13th Sunday after Pentecost

Matthew 21:33-42 explores the parable of the tenants. Jesus uses the metaphor of a vineyard to convey a deeper spiritual message. He describes a landowner who planted a vineyard, built a fence around it, dug a winepress, and constructed a watchtower. Then, he leased the vineyard to tenants and went on a journey.

At harvest time, the landowner sent his servants to collect the fruits from the vineyard. However, the wicked tenants mistreated and even killed the servants. The landowner, in an act of mercy, sent more servants, but they too were treated harshly. Finally, the landowner decided to send his own son, thinking that the tenants would respect him. Shockingly, the tenants plotted and killed the son, hoping to inherit the vineyard.

Jesus concludes the parable by asking the listeners what they believe the landowner will do to those wicked tenants. The crowd responds that the landowner will bring those evildoers to a miserable end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their season.
This powerful passage challenges us to reflect on how we are stewarding the gifts and blessings that God has entrusted to us and holds great significance as it serves as a metaphor for God's relationship with humanity. The landowner represents God, while the tenants symbolize the Jewish people, and the vineyard represents the Kingdom of Heaven.  The servants sent to the tenants are the prophets, whom God sent to the Jewish people to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.  Since the Jewish people rejected the prophets, God finally sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who is represented in the son of the landowner.  Through this parable, Jesus is telling the Jews that they will have Him killed, the Son of God the Father.  Of course, we know that this happens in the crucifixion and death of Jesus, but the vineyard (the Kingdom of Heaven) is not abandoned, but opened up for all humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike.  It is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that all of us can enter eternal life with Him forever.