🍇 Mifano ya Biblia — Sehemu ya 13: Shamba la Mizabibu na Wakulima🍇 Parables of the Bible — Unit 13: The Vineyard and the Tenants

UtanguliziOrientation

Katika Sehemu ya 2 tulisikia Wimbo wa Isaya wa Shamba la Mizabibu: Mungu aliipanda Israeli kama mzabibu mteule, akaitunza, akatazamia zabibu njema, lakini ikazaa zabibu-mwitu. Sasa, karibu karne saba baadaye, Yesu anasimama katika nyua za hekalu huko Yerusalemu na kuanza hadithi ambayo kila msikilizaji anaitambua mara moja: "Palikuwa na mtu mwenye nyumba, naye alipanda shamba la mizabibu, akalizungusha ugo, akachimba shinikizo ndani yake, akajenga mnara" (Mathayo 21:33). Ugo, shinikizo, na mnara vinatoka moja kwa moja katika Isaya 5. Umati unaujua wimbo huu. Lakini Yesu anaongeza jambo ambalo Isaya hakuwahi kulisema. Safari hii tatizo si shamba la mizabibu. Ni wakulima.In Unit 2 we heard Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard: God planted Israel like a choice vine, cared for it, and looked for good grapes, but it produced wild grapes. Now, some seven centuries later, Jesus stands in the temple courts in Jerusalem and begins a story that every listener recognizes at once: "There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower" (Matthew 21:33). The hedge, the winepress, and the tower come straight from Isaiah 5. The crowd knows this song. But Jesus adds something Isaiah never said. This time the problem is not the vineyard. It is the tenants.

Mfano huu unaifikisha kileleni mifano ya Agano la Kale ya kozi hii. Mwenye shamba la mizabibu wa Isaya 5 hatimaye anamtuma mwanawe mwenyewe, na wakulima wanamwua. Ndio mfano ambao Yesu alijieleza nafsi yake waziwazi kuliko mwingine wowote aliowahi kusimulia. Siku chache tu baada ya kuusimulia, ulitimia.This parable brings the Old Testament parables of this course to their climax. The vineyard owner of Isaiah 5 finally sends his own son, and the tenants kill him. It is the most openly autobiographical parable Jesus ever told. Within a few days of telling it, it came true.

I. Mazingira: Juma la MapambanoI. The Setting: A Week of Confrontation

Mathayo anauweka mfano huu katika juma la mwisho la maisha ya Yesu. Ameingia Yerusalemu huku umati ukipaza sauti, "Hosana" (21:1–11), amewafukuza wabadili fedha hekaluni (21:12–13), na amepingwa na wakuu wa makuhani na wazee: "Kwa amri gani unafanya mambo haya?" (21:23). Yesu anajibu kwa mifano mitatu mfululizo. Mfano wa wana wawili (21:28–32) unaonyesha kwamba watoza ushuru na makahaba wanaotubu wanaingia katika ufalme kabla ya viongozi wa dini wanaomwambia Mungu "ndiyo" lakini hawatii kamwe. Mfano wa wakulima (21:33–46) unafuata. Kisha mfano wa karamu ya arusi (22:1–14) unaonyesha wageni walioalikwa wakikataa karamu ya mfalme. Mifano yote mitatu inajibu swali la mamlaka, na yote mitatu inawalenga viongozi waliosimama mbele yake.Matthew places this parable in the last week of Jesus' life. He has entered Jerusalem to the crowd's hosannas (21:1–11), driven the money changers from the temple (21:12–13), and been challenged by the chief priests and elders: "By what authority are You doing these things?" (21:23). Jesus answers with three parables in a row. The parable of the two sons (21:28–32) shows that tax collectors and harlots who repent enter the kingdom ahead of religious leaders who say yes to God but never obey. The parable of the tenants (21:33–46) follows. Then the parable of the wedding banquet (22:1–14) shows invited guests refusing the king's feast. All three answer the question of authority, and all three are aimed at the leaders standing in front of Him.

Viongozi walielewa sawasawa ni nani aliyekuwa akimaanisha. "Na wakuu wa makuhani na Mafarisayo, waliposikia mifano yake, walitambua ya kuwa anawanena wao" (21:45). Walitaka kumkamata papo hapo lakini waliuogopa umati, kwa sababu watu walimhesabu Yesu kuwa nabii.The leaders understood exactly whom He meant. "Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them" (21:45). They wanted to arrest Him on the spot but feared the crowds, who regarded Jesus as a prophet.

II. Wakulima Wapangaji (Mathayo 21:33)II. The Sharecroppers (Matthew 21:33)

Mwenye shamba alipanda shamba la mizabibu, akalilinda kwa ugo, akachimba shinikizo, akajenga mnara wa mlinzi, "akapangisha wakulima, akasafiri." Jambo hili lilikuwa la kawaida huko Galilaya na Uyahudi. Wenye mashamba matajiri, ambao mara nyingi waliishi mbali, waliwapangisha wakulima ardhi yao ili waifanyie kazi na kulipa kodi wakati wa mavuno, kwa kawaida kama sehemu ya mazao waliyokubaliana. Mwenye shamba alitoa kila kitu; wakulima walitoa nguvu kazi na kurudisha sehemu ya matunda. Hati zilizosalia kutoka ulimwengu wa kale zinaonyesha kwamba migogoro kati ya wenye mashamba wasiokuwepo na wakulima wapangaji ilikuwa ya mara kwa mara na wakati mwingine ya kikatili, kwa hiyo wasikilizaji wa Yesu waliijua hali hii vizuri.The owner planted the vineyard, protected it with a hedge, dug a winepress, built a watchtower, "and he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country." This was common in Galilee and Judea. Wealthy landowners, often living far away, leased their land to tenant farmers who worked it and paid the rent at harvest, usually as an agreed share of the crop. The owner supplied everything; the tenants supplied the labor and returned a portion of the fruit. Surviving documents from the ancient world show that disputes between absent landlords and tenants were frequent and sometimes violent, so Jesus' hearers knew this situation well.

Maana yake si ngumu kuiona. Mungu ndiye mwenye shamba. Shamba la mizabibu ni Israeli na, kwa mapana zaidi, ufalme wa Mungu uliokabidhiwa watu wake. Wakulima ni viongozi waliowajibika kulitunza na kumrudishia Mungu matunda yake. Kila kitu chema walichokuwa nacho kilitoka kwake. Mkulima mpangaji hamiliki kitu; anasimamia mali ya mwingine. "Kwa maana hatukuja na kitu duniani, wala hatuwezi kutoka na kitu" (1 Timotheo 6:7). Kila Mkristo, na hasa kila mchungaji, ni mkulima mpangaji katika shamba la mizabibu la Mungu, si mmiliki wake.The meaning is not hard to see. God is the owner. The vineyard is Israel and, more broadly, the kingdom of God entrusted to His people. The tenants are the leaders who were responsible for tending it and returning its fruit to God. Every good thing they had came from Him. A sharecropper owns nothing; he manages what belongs to another. "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out" (1 Timothy 6:7). Every Christian, and especially every pastor, is a tenant in God's vineyard, not its owner.

Safari ya mwenye shamba kwenda "nchi ya mbali" inaonyesha uvumilivu wa Mungu. Kwa watu wazembe, Mungu anaweza kuonekana yuko mbali, kana kwamba hatakuja kamwe kudai matunda yake. Lakini hayupo mbali; anangoja. Kukawia huko kwa muda mrefu ni rehema, si kutojali.The owner's journey to "a far country" pictures God's patience. To careless people, God may seem far away, as if He will never come to ask for His fruit. But He is not absent; He is waiting. The long delay is mercy, not indifference.

III. Watumwa (Mathayo 21:34–36)III. The Servants (Matthew 21:34–36)

"Wakati wa matunda ulipokaribia, akatuma watumwa wake kwa wale wakulima, wapokee matunda yake. Wale wakulima wakawakamata watumwa wake, wakampiga mmoja, wakamwua mmoja, wakampiga mwingine kwa mawe. Akatuma tena watumwa wengine, wengi kuliko wale wa kwanza; wakawatenda vile vile" (21:34–36). Mwenye shamba alikuwa akiomba tu kilicho haki, kile kilichokubaliwa tangu mwanzo. Wakulima walijibu kwa jeuri."Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them" (21:34–36). The owner was asking only for what was right, what had been agreed from the beginning. The tenants responded with violence.

Watumwa ni manabii. Mwandishi wa Mambo ya Nyakati alifupisha historia ya Israeli kwa maneno yanayokaribia kufanana: "Naye BWANA, Mungu wa baba zao, akatuma kwao kwa mkono wa wajumbe wake, akiamka mapema na kutuma; kwa sababu aliwahurumia watu wake... lakini wakawadhihaki wajumbe wa Mungu, wakayadharau maneno yake, wakawacheka manabii wake, hata hasira ya BWANA ikapanda juu ya watu wake, hata kusiwe na kuponya" (2 Mambo ya Nyakati 36:15–16). Zekaria mwana wa Yehoyada alipigwa kwa mawe katika ua wa hekalu (2 Mambo ya Nyakati 24:20–21). Yeremia alipigwa, akafungwa gerezani, na kutupwa shimoni (Yeremia 20:2; 38:6). Mapokeo ya Kiyahudi na ya Kikristo yanaongeza kwamba Isaya alipasuliwa kwa msumeno, na Waebrania 11:37 huenda inarejea jambo hili. Yohana Mbatizaji, nabii wa mwisho kabla ya Kristo, alikuwa amekatwa kichwa muda mfupi uliopita. Yesu mwenyewe alisema, "Ee Yerusalemu, Yerusalemu, uuaye manabii, na kuwapiga kwa mawe waliotumwa kwako!" (Mathayo 23:37).The servants are the prophets. The chronicler summed up Israel's history in nearly the same words: "The LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people... But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy" (2 Chronicles 36:15–16). Zechariah the son of Jehoiada was stoned in the temple court (2 Chronicles 24:20–21). Jeremiah was beaten, imprisoned, and thrown into a cistern (Jeremiah 20:2; 38:6). Jewish and Christian tradition adds that Isaiah was sawn in two, and Hebrews 11:37 may refer to this. John the Baptist, the last of the prophets before Christ, had just been beheaded. Jesus Himself said, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!" (Matthew 23:37).

Angalia uvumilivu wa ajabu wa mwenye shamba. Mwenye shamba wa kibinadamu angetuma askari baada ya mtumwa wa kwanza kupigwa. Mwenye shamba huyu alituma mtumwa baada ya mtumwa, wengi zaidi kila mara. Uvumilivu huo ndio moyo wa Mungu. Hata hivyo wakulima waliudhania uvumilivu kuwa udhaifu, kama watu wanavyofanya hata leo.Notice the owner's astonishing patience. A human landlord would have sent soldiers after the first servant was beaten. This owner sent servant after servant, more each time. That patience is the heart of God. Yet the tenants mistook patience for weakness, as people still do.

Mwalimu mmoja wa shule ya Jumapili huko Washington aliwahi kuwa na mvulana mtukutu darasani mwake ambaye hakusikiliza na aliwazuia wengine wasisikilize. Mwalimu alivunjika moyo. Mvulana huyo alikwenda magharibi na kupoteza miaka mingi katika maisha ya anasa. Muda mrefu baadaye, baada ya usiku wa ufisadi huko Baltimore, aliingia makaburini akizurura na kuona jina la mwalimu wake wa zamani juu ya jiwe la kaburi. Kumbukumbu za maneno ya mwalimu zilimrudia kwa nguvu. Alipiga magoti kando ya kaburi na kuyakabidhi maisha yake kwa Kristo, na baadaye akawa mmoja wa wachungaji wapendwa zaidi huko Virginia. Mwalimu alikuwa amekufa akiamini kwamba kazi yake kwa mvulana yule ilikuwa imeshindwa. Mara nyingi wajumbe wa Mungu hawaishi kuona matunda ya uaminifu wao.A Sunday school teacher in Washington once had a mischievous boy in his class who would not listen and kept others from listening. The teacher was discouraged. The boy went west and wasted years in reckless living. Long afterward, after a night of debauchery in Baltimore, he wandered into a cemetery and saw his old teacher's name on a tombstone. Memories of the teacher's words came flooding back. He knelt at the grave and gave his life to Christ, and he later became one of the most beloved pastors in Virginia. The teacher had died believing his work with that boy had failed. God's messengers often do not live to see the fruit of their faithfulness.

IV. Mwana (Mathayo 21:37–39)IV. The Son (Matthew 21:37–39)

"Mwishowe akamtuma kwao mwanawe, akisema, Watamstahi mwanangu" (21:37). Marko anaongeza kwamba mwenye shamba "alikuwa bado na mmoja, mwana, mpendwa wake" (Marko 12:6), akirudia sauti kutoka mbinguni wakati wa ubatizo wa Yesu: "Huyu ni Mwanangu, mpendwa wangu" (Mathayo 3:17). Hapa Yesu anawaambia viongozi, kwa namna ya hadithi, yeye ni nani hasa. Yeye si mtumwa mwingine tu katika mstari wa manabii. Yeye ndiye Mwana na mrithi."Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son'" (21:37). Mark adds that the owner had "one son, his beloved" (Mark 12:6), echoing the voice from heaven at Jesus' baptism: "This is My beloved Son" (Matthew 3:17). Here Jesus tells the leaders, in story form, exactly who He is. He is not one more servant in the line of the prophets. He is the Son and heir.

"Lakini wale wakulima walipomwona yule mwana, walisemezana wao kwa wao, Huyu ni mrithi; haya, na tumwue, tuutwae urithi wake. Wakamkamata, wakamtupa nje ya shamba la mizabibu, wakamwua" (21:38–39). Hoja yao ilikuwa ya kipumbavu kama ilivyokuwa ya uovu. Baadhi ya wasomi wanapendekeza kwamba walitumaini, mrithi akishakufa, mali ile ingehesabiwa kuwa haina mwenyewe na kuwaangukia wale walioikalia. Walitaka shamba la mizabibu bila mwenye shamba. Hicho ndicho kiini cha dhambi: tunataka zawadi za Mungu bila utawala wa Mungu."But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him" (21:38–39). Their reasoning was as foolish as it was wicked. Some scholars suggest they hoped that, with the heir dead, the property would be treated as ownerless and fall to those who occupied it. They wanted the vineyard without the owner. That is the essence of sin: we want God's gifts without God's rule.

Undani huu, kwamba walimtupa "nje ya shamba la mizabibu" kisha wakamwua, unashangaza. Ndani ya siku chache, Yesu aliongozwa nje ya kuta za Yerusalemu na kusulibiwa. "Kwa ajili hiyo Yesu naye, ili awatakase watu kwa damu yake mwenyewe, aliteswa nje ya lango" (Waebrania 13:12). Mfano huu ni unabii. Yesu alijua sawasawa kilichokuwa kinakuja, naye aliwasimulia wauaji wake hadithi hiyo kabla, akiendelea kuwaalika watubu.The detail that they cast him "out of the vineyard" and then killed him is striking. Within days, Jesus was led outside the walls of Jerusalem and crucified. "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate" (Hebrews 13:12). The parable is prophecy. Jesus knew exactly what was coming, and He told His killers the story ahead of time, still inviting them to repent.

V. Hukumu (Mathayo 21:40–46)V. The Settlement (Matthew 21:40–46)

Kisha Yesu akauliza, "Basi atakapokuja yule bwana wa shamba la mizabibu, atawatenda nini wakulima wale?" (21:40). Hii ndiyo njia tuliyokutana nayo kwa Nathani na Daudi katika Sehemu ya 5: mfano wa kimahakama. Wasikilizaji wanaombwa kuamua shauri, nao wanajitamkia hukumu wenyewe: "Atawaangamiza vibaya wabaya hao, kisha atapangisha shamba lile wakulima wengine, watakaomlipa matunda kwa wakati wake" (21:41). Ni kana kwamba tuliuliza, "Mwenye nyumba afanye nini na wapangaji wanaokataa kulipa kodi na kumwua mkusanyaji wa kodi?" Mtu yeyote angejibu, "Wafukuze na upangishe mtu atakayelipa."Then Jesus asked, "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?" (21:40). This is the method we met with Nathan and David in Unit 5: a juridical parable. The listeners are asked to judge the case, and they pronounce sentence on themselves: "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons" (21:41). It is as if we asked, "What should a landlord do with tenants who refuse to pay and kill the rent collector?" Anyone would answer, "Evict them and rent to someone who will pay."

Kisha Yesu akanukuu Zaburi 118:22–23: "Jiwe walilolikataa waashi, limekuwa jiwe kuu la pembeni; neno hili limetoka kwa Bwana, nalo ni ajabu machoni petu" (21:42). Picha inabadilika kutoka kilimo hadi ujenzi, lakini hoja inaendelea. Viongozi, yaani "waashi," walikuwa wakilikataa jiwe lile lile ambalo Mungu alikuwa amelichagua kushikilia jengo zima pamoja. Wafasiri wengi wanaona mchezo wa maneno katika Kiebrania kati ya ben, "mwana," na eben, "jiwe." Mwana aliyekataliwa ndiye Jiwe aliyechaguliwa. Kukataliwa huko hakungeushinda mpango wa Mungu; kungeutimiza kupitia ufufuo.Jesus then quoted Psalm 118:22–23: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes" (21:42). The image changes from farming to building, but the point continues. The leaders, the "builders," were rejecting the very stone God had chosen to hold the whole building together. Many interpreters note a wordplay in Hebrew between ben, "son," and eben, "stone." The rejected Son is the chosen Stone. The rejection would not defeat God's plan; it would fulfill it through the resurrection.

"Kwa sababu hiyo nawaambia, Ufalme wa Mungu utaondolewa kwenu, nao watapewa taifa lingine lenye kuzaa matunda yake" (21:43). Wakristo wameuelewa mstari huu kwa njia tofauti, nao lazima ushughulikiwe kwa uangalifu. Baadhi wameusoma kama Mungu kuwakataa Wayahudi kwa ujumla na kuweka kanisa mahali pao. Wafasiri wengi makini leo wanaonyesha kwamba mfano huu unawalenga viongozi, ambao "walitambua ya kuwa anawanena wao" (21:45); kwamba "taifa lenye kuzaa matunda" la kwanza lilikuwa jumuiya ya wafuasi wa Yesu, wote wakiwa Wayahudi mwanzoni, ambayo punde ikawakaribisha Mataifa; na kwamba Paulo anasisitiza, "Mungu hakuwatupa watu wake aliowajua tangu awali" (Warumi 11:2). Onyo hili si kiburi cha kikabila kwa upande wetu. Ni onyo kwa kila wakili, Myahudi au Mmataifa, anayepokea shamba la mizabibu la Mungu na kukataa kumpa matunda yake."Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it" (21:43). Christians have understood this verse in different ways, and it must be handled with care. Some have read it as God rejecting the Jewish people as a whole and replacing them with the church. Most careful interpreters today point out that the parable is aimed at the leaders, who "perceived that He was speaking of them" (21:45); that the first "nation bearing the fruits" was the community of Jesus' followers, all of them Jews at first, which soon welcomed Gentiles; and that Paul insists "God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew" (Romans 11:2). The warning is not ethnic pride on our part. It is a warning to every steward, Jewish or Gentile, who receives God's vineyard and refuses to give Him its fruit.

Hukumu hiyo ilikuja takriban miaka arobaini baadaye, majeshi ya Kirumi yalipoiharibu Yerusalemu na hekalu lake mwaka 70 B.K. Kama tulivyoona katika Sehemu ya 2, uvumilivu wa Mungu ni mkuu lakini una kikomo. Hata hivyo, hata katika hukumu mfano huu unaelekeza kwenye neema. Mwana ambaye waashi walimkataa akawa jiwe kuu la pembeni la hekalu jipya lililojengwa kwa mawe yaliyo hai (1 Petro 2:4–7), ambamo yeyote anayemjia anakaribishwa.The settlement came about forty years later, when Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in AD 70. As we saw in Unit 2, God's patience is great but not endless. Yet even in judgment the parable points to grace. The Son whom the builders rejected became the cornerstone of a new temple made of living stones (1 Peter 2:4–7), where anyone who comes to Him is welcome.

VI. Mungu Anatazamia Matunda Gani?VI. What Fruit Does God Expect?

Mfano mzima unategemea matunda. Mwenye shamba alituma watumwa wake "wapokee matunda yake" (21:34), na Yesu alisema ufalme ungepewa "taifa lingine lenye kuzaa matunda yake" (21:43). Mungu anatafuta matunda gani? Maandiko yanajibu kwa njia kadhaa, na kwa pamoja yanatoa picha kamili.The whole parable turns on fruit. The owner sent his servants "that they might receive its fruit" (21:34), and Jesus said the kingdom would be given "to a nation bearing the fruits of it" (21:43). What fruit does God look for? Scripture answers in several ways, and together they give a full picture.

Kwanza, tunda ni tabia: "tunda la Roho ni upendo, furaha, amani, uvumilivu, utu wema, fadhili, uaminifu, upole, kiasi" (Wagalatia 5:22–23). Pili, tunda ni mwenendo wa haki, yaani hukumu ya haki na rehema ambazo Isaya alizitafuta katika shamba la mizabibu (Isaya 5:7) na ambazo Paulo aliomba ziwajaze waamini, "mkijazwa matunda ya haki, yaliyo kwa njia ya Yesu Kristo" (Wafilipi 1:11). Tatu, tunda ni matendo mema yanayofanywa kwa ajili ya wengine, "mkizaa matunda katika kila kazi njema, na kuzidi katika maarifa ya Mungu" (Wakolosai 1:10). Nne, tunda linajumuisha watu wanaoletwa kwa Mungu; Paulo alitamani kuitembelea Roma "nipate kuwa na matunda kwenu pia" (Warumi 1:13). Na tano, tunda ni sifa: "tunda la midomo iliyoliungama jina lake" (Waebrania 13:15).First, fruit is character: "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22–23). Second, fruit is righteous conduct, the justice and mercy Isaiah looked for in the vineyard (Isaiah 5:7) and that Paul prayed would fill the believers, "being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:11). Third, fruit is good works done for others, "being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10). Fourth, fruit includes people brought to God; Paul longed to visit Rome "that I might have some fruit among you also" (Romans 1:13). And fifth, fruit is praise: "the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15).

Angalia kwamba hakuna tunda lolote kati ya haya linalozaliwa kwa nguvu zetu wenyewe. Yesu alisema, "Akaaye ndani yangu nami ndani yake, huyo huzaa sana; kwa maana pasipo mimi ninyi hamwezi kufanya neno lo lote" (Yohana 15:5). Wakulima hawakushindwa kwa sababu shamba la mizabibu lilikuwa baya, bali kwa sababu walitaka kujiwekea wenyewe kile kilichokuwa mali ya mwenye shamba. Viongozi wa dini walikuwa na hekalu, dhabihu, shule, na mapokeo, lakini hawakutaka kumpa Mungu kile alichokuwa akikitafuta hasa: mioyo iliyotubu, maisha ya haki na rehema, na imani katika Mwana aliyemtuma. Hatari hiyo hiyo inalikabili kila kanisa. Shughuli nyingi si sawa na matunda. Mungu havutiwi na ukubwa wa shamba la mizabibu bali na kile linachomzalia.Notice that none of this fruit is produced by our own strength. Jesus said, "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). The tenants failed not because the vineyard was poor but because they wanted to keep for themselves what belonged to the owner. The religious leaders had temples, sacrifices, schools, and traditions, but they would not give God what He was actually seeking: repentant hearts, lives of justice and mercy, and faith in the Son He sent. The same danger faces every church. Activity is not the same as fruit. God is not impressed by the size of the vineyard but by what it yields for Him.

VII. Kioo kwa Ajili ya LeoVII. The Mirror for Today

Mifano ya Yesu ni vioo, na huu unashikiliwa mbele ya kila kanisa na kila mchungaji. Sisi ni wakulima wapangaji, si wamiliki. Mungu ametukabidhi neno lake, watu wake, karama zake, na utume wake. Anatafuta matunda: mafundisho ya uaminifu, maisha yaliyobadilika, haki na rehema, na habari njema ikipelekwa kwa wale ambao hawajasikia. Viongozi wanaonywa hasa. Inawezekana kuwa na shughuli nyingi katika shamba la mizabibu na bado kulitendea kama mali yetu wenyewe, tukilinda nafasi zetu na kumchukia yeyote ambaye Mungu anamtuma kuturudisha kwake.Jesus' parables are mirrors, and this one is held up before every church and every pastor. We are tenants, not owners. God has entrusted us with His word, His people, His gifts, and His mission. He looks for fruit: faithful teaching, changed lives, justice and mercy, and the good news carried to those who have not heard. Leaders are especially warned. It is possible to be busy in the vineyard and still treat it as our own, protecting our positions and resenting anyone God sends to call us back to Him.

Mfano huu pia unadai jibu la kibinafsi kwa Mwana. Viongozi walijua kwamba hadithi ilikuwa inawahusu wao, lakini bado walitafuta kumkamata. Kuijua kweli hakutoshi. Swali ambalo mfano huu unamwachia kila msomaji ni rahisi: Mwenye shamba anapomtuma Mwanawe, je, tutampokea au tutamkataa?The parable also calls for a personal response to the Son. The leaders knew the story was about them, and still they sought to arrest Him. Knowing the truth is not enough. The question the parable leaves with each reader is simple: when the Owner sends His Son, will we receive Him or reject Him?

VIII. Kuhubiri Mfano wa WakulimaVIII. Preaching the Tenants

Muhtasari ulio wazi unafuata mwendo wa mfano wenyewe kwa maneno manne: Wakulima Wapangaji, waliokabidhiwa shamba la mizabibu la Mungu; Watumwa, wajumbe wavumilivu wa Mungu waliokataliwa tena na tena; Mwana, mjumbe wa mwisho na mkuu kuliko wote, aliyetupwa nje na kuuawa; na Hukumu, Mwenye shamba atakapokuja kuhukumu. Unganisha mahubiri na Isaya 5 ili wasikilizaji wahisi uzito wa karne saba za uvumilivu wa Mungu. Shughulikia mstari wa 43 kwa uangalifu, ukiepuka dalili yoyote ya kuwadharau Wayahudi. Malizia kwenye jiwe kuu la pembeni: Mwana aliyekataliwa sasa ndiye Bwana aliyefufuka, na kila mkulima mpangaji bado anaweza kumjia.A clear outline follows the parable's own movement with four words: the Sharecroppers, entrusted with God's vineyard; the Servants, God's patient messengers rejected again and again; the Son, the final and greatest messenger, cast out and killed; and the Settlement, when the Owner comes to judge. Link the sermon to Isaiah 5 so hearers feel the weight of seven centuries of God's patience. Handle verse 43 carefully, avoiding any hint of contempt for the Jewish people. End at the cornerstone: the rejected Son is now the risen Lord, and every tenant can still come to Him.

HitimishoClosing

Mwenye shamba la mizabibu alitoa kila kitu: ardhi, ukuta, mnara, shinikizo. Alituma mtumwa baada ya mtumwa, na hatimaye Mwanawe mpendwa. Wakulima walimtupa nje na kumwua, na ilionekana kana kwamba wameshinda. Lakini jiwe walilolikataa waashi likawa jiwe kuu la pembeni. Mwana yule yule aliyeuawa nje ya lango alifufuka tena, na bado anaomba matunda ya shamba la mizabibu. Na tuwe wakulima wanaompa Mwenye shamba kwa furaha kilicho chake, na wanaompokea Mwanawe.The Owner of the vineyard gave everything: the land, the wall, the tower, the winepress. He sent servant after servant, and finally His beloved Son. The tenants cast Him out and killed Him, and it seemed that they had won. But the stone the builders rejected became the chief cornerstone. The same Son who was killed outside the gate rose again, and He still asks for the fruit of the vineyard. May we be tenants who gladly give the Owner what is His, and who welcome His Son.

— Dkt. Wayne Cook
Chapala Theological Seminary— Dr. Wayne Cook
Chapala Theological Seminary

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