What Jesus Did! 'Disregard for the Servants!' — Matthew 21:33-36

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

[To the religious leaders, Jesus continued:] "Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same."
— Matthew 21:33-36 NLT

Key Thought

One of the primary designations of God's prophets in the Old Testament was the phrase "my servants the prophets." For the most part, God's prophets were feared, mistreated, cast out, and even murdered. Respect and honor were not usually reserved for them or given to them. But God loved them. God has a special place for them.

Like we learned from John the Baptist, integrity and faithfulness do not ensure that our discipleship will be easy. They do ensure that God will reward us, but there is no guarantee that we will experience his reward in this life. If Jesus, the Son, was murdered by a hateful mob, can God's servants expect anything else? The goal is faithfulness. We'll leave it to God to take care of everything and everyone else!

Today's Prayer

Holy and righteous God, I entrust my life and my future to you. I confess to you that I struggle with my own weaknesses. Please strengthen me so I may serve you as a faithful servant no matter how others may treat me. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Zechariah 1:1-6
  • Revelation 18:21-24
  • Matthew 23:11-12

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Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 21:33-36 NLT — "Now listen to another story."

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About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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