In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the “Parable of the Tenants” to the chief priest and elders. Jesus is giving us a teaching to produce a fruitful life as offering for the Father, the Landowner.
Our humanity and God’s love
The landowner plants a vineyard and leases it to tenants. The tenants wrongfully take full ownership of the vineyard. As the landowner sends his servants to obtain the produce from the tenants, they “seized the servants.” The landowner makes various attempts, sending his servants but the tenants treat them in the same way. The landowner, at a crucial moment, sends his own son, believing the tenants would respect his authority, but the son gets killed by the tenants.
This “vineyard theme” from the parable reminds us of our humanity, which is represented as the “tenants” and the constant attempts from God, who is represented as the “landowner,” to obtain his produce. God, the Landowner, gives us a precious and ultimate sign of His incomprehensible love: our freewill.
To harvest good fruits
God, the Landowner, gives us our freewill, and leases the vineyard, the Church, to us when we are baptized. God has continuously made several attempts to harvest good fruit from us. He has sent numerous servants to collect the produce of this harvest, the many prophets, saints, and martyrs all throughout history.
In the fullness of time, He will send His “only begotten Son, Jesus Christ” to collect His produce from us. As indicated in the parable we, “the tenants,” have seized the servants, all the holy prophets, saints, and martyrs, and just as in the story of the parable, we killed His Son on the cross. Fortunately for us, the Lord continues loving us, respecting our freewill, but reminding us that at His return He wants to receive the harvest, acts of kindness, and unconditional love towards our neighbor, from us.
Acts of kindness should be our harvest and not to savagely stone future servants, from the Landowner, that come to us to receive His harvest. How can one avoid stoning a servant? By speaking the truth, living the Gospel and a Christian like life, a life that is imprinted with love and respect of God and our neighbor. Our freewill is ours; but we can certainly produce a good harvest by giving back to God and by loving oneself and neighbor. Do not allow evil sentiments in your heart. Today we can embrace the servants of the Landowner through our neighbor, our brothers, and sisters who are trying to harvest the vineyard of the Landowner.
Mercy overpowers evil
Jesus asks the chief priests and the elders, after telling them the parable, “what will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” they all reply: “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Their response towards the wrongdoings, from the tenants to their landowner’s son, clearly shows the condition of their hearts which is clear that they do not recognize the tender love and mercy of God. Greed and malevolence are easy to overpower in one’s heart, but it is up to the person to allow the goodness of God to overpower and expel evil.
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes.” Jesus Christ is the cornerstone; we must recognize His authority when He comes for the harvest, so that we may have a plentiful harvest for Him.
Milton J. Martinez