Reflection

The Parable of the Tenants in the Gospel today is the whole history of our salvation in a nutshell. The vineyard stands for the Old Testament chosen people of God, Israel. The landowner is God. The murdered servants represent the prophets. The son of the landowner is Jesus. He is also the stone rejected as the cornerstone. The tenants are the leaders of Israel. They were given the responsibility to take care of the vineyard. The landowner trusted them. He had cared for his land well, thereby, ensuring its productiveness. Like any landowner, he expected the tenants will till the land well and the produce will be available at harvest time. He expected too much. The tenants he entrusted the vineyard with were only concerned about their own gain. They failed in the stewardship entrusted to them. They neglected their responsibility. They rejected the patience of the landowner shown in his gesture of sending several emissaries, even his own son, believing that they are still capable of goodness, and will welcome him. They didn’t. They threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. The owner saw the hardness of their hearts, so he gives the vineyard to new tenants, new stewards, and a new chosen people.

We can focus our reflection on two things about this gospel parable.

First, we are all stewards. In a very unique and special way, God has made us responsible for one another and for the world we live in. We are the new chosen people of God because we have accepted Jesus as our cornerstone. How do we become good tenants and responsible stewards? A steward is sometimes called a caretaker or a keeper. We need to let go of Cain’s attitude. Remember when God asked him where his brother Abel was? He answered: “I don’t know; Am I my brother’s keeper?”

We are stewards of God. What should we keep or care for? Our God is a God of peace. We are keepers of peace as well. We must believe that there are better ways of keeping world peace than making war. Our God is a God of generosity. Everything is from God’s abundance. We came into this world naked and with empty hands. God has placed many good things in them. As stewards, we are to share the fruits of God generosity in our life. As God’s stewards, we also must keep the world we live in and not slowly destroy it with human greed and wastefulness.

Second, the love of God for us is unconditional and patient. He grants us many opportunities for renewal and change. As long as we are open to the grace of Jesus in our life, we are never lacking in second chances. A new start is always possible. He can turn our desperation into assurance, our discouragement to hopeful anticipation, and the wounds of sin to healing forgiveness.

Response

This week, think of ways how you can become a better steward of God.