ROYALTY!

I got this check the other day. Royalties! From the publisher of my first book that came out the middle of last year. (For those of you who want to help increase the size of this check next time around, feel free to do so here.)

Yup, I got a check. For a whopping …—well, let’s just say I can buy a few cheesecakes with it. Eight to be exact! That ought to give me enough calories till the next check. I tell you, it’s a hand to mouth existence here.

Royalties. That curious word has been in the English language since the 14th century, referring, of course, to kings and queens and such. It expanded its domain of meaning to encompass royal rights, then to rights granted by rulers to others (mineral rights, for e.g., for land was theirs), and then, after centuries, to rights of ordinary individuals to a proportion of the monetary value of their patent, copyright, book, music, etc.

roy•al•ty (noun) = a share of the pie

God demands a share of the pie, too. After all, all pies (and all cheesecakes, I suppose) are his. He deserves it all. Because He owns it all, and his authority extends over all.

There’s a curious parable that Jesus tells in Mark 12 that underscores God’s desire to get a share of His pie.

“A man planted a vineyard,
… and rented it out to vine-growers
and went on a journey.
At the harvest time he sent a slave
… in order to receive some of the
produce of the vineyard
from the vine-growers.
They received him, and beat him
and sent him away empty-handed.”
Mark 12:1–3

The parallels must not be lost: the owner sends a slave to receive fruit. The tenant farmers receive him and send him back empty-handed (fruitless!), with an extra bit of action thrown in for good measure—they beat him! That wasn’t all.

“Again he sent them another slave,
and they wounded him in the head,
and treated him shamefully.
And he sent another,
and that one they killed ….”
Mark 12:4–5

The abuse increases in intensity with each successive incident: from beating, to striking on the head, and finally killing. While this clearly alludes to the treatment the Old Testament prophets received in bygone days, the lesson of downright rebellion against God is vividly portrayed. This was a complete disregard for the owner’s wishes—pure, unadulterated rebellion. Not giving God, the owner, his “royalty” of fruit is equivalent to rebellion. Fruit is owed God, the owner of all things! The rebellion is consummated when the owner sends his son—“a beloved son.”

“They took him, and killed him ….
What will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come
and destroy the vine-growers ….”
Mark 12:7–9

In Jesus’ establishment of the new community of believers, this actually came to pass. Yet the lesson of fruitlessness should be a serious warning for all us.

His is the pie. It’s God’s. He wants His share. In fact, He gets more than “royalty”—He gets it all, for it all belongs to Him. Of course, He lets us use His property—life, breath, creation, and everything else. But we must never forget they all belong to Him. And we must render to Him what is His due. Fruit. Living lives for Him. Using our energies for Him. Our resources, our time, our all. Fruitfulness is not just a matter of productivity; towards God, it is a responsibility.

May He get His “royalty” from us in 2010.