Oct 8, 2023: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

1st Reading – Isaiah 5:1-7

Let me now sing of my friend,
my friend’s song concerning his vineyard.
My friend had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside;
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.

Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard:
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?
Now, I will let you know
what I mean to do with my vineyard:
take away its hedge, give it to grazing,
break through its wall, let it be trampled!
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.
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!

Today’s first reading has been titled “Song of the Lord’s Vineyard,” and is believed to have been composed by Isaiah in the early years of his ministry in the 8th century BC.

This passage is both a masterpiece of Hebrew poetry and a parable that depicts God’s relationship with the people of Israel. It moves quite easily from a love song to an indictment of sin and ultimately a proclamation of judgment, thus reviewing Israel’s history from its election to the time of the prophet Isaiah.

Let me now sing of my friend, my friend’s song concerning his vineyard.

Isaiah sets up the allegorical story by introducing a song about a vineyard.

The song is about the poet’s friend (yādad), which is also translated as “my beloved.” We will see that this beloved friend is God.

My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside;

The fertile hill symbolizes the blessings and favor God has bestowed upon Israel.

He spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press.

God is depicted as a diligent vineyard owner who carefully prepared the vineyard for success. God’s protection and care are symbolized by the clearing of stones, planting quality vines, and construction of a watchtower. God’s anticipation of a fruitful harvest is seen in his labor to create a wine press to process all the grapes.

Anyone familiar with planting and caring for vines can attest to the backbreaking nature of this kind of work.

Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.

Instead of producing good grapes (representing righteousness and faithfulness), the vineyard yields wild or sour grapes, signifying disobedience and rebellion among the people of Israel.

Not only was there not an abundant harvest, but what came forth was a completely different kind of grapes!

Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard: 

The perspective shifts: the speaker is no longer the friend of the vineyard owner but the owner himself. He asks the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah to judge the situation.

He invites them to evaluate the situation and decide whether the failure of the vineyard lies with him or with the vineyard itself.

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?

The owner asserts that the unnatural yield was not the result of poor cultivation on his part; the vineyard itself had failed.

After all, he asks, how does one explain a crop of wild grapes? The only answer is deliberate treachery or rejection of all of the careful attention provided.

This is an indictment of sin: God expected righteousness but received disobedience.

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! Yes, I will make it a ruin: it shall not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns and briers;

God announces his judgment. He will remove the vineyard’s protection, leaving it vulnerable to defilement and ruin.

This foreshadows the impending judgment and punishment upon Israel for its unfaithfulness.

I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it.

If there were any question about the identity of the owner, it is resolved in this final verse of condemnation. Only God has this kind of power over nature.

As is so often the case with parables, this story turns a situation in life upside down. The owner of the vineyard has asked the people of Israel to pass judgment; they didn’t know their judgment would be directed back upon them.

The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his cherished plant;

This concluding verse provides the interpretation of the allegory. The owner of the vineyard is God and the vineyard, the cherished plant, is the house of Israel.

he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!

Isaiah employs a clever double wordplay in Hebrew, using words that sound similar but carry vastly different meanings, to vividly illustrate the severity of the people’s wrongdoing. God looked for judgment (mishpāt), but found bloodshed (mispāh); he looked for justice (sedeq), but found an outcry (sāqâ).

In an astounding economy of poetic words, this line lays bare just how much God had invested in the people’s future, only to be met with their indifference and rejection.

What began as a love song ends as a message of doom.

2nd Reading – Philippians 4:6-9

Brothers and sisters:
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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.
Keep on doing what you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me.
Then the God of peace will be with you.

This is week three of our four-week study of Philippians.

The tenderness with which Paul regards the Christians of Philippi is evident in today’s reading. Something is causing them distress, and Paul offers them encouragement and direction.

Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.

Anxiety is a feeling of unease or worry about something that might happen in the future, which is something we can all relate to.

From a spiritual perspective, anxiety can imply a lack of confidence in God’s concern and protection — that is what Paul is addressing here. Rather than be anxious about something, Christians are admonished to turn to God in prayer.

Note that Paul doesn’t suggest that this will remove or resolve the underlying issues that are causing the anxiety. Prayer is not a magical exercise that will right every wrong. Instead, prayer is an openness to God, which itself can help people bear trying circumstances.

Notice also that Paul emphasizes doing this with thanksgiving. We should approach God with a grateful heart, recognizing his goodness.

“‘Have no anxiety at all.’ This means: Do not be concerned for yourselves. Do not give unnecessary thought to or be anxious about the world or worldly things. For all that is needful for you in this life God provides. And it will be even better in that life which is eternal.” [Marius Victorinus (ca. 355 AD), Epistle to the Philippians 4,6]

Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds

When we turn to God in prayer, the result is divine peace. This peace surpasses all understanding and comes to us even in the midst of difficulty.

Using a military term, he promises that this peace will stand guard (phrourá) over their minds and hearts, like a sentinel standing watch. It protects our hearts (representing our emotions and affections) and our minds (representing our thoughts and intellect). This peace is not just a fleeting feeling but a robust, steadfast presence that stands guard over our innermost selves.

in Christ Jesus.

This phrase, (en Christo Iesou), is a favorite of Paul’s and plays a central role in his theology. It underscores the idea that Christians are not merely followers of Christ but are spiritually united with him.

Paul frequently uses this phrase to emphasize that the Christian life is lived within the context of a close, intimate connection to Christ.

Finally, brothers, 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.

This moral instruction from Paul directs our focus toward positive and virtuous things as a guide for what is worthy of our thoughts. This list of values reflects the Greek moral philosophy of the day, interpreted by Paul through a Christian worldview.

Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.

Paul encourages the Philippian believers to apply the lessons they’ve learned from him and to follow his example of faith and trust in God.

“He sees that it is impossible to give precise instructions about everything — their going out, their coming in, their words, their inner condition and their company. All of these a Christian must think about in context. He says concisely and as it were in a nutshell, ‘Just do what you have heard and seen me do.'” Saint John Chrysostom (between 398-404 AD), Homilies on the Epistle to the Philippians 16,4,10-14]

Then the God of peace will be with you.

This ethical exhortation ends with the same promise of the peace of God as before. Living out the principles of faith and trust in God leads to a life filled with peace and harmony with God.

Gospel – Matthew 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
“Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
‘They will respect my son.’
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.’
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
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.”
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?‘
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.”

Today’s gospel reading is the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, which Jesus taught immediately after the Parable of the Two Sons that we heard last week.

Like our first reading, this parable employs the imagery of a vineyard to convey profound spiritual truths about God’s relationship with his chosen people, Israel.

The symbolism of a vineyard would have been very familiar to Jesus’ audience, as it is found throughout Scripture. A few examples:

• Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7, our first reading)
• The prophet Micah’s picture of happiness that “every man shall sit under his own vine” (Micah 4:4)
• Psalm 80 (this week’s responsorial psalm): “the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel.”

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.

As in our first reading, the landowner represents God and the vineyard symbolizes Israel. Like the landowner in our first reading, this one has also spared no effort to cultivate and embellish his vineyard.

Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.

The owner places the vineyard, which he has diligently cultivated, into the care of tenants. The tenants symbolize the Jewish religious leaders. They needed only to care for the vines until the grapes were ready for the press.

The landowner then leaves the country and becomes an absentee landlord, setting the stage for the drama that follows.

When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.

In an arrangement like this, the landowner would typically receive rent either in the form of money or by an agreed-upon share of the grapes; the latter seems to be the case here.

The landowner (God) sends his servants (the prophets) at the appropriate time to collect payment.

But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. 

Shockingly, the tenants respond to the servants by mistreating and even killing them. This reflects the historical pattern of how the prophets were often rejected and persecuted by the people of Israel (e.g. Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Jeremiah 20:2, Amos 7:10-13).

Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.

Undeterred by the tenants’ violent actions, the landowner sends more servants. This emphasizes God’s patience and persistent efforts to guide and warn Israel through various prophets.

Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’

In a dramatic turn, the landowner sends his son, expecting that the tenants will respect and honor him.

Allegorically, the son represents Jesus, the final and greatest prophet, as well as the Son of God.

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.’

In ancient times, when an owner of land or property died, the inheritance typically passed to his heirs, often his children. By killing the son, the tenants might have thought they could eliminate the heir and, in the absence of any other heirs, claim ownership of the vineyard for themselves.

This reflects a serious kind of greed and rebellion against the rightful owner, who has equipped them with all that is necessary to make a good profit.

The tenants have somehow determined that the vineyard is theirs outright when in reality it is on loan from the owner.

They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

Jesus’ audience had no way of knowing that the surprise climax of this story would happen in real life. As we know, Jesus will later be dragged out of Jerusalem and crucified outside the walls of the city, and the Jewish religious leaders Jesus is talking to will be the ones to do it.

The malicious purpose of the tenants in murdering the son and keeping the inheritance for themselves reflects the madness of the Jewish leaders expecting to become undisputed masters of Israel by putting Christ to death (see Matthew 12:14).