Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Context helps us to understand the meaning of a situation that could be interpreted in a number of ways. For example: if I were to say, “You’re sick” to a person who has a runny nose, cough, and looks exhausted, I mean that the person should get some rest because he or she has an illness. If I were to say those same two words, “You’re sick” to a person who eats rotten cheese, I mean that the person has some disgusting habits. If I say, “You’re sick” to a football player who just returned a punt for a touchdown, I mean that the person is amazing. Without the context, “You’re sick” can mean a number of different things.
We need some context to understand today’s Gospel passage better. The parable is not too mysterious. And yet, as we know the context, we understand it better. A first bit of context comes from when this parable is told. Earlier in this same chapter 21, Jesus arrived triumphantly into Jerusalem, receiving the messianic shouts of “‘Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest’”, similar words to those we sing to usher in the Eucharistic prayer. Earlier in this same chapter, Jesus cleanses the temple by throwing out those who were selling animals and exchanging money and says that those who are engaging in such things are making the house of God a “‘den of thieves’”, quoting both Isaiah and Jeremiah. The Pharisees have questioned Jesus’ authority to do all of this, and Jesus asks them about John the Baptist’s authority, which silences the chief priests and the elders. And now we come to this parable.
Another important part of the context is actually supplied by our first reading. Jesus’ parable of the vineyard mirrors the same parable that Isaiah gave to the people of Jerusalem and Judah. In that parable, God accuses the people of not taking care of the vineyard He has entrusted to their care. This vineyard is the faith God had given to Judah. God cleared the vineyard (the land flowing with milk and honey) of the stones (the foreign nations), planted the choicest vines (the good seed of the Word of God), built watchtowers (the judges and prophets) so that he could harvest good grapes (the results of the faith of the people). But instead he received wild grapes (infidelity, idolatry, injustice), or, as the Hebrew word might more closely be translated, rotten grapes.
Jesus takes the parable, familiar to the crowd, and twists the message a little. He still talks about how God has been so good to Israel by giving it a land flowing with milk and honey, clearing out the foreign nations, and giving them the Word of God, especially through the prophets. But God also sends servants (prophets) like John the Baptist who are to make sure that only the good grapes grow. These servants are beaten and killed by the tenants of the vineyard. So the landowner sends his son to them, thinking, “‘They will respect my son’”, but even the son is killed by the tenants. When Jesus asks the chief priests and the elders (the tenants) what should be done, they advocate putting those “‘wretched men to a wretched death’” and giving the vineyard to new tenants. While Jesus does not put those chief priests and elders to death, because His mercy is much more expansive than human mercy, he prophesies giving the vineyard into the hands of the Gentiles, who will produce good grapes at the proper time.
The question for us is whether or not we are good tenants, good stewards of what God has given to us. Have we produced good grapes which yield good wine, or have we produced wild, rotten grapes which are good for nothing? The question of our stewardship is an important one.
At this point, maybe you’re thinking to yourself, “Stewardship. Great! Father’s going to ask us to give more money.” And certainly, I would not refuse your generosity to the parish. Catholics, on average, give only about 1-2% of their yearly income to the Church. But stewardship is not just about money. We usually use three Ts to talk about stewardship: time, talent, and treasure. Notice that treasure is at the end.
God gives us so many gifts, more than we deserve. He gives our faith and salvation through Jesus. He gives us talents that help us to praise His glory, find employment, and assist others. He gives many of us good salaries, even in these difficult economic times. We deserve none of it. And yet God gives us His good gifts anyway. If we are grateful for those gifts, then we should thank Him, not only by our words, but also by our actions. Otherwise we are ungrateful for the gifts, and produce rotten grapes.
Stewardship is a way of life. It is a response to the generosity of God. If we are generous with our time then we’re not simply punching the clock at Sunday Mass, hoping for a short homily so we don’t have to spend more than 60 minutes in the Church, but try to focus time each day on our relationship with God, the most important relationship we have. If we are generous with our talents then we take stock of the many ways in which we can build up our community for good by using those skills that God has blessed us with to preach the Good News, to help others in need, to spend time volunteering for the Church. And yes, if we are generous with our treasures, then we do take stock of how much we’re donating to the Church. I am overwhelmed by the generosity of some of our members who contribute large percentages of their income for the good of this Catholic community. For you students, that may mean putting in a dollar or two or five each week. For others it means giving more. But the point is good stewardship, not a dollar amount.
The Diocese of Wichita in Kansas is usually held up as a model for stewardship. Their local church is invested in using well the time, talents, and treasure that God has given to them. Because of this, their participation is up in parishes, and Catholic schools are free to any registered Catholic in the diocese. When we are good stewards, the impossible becomes reality. Let’s rise to the challenge to produce good grapes and be good stewards of the many gifts God has given to us. Let’s be the good tenants to whom God can entrust his vineyard.
