The story of the landowner and the tenants in today’s gospel reveal the selfishness and cruelty of the tenants. The landowner had the hope to collect the fruits at harvest through his servants. But the tenant stoned or killed the servants. They killed even the only son of the landowner.
Through this parable Jesus told his own story. He accused the leaders of the Jewish community for not accepting him. They were not open for the kingdom of God. He compared them to the tenants of the parable. Surely they were not pleased to hear it.
This reminds us too about our position on earth. We are like tenants. Tenants have their responsibilities together with many advantages. To enjoy the rights and the advantages we should be ready to fulfil our duties and our responsibilities. The tenants of the parable wanted to enjoy the advantages without fulfilling the duties. They were like trespassers and aggressors. The landowner “put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower” means that the landowner did everything for a good harvest and the tenants profited from it. But the tenants were ungrateful. They not only exploited the landowner but also killed his only son.
“And he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time” means that we also should consider reflect on our life whether we are grateful to God for all benefits and blessing we received from him. We should be careful to be loyal and obedient to the Lord. The words of Jesus that “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruits” is a warning. We are called to be responsible. The kingdom of God is an offer. To receive the offer means we have not only privileges and advantages, we have duties and responsibilities too.
Jesus himself is the only Son of the landowner in the parable whom the tenants killed. The landowner stands for God. The tenants are the receivers of the word of God. So Jesus told his own story through this parable which was to fulfil in the near future. We are the followers of Jesus who are convinced about this fulfilment through the suffering and death of Jesus.
Let us live up to our call to be the disciples of Jesus. Let us try not to be like the tenants of this parable. Let respond to the love and the self-giving of God through Jesus Christ, his only Son and be filled and fulfilled in revealing mystery of God.
Fr. Joseph Pandiappallil MCBS