October 2, 2005

The Story of the Greedy Workers

by Julianne Stokstad

It's an old and all too familiar story Jesus tells in today's scripture from Matthew. We've heard it so many times; it's impossible to listen with new open ears. A rich landowner plants a vineyard, sets the place up with buildings and equipment, and then leases it to tenants while he goes away. When he sends his messengers to collect the rent, the tenants refuse to pay. They turn increasingly violent, eventually killing the owner's only son, so they can have the whole vineyard for themselves.

To connect us here in San Rafael with the parable, let me put the story in a more modern context. Imagine you own a condo, some property up in Tahoe; you fix it up and lease it for a season, then go on a cruise. When you learn the rent has not been paid, you send someone to collect it. The tenants refuse to pay, and then get violent, first beating up and then killing the bill-collectors. It's pretty clear what you'd do: you'd get them out of there, after calling the police. You'd do all you could to make them responsible for their actions. It's not hard to identify with the owner. We understand about ownership and the rights of the owners and the responsibility of the tenants. It's harder to understand the tenants' actions, isn't it? We'd probably conclude they were gang members, drug dealers, or some unsavory creatures up to no good, clearly not responsible tenants.

Of course the story isn't about a condo, but about what we would do to such bad tenants. In our scripture, Jesus asks the Pharisees to whom he is telling this parable the big question: what do they think the owner would do to the tenants when he returns? They answered the owner should "put those wretches to a miserable death and rent the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his rent each harvest."

Interpreting the parable, the owner, of course, is God, not us. We so easily assume the position of power and authority. The vineyard is often understood as the church. That means if we're a part of the story we are either the tenants or the messengers. The issue is not about ownership (that is never in question in the parable), but about the responsibility of the tenants to the owner. The religious leaders in Jesus' time couldn't see themselves as the failed tenants and I expect it's hard for us to see that as well.

I think a very good case can be made to understand God's vineyard as our Earth and maybe we can understand the parable a little better with this interpretation. If God's vineyard is the earth, then what responsibility do we have? Might we be seen as greedy or entitled or even violent tenants? We all know the statistics about how much each American uses of our world's resources.

Do we, as tenants in God's vineyard owe anything at all to God? I've heard it said that Christian churches, especially of our persuasion, offer God's unconditional love, which is given completely free to everybody. So if we believe God through God's good grace grants us all love and forgiveness, then what are our responsibilities to God?

We confuse our ownership of our little properties with God's real ownership of everything. The word entitlement comes to mind. The biblical word for tending God's vineyard is stewardship. Stewardship means taking care of that which we do not own but use. Stewardship means being responsible tenants. Unfortunately, we are more like greedy violent tenants than mature responsible caretakers of what God has given to us.

This story paints a rather dark picture of humanity. Is it unwarranted? I don't think so. Look at our history of wars, of genocide and of destruction of the earth. In each one of us there is potential for violence, selfish, and greed. Interestingly it is the listeners in this story, not Jesus or the landowner who escalate the violence, calling to put those nasty tenants to a miserable death. Too many humans still think the answer to violence is more violence. We even project our violent nature upon God. Do we expect God to come and stop the violence for us? Do we, like those greedy workers, feel no payment is needed?

We will all eventually get our due. Payment is God's judgment. This is a big theme in the Hebrew bible, but Jesus tells a different story. We aren't told what the landowner does. Will he kill all those violent tenants in a fit of angry and harsh judgment? I don't think so. Jesus understands God's justice is different. God doesn't repay violence and anger with more violence. If we suffer violence, it is not from God but from other human beings or natural causes.

Jesus tells us in this parable that God has persistent faith in us. God's only response was peaceful and patient; showing amazing love for the poor, violent, misguided humanity. God's grace is a light that shines into the darkness in human nature and human hearts with love and hope. God does not give up on us even with our continued rejection of God and our lack of responsibility for what we have been given to take care of. There is great hope in God's response: God's goodness is stronger than our evil; God's love is stronger than hate; God's peace is stronger than violence. God is not the problem; it is all of us who find it hard to be tenants rather than landowners.

On this first Sunday in October many Christian traditions will celebrate World-wide Communion. What do we celebrate as we gather around a multitude of tables this Sunday? In all our traditions we recognize that we are still not the kind of people God has called us to be. We are still rather like the greedy workers. We have rejected and turned away from our Creator. We are destroying the vineyard.

As we take communion let us come humbly with open hearts. Let us be thankful for God's love for us and once again come forward with sincere intention to live our lives as Jesus taught us to live. Our faith is enlivened and renewed through our shared meal with all Christians of all times and all those around the world today as we open ourselves to the love and presence of Christ, the son--alive in us today as we take communion.

Amen