What's Mine is Actually His

In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us the parable about the landowner and the vineyard which has changed its meaning for me over the years. Traditionally I have always thought of it as a historical parable discussing how God is the landowner and we are the tenants. As I have aged, and maybe gained a bit of wisdom, the parable has a different meaning to me today.

In life it is so easy for us to get drawn into what is “ours” and keeping what is “ours”. This isn’t something new to this current generation, but rather something that could be intrenched in the American dream. We drive ourselves to continue to be “successful” for ourselves and hopefully for our families. We NEED to get ahead! That is how we succeed in this short time we have flying on this rock throughout the universe.

This parable reminds us that God will eventually come calling and ask us how we were a success in His eyes. I am not sure, but I don’t think God will care about my clothes, my phone, or what car I drive. God is going to ask me about what I did with the opportunities that He provided me. How did I use the talents He gave me to make the world around me a better place for everyone? When did I find time to give Him HIS due. In the “rat race” it can be hard to look beyond ourselves, beyond our situation, and realize we are tenants of this land. Our job is to cultivate what The Lord has given and find a way to make it even better. At times this can be hard to do because we know we made decisions or accomplished things and want to be recognized as such, but I look at this differently. If we can offer to God what is His in the good times, then we must also realize God is with us in the difficult times. We are never alone. The one thing I found solace in when reading the parable is that the one thing God doesn’t do is leave the tenants of the vineyard alone. He continuously sends servants to check in on the tenants and imagine helping them if they would have needed. Even after they turn the servants away, to put it nicely, God comes back again and again. It seems only right that if we want God’s help in our times of need, that we should give God His praise when we are in times of great Joy. I think that’s why we pray in thanksgiving and why we examen our days to see him in all things. We just need to remember that what we “have” is merely on loan from God, and He has trusted us to use those things to tend to the land… or “He will find new tenants."

Author: Matt Upton, Math Department