When the Vineyard is Entrusted to Us
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Luke 6:33–35, 45–46
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a story that feels unsettlingly close to home. A landowner lovingly plants a vineyard—fencing it, digging a winepress, building a watchtower—and then entrusts it to tenants. When harvest time comes and the owner asks for what is rightfully his, the tenants respond with violence and rejection. Even the son is cast out.
At first glance, it’s easy to see this as a story about “them”—the religious leaders who rejected the prophets and, ultimately, Jesus. But perhaps we might recognize ourselves in it too. The vineyard is not only Israel; it is every gift God has placed into our hands. Our lives, our faith, our families, our time, our talents, our parish—none of these belong to us in the way we sometimes assume. They are entrusted to us.
Lent invites us to slow down and ask an honest question: What kind of tenants have we been? Have we treated God’s gifts as something to be managed with gratitude and responsibility, or have we quietly claimed them as our own? Sometimes resistance to God doesn’t look dramatic or violent. More often, it looks like indifference, our need to control, or a refusal to let God interrupt our plans.
The most striking part of the parable is the patience of the landowner. Again and again, he sends messengers. Finally, he sends his son. This is not the story of a distant or harsh God, but of one who keeps reaching out, even when rejected. Lent reminds us that God still comes looking for fruit—not perfection, but signs of love, justice, compassion, mercy, humility, and faithfulness.
Jesus warns that the kingdom will be given to those who produce its fruits. This isn’t meant to frighten us; it’s meant to wake us up. Every day is another chance to respond differently. Repentance is not just about feeling sorry—it’s about realignment. It’s about returning what is God’s to God and allowing Christ to be the cornerstone of our lives rather than the stone we stumble over.
As we continue our Lenten journey, this Gospel gently but firmly asks us to examine how we are living. Are we open to God’s voice when it challenges us? Are we bearing fruit that blesses others? The good news is that the owner of the vineyard is still loving, still patient, still hopeful, and still inviting us to begin again.
You are invited to reflect today about what “vineyard” has God entrusted to you right now, and how are you caring for it? Where might you be resisting God’s voice?
Loving God,
you have entrusted me with so many gifts.
Soften my heart when we resists your call,
and help me to bear fruit that
reflects your love and mercy.
May I welcome your Son more fully into my life
and allow him to shape all that I do.
I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.