From: Matthew 20:1-16a
The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard
[1] "For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. [2] After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. [3] And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; [4] and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. [5] Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. [6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?' [7] They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.' [8] And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' [9] And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. [10] Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. [11] And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, [12] saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' [13] But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? [14] Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. [15] Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? [16] So the last will be first, and the first last."
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Commentary:
1-16. This parable is addressed to the Jewish people, whom God called at an early hour, centuries ago. Now the Gentiles are also being called--with an equal right to form part of the new people of God, the Church. In both cases it is a matter of a gratuitous, unmerited, invitation; therefore, those who were the "first" to receive the call have no grounds for complaining when God calls the "last" and gives them the same reward--membership of His people. At first sight the laborers of the first hour seem to have a genuine grievance--because they do not realize that to have a job in the Lord's vineyard is a divine gift. Jesus leaves us in no doubt that although He calls us to follow different ways, all receive the same reward--Heaven.
2. "Denarius": a silver coin bearing an image of Caesar Augustus (Matthew 22:19-21).
3. The Jewish method of calculating time was different from ours. They divided the whole day into eight parts, four night parts (called "watches") and four day parts (called "hours")--the first, third, sixth and ninth hour.
The first hour began at sunrise and ended around nine o'clock; the third ran to twelve noon; the sixth to three in the afternoon; and the ninth from three to sunset. This meant that the first and ninth hours varied in length, decreasing in autumn and winter and increasing in spring and summer and the reverse happening with the first and fourth watches.
Sometimes intermediate hours were counted--as for example in verse 6 which refers to the eleventh hour, the short period just before sunset, the end of the working day.
16. The Vulgate, other translations and a good many Greek codexes add: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (cf. Matthew 22:14).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
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Twenty-Fifth Sunday Year A
By Deacon John Kranz
I believe we are all laborers in the field of our Lord. As we labor, our first concern is for fairness, justice, and impartiality ~ as it applies to the one doing the labor ~ just as it was for those who were sent into the field first and were paid the same as the last. But our understanding of this ideal is not the same as the Lord’s. To Christ, justice is allowing for a man the means by which to provide for his family, a means to clothe the naked, to feed the less fortunate. For our Lord, laboring has so much more to do with others rather than self. In fact, self has nothing to do with it at all. Laboring to rid the person of “SELF” prepares the divine landscape within each of us. And that’s difficult. It’s true spiritual labor. But with this labor comes a two-fold ideal of mercy, individual and communal, and what follows is potentially heaven on earth.
Before we can labor in the spiritual garden the Lord wants to prepare within our souls, it is useful to understand that laboring in this garden begins with routing out all sense of “SELF”. In routing out this lesser ideal, we labor to prepare for a higher state of being that enables us to offer acts of mercy that are in perfect harmony with the Divine Will of our Heavenly Father, not tainted with self-interest. Again, this is difficult. It requires time, practice and patience ~ not to mention tremendous grace. SELF-interest can rear its ugly head without us even being aware of it. For example, I might go to a prayer meeting more so that others might see that I am a holy deacon rather than for more understanding and inspiration to live according to the Divine Will. To our Lord this gift is really no gift at all, because it is polluted with self-interest rather than unadulterated love for God. Hence you can see from this example that ridding the individual of SELF has much to do with one’s intention. Again, the intention to receive communion from a deep longing for an intimate relationship with God rather than coming to the Lord’s table out of habit. Perhaps it’s the intention to assist those suffering from natural disasters because we truly see the face of Christ in each of his suffering sons and daughters, rather than out of concern that we should do “at least something” so that we make it through the pearly gates. Better yet, I might spend an hour in prayer every morning ~ in itself a wonderful act of faith. However, one day I might offer only three more minutes of prayer, meditating on His final three minutes on the cross. Those few moments in themselves are not of significant importance. It’s by one’s intention that they are made that much more beautiful in the eyes of God. I could go on. Needless to say, laboring in this garden has nothing to do with SELF and everything to do with the larger Body of Christ. And the more one becomes perfected in this way of life, the irony is, the more perfected their acts of mercy become as an affect on The Body of Christ.
The individual mercy I am referring to is that mercy we allow for ourselves. By doing away with self-interest, pride, ego, and all the rest, we open the door widely so that Christ might come and dwell within our hearts and within our souls. This is, in itself, a great act of individual mercy. Why? Because we have cleaned out the old, weeded out the unnecessary, and made it new again, so that our Thrice Holy God may dwell within us and enable us to bare fruit according to his Divine Will. It’s like a light shining in a closet but the is door closed. This individual mercy is an act that we can initiate, like turning on a light so that we might become so much more radiant than we really are ~ when left to our own devices. And the more perfected we become, the more freely Christ can flow through us and affect His entire Body.
This is the communal mercy we offer for others. At this point our labor becomes like a light shining in a closet and the door has been opened. This light shines outside the closet and now illuminates the next room. You know these corporal acts by now that make up this light: Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Heal the sick. But what you may not have known is that the intention of our heart is very much taken into account. And it begins with laboring to rid the individual of SELF.
The easiest thing in the world to do is to let loose of SELF and allow it to run freely. There is no labor in that at all. SELF is totally consumed by flesh and all that goes with it: lust, pride, ego, licentiousness, decadence, self-indulgence and all the rest. The flesh is weak and therefore very lazy. It will stay out all night long and party for hours on end ~ with no prompting at all. The laboring on our part comes into play when we work to control the flesh, and the lesser sense of SELF, so that we might prepare a place that our Lord loves to dwell. With time, practice and patience we might come to realize that this is truly the greatest act of mercy we can offer our own souls. The more we die to self the more we are resurrected in Christ, and the greater impact we have on the community which makes up his Body.
This is why Jesus says that the first will be last and the last will be first. In giving us equal opportunity to labor in the fertile fields that lay within each of us, the first will be last because they are the first to route out all sense of SELF, and by grace have placed themselves last before all others. In fact, Jesus said, “If you wish to be the greatest in heaven be the servant of all.” Those who have labored well have learned the exalted position that being last commands. And being last, they hold first place in the heavenly kingdom. Hence, the first, by grace, will be last and being last they are indeed first.
The good news is, at the end of this day’s labor we will receive the same compensation, becoming more fully participants in His sacrifice and His glory. We bring the gift of SELF to this alter with the intention of offering it in complete union with Christ to our Father for the fulfillment of His divine plan and the gift of eternal salvation for all humankind.
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