What happened in God's vineyard - A reflection on the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is 5:1-7
Ps 80:12-16, 19-20 (Is 5:7a)
Phil 4:6-9
Matt 21:33-43
Is 5:1-7
Ps 80:12-16, 19-20 (Is 5:7a)
Phil 4:6-9
Matt 21:33-43
What happened in the vineyard?
Isaiah tells us of his friend who planted the choicest vines on a fertile hillside that had been spaded and cleared of stones. He did everything right in his planting and expected bountiful harvests for many years to come. But alas, the harvest turned out to be nothing but wild grapes! The landowner was so disappointed at what had happened, that he destroyed all he had built and allowed the land to become overgrown with thorns and briers.
In Matthew's Gospel today, Jesus tells his version of the same story. Again the landowner has built a fine vineyard. His tenants have successfully worked the land and all are expecting a plentiful harvest.
Unfortunately, the tenants are greedy and have decided that they want the vineyard for themselves. Thus, when the landowner sends his servants out several times to collect the harvest, the tenants mistreat and kill them. However, the landowner is a patient man and decides to send his heir to collect the harvest. Surely, the tenants would recognize the son as the rightful heir, respect his wishes and repent what they had done. But alas, the heir was also killed!
We can readily see in this parable, that the landowner is our God. The vineyard was the Kingdom. Jesus wanted his listeners to realize that the people (the tenants) were unfaithful to God... We see this throughout salvation history where the servants of God (the prophets) were mistreated and killed. But because God is a patient God and wishes always the good of his people, he even sent his Son to bring salvation to all. But alas, even the Son was killed!
Jesus meant this story to act as a preview of what would happen to Jesus himself: his own suffering and death. He would be the stone that would be rejected by the builders; and yet, he would become the cornerstone of a religion that would spread beyond time and place to people who would produce good fruit.
The psalmist prayed for this: "...take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted...". (v. 15-16)
~ Image from Christian Computer Art
Isaiah tells us of his friend who planted the choicest vines on a fertile hillside that had been spaded and cleared of stones. He did everything right in his planting and expected bountiful harvests for many years to come. But alas, the harvest turned out to be nothing but wild grapes! The landowner was so disappointed at what had happened, that he destroyed all he had built and allowed the land to become overgrown with thorns and briers.
In Matthew's Gospel today, Jesus tells his version of the same story. Again the landowner has built a fine vineyard. His tenants have successfully worked the land and all are expecting a plentiful harvest.
Unfortunately, the tenants are greedy and have decided that they want the vineyard for themselves. Thus, when the landowner sends his servants out several times to collect the harvest, the tenants mistreat and kill them. However, the landowner is a patient man and decides to send his heir to collect the harvest. Surely, the tenants would recognize the son as the rightful heir, respect his wishes and repent what they had done. But alas, the heir was also killed!
We can readily see in this parable, that the landowner is our God. The vineyard was the Kingdom. Jesus wanted his listeners to realize that the people (the tenants) were unfaithful to God... We see this throughout salvation history where the servants of God (the prophets) were mistreated and killed. But because God is a patient God and wishes always the good of his people, he even sent his Son to bring salvation to all. But alas, even the Son was killed!
Jesus meant this story to act as a preview of what would happen to Jesus himself: his own suffering and death. He would be the stone that would be rejected by the builders; and yet, he would become the cornerstone of a religion that would spread beyond time and place to people who would produce good fruit.
The psalmist prayed for this: "...take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted...". (v. 15-16)
~ Image from Christian Computer Art
Labels: ordinary time, sundayreflection
posted by mary ann @ Thursday, October 06, 2011
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