Quomodo Dominus dixit Judaeis, quod patrem suum occiderunt
Zeal for the Lost
Christ, burning with zeal for souls, employs every means—gentle words, harsh rebukes, parables, miracles, and threats—to draw people to salvation.
would be handed over to the Gentiles, like the tenants of a vineyard who killed their lord's son.✦ The Lord and our Redeemer, zealous for the salvation of the souls for whom he had come and was about to lay down his own life, did everything he could to draw them to himself and to snatch them from the jaws of their enemies. So he sometimes used gentle and humble words; sometimes rebukes and harsh ones; sometimes examples and parables; sometimes signs and miracles; sometimes threats and terrors — and he varied the methods and remedies of salvation, as he saw it to be expedient, according to the place and time and the variety of the people listening.
The Wicked Tenants Condemn Themselves
Jesus sets before the Pharisee leaders the parable of the vineyard tenants, whose self-condemning verdict seals their judgment.
In this instance, however, he used harsh words against the Pharisee leaders, and a terrible example — one so just and so true that they themselves passed the very same sentence against themselves.✦ For he sets before them a parable about the tenants of a vineyard who killed the Lord's messengers when they came for the fruits, and at last killed his son as well.✦ Asking what punishment they deserved from that lord, they answered: 'He will destroy the wicked — and'✦ , 22, Ib ct eq. he will destroy them evilly, and he will lease his vineyard to other farmers.✦
The Kingdom Given to the Gentiles
Jesus declares that the kingdom will be given to a fruitful nation—the Gentiles—and foretells his rejection as the cornerstone.
Jesus, confirming this, spoke as follows: "The kingdom of God — that is, the Church — will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruit" — that is, to the Gentiles, from whom we and the whole Church are drawn.✦ He also brought in the example of the cornerstone — 'S q^i' signifies him — which was meant to shatter the Jews.
Blind Rage and Humble Authority
The Pharisees, blinded by wickedness, only grow angrier, while Christ sits among them with humble yet powerful authority.
And then, when they understood that the parable was about them, they were not corrected but grew even more angry, because their own wickedness had blinded them. Now then, observe him in what has been said: indeed sitting humbly among those Pharisees, but speaking with authority, and with power, and with the vigor of virtue, announcing to them their own downfall.
Read the original Latin
volveretur ad gentiles, sub similitudine cultorum vineoe, qui filium domini sui occiderunt. Dominus ac Redemptor noster, zelans animarum salutem, pro quibus venerat positurus et suam, omnibus modis nitebatur eas ad se at-' trahere, et de inimicorum faucibus extirpare. Unde quandoque utebatur sermonibus blandis ethumilibus; quandoque increpatoriis et duris; quandoque exemplis et simiUludinibus; quandoque signis et virtutibus; quandoque minis et terroribus, et variabat modos et remedia salutis, prout expedire videbat, pro loco et tempore, ac personarum audientium varietate. In hoc autem loco fuit usus contra principes Pharisaeos verbis duris, et exemplo terribili, et adeo justo et vero, quod ipsi iidem contra se tulerunt sententiam. Proponit enim eis ^ parabolam de cultoribus vineae, qui nuntios Domini venientes pro fructibus occiderunt, etetiam fihum ejus. Quaerens autem qua poena digni essent puniri ab illo domino, responderunt: Malos 42 et " Mcdth. , xxii, Ib ct ^eq. male perdet, et vineam suam locabit aliis agricolis.
Jesus hoc approbans, intulit sic: Auferetur a vobis regnum Dei, id est Ecclesia, et dabitur genti facienti fructum ejus, idest, gentilibus, ex quibus sumus nos et univcrsahs Ecclesia. Interposuit etiam exemplum de lapide angulari S q^i significat ipsum, et debebat Judaeos confringere. Et tunc illi intelligentes quod de ipsis parabola esset, non correcti, sed magis irati sunt, quia eos excaecaverat eorum malitia. Tunc autem conspice ipsum in praedictis, humiliter quidem sedentem inter illos Pharisaeos, sed cum auctoritate loquentem, et cum potestate, et vigore virtutis euuntiantem eis casum proprium
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.21.33-Matt.21.41;Mark.12.1-Mark.12.9;Luke.20.9-Luke.20.16 — Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, and leased it to tenants, and went away on a journey. Matt.21.34 — When the season of the harvest drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. Matt.21.35 — And the tenants seized his servants; one they beat, one they killed, and one they stoned. Matt.21.36 — Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did to them likewise. Matt.21.37 — But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' Matt.21.38 — But when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.' Matt.21.39 — And they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Matt.21.40 — Therefore, when the master of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants? Matt.21.41 — They say to him, 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruit in its season.' Mark.12.1 — And he began to speak to them in parables. A man planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a winepress, and built a tower, and leased it to tenants, and went away. Mark.12.2 — And he sent a servant to the vineyard workers at the harvest time, so that he might receive from the workers some of the fruit of the vineyard. Mark.12.3 — And they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Mark.12.4 — And again he sent to them another servant; and they beat that one over the head and treated him shamefully. Mark.12.5 — And he sent another, and they killed that one; and many others—some they beat, and some they killed. Mark.12.6 — He still had one son, his beloved. He sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' Mark.12.7 — But those tenants said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' Mark.12.8 — And they seized him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. Mark.12.9 — What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Luke.20.9 — Then he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time." Luke.20.10 — And at the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard; but the tenants sent him away, having beaten him, empty-handed. Luke.20.11 — And he proceeded to send another servant; but they beat that one also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. Luke.20.12 — And he sent a third, but they also wounded him and threw him out. Luke.20.13 — Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.' Luke.20.14 — But when the tenants saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may become ours.' Luke.20.15 — And they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them? Luke.20.16 — He will come and destroy these tenants, and will give the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, 'May it never be!'
- ↩Matt.21.41;Mark.12.9;Luke.20.16 — They say to him, 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruit in its season.' Mark.12.9 — What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Luke.20.16 — He will come and destroy these tenants, and will give the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, 'May it never be!'
- ↩Matt.21.33-Matt.21.39;Mark.12.1-Mark.12.8;Luke.20.9-Luke.20.15 — Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, and leased it to tenants, and went away on a journey. Matt.21.34 — When the season of the harvest drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. Matt.21.35 — And the tenants seized his servants; one they beat, one they killed, and one they stoned. Matt.21.36 — Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did to them likewise. Matt.21.37 — But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' Matt.21.38 — But when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.' Matt.21.39 — And they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Mark.12.1 — And he began to speak to them in parables. A man planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a winepress, and built a tower, and leased it to tenants, and went away. Mark.12.2 — And he sent a servant to the vineyard workers at the harvest time, so that he might receive from the workers some of the fruit of the vineyard. Mark.12.3 — And they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Mark.12.4 — And again he sent to them another servant; and they beat that one over the head and treated him shamefully. Mark.12.5 — And he sent another, and they killed that one; and many others—some they beat, and some they killed. Mark.12.6 — He still had one son, his beloved. He sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' Mark.12.7 — But those tenants said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' Mark.12.8 — And they seized him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. Luke.20.9 — Then he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time." Luke.20.10 — And at the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard; but the tenants sent him away, having beaten him, empty-handed. Luke.20.11 — And he proceeded to send another servant; but they beat that one also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. Luke.20.12 — And he sent a third, but they also wounded him and threw him out. Luke.20.13 — Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.' Luke.20.14 — But when the tenants saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may become ours.' Luke.20.15 — And they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them?
- ↩Matt.21.41 — They say to him, 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruit in its season.'
- ↩Matt.21.41;Mark.12.9;Luke.20.16 — They say to him, 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruit in its season.' Mark.12.9 — What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Luke.20.16 — He will come and destroy these tenants, and will give the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, 'May it never be!'
- ↩Matt.21.43 — Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruit.
Meditationes Vitae Christi (Pseudo-Bonaventure), Castilian court context companion
A scene a day, for life
Chosen Portion continues this rhythm: one short reading and prayer every morning, free on iOS
The Meditationes portioned Christ's life into daily scenes for lay meditation — the exact daily-portion model Chosen Portion delivers to your phone.
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- 10 minutes each morning: reading, meditation prompt, closing prayer
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