Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.
Isaiah called Israel the vineyard of the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 5:1-2); Today’s reading makes reference to this statement. Many of the prophets threatened punishment would come unless there would be repentance. Parents often feel the necessity of punishing their children. Civil authorities threaten punishment for those who break the law.
Do you think, that, when parents punish their children, that they take delight in inflicting punishment on them? Or do they punish their children in order to correct them and to help them grow? Do we expect our law enforcement and our judicial system to take delight in incarcerating or mistreating people? The boogie man, karma, or threatening to tell Santa Claus are meant to change bad behavior into good,
“The vineyard of the Lord is the House of Israel”. If the prophet threatens doom for the leaders of the people, the prophet is interesting in seeing bad behavior change. If Jesus tells a parable to the leaders of the people and threatens punishment, Jesus is not saying that he wants to replace the leaders of the people or that he wants the Jewish people replaced by Christian ones. Rather, like the prophets before him, he wants to call people to repentance.
The last thing God would ever want for his people would be to replace them. Once chosen, forever chosen are the Jewish people to God. The parable grows in intensity. One servant, one beating; more servants, much rougher treatment; even more servants, killings. Could it get any worse? The sending of the only son and his violent death and the treatment of his corpse. That is the last straw.
Why go into such detail? It is a message, a call for repentance. God wants us to change. God is not interested in replacing people. God is not interested in sending sinners to hell. God is not interested in destroying. Rather God sent the Son to rescue and save.
In today’s parable the leaders of the people are being called to repent. As we hear the story today, we are called to repentance “or else”. God wants us to change our behavior for the better.