READ: Luke 20:9-16
“Then said the lord of the vineyard, what shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him” – Luke 20:13
Respect for someone is shown by the respect you show to his servant whom he sends to you. Respect the people that are sent to you. In the story above, you will see that the Lord of the vineyard expected some reverence to be shown to his emissaries. He said, “It may be that they will reverence him when they see him.”
Over the years, I have noticed that people who respect the people whom I work with are showing me respect. When they reverence the person I have sent, they reverence me. When they reject the people that I work with, they are rejecting me.
The regard for the person I work with and I have sent is the honour they give me. It is the honour they express for my decisions and my judgments. It is nice for them to smile sheepishly and speak softly to the important person. It is nice for them to claim that they love and respect you. It is nice for them to present offerings in the name of honour. But we can see through their hypocrisy by the way they relate to the servants that are sent to them. Jesus said, “He who receives you receives me.” Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. John 13:20
Many people simply do not understand that they will have to accept servants who are sent to them.