XXVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, A
The last two Sundays, as well as this Sunday, the image of the vineyard has been at the heart of the parables Jesus uses to help us understand God’s grace and his expectations of those entrusted with his vineyard.
Unlike the parables of the last two Sundays, today’s Gospel emphasizes the terrible work of the tenants, their selfish ambition, their evil intentions, and their violent action toward the owner’s son. They were entrusted with the vineyard, but they began to act as though it belonged to them. Their greatest ambition was not to care for the vineyard but to take possession of it.
The first reading, taken from the Book of Isaiah, is traditionally an autumn song about a vineyard. The prophet uses this song as an allegory of the covenant between God and His people, Israel. God is the owner who carefully planted and cultivated his vineyard. He prepared the soil, planted a choice vine, built a protective hedge, and did everything necessary for it to produce good grapes. Like any farmer, God expected a good harvest. Yet, instead of good grapes, He found wild grapes such as injustice. The song therefore becomes a way of awakening God’s people to their infidelity. God had done everything for them, but they had not responded with faithfulness. They failed to love God as the covenant required, and they failed to love their neighbor.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes up this familiar image and adapts it to reveal the deeper intentions of the tenants. They do not simply neglect the vineyard; they want to possess what belongs to the owner. Finally, they kill the owner’s son, thinking that by eliminating the heir, they will obtain the inheritance. This reveals a temptation that can also exist in the human heart: we want the gifts of creation without the Creator; we want the vineyard without the owner. But creation cannot flourish when we separate it from the Creator. Without God, the vineyard eventually becomes exposed and vulnerable to destruction. Psalm 89 reminds us that God is the one who protects and sustains what He has planted. This is why the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John are so important: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We need to know that we are branches; we are servants; we are stewards.
Yet there is something astonishing in today’s Gospel. The owner does not abandon his vineyard. Even after the violence and infidelity of the tenants, he does not give up on the vineyard. He removes the unfaithful tenants and entrusts it to others who will produce its fruits.
The tenants thought that the death of the Son would be their victory and his defeat. But they were completely mistaken. The death of the Son became the path to the greatest victory. Jesus Christ, the Son rejected and killed, is raised from the dead, and he becomes the cornerstone, Alpha and Omega. The victory of the Son over death is vital for the vineyard and the new tenants. By his resurrection, the vineyard welcomes workers from every language, nation, people, culture, and generation. What appeared to be defeat becomes victory. What appeared to be the end becomes new life.
The image of the vine is one of the great images throughout the Bible. Bread is associated with life and nourishment, while wine, the fruit of the vine, is associated with joy, celebration, and communion. Psalm 104:15 says that wine gladdens the human heart, “and wine to cheer people's hearts, oil to make their faces glow, food to make them sturdy of heart”.
In the Eucharist, the fruit of the vine becomes the sacramental sign of his Blood, poured out for us. At Cana, Jesus transforms water into wine, anticipating the abundant and joyful gift he will give to his people. Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this mystery by connecting Christ’s Blood with the wine of divine love: Christ transforms his Blood into the wine of true love. His Blood is a gift; his Blood is love. It is therefore the true wine that God desires from His vineyard.
In the second reading, Paul tells us:
“By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.”
Saint Paul reminds us that the good fruit God desires from his vineyard is not produced by our strength alone. It grows through communion with God, prayer, thanksgiving, faith, and trust.
All we have is from God. Our life is God's vineyard. Our family is God's vineyard. Our parish is God's vineyard. The Church is God's vineyard. But remember two (2) things: first, we are not owners but stewards; second, God expects good fruit from us.
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