But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, they will reverence my son. Matthew 21:37
When I was a reporter, I was privileged to be involved in coverage for several visits by the Queen and other members of the royal family to Canada. I well remember the huge crowds that would fill streets and fields, as people hoped to see the special visitors. The entire country would be gripped by royal fever, it seemed. How different a more recent occasion, when Prince Charles and his wife visited. Crowds often numbered in the hundreds, not tens or hundreds of thousands. There seems to be much less reverence in Canada for the heir to the throne. There were even some imbeciles in Quebec who threatened the royal couple and others who demanded that they not visit. Thankfully, no harm came to them. There were also threats as a result of the words of today’s text. The householder was sending his son, that the son might receive the fruit of the vineyard. But the husbandmen had no reverence and killed the son. This parable of course is the story of God sending His son to us.
Even more than the honour of having royal visitors to Canada, Earth has been honoured to have the Deity among us. How privileged we were when Jesus came, and dwelt among us. What a high honour to have Him living and walking, and talking among the people of earth. But many did not appreciate that honour, and treated Him shamefully. They rejected Him and spat in His face. They offered Him not earth’s crowns, but a crown of cruel thorns that spoke of sin’s curse. They hanged Him on a criminal’s gibbet and made his garments the prize in a gambling game. They rejected Him… yea, we rejected Him.
The world still has little reverence for the Son. But there is reverence, in some small companies of those who have come to appreciate why He came. We gather in a simple way, taking bread and wine as He has directed, to remember and honour Him. Surely, we will reverence the Son today. -Jim MacIntosh