Posted by The WORD in other words (2009) by Fr Felix Ferrer SVD – Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City
Monday 9th Week in Ordinary Time
Experience tells us how easily we fall into a holier-than-thou attitude. We compare ourselves to people of other faiths, often thinking that we are more religious or more respectable than them.
In our age of dialogue, this is considered as an unhealthy, if not totally negative, attitude. The time of christian triumphaism is over. This “dialogue of life” must now be a spirit-guiding conduct which entails what Nostra Aetate recommends Christians to carry out “while witnessing to their own faith and way of life.” It implies “concern, respect, and hospitality” towards other religions.
Going now to Jesus’ “Parable of the Wicked Tenants”, we can presume that Jesus’ immediate audience consists of the highest authorities of the Temple (the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders), some gathering of people in the temple and of course, his disciples. Who are these tenants? Biblical scholars write that they likely refer to the Jewish leaders of Israel, but if the “house of Israel” is actually supposed to be God’s promised relationship with humanity, then the tenants could refer to the Jews entirely.
Thus, this parable is a sign to Mark’s audience that the Jews are meant be God to take control of the vineyard — the inheritance of Jesus as being the chosen One of God. However, they have mismanaged and mishandled their status as the chosen people of God (as the parables seems to conclude).
This parable has seen a lot of use by Christians who have attacked Jews and Judaism because it depicts Jesus as secreting that God has judged Israel and found her guilty. This is precisely the challenge that is set before us in our age of dialogue.
Shall we maintain this same attitude of blaming our Jewish brothers and sisters for rejecting the Messiah and putting him to death? This is the so-called anti-semitic sentiment that has prevailed among Christians over centuries.
Hopefully, we can overcome this kind of attitude lest we suffer the same fate and the vineyard be entrusted to “others”.
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