27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 5, 2014
10 AM Liturgy
J.A. Loftus, S.J.
So, are you tired of vineyard stories yet? Today’s is the third parable
about a vineyard that we have heard from St. Matthew’s gospel in the past
three weeks. One could come to the conclusion that God must really like
grapes, at least good grapes! Actually God does like grapes. That’s a good
title for today’s little homily: God likes good grapes! But I get ahead of
myself.
God also really likes stories. And Jesus spends a great deal of time
telling them. Let’s briefly look at the three most recent gospel parables again.
Matthew’s three parables of the vineyards get more challenging and
more depressing as one moves through them. Two weeks ago, we simply
heard of God’s extraordinary generosity. Laborers in the vineyard got paid
the same for a full day’s work in the blazing sun as did those who worked for
just one hour late in the day. God’s generosity, we were told, seems so unfair.
But it is God’s generosity, not at all like our own.
Then last week, the story described a son who was all “yes-es” to his
father but did no work in the vineyard, and a son who said a flat “no” but
later changed his mind and did go to work in the vineyard. Guess who was
the winner? The “no-say-ers” inherit the kingdom once again–together with,
Matthew tells us quite explicitly, the prostitutes and despised tax collectors.
Not the company you might expect for the supposedly “righteous” to keep!
Today’s gospel is the most depressing of all. Today the whole vineyard
is simply given over to new tenants. The old tenants are led to death and
decay. A new day has dawned again in the vineyard.
On one level this third parable is the easiest to understand. It’s actually
more of an allegory than a true parable. Jesus’ true parables leave one
wondering usually: what exactly did that mean? This story is crystal clear as
all allegories are.
There is a brand new wonderful book out by Amy-Jill Levine. She is
the Jewish New Testament scholar at Vanderbilt University. Her title is
characteristically delightful: Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables
of a Controversial Rabbi. (Harper One, 2014). I ran to the book to checkout
today’s gospel story. But it’s not there. Professor Levine omits it precisely
because it is a bit too much of allegory and not really a parable.
Each and every figure represents one particular person in the unfolding
drama. As the late Dan Harrington explains it: “the landowner is God, the
vineyard is Israel as God’s special people, the tenants are the religious and
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political leaders of Israel, the harvest is the fullness of God’s kingdom...the
servants are the prophets, and the landowner’s son is Jesus” (America).
It is all very neat and is crystal clear to St. Matthew’s audience. This is
a story about the wickedness of Israel’s leadership and their replacement in a
new Covenant of faith. Matthew has in mind, no doubt, the 70 AD
destruction of the Jerusalem temple and the on-going hostility between the
synagogue Jews and the new Christian communities.
This is a clearly parallel story to Isaiah’s lament over the attack of the
Assyrian army on Jerusalem in the eighth century B.C. (today’s first
reading). And today’s psalm (80) echoes the same images drawn from the
sixth century B.C. In short, St. Matthew is saying simply that there are again
new tenants in the vineyard; they are now the new Christian community.
And there is new leadership to follow.
But today’s gospel is not just a history lesson. It is a direct challenge to
us as well. In this allegorical interpretation, the story is a stern condemnation
of the religious and political leadership of Matthew’s own time. But that’s
really too simple an interpretation for us centuries later. The living gospel
always is a direct challenge and a direct invitation to each generation that
hears it.
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Let me suggest just one path of interpretation that seems obvious to me
for today’s church. In the context of all three parables we have heard, a few
things seem clear. First, it does not matter so much how long you work in the
vineyard; you can come late to your particular calling, your vocation. What
matters is that you’re there when it counts. God just wants good grapes.
Secondly, it doesn’t seem to matter much whether you say you are
going to work hard or even promise a lot to work hard, it just matters that
you show up in the vineyard eventually–like the “no-say-er” son in the second
parable. Your “yes” can be as reluctant as you want. Just be there when it
counts. God wants good grapes.
Finally, be careful of the company you shun in your day-to-day life: the
poor, the homeless, the despised, the un-welcomed in your society, even the
prostitutes, and sex-workers and drunkards. Be careful! They will all be
your co-inheritors in the kingdom; they will all have a place at the banquet
table! Think about it! Some of these types do not seem like very nice people.
That’s scary to me. But it’s also kind of neat in a bizarre way.
My brothers and sisters, the vineyard still grows and needs laborers.
And God still wants more grapes, and lots of different kinds of grapes.
That’s what makes for the marvelous variety of great wines. (Speaking of
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great wines, it is no accident that we are celebrating under the tent today with
a special raffle of wonderful wines—reds, whites, and champagnes—for all
new volunteers for liturgical church ministry at St. Ignatius. This includes
Eucharistic ministers, Lectors, Coordinators, bread-bakers, musicians and
choir members, etc. And all who are presently involved already in these
ministries get a free raffle ticket.)
Back to the conclusion of today’s little story. It is not just church
leadership that should feel a bit squeamish today; it’s all of us. I cannot tell
you what you are supposed to do in the vineyard. I barely know what I think
I’m doing in the vineyard. What I can keep repeating, though, is this: it is
clear to me that God likes good grapes, and choice wines! To those with ears,
try to listen. And enjoy the grapes and the choice wines we all already do
provide for each other. Just do something for each other! That’s the takeaway today. Good luck! Peace!
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