To
read the texts click on the texts: Ezek 18:25-28; Phil 2:1-11; Mt 21:28-32
A
priest friend was telling me how during the time of heavy rains in his town
because of which many people lost a lot of their belongings, he made an appeal
during his Sunday homily for people to come and help him reach out to those who
were affected by the rains. When he asked people to raise their hands to
indicate if they would come, about 70% of the 500 people present raised their
hands. He fixed the following Saturday as the day on which they would go out to
help. When the day came, five people turned up. They said, but did not do. They
had words but no action
There
is an intimate connection between all three readings of today. In the reading
from Ezekiel, the prophet calls the people to realize that it is not God’s ways
that are unfair but their own. He asks the people to grow up and accept
responsibility for their actions and not lay the blame on God’s door. It is not
God who punishes or condemns, but punishment is the consequence or result of a
person’s wrong doing. The ones who persist in their evil ways condemn
themselves. Ezekiel’s portrayal is of a generous and forgiving God who wants
everyone to come back to him. Anyone who turns back to God will be accepted and
forgiven.
This
theme of acceptance and forgiveness is affirmed by Matthew in the Gospel text.
At the end of the parable of the two sons he says that those who turn to God
after renouncing their former evil ways will indeed be saved. This turning to
God has be a turning that is shown in action and not mere words.
It
is important to understand the immediate context. It is placed in the Gospel
almost immediately after Jesus has entered the temple in Jerusalem and
“cleansed” it. This action leads the chief priests and elders of the people to
question Jesus’ authority. It is in this context that the parable is told and
the audience continues to be the chief priests and the elders. It brings out
powerfully the fact that these who just questioned Jesus’ authority are
themselves rejecting the kingdom.
The
first son initially refuses his father’s request. It was culturally
unacceptable, so afterwards he does go and do what his father asks. Thus his
initial refusal is followed by eventual obedience. The second son not only
agrees to go but also reinforces this agreement by addressing his father as
“Lord”. However, he does not go and his initial agreement is followed by
eventual disobedience. Though the answer to Jesus’ question as to which son did
the will of the father is obvious and the Jewish leaders answer correctly. What
shocks and offends them is the application that Jesus makes. They are compared
with the son who was ready with words and even words of respect, but with what
remained mere empty words. Though God spoke to them through the Law and
numerous prophets, they had merely heard and not obeyed. The tax collectors and
prostitutes on the other hand, who are likened to the first son, are the ones
who are entering the kingdom and receiving salvation because they dared to do
so, even though they may have initially refused to listen.
The
second reading from Philippians provides the Christological foundation of such
conversion. Jesus himself is the model of the truly obedient son, who says yes
to his Father in the most radical and action oriented way. His actions match
his words. There is no dichotomy. In this he goes one better than the first son
in not only doing but also saying. The initial verses of the hymn explode with
verbs of action. Jesus did not grasp at equality with God; he emptied himself;
he took on the form of a slave; he came in human likeness; he was obedient to
the point of enduring the ignominy of death in one of the most shameful of
ways: on a cross. This is the attitude that true followers of Jesus are
challenged to adopt. In the second half of the hymn, the verbs then shift. God
becomes now the actor or doer exalting Jesus and giving him a name above every
name. Doing the will of the Father, for Jesus, was more than simply a matter of
words; it is always a matter of deeds. Appropriate and relevant action,
accompanying the words, is the way of a true disciple of Jesus.
The
repentance that today’s texts call for is a radical change of heart, mind and
vision that is seen in denying self and reaching out to everyone in need. It is
true that there will be times when, like the first son, we may say an initial
“I will not”, but when we dare to look at the example of Christ that continues
to shine brightly before us, we are challenged to imitate him and have that
same mind and heart. We are called to realize, like him, that if we dare to
open ourselves to obedience, even though it might not seen at first glance as
the best option, we too like him will conquer death and be that example which
the world so badly needs today.
