A couple of weeks ago I pointed out that Chapter 19 in Matthew is the turning point from the general ministry of Jesus to his move to Jerusalem. The parables he tells from that point on show how radically different the kingdom of heaven is compared to the rest of the world. That radical difference was first demonstrated with the parable of the generous landowner and how he treated laborers called at 6, 9, noon, 3, and 5.
As Amy mentioned last week, Jesus is now in Jerusalem and the parables from today and last week take place during Holy Week. Jesus has ridden into town on a donkey, overturned tables in the temple, and withered a fig tree. And while these parables were addressed to the crowds around Jesus, they were really pointed at the chief priests and Pharisees.
Last week's parable, even though talking about tax collectors and prostitutes entering the kingdom of heaven ahead of the chief priests and Pharisees, was relatively tame when compared to today's parable.
Pulling from the well-known passage in Isaiah that we heard earlier, Jesus connects the dots of a landowner (God) who planted a vineyard (Israel) and sent slaves (prophets) to collect what was his, eventually sending his own son (Jesus). But the tenants (religious leaders) mistreated and killed those sent, including the son. Jesus asks, “What will the landowner do?” And it's the people who respond, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and lease it to others.”
This violent ending could be a reference to the destruction of the temple by the Romans in the year 70 and the rise of Christianity afterward. Could be . . . not IS.
For centuries Christians have used this passage as proof that we have replaced the Jews as God's chosen people. For centuries Christians have used this passage as giving permission to “put those wretches to a miserable death.” And for centuries this passage has been foundational to Christian exceptionalism and the misguided theology of supersessionism – the flawed theology stating that Christians and the Church have become the chosen people of God, not the Jewish people. And if you want to know how that feels, know that Islam has taught that it is the final expression of the Abrahamic faiths and supersedes both Judaism and Christianity.
There are two particular points we need to pay attention to here. The first is that this parable isn't about the removal of one group of people in favor of another group of people. Instead this parable is about a lack of faithfulness and a refusal to acknowledge God as the rightful owner of the vineyard by the tenants – whoever those tenants are.
We must remember that we are the tenants in God's vineyard. We are the laborers in the field. The field and the harvest do not belong to us, but to God. And when we begin thinking that the field and harvest belong to us, we get in trouble.
Our goal is to produce fruits for the kingdom. That means everything we do is, or should be, outwardly focused. Whether that's worship with our focus on God, ministries that focus on others, or even inviting people into this place, we do it with an eye to the other. The Catechism says the duty of all Christians is to work, pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom. Pledge cards went out last week. Those pledge cards are representative of your outward focus. The living water I wrote about a few weeks ago flows out from us to nourish others. And, for the third year in a row, our Hoedown intake increased precisely because it goes out.
But when we turn inward, when we want to keep everything for ourselves, we become like the tenants in the parable who will mistreat anyone and everyone in the name of greed. And where will that leave us? It will leave us rejecting God and being crushed by our refusal to do the will of God.
The second thing to note about this parable is that it's not about what the landowner WILL do – because what he will do was assumed by the crowd – but it's about what he DID do.
What did the landowner do? He kept trying. He sent three slaves at first. When that didn't work, he sent even more than he did at first. Then he sent his son. The landowner keeps trying. Over and over he sends people in an effort to get them to uphold their end of the bargain and call them back into that original relationship.
If we look at this in a religious context, God sent prophet after prophet to call his people to faithfully return what God has faithfully given. Ultimately God sends the Son. Even after Jesus is crucified, the Son is sent again in resurrected form. And then, even after that, God sends us. As it says in Eucharistic Prayer C: “Again and again you called us to return. Through prophets and sages . . . and in the fullness of time you sent your only Son.”
Seen from this point of view, we once again see God's love and grace as pi – not as a pie with limited slices, but as pi – 3.1415926535 . . . . irrational and never-ending.
This parable reminds us that we live and work in God's vineyard. It reminds us that we give from the gifts given us. It reminds us to live not for ourselves but for him who lived and died for us. We do better when we don't hoard.
As I mentioned briefly, and looking back over the last three Hoedowns, the amount of profit has increased every year since we decided to give some money away. Looking forward, as we consider our pledges of time, talent, and treasure, are we gratefully giving from our abundance? Or are we merely doling out the leftovers, afraid to give, love, or lose too much?
If you see this parable as a condemnation of those tenants who were self-focused and not God-focused, beware that you have not become the tenants who will be replaced. If you can see this parable as a story of God's abundant and irrational generosity, are you willing to live in the same manner, generously giving to God and others?
Jesus is in Jerusalem, moving ever closer to betrayal, desertion, and death. Yet even here at the end, he is still trying to get us to live into generous acts of love until, finally, he lovingly gives himself up for our sake.
Are we not called to do the same?
Amen.
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