We should
recognize the literal meaning of this parable, so that we understand the deeper
meanings of the other senses of Holy Scripture.
What is the literal meaning upon which all other interpretation of this
passage depends? The parable describes the history of Israel. The Old Israel is
the vineyard, and the tenant vinedressers are the rulers of God’s people. On
account of the unfaithfulness of the rulers of Israel, God, finally, has to destroy
the nation, since through negligence, Israel did not recognize God’s
visitation. In order to illustrate this history, the Lord Jesus told this
story. But, how is this literal interpretation helpful to us? Clearly, if the
Old Israel was negligent and, therefore, lost the friendship of God, we also
can lose this friendship if we are lazy. We should try to preserve our zeal and
love for God.
Yet, there
is a deeper moral meaning to this passage. According to the moral meaning, the
vineyard is the human soul, and the tenant-vinedressers are the powers of the
human soul, which are corrupted by sin. We call these corrupted powers “passions,”
and we know by experience that the demons control them. God sends graces to the
soul, and the passions kill them. They even kill the presence of Christ in the
soul. Just like the history of Israel, the moral meaning of this passage is a
solemn warning. Our passions will kill us, if we do not kill them. So, we see
the struggle, the battle, which ascetical theology describes—the spiritual
battle to free ourselves from the influence of the passions.
In addition,
the passions are not only enemies within us, but also wounds, which need to be
healed. The only effective healing is given to us through Christ, and it
includes spiritual remedies both positive and negative. In order to understand
this fact, we need to give examples. Positive remedies, which the Physician
prescribes for us, are the Mysteries of Christ, and especially the Eucharist,
but negative remedies are changes in our life, which we must make, in order to
strengthen our spiritual health, just as a worldly doctor will often prescribe
changes to our diet and lifestyle, because we need, before everything else, to
avoid sin, if we desire to get well.
So as to
avoid sin, we need to understand very clearly what sin is. Just as we saw last
week in our meditation on the first psalm, there are different ways to approach
and fall into sin, since the psalm said: “Blessed is the man who has not walked
in the counsel of the wicked,” and the “counsel of the wicked” is hatred of the
commandments of God, which teaches others to hate the commandments of God. The
counsel of the wicked is behaving as if God does not exist. But, the psalm
continues to describe two other ways, in which we can commit sin. The psalm
says: “and does not go in the way of sinners.” What is the difference between
“the counsel of the wicked” and “the way of sinners?” “The counsel of the
wicked” seeks to lead other people to abandon faith in God. “The way of
sinners” is an interior intention to commit personal sin. This is less serious
than the counsel of the wicked, since the way of sinners does not encourage
others to commit sin. Therefore, these sins are not a process, but isolated
deeds. In other words, these sinners do not walk in the way. No, they only
“go.” This difference is clearer in Hebrew, since the word has the meaning of
“to stand,” without the idea of motion. In this way, the verbs of this verse
have the following senses: walking, standing, sitting.
Then the
psalm says: “and in the seat of the scornful he does not sit,” to describe this
final group. These people do not lead others into sin, walking in the counsel
of the wicked, nor do they commit personal sin, standing in the way of sinners,
but they sit in the meeting of the scornful. In other words, they do not
reprimand sinners around them, but they are silent when they should proclaim
the truth and teach virtue. They sit in the meeting of the scornful, and
although they do not take part in their deeds, they are guilty on account of
their omission.
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