My Sisters and Brothers:
We hear a lot about vineyards and grapevines in today’s Scripture readings (see Isaiah 5:1-7 and Matthew 21:33-43). Regarding these, I’m told that once planted in the right kind of soil, but before they can produce good fruit, a vineyard owner and his workers must plan on enduring as many as three years of careful planting, watering and pruning of the vines. Assuming all of this would be done well, and the weather would cooperate, there would normally be grapes in abundance after a third season of growth. Isn’t it true three years is a long time to wait–especially if you’re as impatient as I am!
We can just imagine how frustrating it would be for a vineyard owner, like the one mentioned in today’s reading from Isaiah, when after all of that time and work, only sour and “wild or rotten grapes” would be produced at harvest time. According to Isaiah, “the owner had spaded the ground, cleared it of stones, planted choice vines, built a watchtower, hewed a wind press, but after all that simply yielded a crop of wild or rotten grapes” (see verse 2). “Wild or rotten grapes” are completely useless; it’s impossible to use them to make a good grape juice or a fine wine, or to sell them at the market. It’s no surprise such a disappointed vineyard owner, especially after all of his patient, enthusiastic, and strenuous efforts, would then have decided to destroy those useless grapevines, and then let the good-for-nothing vineyard go barren.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presented his disciples with another kind of story depicting a nearly useless vineyard–except in this narrative, the vineyard owner was frustrated by his workers who robbed, cheated, and even killed, in their attempts to keep all of the profits for themselves. Of course, this Gospel story offered clear comparisons to the mistreatment of the ancient prophets, to John the Baptist, and even to Jesus himself, who as the Son of God would eventually be put to death by the “religious leaders” (i.e., “the tenants”) of the time who should have known better. The landowner in the Gospel story, much like the one in the account from Isaiah, “planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and then built a tower” (see verse 33a). But to elaborate the story a bit, and to make those comparisons, the Gospel account reported the landowner also “leased it to tenants before going on a journey” (see verse 33b). And although in this second story the grapes themselves were not “wild or rotten,” the misbehavior of the tenants toward the landowner’s emissary-servants, and even toward his own son, prevented him from enjoying the fruits of his vineyard. The “bottom line” of both narratives was that the respective owners (who each are obviously analogous to God the Father), weren’t able to receive any good fruits from their investments, their labors, their time, and their patience.
We might compare ourselves, and our works and fruits within the Christian life, to both vineyard stories. The Father in heaven, the “owner,” desires that we be faithful and “fruitful” in our Christian lives. Our God wants us to acknowledge his sovereignty over all things, including the air we breathe, the ground upon which we walk, and all of the blessings we have received. And so, through every “fruit of our faith,” through our works and through our prayers, may we always give God all of the glory–and let us always be thankful and praise God for every good gift and grace we have received! Then through him, and with him, and in him, may we always produce “good fruits” on the “grapevines,” and in the “vineyards,” to which we’ve been entrusted! May we always have absolute respect for God as we offer back to him the firsts of those fruits! And certainly, may we never return to our loving Father any kind of useless “wild or rotten grapes!”
Praise God! Friar Timothy
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