This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
Rarely do we see the continuity of Scripture more eloquently on display than in today’s readings.
The first reading talks about a vineyard carefully planted and cultivated by its owner in a fertile place, which subsequently only produced wild grapes. The vineyard owner then tears down the walls in frustration and allows the vineyard to be trampled by wild animals. The psalm seems to follow without missing a beat with the next chapter of the story, where the psalmist prays for the ruined vineyard–clearly, a metaphor for the house of Israel, which has been unfaithful to God and which God has punished.
There could be little doubt that Jesus’ reference to the vineyard is a direct reference back to the original passage from Isaiah; any doubt is quickly dispelled by a look at the details of Jesus story. Jesus’ vineyard owner specifically digs a wine press and builds a watchtower for the vineyard, exactly like the vineyard owner from Isaiah.
But Jesus’ parable contains a new twist. This time, it’s not the vineyard itself, the house of Israel, that is at fault, but rather its caretakers, who are tending to the vineyard on behalf of the owner. They mistreat servants sent to collect the owner’s portion of the harvest, and the story culminates in their killing the owner’s son. By rejecting all those representing the owner, and ultimately his own son, their intent is essentially to take over the vineyard for themselves, stealing it from the owner.
Jesus takes Isaiah’s original allegory and broadens its scope. It is as easy as it is legitimate to see the leaders of Israel from His time represented by the evil tenants. But in reality, the representation reaches far more broadly. The vineyard is the entire world; humanity, its tenants. We reject God and take the possession of the world as if it were our own, as if we were the masters. It is we, with our sin, who rejected and crucified the Son, Jesus Christ. The story of the evil tenants is an eloquent allegory of the history of sin in the world, a history which continues today, as we militantly strive to eject any mention of God from the public square, and relegate any mention of Him to the private, enclosed precincts of those we wish to consider deluded. The material world is ours–ours to exploit, ours to protect, ours to own without any reference to its Creator, its legitimate owner.
Back to the limited reference to the leaders of Jesus’ time, we may think of His statement where the vineyard is taken away and given to those who will bear fruit as a reference of the removal of God’s covenant from Israel and its more perfect reestablishment with the Church in Christ. But St. Paul confirms, in fact, that the Jewish covenant was not removed, since the gifts of God are irrevocable (cf. Rom. 11:29).
Furthermore, it would be difficult to equate the new tenants who will “produce its fruit” unequivocally and without distinction as the leaders of the Christian Church throughout the ages–we have too many examples of corrupt and/or mediocre Christian leaders who do more than a passable job of mirroring the faults of the Pharisees condemned by Jesus. (It is of course not superfluous to mention that we have stellar examples of holy leaders of the Church as well as ancient Israel that we can look to for inspiration.)
The accurate interpretation of Jesus’ meaning can be read through the eyes of Mary, who said in her Magnificat, “He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly” (Lk. 1:52). We see the same reflected in Jesus’ own startling utterances in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”; “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.” (Mt. 5:3-5)
Jesus words are not about transferring worldly religious power from Israel to the Church; they are not about the transfer of worldly power at all.
They are about the paradox that definitive glory in the Kingdom of Heaven–and that glory is far greater than the paltry substitute glory of worldly power–belongs to those who have chosen to submit in loving obedience to God, detaching themselves from all else.
The transfer of importance from the powerful to the humble that Jesus is talking about can be glimpsed here on earth in the beautiful stature of the holy, but culminates ultimately only in heaven, where that stature reaches its fullness and radiates in a manner unconcealed.
Worldly power and wealth, on the other hand, is so irrelevant that it doesn’t even in itself keep us from the meekness and poverty of which the Gospel speaks–though, because we are bewilderingly weak and susceptible, its possession can be very dangerous in that regard, as it threatens to bedazzle and distract us.
The unexpectedly simple truth is that, whatever our state and station in life, all we need to do to become one of the enviable tenants who truly produce fruit is to submit our will in obedience to God, in detachment from created things; stay connected to Him through prayer and the sacraments; and follow the Holy Spirit’s inspirations, especially by looking after our neighbor. Then, as St. Paul tells us in the first reading, “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Dialogue with Jesus about the worldly things that most distract your heart. What is it on earth that might lead you to want to take possession of creation for its own sake, like the evil tenants in today’s gospel? Ask Jesus to help you make joyful use of creation with gratitude and detachment, treating it as a constant manifestation of His greatness and love for you, especially by sharing its benefits with your neighbor.
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