• Tending the Vineyard, Matthew 21:33-46, Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:7-15
  by Rev. Karen A. Goltz
   

• One God, One People - a message for World Communion
  by Rev. Frank Schaefer

• Stewards of the Kingdom  Matthew 21:33-46
  by Rev. Randy Quinn
   

• Stone Foundations & Glass Houses, Exodus 20:1-20/ Psalm 19
  by Rev. Randy L. Quinn 
   

• Absentee Landlord, Mt. 21:33-46, by Rev. Thomas Hall

• Cornerstone of the Kingdom, Mat. 21:33-46, by DG Bradley

• Called to be Caretakers, Mat. 21:33-46, Doug in Riverside

• A Place for All, Mat. 21:33-46, by Susan in San-Pedro
   

• For St. Francis Day: St. Francis, Gal 6:14-18 Matt 11:25-30, by HW in HI

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Tending the Vineyard
based on Matthew 21:33-46, Isaiah 5:1-7, Psalm 80:7-15
by Rev. Karen A. Goltz

            From what I've heard, vineyards are a huge investment.  The vines have to be nurtured and cultivated for years after they're planted before they're able to produce a viable crop.  Years of painstaking work, caring for these tiny, fragile vines, but done with the hope and expectation that eventually these vines will produce sweet fruit fit to be turned into the finest wines.  The payoff of this fruit makes it all worth it in the end; the expectation of that payoff turns all that painstaking labor into a labor of love.

            The owner of the vineyard in Matthew's text knows that his vines have produced a worthy harvest, but the tenants taking care of the vineyard have seized the grapes for themselves, doing violence to the slaves and even killing the son of the owner.  They deny him the fruit of his own vineyard.

            The owner of the vineyard in Isaiah's text is able to harvest his grapes, only there's no reason for him to do so.  He is rewarded for all his hard work with a crop of wild grapes, sour, unusable.  His hopes and expectations for the sweet fruit of his labors go unfulfilled.

The psalmist paints a mournful picture of a vine brought out of Egypt, lovingly cared for so it flourished, only to be cut down, its fruit devoured by beasts of the land and strangers passing by.

            Vineyards and grapes are all around us in these readings, but none of these readings has anything to do with grapes or vineyards.

            The psalmist's sad picture has the people of Israel identifying themselves as this vine.  They say to God, "You have brought a vine out of Egypt; you cast out the nations and planted it.  You cleared the ground for it; it took root and filled the land."  They describe themselves as a vine strong enough and big enough to cover the mountains in its shadow.  Cedars, tall and mighty, are dwarfed by this single grapevine that God brought out of Egypt.  Such pride in having been chosen by God, freed from their slavery in Egypt and led to the promised land.  Only, just as God had once made the walls of Jericho crumble and fall, the city to be pillaged and plundered by these chosen people, these chosen people themselves have now crumbled and fallen.  They are now being pillaged and plundered, all their strength and might gone.  In the verses of this psalm that we didn't read this morning, the people are crying out to God for salvation.  Over and over again they beg to be restored to the place of special favor that they once enjoyed.  "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel," (Psalm 80:1a) they cry.  "Stir up your might, and come to save us!  Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine upon us, and we shall be saved.  O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers (Psalm 80:2b-4)... Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine upon us, and we shall be saved (Psalm 80:7)... Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine upon us, and we shall be saved. (Psalm 80:19)"

             This psalm, taken by itself, shows Israel to be innocent victims of the Lord's wrath.  They blame God for making them drink tears, and for making them the scorn of their enemies.  They acknowledge that God is angry with them, but they make no mention of what may have caused that anger.  They only cry out to God to restore them, and give them life.

            The prophet Isaiah tells us God's point of view.  First using the vineyard metaphor, Isaiah speaks of a vinedresser who lovingly cultivates his vines, doing everything possible to encourage sweet, rich grapes to grow unhindered, only to have the grapes themselves inexplicably rebel against him.  Almost as though in response to the cries of the people in Psalm 80, God says, "What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it...For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but he saw bloodshed; [he expected] righteousness, but [he] heard a cry!"  God agrees that he did indeed tear down the vineyard, just as the psalmist accuses him, but he also explains why.  After doing all he could to cultivate and nurture his beloved people, they turned from him, and rebelled against him.  He cultivated them to be just and righteous, showing them mercy upon mercy, choosing them out of sheer grace, and they chose bloodshed over justice, and rebellion over righteousness.

            Two points of view: Israel's and God's.  I find myself sympathizing with both.  On one hand, I can understand where the psalmist is coming from.  They'd had all this good fortune for so long, it seemed a birthright to them.  It was their own, to do with as they wished.  To suddenly have it all taken away like that is devastating.  To suddenly be the conquered, rather than the conquerors.  To suddenly be despised, rather than feared.  Overall, they were good people, just doing their best to get ahead.  They had minds of their own--given to them by God--and they were doing what was right and just in their own sight.  What had they done that was so terrible that it deserved their being brought down so low?

            But on the other hand, God did nurture and protect his people, choosing them based on no merit of their own, wanting only for them to remain faithful to him and practice his justice and righteousness.  Instead they rebelled, using all the good things God had given them out of sheer grace to further their own personal objectives, turning away from the source of all their good fortune while claiming that fortune to be their own.  Just like the wicked tenants in Matthew's gospel.  Just like us...[continue]