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. Matthew 21:43

Most of us would read this parable without much problem except for its disturbing element where the wickedness of the tenants is exposed. We would most likely be on the side of the Landlord. It is impossible not to be otherwise. However, in some countries, especially, in the one where we reside, there could be a sense of uneasiness in hearing this parable.

Over the years I have been ignorant of the plight of the landless people in this country even though they are really part and parcel of our lives here. There are tons of abandoned building where we live. The number is outrageously high, somewhere around 100. Most of them can be easily transformed into living quarters. They are vacant and in a constant state of degradation because of greed. The owners refuse to lower the rent and to make matters worse, they avoid pay taxes, hoping that the government would buy them out. Consequently, the buildings are in state of impasse and gradually deteriorate while thousands are seeking affordable housing.

Large numbers of landless farmer families moved to the city to seek a home. Many have been forced to abandon their previous lifestyles because of the exuberant rent the rural landowners imposed on them. They are forced to adapt to an urban lifestyle. Unfortunately, their skills are not always transferable. They find low-paying menial jobs. Consequently, they cannot afford the high rental. Their solution is to occupy these abandoned buildings. Maybe for some, this is not acceptable in principle. However, these principles are not moral laws. These people have been treated unjustly their whole lives. Yes, I am a little tendentious here and you will understand why.

These people find the only refuge left for them; these abandoned buildings. Some of our young people live in these places. Some of our young people are descendants of these landless farmers. Therefore, whenever I read this parable now, I realize that we need to interpret it carefully in order to transmit the original intent. Since the Bible can be used to justify anything, as faithful followers of Jesus, it is our bounden duty to maintain the integrity of the gospel in our reading of this parable.

There is an interesting detail in the beginning of this parable, perhaps something that is often overlooked. Maybe it is just not interesting at first glance. However, those who have suffered under the hands of unjust landowners would perceive it immediately.

“There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.”

The landowner prepared everything for the tenants. The land was cultivated. The landowner did not give the tenants a land in an abandoned state. Unjust landowners exploit the desperate state of those in need and make them do all the work of clearing and cultivating the land. When all the hard work is done, the landowners raise the rent and drive the people who did the work out of the land. However, this landowner of the parable is different. He prepared everything. He made sure the land was perfect for the tenants before he entrusted it to them. All they had to do was to ensure that it produced fruits. He gave the tenants the opportunity to have a part of something wonderful and great which He created.

The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings. Psalm 115:16

Our heavenly Landlord has given this world as a gift for us to produce fruits as beings created in His image.

I read an interesting perspective of Jewish theology recently. I am not going to unpack all of it here for the time being. There is a great deal of wisdom to be derived from it and the space here is limited. However, it introduces an interesting concept to ponder upon. The Jewish theologian said that when God created the world, He removed Himself from it but not completely. We cannot function or exist without the presence of God. He removed Himself just enough to give us the freedom to act because the intense will of God is irresistible. I am sure one can find many faults in this argument if one wishes to do so. However, the idea is not an exhaustive metaphysical theory. It is just something to ponder upon. Our heavenly Father prepared this world for us to produce fruits for the Kingdom of God and distanced Himself. He is not absent. He gives us room to act. In the case of our Christian gospel, Our heavenly Father, not only cultivated the world for us, but He sent His Only Son to show us the way to cultivate the best fruits in this world. Now, He sits at the right hand of the Father and participates with us through intercession and His Spirit.

This simple detail of the parable gives us great insight into the heart of the Landowner. He gave everything for the tenants to be successful but unfortunately, the tenants forgot that what they had didn’t belong to them but to the Landowner.

In our Anglican liturgy, we have a sentence we say whenever we bring our offerings to the altar. It is a verse taken from from the Bible;

“For all things come from Thee, and from Thine own have we given Thee.”

It is taken from I Chronicles 29:14. We say this sentence as a way to remind ourselves of our condition. We, as Christians, cannot succumb to the idolatry of meritocracy which is a conversation strong in present times. In other words, we cannot claim that we deserve what we have because we worked for it and then go on to say these words on Sunday. Even if you don’t come a tradition which uses these words in your liturgy, this Truth is an universal Truth that all faithful followers of Jesus must accept.

Jesus, the Son of living God, even gave us an example of His own Life based on this Truth.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:5-7

If there is anyone in the world who can claim to deserve anything based on their own merit, it is Jesus. Yet He denied Himself. We, as created beings, receive everything we have through the grace of God. Therefore, we can only give back what we receive. As followers of Jesus, this Truth should be manifest in our lives.

Only those who are ignorant of God’s love or have hardened their hearts to His voice would act as if what they had received belongs to only to them. This is an attitude not just a mere act of selfishness. It is a seed which soon produces fruits of hatred and violence. It is a seed which blinds our souls to the compassionate heart of God. Eventually, it will bear fruits causing us to hate and despise all things divine and gracious. The tenants succumbed to extreme acts of hatred because they forgot that they were mere tenants. The things they had didn’t belong to them.

One thing is clear for those who follow Jesus, whatever we have is not ours but belongs only to God. He demands this back and we have to give it to Him.

God, our Heavenly Father, will send His servants to collect His rent. He will put people in our lives who ask of us our compassion and generosity. Sometimes He will send people to just share the space we occupy. These are His servants coming to collect what is due to God. We are to give freely what is required of us. God has given us all things necessary for us to share His Love to those who come to us seeking for it; spiritually and materially. We cannot turn away from these servants or think of them as unworthy of our love. Perhaps the most terrible thing we can do is to treat them as if they are invisible. Pretending someone is invisible is the closest thing to murder. Murder is, in essence, making someone completely invisible. We can make someone invisible with our actions and words. Therefore, let us pay attention because God always sends His servants to collect rent.

This parable had an even stronger impact on us this week. Just yesterday, we heard someone refer to our homeless youths as useless people who don’t want to improve themselves. This person was referring to their social status and judges them according to their lack of material wealth. We were offended that these words were proffered in their presence. We confronted the person in the most pleasant way possible. We did not want to escalate the situation. However, it was pointless. This person claimed that she had reason on her side. In a way, she had the reasoning of the world on her side. Therefore, it was impossible for us to say anything to her. The best thing to do was to walk away. Then the young people gathered around us and we talked about the incident. Surprisingly, they were not offended by her words. They ended up consoling us because we were more upset than them. They said that they knew who they were and these cruel words did not affect them. This is quite an interesting statement. They knew who they were. Where did they receive this knowledge of themselves? Perhaps they have received payments from other tenants who knew exactly that God is the true owner of everything which belongs to them.