It seems that more and more states have vineyards these days. In the “old days” we could name the wine producing states on one hand. But, as I travel around the United States, I see highway signs advertising vineyard tours and wine tastings in states I never would have associated with wine. With the increased numbers of vineyards and opportunities to tour them and see wine production up close, a large number of us have learned a lot about planting vineyards, harvesting and making wines.
One thing we probably have learned on those tours is that even with modern farm equipment, planting and harvesting grapes to make wine takes a lot of time, energy and money. That’s true now and it certainly was true in more primitive biblical times. Our Isaiah reading reflects a little about planting and the tending of a vineyard in those days.
Isaiah tells us of the care his friend took with his hillside vineyard. (Vineyard planting on a hillside probably required even more intense labor and attention than usual.) First, his friend turned the soil, cleared the stones and planted the choicest wines. He must have had great hopes for the wine he would eventually drink with his family and friends. (Winemakers say they can almost taste the wine even before they press the grapes) He even built a watchtower to help him keep an eye out for both animal and human intruders. Imagine his surprise and frustration when, after all his efforts, all he got was “wild grapes.”
Biblical writers, like Isaiah, found in the vineyard an appropriate metaphor for God’s relationship with the people of Israel. Isaiah and Jesus used the vineyard as a way of contrasting God’s love for us with our lack of receptivity and response. Jesus’ parable echoes Isaiah’s, but unlike the prophet’s version, while the master of the vineyard will destroy the tenants, the vineyard is spared and given to others who will take better care of it and be responsible for fruit.
My mother never really liked the Mary and Martha story in Luke’s gospel and, if it were left to her, she would have taken a scissor to it. She identified strongly with Martha, she said, and thought Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to him while her sister was rushing around doing all the necessary work of hospitality, was just lazy and inconsiderate.
No matter how much we love the scriptures I’m sure that there are passages we just don’t like, find impractical, unrealistic or even naVve. In fact, if it were left up to us, we might just cut them out or edit them severely. When we hear them in the company of others, we may even feel a bit uncomfortable. A friend might even ask, “Do you really believe that?” It doesn’t take long to think of those passages. What about Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, forgive 77 times? If we could, would we eliminate those passages, or at least make them sound more “real?” It certainly would make reading and following the gospel a lot less complicated and challenging!
Maybe today’s scripture passage is one of those we would choose to keep, but would like to edit. If I had an editor’s pen in hand I would cut out the center section of this parable. I would eliminate the part right after the first servants were sent out to collect the produce from the vineyard and were seized and killed. Then I would proceed quickly to the part with Jesus asks the question, “What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”
I would certainly keep the answer the religious leaders, very sensibly, give to Jesus: “The owner will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease the vineyard to other tenants who would give him the produce at the proper times.” If I were the editor I would suggest to Jesus to cut the part that says, “Again he sent other servants.” For sure I would tell him to eliminate the line, “Finally he sent his son to them.” See what I mean? Does this landowner’s actions make any sense to our practical, sensible minds? What parent would send a child into such a situation, so fraught with danger? Wouldn’t the story be much more acceptable and understandable to people if it didn’t contain these undesirable, unrealistic details? As the kids say, “Get real!”
If we did cut those parts out of the story we would be left with a sensible and practical tale that might suit our ways of acting. But what we would lose would be the God Jesus is alluding to who, even when first rebuffed, doesn’t give up on us, but keeps coming back to make an appeal to us. This is a God who again and again invites us to live more faithful lives in the particular part of the vineyard in which we are called to live and minister.
We know that when Jesus tells a story about vineyards he is not talking about grapes and farmwork. Rather, he has something else on his mind. This parable emphasizes the importance of our bearing fruits in the vineyard. Jesus is addressing our daily lives, the work we do and how we pass our days–at school, work, office, supermarkets, playfields, at our computers etc. These activities, especially at work, take so much of our time and energy. Jesus is suggesting that it is at the very places where we spend so much attention and energies that we are under his rule of life. There we must be guided in our activities by what he teaches about: the value and dignity of every human being and the dignity and importance of our own work. Without honest and dedicated workers there would be no harvest and no wine to celebrate.
We profess the ideals of our faith here each Sunday. But who among us couldn’t admit, “I could do more for God?” Or, “My actions could be more consistent with the faith I profess in church.” Yes, we all fall short. Isn’t that why we start each Eucharist expressing our desire for mercy?
If we did have an opportunity to edit the biblical text, we would be better off leaving the story the way Jesus gives it to us. Each of us needs the middle section of the story–the part about the additional servants being sent to the rebellious tenants in the vineyard. We especially need to keep the part about the son being sent to them, for it is a reminder how far God is willing to go to reach out to us in the particular part of the vineyard we have been given to tend. Jesus is telling us something about God that we need to hear. God doesn’t give up on us even when we have turned away from God. God is willing to risk looking foolish in our eyes; willing to come again and again to us. God’s love doesn’t diminish even when we reject God or live lukewarm lives of faith.
We come here Sunday after Sunday because we want our lives to reflect the gospel stories we hear. Aren’t we grateful that we are given second, third and even more chances to renew our resolution for the coming week to be more fruitful members of God’s family? Most of all, aren’t we grateful that God sees into our hearts and knows that we want to live good and faithful lives? So, God sends us the Son at this Eucharist to nourish us and moves us to take advantage of this one-more opportunity to respond to God’s love.