Wicked Tenants.

When Jesus entered the Temple in Jerusalem he told the Parable of the Wicked Tenants.

In this parable a king lets out his vineyard to tenants while he is away and when he sends for his profits they beat up and kill the messenger (his son).

The Pharisees, about whom the parable tells, reacted by plotting to kill Jesus.

The Pharisees were a powerful and privileged caste of priests and religious.

They lived in palaces and consorted with kings.

They ruled with an iron fist.

And they enjoyed their spiritual superiority.

Jesus called them whited sepulchers.

And because Jesus knew that the teachings of the Pharisees enslaved the people and could not be challenged he criticized them publicly.

And their response was violent.

This situation still exists today.

To challenge those who enslave the people and those who benefit from privilege in the Churches is to risk violence.

To tell the truth is to risk your life.

As my friend Ruth would say this is human nature.

But writing it off as human nature us a cop-out.

We must encourage honesty in our Churches.

Otherwise things will stay the same.

And the vision will be lost.

       

Photo Credit: scorpio-tiger Flickr via Compfight cc