Walking with Jesus: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, October 8, 2023

Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43

When we read the gospel account of the tenant farmers we wonder, What was on their minds? What made them so thickheaded? How could anyone be so dumb to believe that if they murdered the master’s servants and then his own son, they would inherit the master’s vineyard? [Matthew 21:38]

It just doesn’t make any sense that the act of killing could cause one to receive a legacy from the very person who is most offended by the killing. This has been repeated by many countries' leaders and dictators — thinking that if they kill enough of the opposing side's soldiers or the central figure who is the very heart of the opposing nation, that nation will be forced to give in and give them what they want so they can gain its wealth and be rich. A folk song from long ago, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, has a very poignant refrain: “Oh, when will they ever learn?”

In this passage we have another case where the Scripture compilers of today’s reading left off the last three verses that bring a needed understanding of the reading:

(The one who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.) When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew that He was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded Him as a prophet. [Matthew 21:44-46]

Most scholars omit the first verse, saying it probably is an early addition to Matthew from Luke 30:18 (which is almost identical) stating what will happen to evildoers. In he next two verses Matthew inserts the groups of religious leaders who represent Judaism of his time. The context begins where Jesus has just had His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He is accepting and responding to divine will that He must go there: “From that time on, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” [Matthew 16:21] God’s eternal plan for our redemption!

Today's parable is a metaphor for God’s dealings with His people from ages past. The landowner is God; the vineyard is Israel. The wicked tenants are the people of Israel, but more especially the religious leaders who have been given charge of the vineyard by God. The servants are the prophets, sent by God, who so very often are rejected and killed. This parable is a warning to the chief priests, religious leaders and elders who are about to lobby for Jesus’ killing: Don’t you know what you are doing? This Jesus is God sent by the Father to tell us how we are to get to heaven … not by power, pleasure, possessions and prestige, but by love and caring for the needy. The tenants come to a bad end. Jerusalem is destroyed and the Gentiles replace the Jews as God’s people. All this is clear to Matthew’s readers, ending with the question — reflection — what does it mean to us? What are we to do?

Isaiah speaks of God as his “beloved” who has a vineyard, especially in the Song of Songs. The vineyard has been tended by God, who has nurtured it … symbolizing how God continually helps, forgives, cares for and leads all to Himself. The vineyard is Israel and the owner is God. Fruit stands for good relationships and weeds for violence and injustice. Amazingly the vineyard is not destroyed. This looms as a possibility that destruction could happen, but change is possible.

Paul is emphasizing: The Lord is Near. He says we can’t rest on our laurels; action is necessary. Have no anxiety … make your requests to God. Where do you need help? Be grateful … pray. The Lord is present and within each person. It's amazing the positives that come through at a time when Paul is writing from prison, facing the possibility of Roman capital punishment.

Matthew gives his third vineyard parable directed to the religious who have questioned Jesus’ authority. They have decided that this “upstart,” not from God, will destroy their “hold” over the people and “disturb” their secure future. Jesus pronounces a different “sentence,” saying, “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” [Matthew 21:43] Do I realize this has been God’s plan forever, with His plan for each of us to be in heaven? I can’t be passive. I must choose heaven. How am I doing?

So I reflect on:

• What are some ways I am living God in my life today and in my interactions with others?
• Do I know someone who is struggling to find signs of the Living God? How can I bring justice, loveliness and graciousness into that person’s life?

Sacred Space 2023 states:

“Jesus speaks about the landlord whose absence causes the tenants to forget themselves. I pray for all those who overlook signs of God’s care and imagine God’s absence; may my prayer for them and my action this day witness to God’s presence and love.”