Finally, he sent his son to them,
thinking, 'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?""
There will be consequences and repercussions!" the convict declared as they quarreled over a piece of cornbread. Indeed, there are few things done that have no consequences. We are creatures of a universe with certain certainties like past, present, and future. The dimension of time is just as real as height, depth, and width; though it might be less apparent to children and fools.
Coherent stories make sense because of consequences and repercussions. Hearing of an incident the listeners wonder what will come of it and then wait for it to develop. They're not satisfied if the story ends before all the loose ends are not tied up; they'll ask, "But what happened too...?"
Justice declares that good deeds will be rewarded and wicked deeds are punished. "That's only fair!" the reasonable might say.
So is life a story with consequences, or can everyone include nonsense in their narrative and leave out the less desirable repercussions? Will the aborted baby be forgotten forever or will it return in some ghostly form to demand atonement and reparation? Can a misguided teen, resenting and envying boys, destroy her femininity and become a man without regretting the loss of her womanhood? Can suicides be forgotten and not forgiven by their parents, spouses, children, grandchildren, and descendants yet-to-be-born?
Can people be enslaved for two centuries and be forgotten by their slavers' heirs? Will the owner of the vineyard not put the tenants who killed his son to a wretched death? Or, must their consequences and repercussions finally unfold?
We heard the LORD's disappointment in the Garden of Eden. With apparent disgust he spat, "You are dirt, and to dust you must return." If, a moment later, his better nature appeared as clothing for the naked, the violation was too deep to be covered with animal pelts. It would soon reappear as fratricide when Cain slew his brother. And then...
"...the LORD saw how great the wickedness of human beings was on earth, and how every desire that their heart conceived was always nothing but evil. The LORD regretted making human beings on the earth, and his heart was grieved." (Gen 6:5-6)
Consequences and repercussions finally appear in the end of a story as judgment. Children of responsible parents understand judgment, and fools will learn of it.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.