October 5, 2014
Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80
Philippians 4:6-9
Matthew 21:33-43
"He sent his son but the tenants killed him."
This Sunday's gospel passage is about the parable of the wicked tenants.
There are three parables in succession for three Sundays in a row, all from the gospel of Matthew:
- the first one, 26th Sunday Year A, Matthew 21:28-32, was last Sep 27, 2026
- the second one, 27th Sunday Year A, Matthew 21:33-43, Oct 4, 2026
- the third one, 28th Sunday Year A, Matthew 22:1-14, will be on Oct 11, 2026
The first one is the parable of the two sons, Mt 21:28-32, while this Sunday's parable is the parable of the wicked tenants. Next Sunday's parable is the parable of the wedding banquet, Mt 22:1-14.
When reading these three parables, one can discover a common pattern of protagonist pairing - that of a father and a son. This father-son theme runs throughout the three parables: father and second-son (or first-son, depending on your New Testament translation) in the first parable; father-landowner and son-who-inherits in the second parable; and father-king and son-bridegroom in the third parable.
Strongly emphasized in these father-son protagonist pairs is the will of the father on the son/sons, or over those he has authority over, which includes the tenants in the second parable, and servants in the third parable.
Reading the parables in detail, one will notice that in the first parable, after the father gave a command to two sons, only one did the father's will and went into the vineyard to work. There is one instance of disobedience and obedience on the part of each of the two sons. However, in reality we are not to judge the other son who said "Yes", but did not go to the vineyard. The parable is only meant to simplify the moral lesson that people change: sinners repent, amend their ways, and do God's will. And God selects a chosen few, like St. Augustine of Hippo, to lead a heroic life of virtue that His Kingdom may be built on strong foundations.
Returning to this Sunday's parable of the father-landowner and the son-who-inherits-the-vineyard, it is plain to see that the son fully obeyed his father's will. The disobedience in this case comes from the wicked tenants. These tenants were judged as wicked because of three instances were they abused and killed the people sent by the father: the first two instances involved the abuse and killing of a group of servants, while the third and last instance is the abuse and killing of the father-landowner's son. The goal of the tenants was to grab the inheritance that was meant for the son. And there is a hint of rebellion that may be planned by the tenants vs. the landowner.
What do existing writings say about this parable?
Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote something about this parable in his book "Life of Christ". He makes an analogy. He writes that God (symbolized in the parable by the father-landowner of the vineyard), was not wearied out with the cruelty and evil of the people (the tenants). By sending a second group of servants, God was giving the wicked people an opportunity to repent and not to repeat the evil they did. It is the will of God to bring those people (the tenants) to obey His will. However, when the second group of servants was ill-treated as the first group, God finally sent His Son. But the people, still steeped in their wickedness, mercilessly killed the Son.
With just this simple parable, Jesus provided His hearers a glimpse of the whole history of salvation. God sent many prophets to His people Israel to warn them of their wicked ways. But His people continued to kill these prophets. We only have to read about the many prophets who were ill-treated and killed by biblical-historical Israel. A list of examples are given below:
- Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern,
- Jonah was thrown into the sea,
- Zechariah was stoned to death
- Micaiah was slapped and imprisoned
- Uriah was hunted down and executed with a sword
- Elijah was hunted under death threats, and
- John the Baptist, the last of the OT prophets, was beheaded
This is how biblical-historical Israel continued to treat the "servants" of God.
However, when the time was right, God sent His Son, Jesus, to proclaim His Kingdom and to know His will. But still steeped in their sins, a generation of biblical-historical Israelites still did not heed the warning which the prophets had given. They nailed Jesus, God's only begotten Son, to the Cross, and killed Him. The Father, however, vindicated His Son. He raised Jesus from the dead, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and made Him the cornerstone of the Church. It is the Church who now continues the work of Jesus to bring all humanity to repent and obey God's will.
That is the point of this Sunday's gospel. God does not give up on His people, even when they had killed all those He had sent before Jesus. And it is not only biblical-historical Israel that needs repentance, but all humanity, especially at this time.
There is another perspective that can be examined in this parable of the wicked tenants. Remember that the goal of the father-landowner was to claim the harvest of "his investment" from the tenants. He was a "businessman", with a son who may have had some knowledge of their family business. Otherwise, the father would not trust him and send him for that purpose.
But what happened? The tenants' hearts continued to be filled with sin since the killing of the two groups of servants which the father-landowner sent. Their hearts were intent on gaining what they wanted without obeying the father-landowner. Their sin is grievous because they did not only ill-treat the servants but killed some as well. It is a just act for the father-landowner to give the evil tenants a bad end and lease his vineyard to other tenants who would yield the grapes he wants to harvest in due time.
Given these two perspectives, one can see the mission of the Church to lead all humanity to a change of heart (metanoia) - to obey the Lord and do His will. On one level, the Church prays that all may repent, amend their ways, and return to follow the gospel values which Jesus has taught in all His parables. On another level, the Church also promotes the ideal of social justice, the just distribution of this world's goods, human and workers' rights and dignity, and solidarity among workers (unions). Both are missionary activities of the Church. And the Church is able to do so not only through active missionary work, but also, and more significantly through the source and summit of all God's graces: the Eucharist. For it is ultimately God's Spirit, in Word and Sacrament, that can effect a change of heart (metanoia) in the hearts of all peoples.
Scripture quotes for reflection:
"The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his cherished plant." (Isaiah 5)
See also: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
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