July 22, 2026 · Mark Bishop
Mercy
“And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
Luke 20:9-18 →
## Part of the Job
In most jobs there are rules, and if a rule is broken or something disrupts the work, then you may be fired or disciplined. That discipline can seem over-the-top at times, but regardless we must accept it or face further consequences. In other words, a discipline is an act of mercy given by the boss. I worked for a mattress company as a delivery man, and on rare occasions I would drive the truck. One day our main driver was out so I was made the main driver for the day, which wasn't a big deal, I had driven plenty of times. One of the stores was right next to a fast food place (literally about 50 steps) they shared a parking lot. On the other side of the fast food place, there was a jeep not correctly parked just sitting beside the building. On the other side of that was an awning where the cars could park to wait for their food service. I had a decision
to make. I could either wait for an unknown amount of time to drive around to pick up the mattress set, or maneuver between the jeep and awning which appeared to be just enough room. I moved forward and easily cleared the jeep, but the awning was a different story. The noise was loud enough for the owner of the fast food place to come outside cussing me out in his language, then switching to English so I understood how upset he was at destroying their awning. One of my bosses, the owner's son who ran this specific store, came out and was able to get the truck loose. The two spoke while I stood there freaked out, thinking I was going to be fired and have to pay a good bit of money to fix the awning. Once we got past this moment, we found that I also made a good hole in the mattress truck. The owner's son looked at me with a red face and said, "You're fired. Take the truck back to the Haywood store." The Haywood store was our main location where the owner, his father, was the salesman. I was upset. I pulled in and there was the owner with a smile on his face. I got out and he made a small joke I can't recall, as he knew I was sick to my stomach. He laughed and I apologized. I told him what his son had said. He smiled and said, "Mark, you're not fired. If I fired you over this, then my son would have been gone a long time ago. Just try not to put any more holes in the truck today." I received mercy. We must not ignore that point in Jesus' parable. The farmer had some land and planted a vineyard. He let other farmers run it so he could perhaps buy more land and keep growing produce. Maybe he was growing different plants in this other place. The boss sent other employees to go get some fruit, and his managers refused to give them what the boss wanted. They not only denied them fruit, but they beat them and shamed them.
## Self-Check
The boss could have fired the farmers, or managers, easily because they were not just being mean to others but refusing to obey the owner. The boss decided to give them one more chance. He was going to send his own son on his behalf to get what he wants. God tests our motives and hearts. God sends a mouthpiece in the unlikely places at times.
God sent His Son to do all the above. Today, be thankful for His mercy. We may have rejected His Word many times until we came to realize the Word is the person, Jesus Christ.
## Under the Microscope