Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
27th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle A)
Readings:
Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80:9, 12-16, 19-20
Philippians 4:6-9
Matthew 21:33-43
Abbreviations: NABRE (New American Bible Revised Edition), NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
The two Testaments reveal God's divine plan for humanity; therefore, we read and relive the events of salvation history in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: The Vineyard of the Lord
"The Church is a cultivated field, as tillage of God. On
that land, the ancient olive tree grows whose holy roots were the prophets and
in which the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles has been brought about and
will be brought about again. That land, like a choice vineyard, has been
planted by the heavenly cultivator. Yet the true vine is Christ who gives life
and fruitfulness to the branches, that is, to us, who through the Church remain
in Christ, without whom we can do nothing" (CCC 755).
The parable from the Book of Isaiah in the First Reading, the Psalm Reading, and the Gospel Reading represent the Old Covenant Church as God's "vineyard." It is one of the symbolic images the Old Testament prophets used to describe the condition of God's relationship or lack with His covenant people. See the document "The Symbolic Images of the Old Testament Prophets."
The theme of Isaiah's parable in the First Reading symbolizes Israel as God's vineyard. Out of all the peoples of the earth, God chose the children of Israel. He "planted" them as His "cherished vine" in the soil of the Promised Land of Canaan, where their mission was to produce the "good fruit" of righteousness as His witnesses to the Gentile world. However, Israel became a vine that failed to yield "good fruit" despite the protection and care God gave His "vineyard." Israel only produced the "wild grapes" of rebellion in failing to keep the commandments of their covenant with Yahweh, God of Israel. In judgment of Israel's covenant failures, Yahweh pronounced that His "vineyard" would forfeit His divine protection. He would allow a foreign power to trample and destroy His vineyard that failed to produce the "fruit of righteousness" to call His people to repentance.
The Responsorial Psalm is a lament from the tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel under attack by the Assyrians in the 8th century BC. The Assyrian conquest resulted from God's divine judgment for covenant apostasy prophesied by Isaiah in the First Reading. Using the familiar prophetic image of Israel as God's vineyard, the psalmist reminds Yahweh of when He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and "transplanted" them into the fertile soil of the Promised Land of Canaan as a holy nation. He implores God to look down from Heaven and protect the "vine" He planted.
In the Second Reading, St. Paul wrote from his imprisonment, probably in Rome (Phil 1:12-14), to the Christian community in Philippi, a city in northeastern Greece. St. Paul's message was one of encouragement. He wrote if we truly have faith and trust in Jesus, then we should have no anxiety about earthly struggles because we belong to Christ and are under His protection. Instead of focusing on all the bad things that can happen in life, we should commit ourselves to prayer with the knowledge that the Lord is always near and continually providing the care of His divine providence. In his letter, St. Paul suggests that constant dialogue with God is the way to prevent anxiety, to express our gratitude to God for all that is good, and to demonstrate our affection for Him.
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus used the same vineyard imagery as in the First Reading and the Responsorial Psalm. In the Parable of the Tenants of the Vineyard, Jesus taught about the leadership failures of Old Covenant Israel. In Isaiah's parable of the vineyard and Jesus's parable, there are blessings for obedience to God's covenant and divine judgments for covenant failures. In His parable, Jesus also foretold the transition to the leadership of the New Covenant Kingdom of His Church.
Christians of the New Covenant Church are the branches grafted onto the "true vine," Jesus Christ (Jn 15:1-8). God calls us to bear the "good fruit" of righteousness (Phil 1:11) for the sake of His Kingdom and His Gospel message of salvation. We do this by relying on Christ, being obedient to His commands, and having confidence "that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding" will guard our "hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Second Reading). We are faithful and obedient so that we can produce the "good fruit" of righteous deeds for Christ's eternal Kingdom.
The First Reading Isaiah 5:1-7 ~ The Parable of the Vineyard
1 Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song
concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; 2 he
spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it, he
built a watchtower and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of
grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes. 3 Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: 4 What more was there to
do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of
grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? 5 Now, I will let you know what I mean
to do to my vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through
its wall, let it be trampled! 6 Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be
pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds
not to send rain upon it. 7 The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of
Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant; he looked for
judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!
God commissioned Isaiah as His prophet the year King Uzziah of Judah died (740 BC). The once united Kingdom of Israel had divided into the two nations of Israel and Judah in 930 BC. Isaiah's prophetic mission was to call a covenant lawsuit against an ungrateful people who abandoned their obligations to the covenant they made with Yahweh at Mount Sinai (Ex 24:3-8). They apostatized from their covenant with God by disobeying His commandments, worshiping pagan gods, and oppressing the weak. Yahweh sent Isaiah to warn them that He would use the mighty nation of Assyria as His instrument of judgment in calling Israel to repentance and back into communion with their divine Lord.
Isaiah's parable in 5:1-7 is a poem/song God commanded him to deliver to the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The parable's theme is the covenant people symbolized as God's cherished vine chosen over all other vines (other nations). However, because they failed to produce the "fruit" of righteousness deeds, the nation/vineyard lost the protection of God's covenant blessings (Lev 26:3-13; Dt 28:1-14) and must accept His judgments (Lev 26:14-43; Dt 17:68). It is a theme introduced earlier by the prophet Hosea (Hos 10:1) and was one of the reoccurring symbolic images of the Old Testament prophets repeated by Isaiah (Is 3:14; 5:1-5; 27:2-5), Jeremiah (Jer 2:21; 5:10; 6:9; 12:10), Ezekiel (Ez 15:1-8; 17:3-10; 19:10-14) and by the inspired writer of the Psalms (Ps 80:8-18). See the chart on the "Symbolic Images of the Prophets"
In the symbolic imagery of Israel as God's vineyard or vine, the prophets presented four stages of Israel's relationship with God. Notice that Isaiah gives the three parts of Israel's relationship with Yahweh in his parable of the vineyard:
| Image Group |
Part I Covenant relationship |
Part II Rebellion |
Part III Redemptive Judgment |
Part IV Restoration Fulfilled |
|
Vineyard or Fig tree |
Well-tended vineyard/fruitful fig tree | Vines grow wild/failure to produce fruit | Weeds overgrow vineyard/ ruin and destruction |
Vines are replanted/ fruitfulness restored |
| [examples in Scripture] |
Isaiah 5:1-4a; Ezekiel 19:10-11; Jeremiah 24:4-7 |
Isaiah 5:4b; Jeremiah 2:21; Hosea 2:14; Micah 7:1-4; Joel 1:7, 11-12 | Isaiah 5:3-6; Ezekiel 15:6-8; 19:12-14; Jeremiah 8:13; 24:1-10; Nahum 3:12-15 | John 15:1-2, 4-6 |
Isaiah begins by discussing his "friend," who owns the vineyard. Isaiah's "friend" is Yahweh, who has done everything possible to prepare a fruitful vineyard:
Each of the preparations symbolizes what God did for Israel in the conquest of the Promised Land of Canaan:
| He planted on a fertile hillside that will get full sun. | God chose the land of Canaan as the place where His covenant people could thrive. |
| He spaded the ground and cleared it of stones. | God led Israel in the conquest of the pagan peoples and removed them from the land. |
| He planted the best vines. | God allotted the land to the twelve tribes of Israel. |
| He built a watchtower so His servants could protect the vineyard. | God sent His prophets to watch over His people and protected them from their enemies. |
| He dug out an in-ground winepress* to prepare for the fruitful harvest.+ | In God's divine plan for humanity's salvation, He gave Israel the mission to bring the Gentile nations to salvation. The purpose was to bring about the great harvest of souls into heaven and the Last Judgment at the end of the Age of Humanity. |
*In the Bible, the "winepress" frequently symbolizes obedience or judgment (Is 63:3-6; Jer 48:33; Lam 1:15; Hos 9:2; Joel 4:13; Rev 14:19-20; 19:15).
+ The "harvest" is frequently used as a symbol of judgment (Is 17:11; Jer 50:16; Joel 4:13; Mt 13:39).
Verse 2 identifies the Israelites as chosen out of all the peoples of the earth to be God's "choicest vines." The Hebrew word for "choicest vines" is soreq; it is the name of a high-quality plant identified by the blood-red color of its fruit (also see Gen 49:11; Is 16:8 and Jer 2:21). In liturgical worship at the Temple, wine from these grapes provided the wine libation ritual at God's holy altar. Because of its color, the wine was called the "blood of the grape" (see Sir 50:15). In our liturgical worship, it is the "blood of the grape" that becomes the "Blood of Christ."
3 Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard: 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring
forth wild grapes?
In verse 3, the speaker in the parable suddenly changes from
Isaiah to God as He challenges Israel to tell Him, after everything He had done
for them, why they failed Him.
5 Now, I will let you know what I mean to do to my
vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let
it be trampled! 6 Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed,
but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to send rain
upon it.
In verses 5-7, God gives the terms of the covenant lawsuit
and the redemptive judgments that He will inflict upon an unrepentant people.
These temporal judgments are the opposite of the temporal covenant blessings God
promised for obedience in Leviticus 26:1-13 and Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Instead,
God's punishments recall the covenant judgments for disobedience promised in
Leviticus 26:14-46 and Deuteronomy 28:15-69,
including the penalty of invasion
by foreign armies and exile (see Lev 26:32-35;
Dt 28:49-52, 63-65). The words
"thorns and briers" recall the covenant judgment against Adam for his sin of rebellion
against God's sovereignty over his life in Genesis 3:18.
7 The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of
Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant; he looked for
judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!
There is no misunderstanding of the parable; Isaiah
identifies the "vineyard" as Israel. In verse 7, the words "judgment,"
"bloodshed," "justice," and "outcry" in Hebrew constitute a play on words.
The prophecy of divine judgment took place in the second half of the 8th century BC, brought about by the collapse of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the invasion of the armies of Assyria. The end of the Northern Kingdom came in 722 BC with the defeat of the capital city of Samaria and the people's exile into Assyrian lands to the east (2 Kng 17:1-6).
In 701 BC, the army of Assyrian King Sennacherib ravaged the nation of Judah. The Assyrians besieged Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom and Yahweh's holy city, where His presence dwelt in the Temple (2 Kng 8:10-13; 2 Kng 18:13). But good Davidic King Hezekiah called his people to repentance and turned to God, praying for His mercy and protection. Yahweh delivered Judah from the Assyrians, and the nation had a reprieve, as Isaiah foretold (2 Kng 19:20, 32-36). However, after the death of King Hezekiah, Judah fell again into apostasy and faced divine judgment. The Babylonians conquered the Kingdom of Judah. They destroyed Jerusalem and Yahweh's Temple and exiled the people in 587/6 BC, according to the warnings of God's prophets, using the same "vineyard" and "vine" imagery (i.e., Jeremiah 8:13; 24:1-10; Ez 19:10-14).
God is the Lord of history, and Assyria and Babylon were the instruments of judgment that God used to call His people to repentance and restoration. However, while there was a temporary restoration with the return of the nation of Judah from the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC, complete restoration didn't occur until the coming of the Redeemer-Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus identified Himself as the "vine" and the new Israel of His faithful disciples as the "branches" that would bear fruit in His New Covenant Kingdom of the universal Church (Jn 15:1-2, 4-6).
Responsorial Psalm 80:9, 12-16, 19-20 ~ Israel is
the Vineyard of the Lord
The response is: "The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel."
9 A vine from Egypt you transplanted; you drove away the
nations and planted it.
12 It put forth its foliage to the Sea, its shoots as far
as the River.
Response:
13 Why have you broken down its walls, so that every
passer-by plucks its fruit, 14 the boar from the forest lays it waste, and the
beasts of the field feed upon it?
Response:
15 Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven,
and see; 16 take care of this vine and protect what your right hand has
planted, the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Response:
19 Then we will no more withdraw from you; give us new
life, and we will call upon your name. 20 O LORD, God of hosts, restore us; if
your face shines upon us, then we shall be saved.
Response:
This psalm is the lament of the northern tribes of Israel when the Assyrians attacked them in the 8th century BC. The psalmist, using the familiar prophetic image of Israel as Yahweh's vineyard and chosen vine, reminds God of when He brought the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and "transplanted" them in the Promised Land of Canaan. God gave the Israelites the strength to drive out all of Israel's enemies who were the land's former inhabitants (verse 9), and under King David's leadership, extended their dominion from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River, as Yahweh promised the Patriarch Abraham (verse 12; see Gen 15:18-21).
In verses 13-14, the psalmist asks the Lord why He has not protected Israel, His vineyard, as He had in the past. God allowed Israel's enemies to trample and lay waste to the land and His people. In verse 15, the psalmist implores the Lord to look down from Heaven, see their plight, and rescue His people.
16 take care of this vine, and protect what your right
hand has planted, the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
The vineyard and the vine are frequent metaphors for Israel
in the Old and New Testaments (see, for example,
Is 3:14; 5:1-5; 27:2-5;
Jer 2:21; Ez 17:6-8;
Hos 10:1; Mt 21:33 and the First Reading). Significantly, the
Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament, the New Vulgate, and the NAB
translate 16b: the son of man whom you yourself made strong. The Jewish
Masoretic text does not have this translation. The Son of Man is Jesus's
favorite title for Himself, pointing to His humanity and His divinity as the
"Son of Man," the divine Messiah of Daniel's vision in Daniel 7:13-14. Many
Bible scholars believe the Septuagint may be the original translation from the
Hebrew text since Hosea 10:1 and 11:1 speak of Israel both as "a vine" and as "a
son" God loved and called out of Egypt (also see Ex 4:22). The significance is that
Jesus is the Son of Man (in His humanity) and the Son of God (in His divinity).
Jesus fulfilled the prophetic text of Hosea 11:1 when He was "called out of Egypt"
as a child after the death of King Herod. The Gospel of Matthew quotes the
verse as a "fulfillment statement" in Matthew 2:15 when referring to the Holy
Family's return from Egypt: He stayed there until the death of Herod, that
what the Lord has said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I
called my son."
In the Bible, the "Shepherd" imagery (i.e., Ps 23:1; 80:2), the covenant people as God's "vineyard," and a "vine" who is the Son of Man are metaphors Jesus used in His teachings. The symbolic images in the Responsorial Psalm relate to the ministry of Jesus Christ in the New Testament:
19 Then we will no more withdraw from you; give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
20 O LORD, God of hosts, restore us; if your face shines upon us, then we shall be saved.
Jesus Christ answers the petition in verses 19-20. His
mission was to restore and heal Israel. He transformed the faithful remnant of
old Israel into the new Israel of the New Covenant Church of Hia Universal
Kingdom. He came to bring new life and eternal blessings to God's people in the
Sacrament of Christian baptism and the other sacraments. Jesus replaced the old
temporal blessings of the Sinai Covenant with the eternal blessings of the New
Covenant that promised release from bondage to death, the forgiveness of sins,
and eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Second Reading Philippians 4:6-9 ~ Put Aside Your Anxiety
6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. 7 Then the
peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things. 9 Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.
In reading these beautiful sentiments of St. Paul, it is essential to recall that he was writing from his imprisonment, probably in Rome (Phil 1:12-14), to the Christian community of Philippi, in northeastern Greece. It was an important city in the Roman province of Macedonia. According to Acts 16:9-40, on St. Paul's second missionary journey in circa 49 or 50 AD, he established the first Christian community in Europe at Philippi.
Despite St. Paul's dire circumstances, His message is that if we truly have faith and trust in Jesus, we should have no anxiety about earthly struggles because we belong to the eternal Christ. Instead of focusing on all the bad in life, we should commit ourselves to prayer because the Lord is always near us and continually caring for us through His divine providence (Ps 119:151). He is near to all who call upon Him (Ps 145:18). Jesus listens to our prayers and is ready to give us what we need to overcome our fears and difficulties. The only thing He requires of us is to confide in Him and have confidence that He will see to our needs according to His divine plan for our lives. St. Paul suggested that constant dialogue with God is the way to prevent anxiety, to express our gratitude to Him for all that is good, and to demonstrate our love for God.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything
worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing what you have
learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be
with you.
The council of Vatican II highlighted the relevance of St.
Paul's teaching in this passage in several documents. In its encyclical addressed
to the ministry of priests, the council wrote concerning Paul's advice in this
passage: "Such a pursuit assumes goodness of heart, sincerity, strength, and
constancy of mind, careful attention to justice, courtesy to others" (Vatican
II, Presbyterorum ordinis, 3). All these pursuits and thoughts are
pleasing to God and will bear the fruit of righteousness deeds in the Kingdom
of the Church.
The Gospel of Matthew 21:33-43 ~ The Parable of
the Tenants of the Vineyard
(Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the
people) "33 Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a
vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then
he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. 34 When the vintage time drew
near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. 35 But the
tenants seized the servants, and one they beat, another they killed, and third
they stoned. 36 Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first
ones, but they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally, he sent his son to
them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' 38 But when the tenants saw the
son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and
acquire his inheritance.' 39 They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard,
and killed him. 40 What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when
he comes?" 41 They answered him, "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." 42 Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the
Scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'? 43 Therefore,
I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a
people that will produce its fruit."
The "landlord" of the vineyard is the same Greek word used for the "landlord" of the vineyard in Jesus's "Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard" in Matthew 20:1-16. The translation of the Greek word oikodespotes [oy-kod-es-pot'-ace] is "the head of the family" or "master of the house." Notice the repetition of threes in the parable: three times, the master sent out emissaries, and three times, the tenants assaulted the master's emissaries. The first two times, the emissaries are the master's servants, and the third time, the master sends His son. Also, notice it is the harvest season. Jesus used parables set in the season of the harvest in the Kingdom Parables in Matthew Chapter 13. The "harvest" in Scripture represents the gathering of souls into the Church or at the Last Judgment (Mt 13:39b-43).
First-century AD Jews would have found the situation in the parable familiar. Landholders often rented out their property to tenant farmers who had to share a percentage of the profits from the harvest with the land owner. Jesus used the parable as an allegory predicting His death at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders and their eventual destruction and loss of authority as God's representatives to His people. In addition, they understood from the Holiness Code in the Book of Leviticus that God was the owner of the Promised Land, and they were only tenants: Land will not be sold absolutely, for the land belongs to me, and you are only strangers and guests of mine (Lev 25:23 NJB).
As noted in the First Reading, the vineyard symbolizes Israel in covenant with Yahweh. Since the chief priests and elders did not recognize Jesus as a legitimate prophet of God, they missed the comparison between Jesus's parable of the vineyard and the well-known parable of the vineyard told by the prophet Isaiah in the First Reading (Is 5:1-7). Some of the details in the parables are the same, each describing a well-tended vineyard with a hedge or wall to protect it from grazing animals, a watchtower as a lookout for marauding vandals, and a wine press for crushing the grapes to produce wine (see the chart below).
|
Jesus's Parable of the Vineyard Matthew 21:33-41 |
Isaiah's Parable of the Vineyard Isaiah 5:1-5 |
| There was a landowner[master of the house] who planted a vineyard (vs. 33) | My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside (Is 5:1) |
| put a hedge around it (vs. 33) | take away its hedge (Is 5:5b) |
| dug a winepress in it (vs. 33) | and hewed out a winepress (Is 5:2c) |
| and built a tower (vs. 33) | Within it, he built a watchtower (Is 5:2b) |
Isaiah's parable presents God's judgment on an unrepentant people in verse 5: Now, I will let you know what I mean to do to my vineyard: Take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! And verse 7 identifies the vineyard: The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his cherished plant.
In Scripture, the winepress often represents the yielding of the best wine as a symbol of covenant obedience, as in Numbers 18:27, and your contribution will be credited to you as if it were the grain from the threshing floor or new wine from the press. However, the winepress could also symbolize the crushing of the wicked in divine judgment:
The Book of Revelation uses the same "winepress" judgment imagery:
To understand both parables, it is essential to identify who owned the land of Israel. The Promised Land of Israel belonged to God, and the children of Israel were His tenants. They could never sell the land; they could only lease it (Lev 25:23). With this knowledge, it is easier to understand the parable's symbolism and answer the questions: Who is the master-of-the-house who owns the vineyard? What do the vineyard, the hedge, the watchtower, and the winepress represent? Who are the tenants in charge of the harvest? Who are the master's two groups of servants who were beaten and killed, and who is the son the tenants killed?
*Jesus warned His disciples of the persecution they will face (Mt 10:16-18), and He will warn them again in His homily at the Last Supper (Jn 16:1-4).
Jesus asked the religious leaders: "40 What will the owner
of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" 41 They answered him, '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.'"
The religious leaders' response in verse 41 is ironic. In
their answer, they pronounced their own judgment, and the result was God gave their
authority over the "vineyard/the Church of God's covenant people" to "other
tenants." They would now have authority over the Master's vineyard instead of
the tenants who killed the Master's son. The new tenants are the Christians of
the new Israel. The men who opposed Jesus would lose their positions as the
authoritative hierarchy of God's house (His Church). St. Peter and the Apostles,
who became the leaders of the New Israel of the New Covenant Church, received
the authority of God to govern His covenant people of the "new Israel" in the
name of Jesus Christ (see Mt 16:18-19; 18:18;
Jn 20:21-23, CCC 788).
Notice that Isaiah's parable and Jesus's parable both end in violence:
Both parables end in the judgment of Old Covenant Israel, but Jesus also turns this vineyard parable into a prophecy of His Passion and death.
Matthew 21:42-43 ~ Jesus Teaches the Meaning of the Parable
42 Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord
has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'? 43 Therefore, I say to
you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that
will produce its fruit.
Jesus challenged the chief priests and Pharisees again on
their knowledge of the Scriptures, saying, "Did you never read in the
Scriptures?" He challenged His opponents this way previously (Mt 12:3, 5; 21:16) and would do so again (Mt 22:31), which must have made them
furious since they saw themselves as the sole proprietors of the deposit of
sacred knowledge. The Old Testament passage Jesus quoted in verse 42 is from
Psalm 118:22 in the Greek Septuagint translation.
The religious leaders did not at first understand Jesus's parable. However, when He added additional teaching, the meaning was suddenly and disturbingly clear to them. Notice how Jesus's quote from Psalms 118:22-23 revealed His true identity. Psalms 118:22 is the verse of the Messianic Psalms just before the verse quoted by the crowds as He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (see Mt 21:9 quoting Ps 22-23). The "builders" refer to the religious leaders of the Sinai Covenant (Peter will refer to them this way in Acts 4:11). Jesus's reference to this psalm is related to Ezekiel 34:1-10 and His vineyard parable by identifying the chief priests and elders in three ways. Jesus told them that He is the cornerstone that the builders (the religious authorities) reject in Psalms 118:22-23, a reference to His Passion, and He condemned them as:
The Vicar of Christ (the Pope), bishops and priests of the ministerial priesthood, and baptized Christians of the priesthood of the faithful are those Jesus anointed as the people of His New Covenant Kingdom. As the tenants of Christ's Vineyard of the Church, we need to ensure that we don't let ourselves become overgrown with the thorns and briers of worldly anxiety that quench the work of the Holy Spirit. We must fill our hearts and minds with Jesus Christ to produce the fruit of righteous deeds for His New Covenant Kingdom of the Church. And, we need to rejoice in the nearness of our Lord and Savior in the "best wine," the gift of the life of Christ in the Eucharist.
Catechism References (* indicates Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Isaiah 5:1-7 (CCC 755*)
Philippians 4:6-7 (CCC 2633*); 4:8 (CCC 1803)
Matthew 21:33-43 (CCC 755*); 21:34-36 (CCC 443*); 21:37-38 (CCC 443*); 21:42 (CCC 756*)
The Church as God's vineyard (CCC 755*)
Gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1830, 1831*, 1832*)
Prophets are the servants; Christ is the Son (CCC 443*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.