Morning Thoughts - by Elder Philip Conley

Morning Thoughts

Matthew 21:37, "But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son."

This morning, there are many that do not show proper reverence. They give undue reverence to their jobs, themselves, or some other activity that they enjoy engaging in. There is only One that deserves our reverence, and many times He is the One that gets the least from us. To reverence something or someone, means that it is held in the highest possible strata of honour. Reverential fear is the strongest and most noble fear and respect that can be given. It is given because of the relation of the inferior (us) to the superior (God). The less is truly blessed by the better, but the better is reverenced by the lesser.

This verse is in the midst of the parable of the wicked husbandmen. The Lord is laying out a history of the behaviour that the Jewish nation underwent from the Old Testament until then. Christ is showing the Jews that the Lord had sent many people unto them to speak the words of the Lord, and to receive the fruits of the vineyard. In every case, the prophets and messengers were sorely mistreated and killed. The master of the vineyard sends them His Son last of all. Mark 12 (same account) tells us that it is His only Son and well beloved.

However, the phrase "they will reverence my son" is one that people use to say, "Well why didn't they reverence Christ then?" The fact of the matter is that the language means they SHOULD reverence my son, for the time will come when they will whether they like it or not. This reverence that they should have given Him is one that He will repay. The Lord does repay and collects, no matter whether we think He is paying attention or not. The Lord did indeed repay those wicked husbandmen (Jewish nation) in AD 70 for the death of His Son.

However, even though they should have reverenced Christ, on the day of the glorious resurrection, everyone will reverence Christ. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord. Both the just and the unjust will be raised, but one shall see the Lord and behold Him in righteousness, and the other shall see and behold Him in judgment. The Lord will smile upon us on that day, and His wrath will be poured out upon the wicked from that moment forever. May we ever labour in His vineyard, show His Son the proper reverence that is due Him, and bring forth fruits that are meet for the Lord's service.

In Hope,

Bro Philip