Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings. The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us. I hope you find it helpful!
Isaiah 5:1 – 7
This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Since it is from chapter 5, we know that it is from Isaiah himself. The prophet Isaiah prophesied from around 742 until 686BC, from the reign of King Azariah, also known as Uzziah, until the reign of King Hezekiah. These kings all made alliances with other kings to try to save their kingdom from invasion. In doing so, however, they also began to worship the gods of these other kingdoms. So, rather than relying on God, they were relying on other men and they were worshiping false gods. This is the reason for God’s response that we will see at the end of this passage.
This passage, composed during the early years of Isaiah’s ministry, takes the form of a popular ballad that one might sing at a harvest festival. It is possible that Isaiah sang it himself. It begins on a very happy note, but reveals a hard truth at the very end – God will destroy the people because they have not produced the harvest – they have not been faithful to his ways.
1 Let me now sing of my friend, my friend’s song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside;
My friend had a vineyard speaks of the Lord (my friend) and his chosen people (the vineyard), Israel. The metaphor of Israel as a vineyard is found again in Isaiah (27:2) and throughout the OT: Ps 80:9, 14,15-16; Jer 2:21; Hos 10:1 – notice that Hosea is prophesying in the Northern Kingdom at around the same time as Isaiah is prophesying in the Southern Kingdom. Remember, for the ancient Israelite, wine was not a luxury item. It was a daily necessity since the alcohol in the wine purified the water. So, a vineyard was as important as a flock of sheep – another metaphor we see often to speak of Israel – and both would be beloved by God, who is seen as the owner of the vineyard or the shepherd of his flock.
2 He spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; Within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.
Watchtower: this was an assurance of God’s protecting his people from foreign invaders.
3 Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard:
4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 Now, I will let you know what I mean to do to my vineyard: Take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled!
Take away its hedge: The hedge was intended to protect the vineyard from marauders; removing it is a metaphor for God withdrawing his protection over Israel.
6 Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it.
I will make it a ruin… overgrown with thorns and briers: God will not only let it be trampled, but will actually make it a ruin. Just as God has worked hard to protect Israel, God will now be proactive in ruining it.
I will command the clouds: after an apparently normal, human reaction to infertile crops, the tone clearly becomes divine; only God has the power to hold back the rain.
7 The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his cherished plant; He looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!
Judgment – mispat – מישפת . . . bloodshed – mispah – מישפח . . . justice – sedaqa – שדק . . . outcry – seaqa – שק: in Hebrew, these adversative terms constitute a powerful play on words. This is another example of the sophisticated literary style of some of the OT. The verse could be translated with similar poetic power in this way: “God looked for good measure, but found instead massacres! He looked for right, but found only riot!”
We see here the result of turning away from God and relying on man; utter destruction. As is normally the case, this passage from Isaiah prepares us for the Gospel of the day.
Matthew 21: 33 – 43
This week, we continue to hear from Matthew’s Gospel, picking up right where we left off last week. You will recall that Matthew’s Gospel reading last week presented a parable – found only in Matthew’s Gospel – where Jesus roundly condemned the chief priests and elders for not doing the work that God had entrusted to them in his vineyard. This week, Matthew’s Gospel presents another parable in which Jesus condemns the Jewish leaders. This one is found in the Gospel of Mark 12:1-12; let’s read it first to see similarities and differences.
As you may see in the footnotes of your Bible, in this parable there is a close correspondence between most of the details of the story and the situation that it illustrates, the dealings of God with his people. Because of that heavy allegorizing, some scholars think that it does not originate with Jesus, but represents the theology of the later church. That judgment applies to the Marcan parallel as well, although the allegorizing has gone farther in Matthew. There are others who believe that while many of the allegorical elements are due to church sources, they have been added to a basic parable that Jesus had used. This view is now supported by the Gospel of Thomas, #65, where a less allegorized and probably more primitive form of the parable is found.
33 “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
Landowner: someone who owned the property but did not tend it himself; he relied on workers to do that. Disputes between such landowners and tenants were rather common in ancient Israel.
Planted a vineyard . . .put a hedge around it…built a tower: Again, we see the imagery of God and his people that we just read in Isaiah 5:1-2. Remember, the vineyard is defined in Isaiah 5:7 as “the house of Israel.” And, God offers an assurance that he will protect his people with the hedge and tower.
Tenants: these are to be understood here as the chief priests and elders, who were charged with taking care of the people.
34 When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
His servants: Matthew has two sendings of servants as against Mark’s three sendings of a single servant (Mark 11:2-5a) followed by a statement about the sending of “many others” (Mark 11:2,5b). These servants stand for the prophets sent by God to Israel, as we see in Matthew 23:37.
His produce: notice that in Mark 12:2, it is “some of the produce.” As you will read in the footnote, the produce is the good works demanded by God, and his claim to them is total.
35 But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.
36 Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
37 Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
Son: the allegorical significance of the son is clear, especially if the story is original to the historical Jesus. We understand it to speak of Jesus.
38 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.’
Acquire his inheritance: if a Jewish landowner died without heir, the tenants of his land would have final claim on it.
39 They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Threw him out . . . and killed him: the change in the Marcan order where the son is killed and his corpse then thrown out (Matthew 12:8) was probably made because of the tradition that Jesus died outside the city of Jerusalem; see John 19:17; Hebrews 13:12.
40 What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
41 They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.”
Although Matthew was originally written in Aramaic, here we see an interesting Greek play on words; this is found only in Matthew.
They answered… other tenants: in Mark 12:9 Jesus answers this question himself; here the leaders answer and so condemn themselves; cf. Matthew 21:31. Matthew adds that the new tenants to whom the vineyard will be transferred will give the owner the produce at the proper times. These other tenants are the non-Jewish converts to Christianity that the Jewish converts were often seen in Matthew’s Gospel as struggling to accept.
42 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes’?
Did you never read in the scriptures: To add to his insult of the chief priests and scribes, who prided themselves in their familiarity with the scriptures, he says, “Did you never read the scriptures?” and then quotes Psalm 118:22-23. The psalm was used in the early church as a prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection; see Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7. If, as some think, the original parable ended at Matthew 21:39 it was thought necessary to complete it by a reference to Jesus’ vindication by God.
43 Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.
Kingdom of God… a people that will produce its fruit: Peculiar to Matthew (see the note on Matthew 19:23-24). Its presence here instead of Matthew’s usual “kingdom of heaven” may indicate that the saying came from Matthew’s own traditional material. A people that will produce its fruit: believing Israelites and Gentiles, the church of Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 – 9
We hear another section from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Let’s consult the Biblical Timeline again to understand the letter a little better. Paul wrote this letter to the community he had founded in Philippi while he was imprisoned. Since we do not know to which imprisonment he is referring, it is difficult to date the writing accurately; as I mentioned last week, Paul was imprisoned at least three times: Philippi in 51AD, Jerusalem in 57AD and Rome in 66AD. It continues the theme we heard in last week’s second reading from the Book of Romans; we live and die in Christ.
6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.
7 Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
The peace of God…will guard your hearts: The peace that is God is personified – like a sentinel, it will stand guard over the hearts and minds of Christians.
Surpasses all understanding: this is true both because the limited mind of human beings cannot comprehend it and such a state of serenity surpasses all human efforts to attain it.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
True…honorable…just…pure…lovely…gracious…excellence: The language employs terms from Greek Stoic philosophy. Paul is familiar with the strong Greek influence in his world and so he uses the Greek philosophical tenets to reinforce his teaching of Christ’s message.
9 Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.
What you have learned…in me: Cf. the note on Phil 3:17. Paul gives these Greek philosophical concepts a new context – for they have been learned through his teaching about Christ. If they pursue these ideals, then the God of peace will be with them.
In its beginning, today’s Gospel almost repeats the first reading from Isaiah. Then, we see a significant shift. Whereas the prophet Isaiah presents a cruel God who is preparing to destroy Judah, our Lord, although condemning those who are unwilling to follow God’s command, shows God’s faithful love for those who are willing to repent (e.g., tax collectors and prostitutes that we heard about last week and Gentile converts noted in this Sunday’s reading) and change their ways, following our Lord. As we approach the end of the Liturgical calendar – Advent begins on the last Sunday of November – we hear our Lord speak over and over again about the Day of Judgment to encourage us to turn back to God’s ways and bear good fruit in preparation for the day when Jesus will come to reap the harvest – to bring all those who have worked in his kingdom and produced good fruit up to God’s kingdom!