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Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And 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 vineyard is the Kingdom of God. The workers of the vineyard are the leaders of Israel. God sent prophets to Israel, they killed them. He finally sent them His own Son, they killed Him too. Most Christians aren’t aware of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD70. I believe God used his disciples to replace the leadership of the temple system and that he used the Roman army to destroy their temple within a generation of Jesus’ death, just like He said He would. Always take God at His word. Listen to Him, He has a beautiful vineyard to share, but it’s His vineyard.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate.

God is not a man, neither is God a woman. God is neither male nor female, though the masculine definite article is used when referring to God, but that is an issue of language, not so much gender. Jesus, of course, is a man, but God doesn’t have a gender. That doesn’t mean you can refer to God as either male or female, the inclusive gender is male, that’s why God is always properly referred to linguistically as male. The Holy Spirit is a person and God. He is also referred to using masculine pronouns because of who He is, He is not an “it.” Even though the word “spirit” in Greek is feminine, the Bible uses the masculine definite article for the Holy Spirit. I say all this to draw out the truth that BOTH GENDERS reflect the image of God. In Genesis 1:27 we learn that God created humans male and female in His image, not just men, not just women. There are a lot of verses that refer to God using feminine imagery, Matthew 23 is a good example. Just like another hen gathers her chicks, that’s what God wants to do. Don’t think of God as a man, He’s much greater than that, He’s not human, He’s not created, He’s God. If Men are “blue” and women are “pink” God is “purple.”

Here are some passages where you can find female imagery referring to God: Numb 11; Deut 32; Psalm 22, 71, 131; Prov 8; Neh 9; Isa 46, 49, 66; Hos 11; Job 38; Matt 23; Luke 13, 15; John 3; Acts 17; 1John 4, 5

And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

You don’t get into a debate with Jesus. He used their own book against them. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the spiritual, heaven and hell, angels and demons, they didn’t believe, nor did they believe in the resurrection. Jesus gave them the proof. God is the God of Moses… presently. How is that possible unless there’s a resurrection? The only hope of life after death is the resurrection. That’s why Paul says without the resurrection we may as well go have fun. That’s the hope of believers. Not reaching some higher enlightenment, not simply a better life now, not some floating non-existence playing a harp on a cloud… the resurrection of the dead. That’s the Blessed Hope we await! The Lord will return because he’s our God.

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Jesus told the story of the King who had a wedding feast. He was illustrating the offer he had for the world. His people, Israel, did not accept him. They were not faithful to be a light to the nations and they rejected the Messiah. Jesus makes the offer to all who will come, “”Go therefore to the main roads and invite” That’s what we do, all are welcome! But when you come, you don’t get to come on YOUR terms, you come according to Jesus’ rules. You follow him. Though the offer of heaven is for everyone, it’s only for those who believe in Jesus. That’s the only way to put on the correct garment, you must be clothed in Jesus’ righteousness.

When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, was a threat to the pharisees’ power, so they sought to kill him. Did you catch that? The proof that Jesus was who he said he was, he was able to have power over death, but that didn’t matter… they didn’t want God any way but their way. When you share Jesus with others, and you need to, don’t be surprised when people disbelieve in the face of overwhelming evidence. So when someone does choose to follow Jesus, it’s because God has broken through (not because we’re so convincing). Keep following!