As we listened to today’s Gospel, it was easy for us to imagine why such strong tension developed between Jesus and the Jewish chief priests and elders. Jesus presented this parable right after he presented the one we heard last week about the two sons, one of whom said he would go to work in the vineyard but didn’t and the other who said he wouldn’t go but did. In both of these parables, the owner of the vineyard is clearly God. In both stories, we can see that Jesus is teaching that God cares about bearing fruit. Today’s parable is an allegory. As I mentioned a moment ago, God is the owner of the vineyard. The servants represent the Old Testament prophets and, as I’m sure you can recognize, the son is Jesus Christ himself. Like the son in today’s gospel account, Jesus was taken out of Jerusalem and killed. The wicked tenants are the chief priests and elders standing before Jesus.
The fruit that God desires is not grapes but love: love of God and love of neighbor. Remember, that’s what Jesus teaches when he’s asked about the most important commandment. God is love. He has created us in love and called us to love him and one another. Unfortunately, so many of the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ time were only loving themselves and not taking care of their fellow Jews. That’s why Jesus is so harsh in his condemnation of them.
When I think of a vineyard, I think of visiting a winery and tasting their selections or of enjoying a nice glass of wine with friends over a leisurely dinner. It’s a luxury that many of us enjoy. For the people in ancient Israel, however, wine was not a luxury but a necessity and vineyards were as important as wheat fields or sheep folds. Since their water was often impure, they had learned that adding a little wine to the drinking water made it safer to drink. So, most families had their own vineyards or shared a vineyard with other families that they tended just as carefully as they tended their fields and sheep. It’s important to know this as we reflect on today’s lesson that God presents us in the sacred scriptures.
In both today’s first reading and the Gospel, we hear God teach us about himself and his relationship with us through the imagery of a vineyard. God is showing his people his great care for them, offering them life-giving water, purified by the wine. In both readings, we hear about a vineyard that was built with meticulous attention, the owner clearing the land of stones, protecting it with a hedge and watch tower and planting it with the choicest vines. And, God expected a good return from his vineyard. Instead, in ancient Israel and in the time of Jesus, all he got was wild grapes or tenants who not only refused to give him his share of the crop but actually mistreated and even killed some of those he sent to collect it. And, how does God respond? Either by destroying the vineyard – as we hear in the first reading – or giving it over to those who will give him his due – as we hear in the Gospel.
The message was very clear to the people of ancient Israel and is equally clear to us, isn’t it? We gather together to worship God whom we will acknowledge in just a few minutes – as we recite the Creed – is the creator of heaven and earth. All that we have is a gift from God and we are called to return to him what is his due as we work in his vineyard. And, all he asks is that we love him and one another as he loves us.
In today’s second reading, we hear St. Paul encourage us to keep on doing what we have learned and received and heard about God through his son, Jesus Christ. He assures us that we should have no anxiety but should simply make our requests known to God. That’s a very important lesson for us right now, isn’t it? There are so many reasons to be anxious today and many of us are trying to understand what God is trying to teach us now. St. Paul assures us, however, that, if we put our trust in God, his peace that surpasses all understanding will fill our hearts and minds.
We are so often tempted to think we have made our own vineyard and that we are in charge of all that we have made. We’ve worked hard to get what we have and think it’s all due to our hard work. But, it’s God’s vineyard and he has a plan that often surpasses our understanding. And, he gives us means to begin to grasp his ways: Sacred Scripture, the Church, our own prayers. Most clearly, he gives us the Eucharist, the free gift of his Son, who died for us as the clearest sign of God’s love and offers us his life-giving Body and Blood for our spiritual nourishment every time we receive Holy Communion. And, over the next few days, we will have the privilege of being in our Lord’s presence in a special way as we celebrate our annual Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotion. I encourage you to take the time to come here and present your cares and concerns to him, asking him to teach you how to love as he loves us.
Yes, it is in God’s vineyard that we find ourselves. It is his work – harvesting a world of love – that he calls us to do. And, God expects a generous return for all the hard work he has put into preparing the vineyard for us. Let us be grateful for the choice vines he has planted and make sure to give him an abundant yield. Then, he will invite us to his heavenly banquet in his eternal kingdom, where the wine will be the best ever and it will never run out. After all, God’s love for each of us is infinite!