God’s Vineyard
March 21, 2025 - Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46
Imagine planting a vineyard with love and care, only to have the tenants destroy it and reject your generosity. In the parable of the vineyard, Jesus uses this striking image to reveal God’s enduring love and humanity’s tendency to reject Him. This story invites us to examine how we respond to God’s grace and challenges us to produce fruit worthy of His kingdom.
God’s favorite song (Is 5:1) is about a nation He has chosen to be His treasured possession (Ex 19:5). To them, He revealed His name, freed them from slavery in Egypt, made a covenant with them, gave the law, and brought them to a land of milk and honey. Could He have done more for them than He already did (Is 5:4)? Jesus continues the parable of Isaiah, revealing to us God’s plan of salvation.
The election of Israel, symbolized by the vineyard (Mt 21:33), was the first stage in this plan. The second stage—sending the servants—represents the time of the Law and the Prophets (Mt 21:34-36). The third stage—the sending of the Son—points to the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption (Mt 21:37-38). Finally, the fourth stage—giving the vineyard to a nation that will produce its fruit—is the time of the Church (Mt 21:43). Together, these stages outline God’s unrelenting effort to draw humanity closer to Him.
After planting the vineyard, the landowner leased it to tenants and went abroad (Mt 21:33). God’s physical absence in the world challenges the person of faith: “They say to me all the day long, 'Where is your God?'” (Ps 42:4). For some, it seems to confirm that God does not exist and that everything is permissible: “They do abominable deeds; there is none who does good” (Ps 14:1; cf. Mt 21:35-39). Yet the landowner reminds us of His presence. Since the time of Moses, God has spoken to humanity through the prophets, and in these last days, He has spoken to us through His Son (Heb 1:1-2).
"They will respect my son," said the owner (Mt 21:37), but the tenants plotted, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance” (Mt 21:38). These statements illustrate the contrast between God’s goodness and humanity’s sinfulness. God desires our conversion (Ezek 18:23), yet "the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21; 6:5; cf. Mt 12:34-35; Mk 7:21-22). Still, God’s grace overcomes evil: "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Rom 5:20). The beloved Son of God, crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem, is risen! This victory of love calls us to repentance and new life.
God asks the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the people of Judah why His vineyard yielded wild grapes (Is 5:4). Jesus asks the leaders of His time what the owner will do to the tenants when he comes back (Mt 21:40). Both questions confront listeners with their sinfulness and call them to repentance. The psalmist understood this well. Seeing the desolation of the vineyard (Is 5:5-6), he prays, “Turn again, O God of hosts! (...); have regard for this vine” (Ps 80:14) and promises, “We will no more withdraw from you” (Ps 80:19).
"The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits" (Mt 21:43). The final act in God’s plan of salvation before Christ’s return in glory belongs to the Church—the chosen vineyard that gathers believers from both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus entrusted this vineyard to His apostles and their successors. They care for us by teaching Christian doctrine and living holy lives. On our part, we are called to bear fruit by putting into practice what we have received and by imitating the example of their holiness (Phil 4:9).