Send us Fan Mail

There is also a sub-story here—one hidden in plain sight. Why were some Pharisees so adversarial toward Jesus? The first point worth noting is that not all Pharisees were against Jesus.

Sadly, however, there was a small group of Pharisees who actively worked to undermine and trap Jesus at every opportunity. I am sure Jesus was likely annoyed by them. Yet, ironically, some of Jesus’ most powerful teachings emerged from his dialogue with the Pharisees.

As a psychologist, I wonder why those particular Pharisees were so opposed to Jesus when many of their colleagues were not. You may have heard the expression “overreacting.” People often use it to describe someone whose response seems far greater than the situation warrants.

But I would argue that people are not necessarily overreacting.

Complete our 1 Minute Survey

Send us Fan Mail

In Scripture, heaven and the reign of God are often described as a banquet. We know that the first miracle Jesus performed making wine was at a wedding banquet. This image would have had particular meaning in the ancient world. Food preservation was difficult because refrigeration did not exist. People generally ate what was available.

Perhaps the parable speaks to what happens when we become so busy that we fail to recognize the Spirit working in our lives and communities. The king invites people to a celebration that would feed them physically, emotionally, and socially. Yet they walk away. Could something similar happen in our own lives?

We may be invited into experiences that nourish our bodies, our relationships, and our spiritual lives. But because we are busy, distracted, or preoccupied, we may fail to recognize or value the invitation. We may walk away from possibilities that could help us grow.

Complete our 1 Minute Survey

Send us Fan Mail

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who plants a vineyard, leases it to tenants, and then sends servants to collect the harvest. The tenants beat, stone, and kill the servants. Finally, the landowner sends his son, saying, “They will respect my son.” Instead, the tenants kill him as well, hoping to take possession of the inheritance.

Matthew’s Gospel presents the parable as a warning that the kingdom of God will be entrusted to a people who produce its fruits. This interpretation has sometimes been used to suggest that God rejected the Jewish people and replaced them with Christians. Such a reading is dangerous and fails to respect the Jewish roots of Jesus, his disciples, and the Christian faith.

Rather than using this parable to condemn another people, we should allow it to challenge every religious community—including our own. The question is not, “Who are the wicked tenants?” The question is, “How have we treated what God has entrusted to us?”

Complete our 1 Minute Survey