DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS

St. Luke 20:9-18    (1/10)    For Thursday of the 33rd Week after Pentecost (Thur 28th Week)

 

Love and Hate: St. Luke 20:9-18, especially vss. 15, 16: “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.”  The Lord Jesus’ final days in Jerusalem ended with His arrest, trial, Passion, and Resurrection.  For the Jews - the ancient “vineyard” and People of God - as well as for the Lord Himself, those days were the defining moment of their relationship.  It was a time of incalculable love and vitriolic hate.  To help all men everywhere plumb the essence of the love and hate, our gracious God and Savior speaks through the parable of the vinedressers.

During those epic, final days, and true to His nature, our loving Lord defined the depth and breadth of love as never before imagined by angels or by men.  The response of the ancient People of God to Love Incarnate was not clear-cut.  There were members of ancient Israel who truly loved the Lord and made every effort to follow Him - as well as they were able.  Love roused them to love in return; and, by the grace of God, they discerned “the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:68).  They had “come to believe and know that [He is] the Christ the Son of the living God” (Jn. 6:69).  These “believers,” all of them Jews, and the core of the New Israel, the Church, give us the Lord’s words of life.  It was in following that they learned how “Blessed [is] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet. 1:3).

Quite opposite, there were those in the ancient Israel who refused to receive the Lord, Jews who did not have the word of God “abiding” in them.  The Lord Jesus told them - warned them plainly, - “...I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you” (Jn. 5:42), and worst of all, “...you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you” (Jn. 8:37).  He addressed their hatred - a hatred straight out of Hell - in the parable of the vinedressers: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him” (Jn. 8:44).

We, the New Israel, believers in Christ who have lived through recent history, know venomous hatred all too well, yet we have been blessed to know incredible Love Himself, as did the early believers.  And we have seen Satan’s terrible hate unleashed against the descendants of the ancient people of God.  As Christians, we have witnessed burning hatred turned likewise upon Christians, murderously poured out on the Church.  The  Devil ever promotes hatred in any heart that will grant him room.  Nonetheless, let us say, “Thanks be to God;” for this present time in which the love of God still prevails over hate and new martyrs still triumph over our ancient foe.

Be clear: the parable of the vinedressers does not teach anti-Semitism, for iniquity springs from hate and the devil.  Rather the parable warns us to root out hatred from our hearts.  The Lord took away the vineyard from the ancient People of God and gave it to His new Israel.  We are the “others” to whom the Lord gave charge of His vineyard (vs. 16).  Have you never heard our Bishops say, “O God of hosts, return again; and look down from heaven and behold, and visit this vine, And perfect that which Thy right hand hath planted...” (Ps. 79:15,16 LXX)?

Observe: the Lord our God truly is a cornerstone of love (Lk. 20:17), as St. Cyril of Alexandria teaches: “Now the sacred Scripture compares to a cornerstone the gathering together, or joining of the two people, Israel I mean, and the Gentiles, in sameness of sentiment and faith.”  The Church, ancient and modern (including you), is joined to God in love to overcome all hatred.

The Savior Who planted the vineyard and calls His laborers is near.  Come, let us receive our hire; for the Giver is rich, loving, and merciful, even to those who have labored little.

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