The Holy Martyr Boniface (230)
Nativity Fast.
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Titus 1:5-2:1; Luke 20:9-18
The parable of today’s gospel comes immediately after the failed test of Jesus by the Jewish religious authorities (found in yesterday’s gospel), and the tension between Jesus and the priests and scribes only increases. While the chief priests and elders are still in earshot, Jesus begins to tell the people a parable that is directed at these temple officials. It is a reworking of another vineyard-parable, from Isaiah 5:1-7, told by a prophet who also experienced rejection on the part of Israel. Using the familiar image of the vineyard would have helped Jesus’ listeners (whether laypeople or priests) to understand that the servants of the parable represented the prophets like Isaiah, who were repeatedly rejected.
The new element in this parable, however, is the presence of the “beloved Son” who is rejected and murdered by the tenants of the vineyard, a hint about how Jesus saw himself and his approaching death. Jesus concludes his parable by quoting from the Psalms: “The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.” This verse originally referred to Israel, a small nation ignored and abused by the great powers of the ancient world, yet chosen by God to be the foundation of his plan of salvation for the world. In Jesus this verse has its fullest meaning: the beloved Son of God, rejected by the leaders who should have recognized him as the Christ, is vindicated by the Father who raises him from the dead and counts him as the first-fruits of our salvation.