“Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.”
Luke 20:11–12 NKJV
In the parable of the vineyard, Jesus reveals a deeper heart issue through the actions of the stewards. As the owner sent additional servants, each one was met with escalating hostility. What began as rejection evolved into violence. The text isn’t merely recounting mistreatment—it’s diagnosing the condition of the heart. Jesus wasn’t just speaking to the religious leaders of His day; He was warning us of what can emerge within any believer who is not spiritually watchful.
When Waiting Warps the Heart
The stewards’ downfall began long before the servants arrived. Over time, as they waited for the owner’s return, their hearts shifted. That which was entrusted to them became, in their minds, something to claim. They crossed the line from stewardship to ownership—failing to recognize that time in waiting is meant to refine us, not redefine what is ours.
This is the danger for all of us: when the waiting shapes our heart instead of the Lord shaping our heart in the waiting. Waiting is not passive—it is spiritually formative. If we are not careful, it will form entitlement rather than endurance.
Covetousness: An Identity Issue, Not Just a Desire
Jesus warns,
“Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Luke 12:15 NKJV
Covetousness is more than wanting what isn’t ours—it is believing that what we hold determines who we are. It is an identity misalignment. We begin to measure life by possession rather than purpose. What we cling to begins to define us more than Who we belong to.
Genesis to Today: The First Misstep in Legacy Management
From the beginning, humanity was given dominion—to steward creation. Yet in Genesis 3:5, the temptation wasn’t simply to partake of the fruit, but to be like God. The sin was reaching for identity outside the boundary of stewardship.
Adam and Eve were given clear responsibility: tend the garden. But while waiting, they entertained the lie that they could take hold of what belonged only to God. Their failure was not in the duty but in the waiting. And so it remains today—when we drift in waiting, we gravitate toward possessing rather than preserving, claiming rather than cultivating.
Stewardship Redefined: Legacy as Alignment, Not Accumulation
Legacy stewardship planning is not about transferring assets—it’s about transferring alignment.
True legacy is not what we leave behind us; it’s what we build within us that continues beyond us.
Here are the theological truths that reframe legacy stewardship:
– Legacy is not ownership; it is entrusted responsibility.
– Meaning is found in assignment, not accumulation.
– Waiting is part of the stewardship process.
– Identity must anchor stewardship.
Stewardship in the Waiting: A Call to Excellence
Jesus’ message to the religious leaders—and to us—is clear: there is incomparable joy available to those who realign their hearts with God’s intent. Legacy is unlocked when we return to our original design: faithful stewardship that honors the Owner.
The question becomes:
Are we working while we wait? Or trying to claim what we were meant only to cultivate?
God has already given us more than enough to steward while we wait. Our task is not to secure what is His, but to serve with what He has entrusted—faithfully, diligently, and with our identity rooted in Him.
Legacy is not built by what we obtain. It is revealed by how we steward what we’ve been given—especially while waiting.
Amen.
By Christopher L. Walker at myfathersestate.com
