October 2, 2005

Mindekirken. October 2, 2005
Pastor Jens Arne Dale

For the third Sunday in a row, we have a text about a vineyard. 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 words of Jesus refer to a beautiful, but sad song of the vineyard that we heard about in the first reading today (Isaiah 5). There they had great expectations for quality wine. The disappointment was great when they yielded only wild grapes, and the owner destroyed the whole vineyard.

Jesus’ story is different. The grapes were good, and the production was profitable. The problems occurred when the owner sent servants to get the profit. The tenants acted like men of violence who knocked down the servants in a brutal way and by that violated the rights of the owner.

Until 1814 Norway was under the Danish king. Danish officials were sent to Norway to govern the country. Many in Norway have spoken condescendingly about the Danish period, the 400-year night. But the fact is that life wasn’t that bad for most people of that time. Taxes were lower in Norway than in Denmark. Norwegian farmers enjoyed greater freedom than farmers elsewhere in Europe. Local self government was surprisingly well developed.

Take Christian IV (1577-1848) who reigned for 60 years as an example. He was a highly intelligent and well-educated man of unbelievable energy. He established the town of Kristiansand in the south and fortified Vardø in the north. Christian Quart, as he was called, developed ironworks, silver and copper mines. In 1628 he laid the foundations of a Norwegian army. He was said to be a disaster to Denmark due to his involvement in the ThirtyYear war, but for Norway he was a blessing.

Danish delegates to Norway didn’t need to fear mistreatment when they came to Norway to get the profit from their businesses. What a striking contrast to the servants in the parable of Jesus. There the delegates were beaten and even killed.

How did the owner of the vineyard react? He reasoned like a Chamberlain coming home after meeting with Hitler in Munich in 1939, declaring peace in our time. The owner of the vineyard thought it would be possible to win by using good means. They will respect my son, he thought. But he was wrong.

The tenants said to each other: This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance. But the transfer of power didn’t last long. The owner made short process, convicted the wicked tenants to death and leased the vineyard to other tenants.

What might Jesus have had in mind with this strange story? The interpretation is simple. The vineyard is the people of Israel. The tenants are the religious leaders. The owner is a picture of God. The servants are the prophets. We know that some of them were mistreated, others even killed.

According to rules of storytelling the third round is the most important one. That’s when the owner sent his own son. That’s Jesus, and this is in fact the only place in the whole NT where Jesus calls himself the son of God. Otherwise he called himself the son of man. He is the heir who was killed.

By this parable Jesus has predicted his gruesome fate in the hands of the leaders of the people. He was thrown out and killed. This is a reference to Golgatha which is located outside the city walls of Jerusalem. Hebr 13.11-13 makes a point of the fact that Jesus was killed outside the camp. There is a double offense in that. John summarizes it this way: He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. John 1.1.

When the landowner finally judges the evil tenants and leases the land to other tenants, it’s a picture of God’s judgement over Israel and that the church becomes the new tenant and people of God.

Many of you have seen Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ. It features the story of Jesus’ suffering. To use the words of the parable: It shows how the tenants killed the son of the landowner. Even if Mel Gibson kept strictly to the text of the NT, he was accused of anti-Semitism. An interesting, but not intended side effect was that many Muslims wanted to see the movie. For the first time a film about Jesus became a success in the Arab world. But it might be a good idea to be careful: Too often the message of the NT has been misinterpreted in terms of anti-Semitism.

When it comes to today’s parable, it’s not a unilateral judgement over the Jews. Israel is not the counterpart of the Gentiles, but the church consisting of both Jews and Gentiles. The new tenants, to remain in the terminology of the parable, were also Jews, Jews with a rather suspect reputation; tax collectors and prostitutes. Jesus doesn’t judge the Jews per se, only those who rejected him. He shows how limitless the love of God is for those who receive and bear fruit, Jews as well as Gentiles.

When Jesus says that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people that produces the fruits, they are also words for us to consider. It’s said about the Christians in Ephesus that they had abandoned the love they first had, Rev 2.4 They were called to repent. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

Looking at Norway and Denmark today, one may wonder if God is about to remove the lampstand from us. Secularization impacts society more and more. Christianity seems to shape people’s lives to a lesser degree than before. Many speak of a post-Christian Europe. Empty cathedrals and churches become museums of past faith. It may seem like the kingdom of God is bearing more fruit other places. We hear of revivals in China, Korea, Africa and South America….

What about American society? Do the people of God in this country bear fruit? I think what Paul heard from God when he came to Corinth applies to this country: there are many in this city who are my people. Acts 18.10. To a much larger extent than Europe, The US offers vibrant church activity. A part of the picture would also be that the majority of new immigrants to Europe are Muslims, whereas in the US they would be Christians. It’s a pleasure to see the great number of practicing Christians in the US.

At the same time one might be critical. Not everything called Christian values measures up to it. Some TV evangelists say God will heal you if you pledge to their organization. Jesus never spoke in that way. Jesus warned about the lure of wealth. God’s blessing is not measured in economic growth. We don’t know if hurricane Katrina was caused in part by human made global warming. But we do know that only by binding international agreements we may win over the environmental sins.

In his inauguration speech in Luke 4.18-19 Jesus focused on care for the poor, the captives, the oppressed and the sick, and he proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor. We have been called to be the people of God with the same platform. We have been called to be good tenants in his vineyard.

Glory be to God, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church ·  924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 ·  (612)874-0716