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Matthew 21: 33–43
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Lord, send out your light and truth, that they may lead us
to your dwelling. Amen. [Psalm 43:3]
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Sometimes we only realize what matters most to us in this world when we
suddenly realize we can lose it. That has been my experience in this year
of the pandemic as I’ve reluctantly stayed physically distant from
the people who matter most to me in this world – my children and
grandchildren, my church family, my friends and clergy colleagues. That
absence, that physical distance has helped me see all over again that
it’s relationships that matter most to us, that make our lives
exciting and rewarding – relationships with friends, with parents
and children, with colleagues and neighbors. Altogether, relationships
make up the most important aspects of our lives.
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And I can’t help thinking that Jesus was thinking the same way
that final week in Jerusalem, as he prepared to go to his death. Only
he wasn’t just concerned for himself. He was trying to help his
followers understand that God thinks the very same way. God’s
relationship with his Son and with us — his children — are
what makes his heart beat faster. His love for them puts the gleam in
his eye. And when you love someone, when you care about them, the most
natural thing in the world is to give to them. That’s what God
did when he gave Israel, the Promised Land, to his children. Only he
doesn’t usUally call it “Israel”. He calls it his
“vineyard.” So this morning, in the Old Testament reading,
and in the Psalm and the Gospel we’re hearing about this
wonderful gift God gave in love to his children.
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What you have to understand is that it wasn’t just a piece of
land that happened to grow grapes. It was land specially chosen
to grow grapes. It was land specially cultivated and watered, carefully
defended against marauders. And the grape vines, too, were specially
chosen – not ordinary scuppernongs or muscadines, but the best of
the best – Merlot, Cabernet, Champagne stock. In other words, God
gave lavishly of his time, his resources, his energy – to give all
his children a gift that represented his love. Just like his love, it
was a gift that would keep on giving. And he gave it the way loving
parents do — foolishly, generously. Then, having set everything
up, he went away, leaving those children to value his gift and tend it
carefully, together.
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Was he being unreasonable to expect something in return? No,
that’s simply the nature of love. It’s the natural response
to a gift given in love. The one who receives such a gift wants to
give back. Because love is contagious. You catch it from someone who
has it. And then you spread it around. You share it freely.
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That kind of gift giving literally “makes something holy.”
And that’s what God did when he gave the vineyard freely,
generously, sacrificially. Sacra in Latin means “holy”
and facio, facere is “to make.” Somehow, when a gift
is given sacrificially both the giver and the receiver are made holy.
They are elevated. And that kind of giving is not confined to Bible
stories alone.
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Back in the day when baseball and football teams were still playing
regularly, we would often see stunning examples of sacrificial giving
when a young man was signed by some major league team. After receiving
a handsome signing bonus, the young athlete might buy his mama an
expensive house or car or swimming pool — because she was the one
who had worked three jobs to give him every advantage. She had given to
him lovingly, sacrificially. And in gratitude he now was giving back
to her. And in the process, both mother and child are elevated. In a
sense, by their mutual sacrifice, they are made holy.
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That’s the way the owner of the vineyard gave that vineyard to
the tenants. Only they didn’t appreciate the sacrificial love
that was part and parcel of the gift. Nor did they want to share the
gift with any of the Lord’s other servants. So when those other
servants came, asking for a share of the profits, the stewards treated
them badly — really badly. And then, when the owner sent his son,
thinking, “At least they will respect my son,” they actually
killed the son.
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Now Jesus told this story to the priests and elders, who knew full well
that the “vineyard” meant Israel, and that they themselves,
as the stewards of Israel, were being cast in the role of greedy
tenants. They didn’t seem to see that love – in
relationship — lay at the heart of the gift. They didn’t seem
to realize that by sharing the gift with the Lord’s other children
they themselves could be made holy. Instead, the request only made them
angrier.
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So even before it happens, Jesus tells them the rest of the story. He
tells them that they will kill him. He tells them that in response his
heavenly Father will bring them to justice and leave that vineyard to
tenants who will acknowledge their debt of loving gratitude. And then
Jesus reminds them of the verse in Psalm 118.
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The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone –
implying, of course, that he himself is that
stone . . . and will, eventually, be
exalted by God.
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Now, this morning we can read this story through a variety of lenses.
It’s easy to see it as a story that describes what happened to
people who ignored the Old Testament prophets – the ones sent to
warn Israel against turning away from God, because hindsight, as they
say, is 20–20. And it’s a chillingly accurate picture of
what eventually happened to Jesus. But it is more difficult to say
what this parable is saying to us, in this year of the pandemic, a year
when blessings have been scarce.
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As I thought about that this week, I remembered a story I heard years
ago about a family in the Midwest during the 1920s. They were a big
family with lots of children and lots of love – but not much else.
They lived on a farm in Illinois, and their wellbeing depended on the
weather. In any given year, if there was enough rain and enough sun at
just the right time – their crops would be good, and they would
know they’d been blessed. But if the weather was bad and the crops
weren’t good, there wasn’t a lot they could do about
it — but pray.
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One year, though, at the beginning of the year there was a new blessing.
The county installed electricity – all the way to their isolated
farm. And they rejoiced to have light all day and all night too, if they
wanted it. But the rest of the year was a disaster. That spring there
was a late freeze – and newly planted crops were lost. Then later
in the spring there was a flood – and their crops were wiped out
again. And finally, that summer, there was no rain at all – and
everything withered away. So that year, as Thanksgiving approached,
they weren’t at all sure they had anything to give thanks for.
It had simply been a disastrous year.
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But on Thanksgiving Day itself, when everyone was gathered around the
table, the father did something unusual. He switched off the overhead
light, and instead, lit one of the kerosene lamps they used to rely on.
And in its dim light everyone was silent. They knew what he was saying.
They had received a blessing that year, a blessing of bright
light. And after a few moments, when he bowed his head to give thanks,
everyone joined in.
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I think we are in a similar position this year, for we too, because of
the pandemic, have had a difficult year. And yet, during the year, the
Lord has shined a bright light on some of the problems our neighbors
have suffered, neighbors who are living in the same God–given
vineyard we live in. Some have lost their jobs and been forced to go
to food pantries for the first time in their lives. If we didn’t
understand before what “living paycheck to paycheck”
actually means, we understand it now. Others have lost their lives,
black people and Latinos especially, perhaps because of poor nutrition
and poor health care. And that’s not all. We have also had a
bright light shined on the problem of police brutality in this country,
especially against black people. And I don’t think any of us will
be able to forget what we have finally seen.
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So yes, we have been blessed this year, not least by a fresh vision
of the way the Lord sees things in the vineyard he gave to us all. And
the question is, what kind of stewards will we prove to be of the gifts
God has given to us?
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I think he knows it’s within our power to give back to him by
giving to others – lovingly, gratefully, generously – all
the while, thanking him for the blessing.
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Amen
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