Matthew 21:33 - "Listen to another parable; there was a man who owned a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to farmers and went away on a journey."
Darn. I wanted to see the reaction of the chief priests and the elders to the other parable. Perhaps Jesus can see from the looks on their faces that they are not on board. I picture them scowling threateningly at Jesus.
That parable was self-evident; this one needs extra information. At least, it will be more meaningful to know that in Isaiah 5:1-7, God tells Isaiah how much care God put into the vineyard Israel. Jesus knew this. His audience knew this. Jesus will tell the rest of this parable and everyone will have that story in the back of their minds.
So should we. In Isa 5:1-7, God tells Isaiah to remind Israel how much care he put into them. Much like the beginning of today's parable, God describes the choice vines he planted, the fertile soil, a wall built to protect the vineyard, and a wine press for making great wine. God gave it the best of everything and still the vineyard yielded wild grapes. Wild grapes are no good for making wine. Then God tells Israel, through Isaiah, that he will no longer tend the vine and will let the vineyard grow wild. He will not maintain the protective wall so that all who pass by can pluck the grapes. All this because it was growing wild grapes rather than good grapes.
Clearly, God is disappointed that even with all she's done for Israel, and us, they still go astray; chasing after other gods: escapism, shopping, possessions, a bigger house, gluttony, greed, respect of the world, power, self-indulgence. There are so many other gods to put in God's place, so many ways to yield wild grapes.
How do I respond to God's care? Are my grapes good, wild, or a mixture of both?
No comments:
Post a Comment