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27th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A - 8/10/2023 - Gospel: Mt 21, 33-43
Betrayal
Religious leaders are Chief priests, Scribes, and Elders, who have challenged Jesus' authority. Jesus knew that confronting them face-to- face would only irritate them more. He took a different approach which would make them listen tentatively, and think hard about what he said. He talked to them through a parable. Last week, he told the parable of the son whom the father asked to work in his vineyard. One answered 'No' but later on changed his mind and went; the other answered 'Yes', but didn't act. This week, Jesus doesn't talk about the vineyard, but the tenants. He talks about wealth and power: things that religious leaders loved, and that would make them listen with interest. He told the parable about the landlord, who set up a vineyard. Before going abroad, he entrusted it to the tenants. His absence implies that the landlord completely trusts his tenants. They have the freedom to do what is best for the vineyard. When the harvest time arrived, the landlord sent his servants to collect the product. Instead of honouring the lease, the tenants took advantage of their freedom, and maltreated the servants. In his kindness, the landlord sent the second group of tenants; they treated them in the same way. In his kindness, the landlord believes that the tenants would respect his son; he sent his son to them. Seeing the son, the tenants plan to kill the son in the hope of taking over his inheritance. Jesus ends the parable with a question, 'What will the landlord do to those tenants? They answered: 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants. 'Mt 21,41. Up to this point, the religious leaders believe that Jesus talks not about them but about someone. 'I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit'. Hearing this they come to the realization that Jesus talked about them.

The tenants' verdict has two parts: a/ end the wretches, and b/ take the vineyard away from them. Instead of applying the whole verdict on the tenants. The landlord shows mercy to the tenants by applying only the second part upon them, 'Lease the vineyard to other tenants'. He took upon himself the hardest part, the first part of their verdict, by allowing them to crucify him on the cross.

God is the owner of the vineyard. The old vineyard is the house of Israel; the new vineyard is Jesus' followers. The tenants include all those in whom God entrusts a leadership role. The servants represent God's prophets and messengers who had been ill-treated by the tenants. The heir of God is no one else but Jesus himself, who the religious leaders and local powers had rejected and killed outside the Holy City.

'The stone rejected by the builders' refers to Jesus' own death. He was crucified outside the Holy City by the religious leaders and the Romans. His resurrection from death makes him, Jesus, the keystone of his Church, the new vineyard, with new tenants, and new people. Jesus becomes the new creation and everything that belongs to him becomes a new creation in him. We, the Gentiles, had been rejected, now are invited to be part of God's kingdom. The parable is about God whose only Son, Jesus, is with his people. Some choose to reject him; others choose to follow and love him. Loving him by means of producing good fruit, that is, to show care and love to others. Loving him by glorifying his name through acts of worship and acts of charity.
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