Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Click here to review the upcoming Sunday readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/100508.shtml

This week we are asked to look at the kingdom of God in terms of a vineyard. Agricultural images are common to the Scriptures, largely because most people earned their living from farming. The images are therefore familiar enough to the original audience, making it easy for them to draw the necessary analogy.

In the first reading the prophet Isaiah is reviewing the message of God for Israel just prior to the Babylonian captivity. For Isaiah, the vineyard was planted well by God, but it became a useless crop due to those whom God entrusted with the care of the vineyard. Here, Isaiah is referencing the unfaithful leaders of Israel who allowed themselves and the nation to worship false gods. Such a sin leads by nature to ruin; God need not send a special punishment when the sin itself leads to ruin. Thus, the Babylonian captivity of Israel is the result of infidelity on the part of Israel, for had Israel remained faithful they would have remained united with the Southern kingdom of Judah and would have been able to withstand the oncoming invasion. As it was, the lack of fidelity to God led to a lack of unity, thereby leading to inevitable ruin.

The Psalm continues this theme. Psalm 80 is a traditional lament Psalm, written at the time of the captivity and drawing on the same images of Isaiah. Here, the Psalmist puts into prayer form what Isaiah puts in the way of allegory and prophecy: despite the infidelity of your people, Lord, spare us this disaster and we will return to you. How often this prayer has been said by every succeeding generation! No doubt many are making a similar plea to God in our own times.

St. Paul’s letter at first sight does not appear to be connected to these readings, but he is speaking to the individual person of his day who is probably experiencing great trials from the outside world for accepting the new Christian faith. We have no control over what others do; we can only control our own actions and our response to what is happening around us. No matter what is happening around us we must still be joyful and remain faithful to God. Therefore, think of what is good and God’s peace will be with you.

Finally, the Gospel reading adds an additional layer to the prophecy of Isaiah. Jesus uses this familiar image from Isaiah and the Psalms and adapts it to his times. He uses the vineyard as it would be understood in his times. Vineyard owners in Jesus’ time were wealthy men who owned multiple vineyards and houses. They would rotate their time at each house and vineyard, and then would hire servants to care for the vineyards and houses in his absence. This man would have other servants of greater authority who could speak in his name, not to mention sons who could carry a much stronger message. The point Jesus makes, then, is crystal clear to his audience. The final line of this Gospel reading is not given in the lectionary: v. 45-46: “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parable, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.”

Both the Pharisees and the crowd were wrong. The Pharisees could not accept the clear message of truth, but the crowd only regarded Jesus as a prophet and no more. Neither could see Jesus’ real identity. May we not fall into the same traps, and may we be good stewards of the vineyard God has entrusted to us: our spiritual lives and those of others entrusted to our care.