The parable of the vineyard that we find in today's passage occurs in the Gospel more than once. Evidently, by repeating it again and again, the evangelists wanted to tell us something very important for us. Of course, Jesus Himself directs this parable first of all against His contemporaries, some of whom...
The parable of the vineyard that we find in today's passage occurs in the Gospel more than once. Evidently, by repeating it again and again, the evangelists wanted to tell us something very important for us. Of course, Jesus Himself directs this parable first of all against His contemporaries, some of whom belonged to the religious brotherhood of the Pharisees, while others held prominent positions as ministers of the Temple or well-known theologians, teachers of the Law. But if the matter concerned only the affairs of a long-vanished past, it would hardly be worth paying so much attention to this parable today. After all, we are not Pharisees, not Old Testament priests, and not teachers of the Law. And if we found ourselves in the place of the tenants in the parable, we, of course, would not reject those who had been sent: we are Christians, and we have made our choice, or so it would appear.
But here is the question: why did those to whom the Savior first addressed Himself not accept Him? They did not need to "convert" anywhere in order to do so: Jesus was not offering anyone any new religion. He offered something else: the Kingdom of God. Christianity is not a religion at all: Jesus left us neither a new religious teaching, nor a religious organization such as, for example, that same Pharisaic brotherhood, nor a rule or moral code that we were to follow. He left in the world only a community of His disciples, to whom He gave one commandment only: to live in the Kingdom. Christianity is this life in the Kingdom. Of course, over the years and centuries it inevitably had to clothe itself in religious forms, which cannot be wholly abandoned before the second coming of Christ and the full transformation of the world. And Christian life clothed itself in many religious garments: Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, diverse as all life is diverse, and all the more the life of the Kingdom.
But if we Christians have acquired our own Christian religiosity over time, sooner or later we will inevitably encounter religious problems, the same kind as those faced in Gospel times by the Pharisees, temple priests, and teachers of the Law. And the main problem, as is clear from the parable, turned out to be the desire to take possession of the vineyard that belongs to God alone, and in which each of us can at best be only a worker. For a believer, such a desire would appear at the very least strange. But such a seizure does not at all have to be malicious from the beginning. As a rule, it happens under all sorts of respectable pretexts, most often under the pretext of protecting the vineyard from outsiders, from thieves and destroyers.
And here religiosity proves extremely convenient: when it is necessary to separate one people from all the rest, or one part of a people from another, to fence off a community from destructive influences, whatever those influences may be and from whomever they may come, religion can prove very useful. Religion is always connected with a certain set of more or less rigid norms, rules, and forms that regulate all or many sides of life, and such regulation in itself protects well against outside influences. And if we remember that every religion is also a set of certain rules of life and religious obligations, it turns out that it not only protects but also disciplines both individual people and whole communities.
And yet any religion, even one based on revelation given by God, remains the work of human hands. For people express and embody in life the revelation given by God, adapting it to their human limitation. Therefore any revelation is always greater than any religion, and the Kingdom does not fit within any religious framework. Then one has to choose between familiar, established, time-tested, honored religiosity and the Kingdom. And having chosen, one must leave familiar religion for Christ. Or, remaining with one's own, kill the One who brings the Kingdom. Kill Him because otherwise those who want to remain with their own will have no peaceful life. For religion always takes hold of the whole person, entirely and completely, defining his life from beginning to end, and for a religious person the very thought is unbearable that there can be something in the world over which his religion has no power.
2
2:1 My brethren - The equality of Christians, intimated by this name, is the ground of the admonition. Hold not the faith of our common Lord, the Lord of glory - Of which glory all who believe in him partake. With respect of persons - That is, honour none merely for being rich; despise none merely for being poor.
2:2 With gold rings - Which were not then so common as now.
2:3 Ye look upon him - With respect.
2:4 Ye distinguish not - To which the most respect is due, to the poor or to the rich. But are become evil - reasoning judges - You reason ill, and so judge wrong: for fine apparel is no proof of worth in him that wears it.
2:5 Hearken - As if he had said, Stay, consider, ye that judge thus. Does not the presumption lie rather in favour of the poor man? Hath not God chosen the poor - That is, are not they whom God hath chosen, generally speaking, poor in this world? who yet are rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom - Consequently, the most honourable of men: and those whom Godso highly honours, ought not ye to honour likewise?
2:6 Do not the rich often oppress you - By open violence; often drag you - Under colour of law.
2:7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name - Of God and of Christ. The apostle speaks chiefly of rich heathens: but are Christians, so called, a whit behind them?
2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law - The supreme law of the great King which is love; and that to every man, poor as well as rich, ye do well. Lev 19:18.
2:9 Being convicted - By that very law. Exo 23:3.
2:10 Whosoever keepeth the whole law, except in one point, he is guilty of all - Is as liable to condemnation as if he had offended in every point.
2:11 For it is the same authority which establishes every commandment.
2:12 So speak and act - In all things. As they that shall be judged - Without respect of persons. By the law of liberty - The gospel; the law of universal love, which alone is perfect freedom.For their transgressions of this, both in word and deed, the wicked shall be condemned; and according to their works, done in obedience to this, the righteous will be rewarded.
2:13 Judgment without mercy shall be to him - In that day.Who hath showed no mercy - To his poor brethren. But the mercy of God to believers, answering to that which they have shown, will then glory over judgment.