Bishop Basil (Nesterenko)

.

Glory to Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters!

I congratulate you with the Holy Sunday and Holy Communion.

Today we have heard the Gospel of Matthew (I, 33-42), when God tells us the parable about evil tenants. God used parables very often to communicate. Why did He do it? That we could understand His knowledge through centuries. And God communicates with parables with us and He did the same with living people. He gave His knowledge in the shape of parables for better understanding for Jews, priests and Pharisees. He told them the parable how God planted a vineyard – He gave life to people and explained how they should live on the Earth. He gave the vineyard to priests in rent, they had to preach and teach people how to live. But we see that they used that knowledge for their own glorification and power.

Next, it is told in this parable that God sent prophets, but they were not accepted and were even killed. So, He decided to send His Own Son to stop them. But as we see in the parable, they did not stop. They found out that it was the heir, so they seized him and killed in order not to give the vineyard back. They wanted to have the power over the vineyard, used knowledge to keep that power and did not share it.

And Our Lord Jesus Christ asked the question: “When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” Really, He will destroy them and the vineyard will give to someone else. And we see that in forty years it happened so. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, Jews were persecuted and they spread all over the word. And many years passed before they could gather together again and the new country happened – Israel.

To whom did God give His knowledge after destruction of the vineyard? Slavs and Greeks got it. They truly took it and spread His knowledge and gave fruit to God. And we see that God told: Jews rejected the cornerstone on which the Church was build. It is Jesus Christ, who gave His knowledge to the heathens and they built His Christ Church. And we see that the strong Temple is built on the cornerstone – Truth, Knowledge. The Temple, which is saved till now. We hope that it will stand very long time, till the second coming of Jesus Christ.

We have listed to this parable and we should understand it and be good tenants in our life. And as good tenants we have to bring the fruit of our lives. To bring good fruit means to learn God’s Truth, do good, try to live as God taught us.

That is why I appeal to all to be good tenants, build your life on God’s knowledge, profess Jesus Christ and live as He told us to.

I wish all strength and inspiration.

Let the Lord save You.

About the evil tenants and good fruit

Яндекс.Метрика