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Reflection on the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (October 2)

by John Houk

The readings for this Sunday:

Isaiah 5:1-7

Philippians 4:6-9

Matthew 21:33-43

The full text of the readings can be found here.

If the purpose of reflecting on scripture is to find a message for today, then this Sunday’s readings are timed (as we say at our house) to knock your socks off.

In the first reading Isaiah tells the story of a "friend’s" vineyard. Everything was done right. It was on a fertile hillside, cleared of stones, planted with the choicest vines, with a watchtower and a wine press. But what did his friend get? Wild (useless) grapes.

In the Gospel reading Jesus tells a very similar story. A person of property planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, installed a wine press and built a watchtower. Then this person leased the vineyard to tenant farmers. The evil tenant farmers responded to the owners request for the agreed upon share by beating, killing and stoning the owner’s aides. Finally they killed the owner’s heir.

These parallel stories (Jesus knew his Isaiah) leave nothing to the imagination when it comes to interpreting their meaning. Isaiah tells us plainly, "The vineyard is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are God’s cherished plants; our God looked for justice, but found only bloodshed."

Jesus slams the door on his listeners after they agree that the owner will bring the evil tenants to a horrible end and put someone else in charge of the vineyard. Jesus told them, "The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation that will yield a rich harvest."

God looked for justice and found bloodshed. God looked for reception and found rejection. God’s response in Isaiah’s case was, "I will make it a ruin overgrown with thorns and briers," and in Jesus’ story God will give the kingdom to someone else. You will not find any plainer language any place in scripture.

The people listening to Isaiah and to Jesus thought they already knew what God was looking for, but their vineyard was turned to ruin and their place in God’s kingdom was given to others. Who today will have their vineyard overgrown with thorns and briers? Who today will have their place in the kingdom given to someone else? Who today thinks they know what God is looking for, but haven’t listened to Isaiah or to Jesus? God will have justice and a rich harvest with us or – Do you still have your socks on? God will find someone else to do it.