Summary: Jesus challenges us to focus on the good fruits of the kingdom of God. We do this as citizens of heaven who are aligned with the priorities of Jesus, revealed by what he said and did.
A father built a playhouse for his two-year-old daughter. When she was inside, she would invite him to crouch down and climb in. One of her favorite things was pretending that she was a mommy, and that the father was her son. When his back would inevitably get sore from sitting crouched in the playhouse, he would try to get out. His daughter would usually stop him. "Don't leave, son," she would say. "There is danger out there."
She was right. There is danger out there. Gun violence and cybercrime are huge problems today. Drug abuse is rampant, with 75,000 lives lost every year in the United States. We are seeing a surge in gambling addiction, accelerated by easy access to online sports betting. On the international stage, global alliances are falling apart, leading to less cooperation on economic and security issues. "Americans are entering the most dangerous world they have known since World War II," says foreign policy expert Robert Kagan in The Atlantic. It is "one that will make the Cold War look like child's play and the post-Cold War world like paradise."1
Of course, this is nothing new. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the story of a landowner who planted a vineyard, developed it and then leased it to tenants when he went to another country. When the time of harvest came, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. Little did he know, the political climate of the time was one of shattered alliances and hostility. The violent takeover of farms by peasants was becoming disturbingly common.
Into this volatile situation went three of the landowner's servants, men who were quickly seized by the rebellious tenants. "We want this vineyard for ourselves," the rebels may have said as they beat one servant, killed another and stoned another. "The issue here is economicsl," they were probably thinking. "We'll do what we need to do to hang on to the wealth of this land."
The landowner was upset, so he sent a larger group of servants to collect his produce. The tenants attacked them as well, determined to hold on to the vineyard and its fruits. As the conflict became ever more costly, the landowner sent his son to them, saying, "They will respect my son." But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance." So, they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
The quest for political power and economic gain can be cruel, and these costly conflicts leave trails of broken people. Jesus then asks, "Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" In response, his listeners -- the religious leaders of the day -- say to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time." Jesus concludes by saying, "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits."
Our Lord is not concerned with how well we are doing economically as citizens of the world. He does not care about access to natural resources. What Jesus is concerned with is our behavior as citizens of heaven, people who produce the fruits of the kingdom of God. He calls us to look beyond politics and economics to issues of morality and justice, issues that are part of the fruits of the kingdom of God. He wants us to be people who produce.
Christians will, of course, disagree about particular stands that should be taken in the world of economics and politics. Members of churches across the country will vote differently on Election Day next month, as they should be free to do. What is important for us to agree on is perspective, not on particular political positions. Our perspective should be that of citizens of heaven, determined to produce fruits of the kingdom of God. We are not only citizens of this world, concerned with finances and government. We are also citizens of a heavenly kingdom, determined to act in ways that are moral and just.
The apostle Paul says that our citizenship is in heaven. We do not fully attain it in this life, but it is something that we should always pursue. "Brothers and sisters," he says to the Philippians, "I do not consider that I have laid hold of it, but one thing I have laid hold of: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus."2
For Paul, life is a race -- full of stumbles, missteps, fatigue and potential injury. It is difficult and often costly. But it is a race worth running, if you have a worthy goal in mind. Don't set your mind on earthly things, says Paul, as the citizens of the world tend to do. No, press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus, as a true citizen of heaven.
So, how do we know that we are moving in the right direction, as we strive to be people who produce? The most important thing is to stay connected to the one who is the foundation of all that is good and true, Jesus Christ. This is harder than it sounds, because the citizens of this world are not usually aligned with his priorities. In fact, Jesus notes this when he quotes the Bible verse, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Jesus knew that he, the cornerstone of God's plan for the world, would be rejected by many people.
But here is the interesting thing about Jesus as the cornerstone -- the word for this stone can also be translated "keystone," as in an arch. So, Jesus is not only the first stone put in place, but he is also the final stone. The cornerstone is the foundation and the keystone locks everything together.
When we stay connected to Jesus as the cornerstone and the keystone, we give the highest priority to what he says and does. For some followers of Christ, this means being a "Red Letter Christian," a person who tries to live out the teachings of Jesus in daily life. This is based on the fact that the words of Jesus are printed in red in many Bibles. Red Letter Christians give priority to the actual teachings of Jesus. For them, Jesus is the foundation of life, as well as the one who locks everything together.
A Red Letter Christian focuses on peace, social justice and caring for the poor. This is not because of earthly politics, but because Jesus actually says, "Blessed are the peacemakers."3 It is because Jesus accuses scribes and Pharisees of neglecting the most important parts of the law: "justice and mercy and faith."4 It is because Jesus says that we serve him when we give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty and a warm welcome to strangers. "Truly, I tell you," says Jesus, "just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me."5
"Red Letter Christians can be Republican or Democrat," says Methodist pastor James Howell, "and hopefully both, but often neither. They can and should be the 'leaven' in the world" -- working for transformation. They can hold both political parties accountable to a higher moral vision. Howell says, "As people of faith we may disagree on how to implement God's ideas; but we can't support anything contrary to God's way, and we can't ignore what God has insisted we be involved in."6
People who produce are focused on peace, justice and caring for the poor. Since Jesus focuses on these areas, they must be our priority as well. This was "the Lord's doing," says Jesus, after describing himself as the cornerstone, "and it is amazing in our eyes." There may be people who choose not to make Jesus their foundation, but this does not make his focus any less important. In fact, says Jesus, "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces its fruits."
The little girl in the playhouse was right: There is danger out there. The world is full of violence and discord and division. But we have a goal that is beyond this world, and it is one we remember as we gather for the Lord's Supper, as many Christians will do on this World Communion Sunday. Our goal is to be people who produce the fruits of the kingdom, in line with the priorities of Jesus. Our primary identity is found not in being citizens of a particular country, but in being citizens of heaven.
Together, we press on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus. As we do, we focus on the fruits that are worth producing: justice and mercy and faith. We act in ways that promote peace instead of discord, understanding instead of suspicion, unity instead of division. We treat others fairly and show concern for the least of Christ's brothers and sisters, knowing that when we care for them, we are really caring for Jesus. We move a little closer to the kingdom of God whenever we follow Jesus in producing its fruits.