Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 4; Holy Martyr Agathonicus and those with him (286-305); Passing into Eternal Life (1964) of Bishop Symeon (Lukach) Confessor of Krasnoyarsk and Pastor of the Stanyslaviv (Ivano-Frankivs’k) Region
1 Corinthians 16:13-24; Matthew 21:33-42
Post-feast of the Dormition
Read Matthew 21:33-42
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
“There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some tenants and moved to another place.”
The parable for this Sunday is popularly called the Parable of the Tenants. This is one of the parables for which no explanation is provided. Traditionally, the parable has been interpreted the following way: the landowner symbolises God, the vineyard – Israel, the tenants – the religious leaders of Israel, the wall represents the Law given to the Israelites, the wine press – the Temple with its sacrifices, the watchtower would be the protection provided by God to Israel, the servants sent are the prophets, and the son is Jesus the Son of God.
An important message for us is that God is the owner and we are all the renters. Renters of what you may ask? Renters of this short life. We must one day give an account for what has been leased to us.