The Lord said this parable, “There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit; and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’”
Matthew 21:33-42
Today’s Gospel lesson presents another parable from our Lord. In this parable, we hear of a householder who plants a vineyard on his property and lends it out to tenants as he departs to another country. When the time comes for the harvest, we hear that the tenants, rather than offering what was entrusted to their care, beat, stone, and kill the servants who are sent to collect what belongs to the householder. In their deepening wickedness, we hear that they do the same to the householder’s son when he is sent as a final emissary.
On its surface, this parable may seem like a simple morality tale, calling us to be good stewards while highlighting the consequences of wickedness. Yet, as with every parable, there is always more to the story, and upon deeper reflection, it reveals how God’s love and mercy are woven into His response to human rejection, encouraging us to reflect on His grace in the presence of sin.
Breaking down the parable, we see that the householder is God, and the vineyard is Eden, or life in His presence. God plants the fruitful world in which we live, protecting us with the patience and mercy seen in the hedge around it, while always watching over us with love, represented by the tower.
The parable’s setting should inspire gratitude and trust in His ongoing care while inspiring us to be good stewards of the gifts entrusted to us.
Yet we hear in this parable that when the time comes for the produce of the householder’s land to be cultivated, rather than providing the householder with what is his, the tenants act wrathfully toward the servants.
The servants in this parable are all the prophets of old and the holy ones whom the Lord had sent to His people. The prophets share the word of the Lord. Rather than being treated with love and respect, and rather than having their call to repentance received, many of them were killed and exiled for sharing the word of the Lord.
As humanity continued to flee from God, we see an utter rejection of Him and His very presence. Sin can seem more attractive in our distorted and separated state from God, and rather than receiving God and the gifts He offers, God and His messengers are rejected out of a desire for sin.
Once again, we see a rather negative view of the tenants, whom the householder had entrusted with his gifts in the first place.
Then we hear that the landholder sends his son, saying to himself:
“They will respect my son.”
Yet rather than respecting his son, we hear:
“When the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.”
Their wickedness knows no bounds.
The householder has given them every opportunity to repent and provide what is owed. Yet time and again, we see them reject every attempt. Now they have tried to usurp the household by killing his very son and cutting off his bloodline.
With all of these factors in mind, Christ asks:
“When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
Given the narrative presented to us, what would we say to this question?
I, for one, have found myself in the position of the disciples, believing:
“He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
Of course, the landowner—and God, for that matter—will put these evil ones to death.
Maybe then I will be chosen, and I will be the one to make good use of the gifts God has given me, because I could never be like the evil and wicked tenants, could I?
These are just some of the thoughts that have come to mind when I have heard this Gospel in the past.
Yet if I am honest, looking at my own fallenness, I see that perhaps I would not be as extreme as the tenants. However, I have plenty of ways in my life that I forget God, our householder, and neglect glorifying Him for all He offers me.
It seems easier to make life my own than to recognize that my very life is a gift God has given me, which I should offer to His glory.
Yet this is the lie that I have fallen for time and again.
Life is not easier if we are at the center of it, because then we are alone. Yet if God is at the core of our lives, then life is renewed and fulfilled, for we are connected with the Creator of all, who has come to save us from our isolated selves.
From our fallen perspective, it is easy to believe that there are simply groups of good people and bad people. Yet the words and actions of our Lord show us where this parable truly directs our attention.
In response to the words of the disciples, our Lord leaves them with these words:
“Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’”
Yes, we see that the tenants act wickedly, yet our Lord emphasizes what their rejection does.
We reject God in our wickedness, yet His love for us does not end there.
He sees how we are deadening ourselves and goes above and beyond to renew us all.
Our understanding of His endless mercy is seen in what His Blood does for us. The Blood of Christ, as we see in Holy Communion, is our source of new life.
Blood in the Bible symbolizes life, and when God offers us His Body and Blood, we see His life well up within us, giving us what we need for new life.
Christ lives within us as we receive Him, and our life in His presence becomes utterly transformed as we continue to live in Him and He in us.
Humanity rejected God, yet His love for us remains steadfast.
His endless mercy and the Blood of Christ, which gives us new life, remind us that His love endures, offering hope and reassurance to all who seek redemption.
This is an active hope, for it reminds us of what God is doing for us as He continues to dwell within us and we in Him.
No human being is irredeemable.
Regardless of how unworthy of God’s love we may feel—and Lord knows there have been times when I have felt the same—we see here, in the words of our Lord and in His actions upon the Cross, that redemption in God’s presence is freely offered to us all.
Remember, He meets us wherever we are, even in the grave, to raise us to the heights of His loving and saving presence.
All of us reject God in one way or another. Yet rather than becoming despondent when we see our sin, we need to focus on what God is doing for us.
God loves us so much that He offers us everything we need for new life in His presence, despite the severity of human sin.
So it is our calling to have the humility to bring Him whatever we are struggling with so that He may give us what we need for life in Him.
Today’s parable shows us an example of extreme evil in order to show us just how great the mercy of our Lord is.
By offering us new life through His life, we see that His love knows no bounds.
So let us ask ourselves what we may be doing in our lives that makes receiving our Lord’s mercy difficult.
Today, in prayer and out loud, let us offer to God whatever we are struggling with and call out for His help.
Ultimately, let us recognize the greatness of the gift of God’s presence offered to us. And as we commune in His Body and Blood, let us remember that in receiving Christ, He becomes the foundation of our new life in Him.
Our salvation is not our responsibility. Rather, our responsibility is to receive the gift of salvation Christ offers us all while offering to Him all that may be separating us from Him.
He is the foundation of our salvation. Our Lord loves us so much that He offers us Himself in this way, and truly, the extent of His love for us is marvelous in our eyes.
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