THE WORD
Zeph 3,1-2.9-13 / Mt 21,28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, ‘My boy, you go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not go,’ but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, ‘Certainly, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will? “The first, they said. Jesus said to them, “I tell you solemnly, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.
For John came to you, a pattern of true righteousness, but you did not believe him. And yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.”
IN OTHER WORDS
A priest once encountered a group of children selling accessories made of seashells. Curious about their looks and accent, he asked what tribe they belonged. “We are ‘goodjao,’ answered one kid and he further explained that having been taught by a missionary to live in the way of Jesus’s life and works, they were proudly GOODjao now, no longer BADjao.
The first son, in the Gospel today, seemed bad in promptly refusing the father’s command but ending up doing it. The second son showed a positive response but did the opposite. The message was a clear attack against and a wake-up call to the self-proclaimed righteous religious leaders and Pharisees. Jesus reminded them that true righteousness should be accompanied by a real conversion as proclaimed by John the Baptist. Otherwise, the righteousness of the converted tax collectors and prostitutes would surpass theirs.
Although the gospel, at first glance, seems to praise the first son, both sons actually dishonored their father’s command by word and deed, respectively. Their behaviors also reflect our common weakness as Christians. Many have difficulty committing themselves to the Lord but later find themselves working in the vineyard. Others, on the other hand, have no qualms of committing but end up irresponsible and nowhere to be found.
We can learn two things from this Gospel: first, no matter how rebellious we are to God we are all sent to work in his vineyard and are equally given the chance to follow and disobey his command; second, what matters most to God is not who first says YES but who finally does his will. In this advent season, we are all invited to evaluate ourselves which of the two sons’ responses we are guilty of. If BADjao successfully changed into GOODjao, why can’t we?
- Fr. Semie Rebayla, SVD | Agusan del Sur
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
