The Gospel of Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, they regarded him as a prophet.
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus Chris , You are the beloved Son sent into the vineyard of this world. Forgive us for the times we have resisted Your authority, while enjoying Your blessings. Root out every spirit of rebellion, pride, and self-rule within us. Make our hearts a vineyard that bears the fruit You desire, justice, mercy, faithfulness, and love. Let Your cross, once rejected, become the cornerstone of our lives. Build us into Your people, and let Your kingdom flourish in us and through us. Amen.
Jesus tells a parable to the chief priests and elders in the temple courts in Jerusalem. Jesus describes a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He then leased it to some farmers and went away on a journey. As you read this Gospel do you sense the greed? Yes, there is greed. The greed of the tenants. They did not give the rightful share to the landowner; instead, they kept for themselves what was supposed to be his. Their greed eventually caused their self-destruction. So, as we look around today, we see lots of greed that results in the desire for those who are greedy wanting more and more, never fully satisfied in what they have. So, what is the cure for this greed? The cure is generosity! If we are always generous, we will never run out of things to give. We also free ourselves from the curse of greed, which has already destroyed so many. What is it about material things that make us so greedy? Can being greedy bring us closer to Jesus? We can’t take it to our graves when we die. A person can only manage so much in resources, and it just sits there where a portion could be used to help the marginized. If the tenants in our Gospel had not been greedy and given the landowner his rightful share, they could have continued their relationship as tenants and landowner. They could have experienced prosperity and peace, and they could have avoided destruction. In this parable Jesus tells a parable about the son of a vineyard owner is killed by the tenants. This reading is a direct foreshadowing of Jesus’ own death. Following the parable, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22: “It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone. “Here, he even foretells his resurrection. Though rejected by the religious and political leaders of his time, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, becoming the keystone of the new temple, his Church. Through this teaching, Jesus reminds us that what is initially dismissed or undervalued can often turn out to be of crucial and life-changing importance. Unfortunately, today those who are greedy hoard their resources and don’t give any to those who need help. They don’t end up ruining their lives, but they become symbols of greed and contempt failing to use their resources to follow in Jesus’ ways, who represents the Cornerstone. And Jesus quotes Psalm 118: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” It represents human rejection, divine reversal, human rejection, and a new foundation with a new future. Unfortunately, the leaders’ reaction becomes one of conviction without conversion, even though he chief priests and Pharisees understand the parable, they know it is about them. But instead of repenting, they seek to arrest Jesus. This Gospel shows It is possible to understand Jesus perfectly and still reject Him. Insight is different from surrender. The rejected Son becomes the cornerstone of a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Let us Pray: Lord, as we engage with others who may struggle with rejection or misunderstanding of Your message, grant us the wisdom to share Your love and the truth in grace. May we reflect Your light. We leave this prayer with renewed commitment to live for You, to be the tenants who honor and uphold Your vineyard with joy and dedication. May everything we do be for Your glory, producing a bountiful harvest that reflects Your love and holiness. In Jesus’ mighty name, we pray, Amen.
