The Sauce is Better than the Fish

Sermon on Matthew 21:33-46

Today’s parable is part of a trilogy of parables. Besides the parable of the tenants that we are covering today, the trilogy includes the parable of the wedding banquet covered last week, and the parable of the two sons to be covered next week. At the heart of these three parables is the relationship between the Jewish authorities and Jesus. It was a rocky relationship. Today, we want to understand the dynamics of this relationship. Why was it so confrontational? Why did it lead to Jesus’ death? That’s our topic for today. Things turned really bad after Jesus entered into Jerusalem. On one hand, Jesus was popular with the crowds. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Hosanna in the highest!”(21:9) On the other hand, this popularity was a source of indignation for the Jewish leaders. “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked. (21:16) They couldn’t believe this man who had just overturned the tables and benches at the temple was so highly praised.

So they questioned his authority. “21:23 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?” They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”” In replying to them, Jesus linked his authority to the source of John the Baptist’s authority.

The reason Jesus did this has to do with John’s prophecy. This is what John the Baptist proclaimed. 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

From the exchange between John the Baptist and Jesus, there is no doubt that John recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of his prophesy. John the Baptist baptized with water. But Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. This is why John said to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you.” But John also prophesied that the one who is coming will come with judgment. Not only will he bring the Holy Spirit, he will also bring fire. He will separate the chaff from the wheat. He will bring cleansing to God’s people. The cleansing of the temple from the money changers was only the beginning. If this cleansing were to be completed, would the Jewish religious leaders be judged and removed as well? I guess that’s the question on their minds. They have seen the miraculous acts of Jesus. They have heard him spoke with great authority. In their hearts, they probably know Jesus is the one prophesied by John the Baptist. So the cleansing has begun. What should be their response? That is the question.

Some of us may be puzzled why these religious leaders should have any hesitation about their response to Jesus. Don’t they sense that Jesus is a prophet? Even the crowds shouted “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (21:9)” And if they had done their background checks, and know their scriptures, don’t they realize that Jesus is the coming King of the Jews? If they know Jesus is from God, if they discover Jesus’ latent kingship, isn’t the natural response to listen and obey? Some of us may find it hard to conceive of any other response because the subject we are discussing is God. These were supposed to be religious leaders. They should know what they were doing. Submission and obedience should be without question. Yet, we are told, their response was to look for a way to arrest Jesus. It is sad because they were not ignorant. They were killing Jesus precisely because they knew who he was. Do not be shocked. This is the true face of a corrupted humanity. Why? Why should it be that the very people appointed by God to shepherd his people should betray him? The reason for their actions is explained in Jesus’ parable.

The parable of the tenants is about a bunch of farmers who rented a vineyard from a landowner. When it was harvest time, these farmers were supposed to pay off their rent with a portion of the harvested fruits. This collection from the landowner was reasonable because he had given the farmers an opportunity to work on his land. It was a win-win situation. Yet, the servants who were sent to collect the rent were beaten, killed and stoned. The farmers refused to give up their harvest to pay the rent. The landowner finally sent his son. He thought that these tenants would recognize the son as fully representative of himself. The son represented the grace that the landowner had bestowed on these tenants. The presence of the son would remind them of the agreement between the landowner and themselves. You might say that the landowner was naïve. But only the son carried the same authority as the father, and the landowner thought the tenants would not be so blatant as to defy the actual owner. He was sorely disappointed. The tenants might have been reluctant to give up the fruits of the land when the servants were sent to them, so they killed those messengers. But when it was the son who personally came, they desired even the land itself. They killed him so that they might own the land permanently.

What is wrong with thrse tenants? Don’t they know that the vineyard belongs to the landowner? They can only work there if they pay the rent. Without his permission, they would not even have a place to work. Has their sense of ownership gone awry? I think something has changed along the way. They might have begun their work feeling indebted to the landowner. But as they toiled and labored on the land, they began to feel like they own the land. Their sense of gratitude towards the landowner became a sense of entitlement. Now, they think they deserve all of the fruits. On the surface, the tenants seem to be acting out of greed and covetousness. But I think the real issue is about authority. As the ones staying and working on the land, they feel they have the true authority. This is why they surprised the landowner by killing his son. They had forgotten the initial grace, the covenant between them. Now, they want to be the ones in charge. They refused to acknowledge the authority of the son. In doing so, they also rejected the authority of the landowner.

There is a Chinese idiom (喧宾夺主), it means that the noisy guest has stolen the limelight from the host. I also found an interesting English translation for this idiom online: The sauce is better than the fish. I think this culinary metaphor fits the meaning quite well. I have been following the TV series Top Chef religiously, so I now know a little more about cooking. The sauce’s role is to complement the fish. It is there to enhance the flavor, to provide balance, so that the fish tastes better. But when the sauce overpowers the fish, it is a lousy dish. That’s when you wish you have less to finish. It is such a waste, when you lose the balance of the taste. I believe that’s the case, with these tenants who have forgotten their grace.

The same applies for the religious leaders opposing Jesus. They feel they have been in charge for far too long. It is far too long to give it up now. They think they have the authority, but they’ve forgotten that that authority belongs to God. And when the true representative of God arrives, the son of God Jesus Christ comes to them, they would rather kill him for his inheritance. But they do not realize that they are tenants, not the landowner. They are living on borrowed time. And they must eventually pay for what they have done.

Like the parable of the Wedding Banquet, there will come a day of reckoning. Two things will happen. One, the evil ones who were renting the vineyard, the ones who were invited first to the banquet, they will be punished for their deeds. Two, the evil ones would be replaced with the latecomers who abide with the will of Jesus. Though this may apply to us Gentiles, the direct recipients of this grace refer to the Jews who first followed Jesus. They had heeded the call for repentance by John the Baptist, and submitted themselves to the authority of Jesus. We may think that this day of reckoning refers to the final judgment on Jesus’ second coming. In some ways, that is true. But for many of the disciples, Jesus was already vindicated when God the father raised him from the dead and ascended him into heaven.

Why do I say so? Because the scripture quoted by Jesus (Psalm 118:22,23) would be later be repeatedly re-quoted by Peter. In Acts 4:11 “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’” In 1 Peter 2:4 “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” According to Peter, Jesus is the rejected stone who is now the cornerstone of a new temple. The early church, made up of people like the tax collectors and prostitutes, they are the ones who had replaced the evil ones. The Jewish religious leaders may think that they can hold on to their authority by killing Jesus. But the day of reckoning has come, and the early church has replaced them as the true tenants.

This coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. We will have a service where we mark the beginning of Lent. Lent is a 40 days period, a time of repentance and self-reflection. I think it is important that we use today’s parable as a reminder for ourselves. We are the tenants of the vineyard, the invited guests of the wedding banquet. Sometimes, after working on a ministry for a long time, after staying in a community and getting really comfortable, we begin to think that we alone call the shots. We are in charge. This ministry belongs to me. This community is my community. Can we still hear the voice of God when he sends his prophets? Are we willing to welcome the next leader chosen by God? Can we acknowledge that it is by the grace of God that we can bear any fruits at all? Sometimes we can’t. We cannot let go. We choose to criticize the newcomer. We think it was always better when we were the ones running it. We forget that the authority has belonged to God all along. When the sauce tries to be better than the fish, it is a travesty, it is a tragedy. In this period of Lent, take some time to reflect on the responsibilities we have. They are the mini-vineyards entrusted to us by God. Let us bear fruits regularly. Let us submit ourselves and commit our fruits to God. For in God alone lies all authority.