This is a slideshow presentation based on Matthew 21:33-43, the Gospel reading for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). You may embed this slideshow into your own blog/website or download the original PowerPoint/Pdf file so you may use it in your liturgical celebrations. You can also view a high quality and printable version of the slides by clicking here.

READING: Matthew 21:33-43

‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes”? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

REFLECTION

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells the Parable of the Wicked Tenants. The owner of the vineyard sends out his servants to collect from his tenants. But the tenants beat one, killed another and stoned a third. Believing that they will respect him, the owner then decided to send his own son. But the tenants rejected the son and killed him too.

Many biblical scholars agree that the owner in the parable represents God and the tenants are the people of Israel. The servants are the prophets and other messengers sent to convert Israel. The Son is Jesus who was rejected and killed.

Although this story was told about two thousand years ago, this does not mean that it doesn’t apply to us today. We need to make sure that we are good tenants and take care of the vineyard and remember that God is in charge. God created us to be the stewards of the world. He gives each of us a particular work to do in his vineyard. God also give us the grace and the freedom to fulfill our responsibility – to produce the fruits of the Kingdom. We are God’s “tenants” who need to exemplify God’s ideals in action in today’s world.