NOTES for Mar 12:1-12

Reflecting on the parable of the wicked tenants, it is worth turning to the text of the prophet Isaiah, which became for the Lord the kind of metaphor that, being understandable to everyone, allows Him to fill it with new meaning. And to answer the questions that the metaphor itself leaves unanswered.

What questions are these? Let us recall that this is the beginning of chapter 5. The prophet tells of the planting of a vineyard with choice vines. It is very important for him to emphasize that the hill was fertile, the vines were choice, and the Lord cleared the land of stones. That is, all the conditions had been created. But instead of grapes, there are wild berries. This unexpected break in meaning, since we understand that such a thing does not happen in nature, turns the narrative into a kind of parable and becomes the central nerve of Isaiah's whole text, leading to the question - why? "What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to yield good grapes, did it yield wild grapes?" (Isa. 5:4)

This question, full of an inexpressible heartache, remains unanswered. And it is precisely this question that Christ answers. No. There were no wild berries. There was a good harvest of grapes. But the one entrusted to gather it proved unworthy of that trust. The break in meaning is removed, and the parable reaches an entirely different metaphysical level.