In the same way, God selected the Hebrew nation from all other peoples, demonstrating His extraordinary care for them at all times. St. Chrysostom remarks that despite God's extensive efforts, the Jews allowed themselves to be surpassed by the harlots and tax collectors, highlighting their immense negligence in the face of God's great care. What the farmers were meant to do, God Himself fulfilled: He planted a vineyard, encircled it with a protective fence, and so forth. When the Jews departed from Egypt, God provided them with the Law, established their civil order, built the altar—symbolized by the “winepress,” where the blood of animals was spilled, foreshadowing the blood of Christ—and constructed the temple, referred to as the “pillar” in the parable. Through the protections of the Law, the Jews became a distinct nation, with the Law acting like a “wall of fire” safeguarding them from pagan tribes, idolatry, and a pledge of God’s protection. Their homeland, Palestine, was comprehensively shielded: to the east lay the Jordan River and two lakes, to the south, the desert and the mountainous Idumea, to the west, the sea, and to the north, Antiliban. During the miraculous exodus from Egypt, at Sinai, and throughout the conquest of the Promised Land, God continually manifested Himself as the people's leader through countless miracles and signs; later, having made all things well, He entrusted His people to their spiritual leaders—the high priests, priests, and Levites—giving them the authority to sit in Moses' seat, where they would instruct the people and interpret the Law. In this way, God displayed great patience, enduring long without immediate punishment for their offenses (as noted by St. John Chrysostom). “And He sent His servants,” meaning the prophets, the chosen messengers of God, who declared His will to the Jews, called them to repentance, and foretold the coming of the world's Redeemer—the only begotten Son of God. These divine messengers sought fruit from the Jews—evidence of obedience to God's will. However, instead of yielding fruit after such diligent attention, the Jews not only rejected these messengers but also violently harmed them; they shed the blood of those sent to them, deserving execution themselves (according to St. John Chrysostom). Thus, Jeremiah and Zechariah, son of Jodai, endured stoning (Jeremiah 37:15), Isaiah was sawn in two, others faced scorn, beatings, imprisonment, and all forms of torture, dying by the sword—those whose loss was not deserved by mankind. “I have sent to you,” declares God through the prophet Jeremiah, “all My servants, the prophets sent from early morning to say, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate.’” (Jer. 44:4-6). Yet the Jews remained obstinate. St. Chrysostom poses the question: “But why did God not immediately send His Son?” and answers, “So they might realize how unjustly they had treated the servants who were sent, and, setting aside their anger, become ashamed of His coming.” The words, “they shall be ashamed of My Son,” indicate neither ignorance on God's part nor a lack of foresight, but rather a desire to highlight the gravity of sin and the obstinate heart of the Jews. God foreknew that they would kill the Son, yet He sent Him anyway. If they had not recognized the servants, at the very least, they ought to have honored the dignity of the Son. In sending His Son, the heavenly Father made one last monumental appeal of mercy. St. Chrysostom observes: “What was their response? They should have come to seek forgiveness, yet instead they remained entrenched, devising even more heinous plots than before. Upon seeing the Son, their thoughts were, ‘Let us go and kill Him.’ But for what reason? Could they indict Him, great or small? Was it because He honored you? Being God, He took on flesh for your sake and performed countless miracles? Or was it in calling you into the kingdom?” Witness the depth of their madness and wickedness, their unrestrained desire for murder: “Let us kill Him,” they resolved, “and seize His inheritance!” In a similar vein to Joseph's brothers, who conspired against him, they declared as they spotted him from afar, “Look, the dreamer is coming; let us go now and kill him… and see what becomes of his dreams.” (Gen. 37:19-20). Just like Joseph's brothers inadvertently played a role in fulfilling God's plan regarding their younger sibling, the legalists of Judah, in defying Christ, unwittingly became agents of God's purposes. “This is the heir,” said the wicked vinedressers. Jesus Christ stands as the Heir of all things—not merely as God but also as Man, for while He is God, He is also the Creator of all. The parable’s striking words—“let us go and kill Him… and seize His inheritance”—foreshadow the actions of Jewish leaders, who soon heard Caiaphas expressing in a secret Sanhedrin meeting, “What shall we do? This Man is performing many miracles. If we allow Him to continue, all will believe in Him… it is better for us that one man die…” (Jn. 11:47-50). They led Him out of the vineyard and murdered Him. “Do you perceive,” St. Chrysostom asserts, “how Jesus Christ predicts the very location of His impending death?” It is known that He “suffered outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12). The Lord, in His parable, speaks with omniscience, illustrating the evil intentions of the Jews with uncanny precision, depicting their imminent offense as it would later unfold. He perceives their malevolent schemes and shows them, as though in a mirror, the horrifying reality of their plans, aiming, if possible, to instill dread in them. He places their actions before their own consciences and directly poses the question that determines their fate: “When the master of the vineyard returns,”—when God’s great patience has reached its limit and He comes as the formidable avenger of unrighteousness—“what will He do to these vinedressers?” Following all this, what was the reaction of the scribes and Pharisees? They comprehended the parable and understood the implication of this critical inquiry; it was posed before the people to ensure its undeniable weight, and they rendered their response… With an appearance of calmness, but a shocking boldness, they judged themselves once more.
THEOSIS