March 17 2006

Mt 21:33-43, 45-46 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 deathand 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. ”When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

It is such a difficult thing to understand how the people of the vineyard can be so cruel. There is evil in the world still. God is foretelling the crucifixion and also I believe that the rejection and persecution of the tenants in the vineyard is a sign of to be noted of who God dearly treasures. The evil priests and Pharisees were afraid of the crowds gathered to hear Jesus. It it were not for that they would have taken Jesus away. The crowds knew that Jesus was a great prophet. The parables are so deep in layers of meaning and at the same time so simple. I pray for the strength of faith to go into the vineyard of God when God asks and to not let my heart be wearied by the presence of evil. God will give me what I need when I need it if I have the faith to remain steadfast. God creat in me a clean heart and a ready and willing spirit.