Matthew 21:28-32 - A Man and His Two Sons (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 28, 2014)

Gospel:

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” 

Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you: tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.” 

Gospel Trivia:

A usual clue to understanding the gospel is determining the audience and characters involved.  In this case, Jesus was telling the parable to the "chief priests and elders" and likely included the Pharisees.  These were the authorities at that time, who were educated in the intricacies and nuances of the laws of Moses.  They followed the laws strictly (e.g. rules of the Sabbath, prayers, giving alms, fasting, etc.) and could thus claim to be "holy" and "righteous" before God. 

The rest of the population were poor, uneducated, could not read, and could therefore not know the details of the law.  They were often criticized for breaking the laws and were considered sinners. 

The "tax collector" and "prostitutes" were often singled out as the most despicable sinners.  The tax collector were hated because: one, they worked for the Romans and considered traitors; and two, they oppressed the people with their excessive tax collections.  Prostitutes were not just sexual sinners; they also damaged the family and therefore jeopardized the Jewish social unit.

In the parable, the first son refers to the sinners who outwardly may not be following the law, but were faithful to the spirit of the law of love.  The second son refers to the authorities who outwardly followed the law, but took advantage of the ignorance of the people and performed their actions to impress others and for self glorification.

This parable is about the contrast between faithless leaders and faithful sinners.  In Jesus' hierarchy of priorities, sinners come first.  Let us be careful, therefore, when we judge.

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1987), pp. 85-87.

- Raymond E. Brown et al.  The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, pp. 664-665.

Matthew 20:1-16 - The Landowner and the Workers (25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 21, 2014)

Gospel:

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.

Going out about nine o’clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o’clock, the landowner found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’

When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ 

He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’

Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Gospel Trivia:

The following trivia will help in understanding the meaning of this parable:

- During the times of Jesus, a landowner would go to the market daily to recruit laborers.  He would do this once, usually early in the morning.  In the parable, the landowner recruits five times: early in the morning, at 9:00am, at 12:00 noon, 3:00pm and finally at 5:00 pm.  Note also that there seems to be no pressing need for the additional recruits; the landlord, it seems, simply wanted to have more laborers.

- The laborers who were recruited last were paid first.  This is intentional to set-up the disdain of the first set of laborers -- if the first laborers were paid first then they may not have a chance to compare their wages with those who were recruited last.  

- The first set of laborers were so indignant that they did not even address the landlord with a title, like "lord", "sir" or "master."  Yet, the landlord, in his reply, addressed them as "my friend."

This parable is an allegory where the landlord represents Jesus, the first set of laborers represents the Pharisees, and the rest as the sinners.

This parable is found only in Matthew's gospel, and Matthew had the harshest words for the Pharisees.  The Pharisees felt that they were the "first" and the "righteous" because they followed the law, gave alms, prayed in the temples frequently, and abstained strictly.  They have reduced righteousness before God as simply based on following a set of rules!

On the other hand, our faith is more than just a set of rules. Jesus' message is that our judgment is based on how much we love and forgive.  The conversion of the sinner is far more important than his or her sinful life.  The parable points out that we are not judged based on justice (for no one will pass that measure), but based on the kindness and generosity of our God.

Recall the words of Pope Francis:  "I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1987), pp. 78-81.

John 3:13-17 - Jesus and Nicodemus (September 14, 2014, Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross)

Gospel:

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that he who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Gospel Trivia:

This is the first time in John's gospel that the words "eternal life" is used; it is important to know what John meant by it.  It means BOTH a "life without end" at the end time, AND also to a life with a special quality at the present time.  This special quality refers to a life that is love-centered, forgiveness-oriented and peace-filled.  It is a life based on faith in Jesus and governed by the principles of Jesus' life and teachings.

Nicodemus appears only in the gospel of John.  He is a Pharisee who favors Jesus, and it is ironic that Jesus chooses a Pharisee who is not talked about kindly by the other gospel writers.  To Nicodemus, Jesus states what may be considered as the summary of the gospel of John, if not of the whole Christianity:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that he who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (John 3:16).

The "world" refers to all that there is, especially humanity, God's crowning glory of creation.  Thus, John 3:16 can be paraphrased to mean: God loves humanity so much, God gives everything that God has.  The emphasis remains on God's initiative -- that God loved us first.

The "lifting up of the Son of Man" mentioned in the gospel passage refers to the "continuous" upward motion of the cross being lifted up (Jesus' death), his Resurrection, and Ascension.  The love of God involves the giving of everything (Jesus himself) which overcomes death, and reunites us with the Father.

This is why today's feast is called the "Exaltation of the Cross."

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Hungry No More (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1989), pp. 51-56.

Matthew 18:15-20 - Fraternal Correction (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 7, 2014)

Gospel:

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. 

Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Gospel Trivia:

At first glance, this seems to run counter to Jesus admonition not to judge another.  In Matthew 7:3, Jesus admonishes to not notice the splinter in a brother's eye while not seeing the log in one's eye.

Thus, the key message of the passage is NOT the methodology of correcting a member of the community, but the charity and patience that should accompany the attempt to correct.  It does not preach a method of increasing severity, but of stretching one's patience to make sure that a member of the community continues to be a "brother" and is not excluded.  

There is no such thing as a private sin.  Every sin is a sin because it hurts the community.  (Adultery is not a sexual sin, but a sin against the community because it breaks the family which is the basic unit of the community). 

Jesus of course recognized that no one is perfect and all will sin.  In those occasions, the action of the other members of the community should be like the shepherd who searched patiently for the lost sheep.

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Makati: St. Paul's Publications), pp. 229-231.