In the Sunday parable, Jesus tells of the owner of the vineyard and his two sons. The first one, whom father asks to work in the vineyard, responds positively but then gives up. The other first refuses but then fulfills the father's request. Ancient interpretations see Israel as the first son, while the second symbolizes converted pagans and sinners, the future Church. "Israel and the Church are united by seeking and doing God's will. Only through faith, supported by the testimony of love and good deeds, do we enter the Kingdom of God together," writes its biblical scholar Fr. Marcin Kowalski, professor at the Catholic University of Lublin and director of the Heschel Center of the University in his commentary to the Gospel on 1 October.

Jesus' parable of the father, his sons, and the vineyard fits into the Jewish cultural context and realities of the time. Its crucial moment is the father's inviting his sons. "The Father, symbolizing God, opens the door to his Kingdom, but first invites his children to earthly work in his vineyard," explains the director of the Heschel Center of the Catholic University of Lublin.

The ancient interpretation of this Gospel parable sees in the son who, despite his initial willingness to go to the vineyard, did not ultimately go, sees Israel. "This reading is suggested by the Gospel of Matthew itself, in which Jesus tells the parable to the chief priests and elders, the leaders of the people, reproaching them later for not listening to the message of John the Baptist and not converting," emphasizes the biblical scholar.

"The second son, the tax collectors, and prostitutes appearing later in the parable stand for pagans, people outside the people of the covenant, who nevertheless convert and enter the Kingdom of God," writes Fr Marcin Kowalski, recalling the oldest interpretations referring to the second son who, despite his initial reluctance, went to work in his father's vineyard. "The fact that the pagans and sinners are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of Israel does not mean that Israel does not enter there," reminds Fr Kowalski, emphasizing the biblical premises about the conversion of all Israel at the end of time. 

There is also another ancient interpretation, attested to by Origen and Jerome, according to which the parable of the two sons takes on a vast, universal meaning. "The first son who respectfully responds to the Father +Lord+, but does not obey Him, means all those who worship God only with their mouths, not doing His will and not seeking good deeds. It is an empty, declarative, and sterile piety," says the director of the Heschel Centre of the Catholic University of Lublin. "The second son seems to disrespect the Father, yet he eventually does his will and follows, as Jesus says, the path of righteousness," the biblical scholar adds.

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The full text of the commentary follows:

In today’s Gospel, we are listening to Matthew’s second parable on the vineyard; in Matthew 21 there will be another one, immediately following the one we are reading today. Listening to the parable, we can imagine a small farm in first-century Palestine, where grape vines are grown; we see a father and his sons working there. Jesus’ parable suggests that these sons are invited by their father to work in the vineyard, it seems that they do not labor on a regular basis. Thus we move from historical realism to the symbolism of the parable, in which the vineyard in the OT stands for Israel (as in Isa 5), and in the NT describes the community of the saved, the Church (John 15; Rom 11), or the Kingdom of God, as here in Matthew’s Gospel. The Father, symbolizing God, opens the door to his Kingdom, inviting his children first to an earthly work in his vineyard.

The father in the parable makes a proposal to his two sons to work for the Kingdom of God. The order in which the obedient and disobedient sons appear in the text varies in different manuscripts. In the Polish translation of the Millennium Bible, the Father first addresses the child (gr. teknon), who responds respectfully, “I go, sir,” literally, “Here I am, Lord,” but ultimately the first son disregards the fatherly call and does not go to the vineyard. The other rebellious son answers briefly and disrespectfully “I don’t want to,” but ultimately repents (gr. metamelomai) and goes to work.

Since ancient times, an interpretation of this parable has been proposed, in which the first son signifies Israel while the second son stands for the Gentiles. In fact, this reading is suggested by the Gospel of Matthew itself, in which Jesus tells the parable to the chief priests and elders, the leaders of the people, reproaching them later for not listening to the message of John the Baptist and not converting. Israel, calling God respectfully Kyrios, Lord, fits well into the role of the first son. The second son, the tax collectors, and prostitutes appearing later in the parable stand for pagans, people outside the people of the covenant, who nevertheless convert and enter the Kingdom of God. In this interpretation, which has been established since ancient times, already the Church fathers, such as Origen, warned: the fact that the pagans and sinners are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of Israel does not mean that Israel does not enter there. Here Origen quotes St. Paul and Rom 11:25, which describes the mystery of salvation of all Israel, the people of God, being realized at the end of time.

There is also another, equally ancient, interpretation attested to by Origen and Jerome, according to which the parable of the two sons takes on a very broad, universal meaning. The first son, who respectfully responds to the Father “Lord,” but does not obey him, signifies all those who worship God only with their mouth, not doing his will and not seeking good deeds. This is empty, declarative and sterile piety. The second son seems to disrespect the Father, yet he eventually does his will and follows, as Jesus says, the path of righteousness (see Prov. 8:20; 12:28). Jesus uses the shocking example of tax collectors and prostitutes, setting them as a model of conversion for his contemporaries. In doing so, he refers to a motif dear to Jews and Christians: according to the OT (for example, Deut 28:1), listening to God’s voice and fulfilling his commandments is a necessary condition for remaining in covenant with the Lord. Faith without works is dead, says James in his letter (2:26), agreeing with the Deuteronomy. Israel and the Church are united in seeking and doing God’s will, as revealed in the Torah, in the New Testament, and in the life of Jesus. Only through faith confirmed by the testimony of love and good deeds do we enter the Kingdom of God together.

About the Author:

Marcin Kowalski, professor of the Catholic University of Lublin – doctor of biblical sciences, director of the Abraham Joshua Heschel Center for Catholic-Jewish Relations at the Catholic University of Lublin, member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, defended his doctorate at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, lecturer of Holy Scripture at the Major Seminary in Kielce and Lublin, assistant professor at the Department of Biblical Theology and Proforistics at the Institute of Biblical Studies of the Catholic University of Lublin,  editor-in-chief of the Bible quarterly The Biblical Annals, secretary of the Association of Polish Bible Scholars for the third term. His scientific and pastoral passion is the Bible, especially the letters of St. Paul.

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