27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD (Mt 21:33-43)

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
The landowner is God. The vineyard is Israel. The hedge is a wall of stone to protect the vineyard from animals and from flash floods. The grapes were pressed at the winepress and stored in vats for fermentation. The tower is for the guards.

Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
The tenants were the leaders of Israel. Absentee landlords were common in Israel.

He sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
The servants were the prophets. In the bible the Early Prophets were from Joshua to 2 Kings; the Later Prophets were from Isaiah to Malachi.

But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’
The son is Jesus. If the owner has no other heir, when he dies the estate will really go to the tenants.

They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Jesus was crucified in Calvary outside Jerusalem.

He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.
In 70AD Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. The other tenants are the Christians who now form the new Israel.

REFLECTION

Many years ago a softdrink snatched a significant share of the market from a leading brand. This second placer came up with the idea of marketing a family size product. I heard that the leading brand fired a top executive because he failed to meet expectations. Someone replaced him. The mission: bring back its market share.

God replaced Israel because it failed to give the fruits expected of it by God.

We who belong to the New Israel can not be complacent. Having good intentions is the first step. But it is not enough. We need to bear good fruits. As someone said: "The road that leads to hell is paved with good intentions.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Parable of the Two Sons (Mt 21:28-32)

Commentary taken from The Jerome Biblical Commentary

This parable is the first of three parables of judgment. The other two parables are the Parable of the Vineyard and the Wicked Tenants and the Parable of the Marriage Feast. All three are addressed to the chief priests and elders.

A man had two sons.
The two sons do not stand for Jews and Gentiles. Rather they stand for two kinds of Jews: the faithless leaders and the faithful outcasts (public sinners). Where do the Gentile Christians stand? Among the believing sinners.

Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.
The vineyard is a symbol for Israel.

He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go.
No one will emerge triumphant from the last judgment on the basis of right words. Only a life of love and justice will count.

Which of the two did his father's will?
Obedient faith is always the final test for Matthew.

Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
Tax collectors and prostitutes are Jewish outcasts. Yet it is they who will enter the Kingdom of God ahead of the others. Why? Because they knew they needed to repent whereas the leaders considered themselves righteous and felt no need for repentance.

REFLECTION

The religious leaders thought highly of themselves. After all they scrupulously obeyed the Law. They had something to rely on. But sinners could not rely on what they did. Therefore, they relied on what was left to rely on, Jesus. They were fortunate because entry into the Kingdom is only through Jesus.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard (Mt 20:116).

A landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard…
Laborers assemble as early as 6am in public places to make deals for their services.

After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage…
The denarius was a workman’s daily wage.

Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace.
They were gossiping.

He went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around…
These last must probably too lazy to work.

When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers….
The Greek word used for owner is kyrios (lord). It is often used for God.

Take what is yours and go.
The denarius given to the first group is their wage; to the second, as the owner’s gift. Because the owner is the master of his property, he can do as he pleases.

LESSON:

The owner of the vineyard goes on into the evening hiring workers. Yet he gives all the same full day’s wage of one denarius. With the first group, he acts justly. With the second group, he acts generously.

The Jews were chosen first. But the Gentiles (we) who were called later are also treated in the same way.

Peter was called first. Paul came later. Yet God gave Paul an important mission (Apostle of the Gentiles), as he gave to Peter the important mission of Apostles to the Jews.

God is the Master and Lord of the Universe. He can act as he pleases. He can give his gifts as he wills. But God never acts arbitrarily. He is guided only by his love and goodness. We should, therefore, trust god and let him act the way he does.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

"Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" (Matthew 18:21-35)

Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times."

Rabbis taught that forgiveness may be given 3 times. Or at most 4 times. Therefore, Peter thought that 7 was generous enough. But Jesus taught that there is no limit to forgiveness.

A debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount (10,000 talents).

The servant was an official. Someone computed the amount to be US$60 billion.

His master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.

The amount to be realized in selling them would not even cover a fraction of the US$ 60B. Selling them was, therefore, a punishment.

Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.

This was clearly impossible.

When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount (100 denarii).

This was equivalent to US$200. Compare how little the fellow servant owed to what he owed to the king. Compare how the king treated him and how he treated his fellow servant.

Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers...

It might be that the official was hiding part of the US$60B. The king wanted to get it back.

Until he should pay back the whole debt.

He can never hope to raise the amount. Therefore, his torment would be unending.

Lessons

1. We must forgive one another because their offenses are small compared to our offenses against God.
2. We must forgive one another because refusal to do so would mean not being forgiven by God.