A Day to Settle All Accounts

“He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.

Mark 12:6–9

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This is the climax of the the Parable of the Vineyard which Jesus told to warn the Pharisees about their coming judgment. In the parable, a man plants a vineyard and rents it out to some tenant farmers. But every time he sends a servant to collect fruit from their harvest they beat or kill the servant. So finally, the owner sends his son thinking the tenant farmers will respect him. But, ‌‌the tenant farmers, hungry for power and ownership of the vineyard, kill the son and cast Him out of the vineyard.

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Of course, the son in the parable represents Jesus qnd this story proves to be prophetic. These same religious leaders to whom Jesus is telling this parable would very soon succeed in killing the Son by having Jesus crucified. So, this parable functions as a warning to the religious leaders who are plotting to kill Jesus. Just like the tenant farmers, they will soon face a day of reckoning. They will be judged.

‌‌And for us, this parable is a warning as well. We too will face a day of reckoning... a day when our account with the Master will be settled. And just like in the parable, on that day when the Master comes back to enter into judgment with us, two things will matter: 1) What have you done with His Son? 2) And did you produce good fruit?

‌‌First and foremost every single one of us will be judged by what we have done with Jesus. If you show the same dishonor and hatred for Jesus as the tenants in this story, if you rebel against Him, if you reject Jesus and tread the blood of Christ under your feet, then you should not expect to receive mercy on the day of reckoning. But if you believe the Son and bow your knee to Him and seek forgiveness for your many sins from Him and make Him Lord of your life… then you will be spared judgment. You will be shown mercy on the day of reckoning.

But there is one other thing that will matter on that day of reckoning and that is the fruit of your life. Don’t get me wrong. You will be saved or condemned to Hell based on what you did with Jesus alone. Your actions do not save you, but they do reveal the nature of your heart. And so when the day of reckoning comes, your fruit will be inspected to see if it proves your salvation or your sinfulness. And for the Christian, your fruit, how you lived your life, will also determine your rewards in Heaven.

‌‌Are you ready to settle your account with the Master? If the day of reckoning were to come today- are you confident that you have honored the Son and produced good fruit with your life? If not, there’s still time! Repent and come to Jesus today. If you aren't quite sure how to do that, then read more below...

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The Gospel in a nutshell: We are all sinners. Every one of us has rejected God's way and gone our own way. We have all rebelled against the one true King. Our sin deserves punishment. In fact, so great a sin against so great a God deserves Hell. But God, because of His great love for us, wanted to offer us forgiving grace. For God to be just, our sin had to be punished though. So God, in His wisdom, took the punishment for our sin on Himself in Jesus. Jesus died to pay the price for your sins and then rose from the dead beating the power of sin over you. He ascended into heaven to prepare a place for those who believe in Him. So that now those who place their faith in Him can be forgiven and spend eternity in Heaven with their Savior. If you would like to do that today, here is what you need to do.

• A- Admit that you are a sinner and in need of God's grace (Romans 3:10 and 3:23).
• B- Believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sin, and that He was raised from the dead (Romans 6:23 and 5:8).
• C- Confess Jesus as Lord of your life. Turn from sin (from living life your way) and commit to live your life for God (Romans 10:9).