Dec. 13, 2022 – Matthew 21:28-32
In today’s Gospel passage, which immediately follows yesterday’s in which the religious leaders had questioned his authority, Jesus addresses this parable to them. A father has two sons whom he asks to go and work in his vineyard. One has refused to go, but then repents and obeys; the other says he will go, but then does not. The question then is, “Which of the two has done the will of the father?”
The parable can be read on two levels. On a more general level, it is the common theme of the Gospel: doing is more important than mere words. “It is not those who only say, ‘Lord, Lord,’ who will enter the Kingdom….” The important thing is, in fact, to do God’s will in our daily lives.
On a more particular level, the parable points to the situation Jesus was facing. The religious leaders and many of the ostensibly religious people,
who believed they were following God’s ways, refused to believe in John the Baptist and, after him, in Jesus himself. On the other hand, men who were classified as sinners and transgressors of the Law — publicans and prostitutes — did, however, respond to John’s call to repentance.
In the parable, a man who has two sons tells both of them to go and work in the vineyard. The first says he will not go but later regrets his refusal and goes to work. The second says he will go but does not. The first son who immediately refused to go to work in the vineyard represents the publicans and sinners, while the second son who agreed to work but did not go represents the scribes and Pharisees. The parable warns us that the most important thing is our final decision for or against God, because according to it we are rewarded or punished. The message of the parable is crystal clear. There are two very common classes of people in this world. In the first are people whose profession of faith is better than their practice. In the second are those whose practice is far better than their profession of faith. The ideal son in this parable would be the one who accepts his father’s orders courteously and respectfully and carries them out without question and diligently as Jesus did, fulfilling the Father’s will.
For good workers…
– Grateful for the gifts and graces we have received, as Christmas approaches, let us seek to be followers of the Lord in deeds and words
– The mark of a good Christian is obedience, done with courtesy and respect. Fr Joby Kavungal RCJ