{"id":3921,"date":"2025-04-06T12:32:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-06T19:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/?p=3921"},"modified":"2025-04-10T09:58:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T16:58:57","slug":"the-message-and-the-messenger-luke-209-20-april-6th-2025-5th-sunday-in-lent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hopelcs.ca\/church\/the-message-and-the-messenger-luke-209-20-april-6th-2025-5th-sunday-in-lent\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Message and the Messenger\u201d \/ Luke 20:9-20\/ April 6th, 2025 \/ 5th Sunday in Lent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Text: Luke 20:9-20
\n<\/strong>Theme: \u201cThe Message and the Messenger\u201d
\n<\/strong>___________________________<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong>: The year was 1990\u2014my first year of high school. There was a lot on my mind, and one big thing was the high school rock band. I was so into it that I decided to skip a few classes just to practice. One of those classes I skipped was art class. [Disclaimer: This is not a story on how to behave, kids. It\u2019s the other way around.]<\/p>\n

Now, here\u2019s the catch: that class had a practical assignment that counted toward my final grade\u2014and I wasn\u2019t there to do the work. So, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea: why not borrow a classmate\u2019s artwork and hand it in as my own? It seemed perfect\u2014quick, clean, and no one would be the wiser.<\/p>\n

Except\u2026 my teacher wasn\u2019t fooled.<\/p>\n

Days later, as she went through the desks to evaluate the art works, she called me out in front of the whole class. She remembered I hadn\u2019t been there that day, and her memory was so good that she knew that specific artwork belonged to someone else.<\/p>\n

Now imagine this: I stormed into the principal\u2019s office demanding that the teacher be fired for refusing to grade my work. My father was a professor in the complex\u2014that might count, right? Would that have been absurd? Very likely. But really, all I was doing was trying to dodge the consequences of my own choices.<\/p>\n

In short, I would be shooting the messenger because I didn\u2019t like the message she gave me.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Parable of the Tenants: The Temptation to Avoid the Truth<\/strong><\/p>\n

That same temptation continues alive and well today. When one doesn\u2019t like the message, they go after the messenger. Why? Because in many situations in life, our Old Adam feels more comfortable shooting the messenger is easier than facing the truth. But, as we know, this only creates more problems. Just like I learned in art class, if I had simply taken the truth of the message, I would\u2019ve avoided the embarrassment\u2014and the consequences.<\/p>\n

Now, things have become even more complicated: in many cases, the message is judged as true or false based on who is delivering it.<\/em><\/p>\n

If the messengers think like us, talk like us and basically lead us to find ourselves saying, \u201cI agree with them, so it must be true\u201d \u2014we\u2019ll be tempted to accept almost anything they deliver, even if it\u2019s totally off-base. But if we don\u2019t like them, they could say \u201cThe sky is blue,\u201d and we\u2019ll argue it\u2019s gray. Ok, that\u2019s not a good example here in Vancouver. Let’s try this instead: If they say \u201cthis is wood\u201d we would insist, \u201cno, I\u2019m sure this is stone.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Parable of the Tenants, Jesus illustrates how God sent messenger after messenger\u2014prophets who called people to truth\u2014and they were beaten, rejected, even killed. Finally, God sends His own Son. And what do the tenants say? \u201cHere\u2019s the heir\u2014let\u2019s kill him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Why? Because it exposed their hearts<\/em>. The religious leaders\u2014Pharisees and Sadducees\u2014would even bend the law if their narrative needed that tweak. They focused on side issues to avoid the real issue. They were masters at pretending righteousness while dodging truth. [1]<\/a><\/p>\n

And this isn\u2019t just a first-century problem\u2014it\u2019s a 21st-century one too. We live inside the culture that often shifts the spotlight away from Biblical truth and onto the flaws (real or perceived) of the messengers. People point to them to dodge the core message. For example:<\/p>\n