WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - The vine has always been a strong symbol for Judaism as well as the Church. In the Old Testament, the people of Israel saw themselves as the vine of God.

The psalmist wrote: "You have brought a vine out of Egypt; you have cast out the nations, and planted it. You prepared room for it, and caused it to take deep root, and it filled the land.

This was confirmed by their prophets, such as Isaiah, who wrote, "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant." (Is. 5:7)

Hosea makes the same claim. "Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased the more altars he built; as his country improved he improved his pillars." (Hos 10:1)

Talking about Israel as God's vine wasn't always positive. As Isaiah prophesied, "Now let me sing to my well-beloved a song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:

"My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes." (Is. 5:2, 7)

A warning follows that description attended by a series of woes.

"And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it."

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. (Is. 5:3-7)

In our Gospel passage for today, Jesus parallels the prophetic words of Isaiah with his own words of warning. Obviously, the vineyard is still bringing forth wild grapes and the Son of God is announcing that a change is coming.

"Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"

They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:
'The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord's doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it."

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

In the times of Jesus, the idea of the vine and vineyard remains a strong image of a nation. The temple, in fact, contained huge images of the vine on its exterior. The Jewish historian, Josephus, describes it: "The gate opening into the building was, as I say, completely overlaid with gold, as was the whole wall around it. It had, moreover, above it those golden vines, from which depended grape-clusters as tall as a man"

It had been maintained for centuries as a symbol of their chosenness by God. Their identity, for obvious reasons, was wrapped up in the profound reality that they were the elect vine of the living God.

Jesus pointed out another important aspect, however. They had lost sight of the fact that God was the owner of the vineyard and they were merely stewards. As vinedressers, they were called to care for the vineyard but the fruit of the vine was His.

In this parable, the comparison is clear. The vineyard of Israel had been taken over by greedy vinedressers who ...