The Old Testament lesson (Isaiah 5:1-7) and Gospel (Matthew 21:33-46) for today work in parallel. They both tell the story of God giving a vineyard every chance of succeeding. All the right equipment and infrastructure. The best vines. In other words, ‘built with the very best’. Yet one yields only bad fruit – literally ‘stinkies’ in the Hebrew of Isaiah 5. The other one doesn’t give up any of fruits because its owners won’t hand it over. That’s despite God’s patience in sending a long lineup of people to ask (Matthew 21:34-36) – read Israel’s judges and prophets. Eventually the son is sent in. He is killed outside the city walls. These are powerful illustrations of God’s action and nature. Generous, patient, forebearing. Yet just. That’s what we look at today. The ‘bottom line’ reminds me of Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked.” It’s stark, but proceeded by grace upon grace. God wants us to be guided by these accounts, going neither the way of Jerusalem (Isaiah 5) or the religious elite of Jesus day (Matthew 21:23). Yet as his family through baptism and the repentant living that results, he also wants us more than anything to be comforted by his grace and provision which he has laid out in his vineyard. Then, in freedom, as St Paul put it in today’s epistle, ‘live up to what we have already attained’ (Philippians 3:16). For your contemplation…