I will sing to my beloved the canticle of my paternal cousin, about his vineyard. A vineyard was made for my beloved, at the horn in the son of oil. (Is 5:1)
אָשִׁ֤ירָה נָּא֙ לִֽידִידִ֔י שִׁירַ֥ת דּוֹדִ֖י לְכַרְמֹ֑ו כֶּ֛רֶם הָיָ֥ה לִֽידִידִ֖י בְּקֶ֥רֶן בֶּן־שָֽׁמֶן׃
Cantabo dilecto meo canticum patruelis mei vineæ suæ. Vinea facta est dilecto meo in cornu filio olei.
The vineyard (כֶּרֶם kerem) is a viticulture that requires care and protection. In the Bible, it has a literal meaning and a metaphorical meaning. It is also a symbol of Israel, which is called “the vineyard of the Lord” (kerem YHWH). In today’s first reading (Is 5:1-7), the prophet Isaiah sings to his Friend a song about His love for His own vineyard. Isaiah lists all His cares for it and praises the noble vine that He planted in it, but which instead of grapes produced sour berries. “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel,” concludes the prophet Isaiah unexpectedly. Israel does not bear the fruits expected by the Lord, because instead of justice it commits bloodshed and instead of orthodoxy it arouses terror. Also in today’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard and the farmers who cultivate the vineyard on behalf of the owner. It is astonishing that the farmers do not want to give the owner his crops, treat his messengers badly, and finally kill his own son. The willingness of farmers to manipulative in order to appropriate the vineyard means that they not only lose the vineyard, but the vineyard is given to other, honest farmers. God works similarly and, like an owner, “invests” in our lives and our growth, but if instead of bearing the fruit, we want to appropriate it for ourselves, He will entrust the vineyard to someone else who is willing to cooperate with Him. In the parable of the Lord Jesus, this vineyard is the Kingdom of God, which is His great gift, but it can also be taken away from us if we do not bear its fruits.
