Another thing to note in our text, Matthew 21:33-41, is that God is expecting a fruitful harvest. The tenants were “to collect his fruit” (vs. 34). Simply sitting around doing nothing or very little is not an option. Laziness is out, work is in!

Consider the parable of the three servants (Matthew 25:14-30) who were given 1, 2, and 5 talents respectively to invest while their master was gone. Those who were good stewards and multiplied the investment entrusted to them were rewarded. The one who buried his and did nothing was severely condemned and punished. 

We are called to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us—our talents, skills, and resources. Our work is sacred. In fact, if we waste our time, energy, and abilities, we are not fulfilling the mandate God has given us. In that case, our laziness or non-work could be called profanity (The opposite of work-ship!) 

Again, consider those who did not steward the vineyard entrusted to them; they were judged in the harshest terms not only for their abuse and killing of the servants and heir, but also for their act of “profanity” in not producing fruit. The text concludes that, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end…and…will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

If we do not place worth and value on our stewardship responsibilities we are profaning our work! And, if we fail to take our work seriously as an act of worship and only regard it as a means to selfish fulfillment, we’ve also missed the point of our work. But more on that next week!