Breaking the Word

20^th Week in Ord. Time, Thursday – 18^th August 2022 — Gospel: Mt 22,1-14

Tireless Invitation to Celebrate

Jesus’ parable of the King who throws a wedding party for his son shows us God’s desire for people to rejoice in His goodness and kindness. In this parable, the language of sending and inviting is used repeatedly. If we identify the King in the parable as God, it always amazes how much God continues to reach out to humanity. The King sends out his messengers with the good news again and again. He repeatedly extends his gracious invitation with all the incentives to appeal to people. This is a God who will not give up on humanity, and that is great news indeed. What could be more appealing? The King himself personally describes the banquet saying that his oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered and everything is ready for the feast. The invitation of the King is both a great honour and a sovereign command. Yet some people refuse the invitation with all sorts of excuses. They refuse to change their plans in order to share the joy of the celebration. And some go so far as to persecute and kill the heralds of good news. This causes the King to open up the celebration to anyone who would accept the invitation, both good and bad. This is God’s invitation declaring his preference for the marginalized. So everyone is invited for a joyful time of celebration, and there will be so much in his kingdom to enjoy. Is our response to this call favourable or unfavourable?

20^th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday – 17^th August 2022 — Gospel: Mt 20,1-16

Surprising Reversal

Mt 19,30 serves as a transition to today’s parable of the labourers in the vineyard (20,1-16). The first part of the parable describes the hiring of the labourers – from first to last (20,1-7). The second part describes the payment of the labourers – from the last to the first (20,8-15). The two halves become a reversal conclusion in the last verse (20,16) and of Mt 19,30. The emphasis on the parable is the equal treatment God freely bestows on all, an emphasis which does not fit Matthew’s concern about eschatological reversal and the reward of the poor in 19,30 and 20,16.  Actually, Matthew’s interest is focused on the first and last groups (19,30 and 20,16), which supply the contrast. The reversal-theme is sounded in the command to pay the last first, though the main reason for the reversal here is to allow the first group to learn about the payment given to the last group and thus to build up their hopes. The lord’s generosity, which is a pleasant surprise to the last group, becomes a cruel disappointment to the first group. The grumblers harbor envy because the lord is generous towards those who don’t merit. His generosity is an expression of a gracious freedom, not a malicious unpredictability, while their complaints are an expression of their lovelessness. God’s justice bestows mercy on the unfortunate and rejects the proud claims of merit (Mt 8,11-12). This reminds of Paul’s teaching on God’s saving justice and sovereign free choice (Rom 9,14-18).  Those who think they can calculate exactly how God must act are in for a surprise.