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In this parable, Jesus tells the story of Israel using the image of the vineyard. As we saw, this was not an invention of Jesus, but goes back to Psalms and Prophets who used the vineyard as an image of Israel. In these verses Jesus says that the vineyard is going to be taken from the leaders of Israel and given to another people, and that is the new Israel of the church. We are heirs of the vineyard, because we are with the Son, who is THE heir of the vineyard.
Why is the vineyard an image of Israel? There are many reasons for this no doubt. It is connected with the gift of the land, which is a land flowing with milk and honey. Israel as the vineyard is a fruitful new Eden. In JesusEparable, the emphasis is on the tribute that Israel owes to the Lord and giver of the vineyard.
In making all these typological connections with the vineyard, we should not neglect the obvious. Vineyards are for growing grapes, and grapes exist so that they can be transformed into wine, and wine exists to bring joy. Psalm 104 speaks of the wine that gladdens the heart of man, and Judges speaks of the wine that gladdens both God AND man. Israel was given a vineyard to be a source of joy and delight.
And now this vineyard has been given to us, those of us who are in and with the Son who is the heir of the vineyard. We know that we have been given access to the vineyard because we have been given the wine of God, here at the Lords table. No other people than the church has been given this drink, for no other people is the true Israel. We are given the wine of gladness, so that we might have joy and delight in the presence of the Lord of the vineyard, the true God of the vine, the true Dionysus, Yahweh of Israel.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Monday, February 23, 2004 at 05:53 AM
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