn’t that God needs us like a business needs a “secret weapon” employee. It’s that God wants us.

• God doesn’t use us because He’s short-handed.
• He uses us because He wants us to experience the joy of the harvest.
• He invites us into His plan so that we can be part of the blessing.

When we realize that we aren’t “saving” God’s plan, but rather being invited into it, our perspective on service changes.

From Obligation to Joy

When we understand that we are “wanted” rather than “needed,” our walk with God moves from being a checklist of obligations to being an act of joy.

• Service stops being something we have to do and becomes something we get to do.
• Worship stops being a chore and becomes a source of life.

We get to be used by an amazing God of grace, glory, and mercy. That is a miracle! Today, I encourage you to check your heart. Are you serving out of a sense of “if I don’t do it, it won’t get done”? Or are you serving because you are amazed that the Creator of the universe wants to use you?