Mark 12:1-8 – A man planted a vineyard. … Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. … He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, "They will respect my son." But the tenants said to one another, "This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours." So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. (NIV)

While we were looking at this parable of Jesus at a Bible study, I was asked the question, "Do you think Santa Claus is God?" I said, "No, I do not." The person then asked me if I had anything of Santa in my home. I gave a negative response to this question as well. My miniature Christmas village has only nativity scenes in the house yards.

The question, though, made me realize that I had never before thought of this parable in terms of Christmas. The servants represent the prophets, the landlord is God, and the son represents Jesus Christ.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

How incredible it is to think that God the Father sent His only Son, Jesus, through Whom the universe was created, as a helpless baby born of the Virgin Mary in the little town of Bethlehem! The angel Gabriel told Mary to call her baby "Jesus", which means, "God saves". How much more inconceivable to think that God would love mankind so much that He was willing to send His Son to save us from our sins! In the parable, we are represented by the tenants who caused Jesus to be killed and thrown out of the vineyard, so to speak. Jesus came to earth to be the Lamb of God Who died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sin.

The baby Jesus grew up to be a man Who lived among the people. He went about doing good and showing kindness and compassion. He did miracles of healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and raising the dead to life. He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and the ability to walk to the lame. Everywhere he went, Jesus preached the good news of God's salvation. St. Nicholas was a man who practiced charity, goodness, and love, inspired by the kindness and compassion of Jesus. We should emulate these qualities, too.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You that Jesus Christ came to earth to be our Saviour. We ask that the Holy Spirit would be our guide as we live day by day. Help us to show kindness, goodness, and love to our families and neighbours, not just at this time, but all year round. Amen.

Forward this devotional     Share on Facebook

About the author:

Ruth Rowe <ruthjohn.rowe@gmail.com>
Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada
Send your feedback to the author