So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen

 

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth an the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is my eye evil because I am good?'   So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

 

- Matthew 20:1-16 

 

Yesterday we read that, following the encounter with the rich young ruler, Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth an the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is my eye evil because I am good?'   So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."  My study Bible explains that in this parable, the vineyard is life in this world.  The day, it explains, is a reference both to the span of a single person's life, and also to the whole of human history.  The laborers are all the people in every nation.  It says that very hour can refer to ties in a person's life, whether infancy, youth adulthood, maturity, or old age.  There is also a second meaning in the span of history, a reference to those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.   Moreover, it notes that God's generosity provides equal reward for both early and late comers.  Clearly Jesus is teaching that the former should not be overly proud of their long service, nor resent those called at the eleventh hour.  For the latecomers, Jesus teaches, it's possible even in a short time, or at the end of one's life, to recover and inherit everything.  My study Bible adds that in the early Church, this message applied specifically to the Jews (those first-called) and the Gentiles (those called later).  In our time, this can be applied to those raised in the Church and to those who find the Church later in life, both of whom will receive an equal reward.  There is a renowned paschal sermon by St. John Chrysostom, repeated every Easter in the Orthodox Church, which applies this parable to the preparations of each person in approaching the paschal Eucharist.  

 

This parable may be confusing to some, and my study Bible's helpful explanations cover a wide range within we might view it.  That  the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen may seem strangely paradoxical in some sense.  But if we imagine that Christ is addressing those who are called to be His workers, the apostles, we may understand how this ongoing work of the harvest in the vineyard expands through times, across peoples and groups, and in different ways requiring different work or application or attention.  When Jesus visits a Samaritan town, and the townspeople come to Him as they are brought by a the believing Samaritan woman who encountered Him at the well, He says, "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  (See John 4:1-42.)  In this understanding, that one reaps and one sows, and both rejoice together.  So it is with the parable; each successive group of workers enters into the others' labors.  The equal payment, or reward, is an important, perhaps controversial or perplexing element of the parable.  My spouse is an economist, and in his perspective the equal payment for each unique type of labor indicates one thing:  that each one is equally essential to the completed project.  The value of each work is equal, regardless of the time spent at the work, specifically which work was performed, the day or year of the work, or the time within the harvest.  Each one is paid equally the same.  This is a profound insight, for what it indicates to us is the consistent pattern in Christ's teaching that each one is essential, that God is not merely "inclusive" (to use a modern word), but rather draws each of us into God's great plan of salvation, and in particular for this particular parable, Christ's mission of salvation for the world.  We all have a part to play, we are all invited to serve, and this is Christ's message for us.  All are called; those who respond and enter into the work of the harvest are the few chosen.  As Jesus says, this is the reality of the kingdom of heaven, and we are still within this time of the end brought on by Christ and His Incarnation as the human Jesus.  Even at the eleventh hour, more harvesters are needed and wanted, and each who participates in the work of the harvest will receive the proper wage given equally to the others.  Let us participate in His work, be a part of His covenant, and serve as one of the workers in the vineyard for our righteous wages.  Let us be not simply one of the ones called, but also one of the chosen.

 

 

 

For many are called, but few chosen

 

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth  hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

 

- Matthew 20:1-16 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to His disciples (after the encounter with the rich young ruler), "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth  hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."  In this parable, my study Bible explains, the vineyard is life in this world.  The day refers both to the span of a single person's life and to the whole of human history.  The laborers are all the people in every nation.  Each hour can refer to the times in a person's life, whether infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age.  It also has a second meaning in the span of history, referring to those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  God's generosity provides equal reward for both early and late comers.  According to my study Bible, Jesus teaches that the former should not be proud of their long service, nor should they resent those who are called at the eleventh hour.  (No doubt this parable is the source of the expression "the eleventh hour.")  To the latecomers, He teaches that it is possible even in a short time, or at the end of one's life, to recover and inherit everything.  For the early Church, this message would have applied specifically to the Jews (who are the first-called) and the Gentiles (those called later).  Today, it can be applied to those raised in the Church and to those who find the Church later in life, both of whom receive an equal reward.  There is a famous paschal sermon by St. John Chrysostom, repeated every year at Easter/Pascha in the Orthodox Church, which is based on this parable, and applying its teachings to the preparations of each person in approaching the paschal Eucharist.  

What is it to be too late?  What does it mean to be too late in the context of the parable?  There is a saying that the only unforgiven sin is the one that remains unrepented.  The image of the workers who want to work and the One who calls them is an image of the will, somehow.  What is our desire?  What is our calling?  This is related directly to the final statement by Jesus here, that many are called but few chosen.  There are those who desire the work, and many are called to it -- but it is the ones chosen who have the true desire to serve.  Let us remember that today's parable comes on the tails of the encounter with the rich young ruler, whom Christ loved, and desired to know what he must do to find eternal life.  Christ told him he had done all things well (followed the commandments), but that if he wanted to be perfect, he should sell all that he had and give to the poor, and then follow Christ.  This is a radical teaching about changing one's life, starting from zero, and allowing Christ to build up our lives.  And so we can see a similar pattern in the parable which is given to Christ's disciples:  the usual rules of accumulation and reward do not apply in this Kingdom.  It is all about serving, and it is God who sets the terms.  One is not greater than the other; what is important is simply to answer the call -- and it is even more rare to be chosen, to be one of those who can accept the way of God, whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (see Isaiah 55:8-9).   For we all have our assumptions about the ways that life should work, what is good and what is not good.  But, as we read in Isaiah, God proclaims, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." In a modern time, there are those who seek their way to God, and may change churches and even religions throughout their lives.  But ours is not to judge.  God always calls, and our choice is simply to answer and hope to be chosen.  For to be chosen means accepting God's way for us and dwelling in His Kingdom, learning God's ways.  The Lord justly gives to all "their single denarius," notes St. Cyril of Alexandria, meaning the grace of the Spirit, perfecting the saints in conformity with God, impressing the heavenly stamp on their souls and leading them to life and immortality.  When we find ourselves wondering why life is one way and not another, let us turn to the parable and consider that we are being shaped for God's work and God's image for us, something far beyond our own capacity to decide alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then He appointed the twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons

 

 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.   Then He appointed the twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  And they went into a house

 

- Mark 3:7-19 

 

On Saturday, we read that it happened that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 

 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  My study Bible comments that Jesus withdrew both because the Pharisees were planning to destroy Him (although it was not time for Him to die) and also in order to preach in other places.  Let us note also that Mark's Gospel has covered a lot of ground:  by this time people are following Jesus from all over the territory of Israel, not only do people from Galilee follow Him, but those beyond Galilee:  from Jerusalem and its surrounding areas, even beyond the Jordan to the East, and the Gentile areas of Tyre and Sidon as well.   

So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  Great crowds come to see Jesus; there is such a flux of people that a small boat is kept ready in case in their zeal to come to Him they should crush Him.  It is His healing ability that draws the multitude.  And naturally, in such crowds of people, there are also unclean spirits -- they recognize Jesus and know who He is, but His messianic identity must still be kept a secret for many reasons.   He wants those who come to Him out of true faith and not miraculous signs; the religious authorities are by now hostile to Him, and these crowds no doubt are composed of people who expect a political messiah, such as a king who will crush Israel's enemies, throw out the Roman occupiers, and re-establish Israel's fortunes.  

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.   Then He appointed the twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  And they went into a house.  Those whom He Himself wanted are chosen out of the multitude that follows Him.  Note that Jesus has gone up on the mountain to give this special call through which He appointed the twelve.   A mountain is associated with acts of God, a place where God meets humankind, such as when Jesus goes to a mountain alone to pray (Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46).  In Exodus 19:3 we read that "Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain" to give Moses the word and commands he should teach the people.   The twelve are called both disciples and apostles because of their job or function:  disciple comes from the word in Greek that literally means "learner" -- therefore one purpose stated here for their appointment is that they might be with Him in order to learn from Him.   Apostle comes from a word in Greek that means "one sent out" with a message -- hence they are appointed that He might send them out.  Notice that as disciples and apostles they are also in whom Christ shares His own power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.   My study Bible comments that the names of these twelve men are not the same in all lists, as many people had more than one name.  In Matthew's Gospel the names are given in pairs (see Matthew 10:1-4), suggesting who may have traveled together, as Mark 6:7 tells us they were sent out two by two.

At this point in Mark's Gospel we read of huge, crushing crowds and "great multitudes" following Jesus, from all over the regions of Israel.  The fact that many come from Jerusalem and its surroundings informs us that surely the religious leadership in the temple have taken notice, and we have already read of open conflict with the Pharisees (Saturday's reading, above).  So, at this point in Christ's ministry, as His fame and following have increased to such an extent, it is reasonable to assume that a kind of climax along the way has been reached:  Jesus is at once extremely popular and sought out, and it is just this popularity that will increase the scrutiny of the religious leaders.   So it's good to ask ourselves, given these circumstances and context at this time in Jesus' ministry, why it is time for Him to appoint these Twelve, known both as disciples and apostles.  Clearly they will live with Him and spend time with Him (that they might be with Him) so that they will learn to be "like Him," prepared for being sent out to preach His gospel message of the Kingdom, to heal, and to cast out demons.  Clearly Jesus is preparing now for the future, after Crucifixion and Resurrection.  He will need new sowers to sew the seeds He has begun to plant and to spread (see Matthew 13:1-23, the parable of the Sower).  It reminds us that at the time when a chapter is closing, it is always up to us to consider what life we live behind, and how we may consider what we contribute into the world.  Even when things look like they are growing and gaining momentum, Jesus knows the opposition and what will be the outcome, and so, going up on the mountain in a gesture we can read as directed by the Father, it is time to appoint those who will be His disciples and apostles, the ones who will go out to the world and establish a Church, and carry His message.  Today, in times of terrible violence, and the possibilities that entails for our world, let us consider how we may carry His gospel message of the Kingdom into the world.  Let us plant the seeds He wants us to sew, and consider what we leave behind in the world -- for every day is the right day to consider this reality, and the questions He would ask of us.

 

 

For many are called, but few are chosen

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding." '  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen." 

- Matthew 22:1-14

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught another parable in the temple, addressing the chief priests and elders who had questioned His authority:  "There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

  And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come."  My study bible comments that, like the preceding parables (see the readings from Tuesday and Wednesday, above), this one is also a proclamation of the transfer of the Kingdom from the faithless Jews to the Gentiles.  It is set as a joyful wedding banquet (see also 25:1-13).  Christ is often called the Bridegroom (9:15, John 3:29).  St. Paul also uses a marriage analogy for the Kingdom (Ephesians 5:21-33).  In this parable, the king repeated sends out servants to call those invited to the wedding.  This repeated call shows the Father's great desire to have His people with Him in the kingdom.  This first group called is interpreted to be Moses and those with him.

"Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding." ' "  This second set of servants is by tradition considered to be the prophets who call the people back to God.  Together with the first sent out to call people invited to the wedding feast, they call those initially invited, the Jews.  The oxen, my study bible says, represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant.  The fatted cattle represent the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant.  The word in the original Greek text can be translated as "wheat-fed" or more literally as "formed from wheat."  Therefore, in the wedding of Christ and Christ's Church, both the Old and the New Covenants are fulfilled. 

"But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."  That their city was burned up is, according to St. John Chrysostom, a prophesy by Christ of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70.   Thereby its destruction becomes attributed to an act of God rather than that of human beings.  Nonetheless, God shows patience by waiting approximately 40 years from the time of Christ, giving an entire generation a chance for repentance.

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests."  This third sent of servants assigned to call and invite "as many as you find" on the highways, both bad and good, is considered to be the apostles sent out to all the nations.  That is, to those who were not initially invited, but are now called. 

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."   By tradition, the wedding garment would have been provided by the king; therefore there is no excuse for the man not wearing one.  Thus, he's speechless.  The refusal to wear the provided garment is an illustration of those who refuse the hospitality of God, or who want God's Kingdom on their own terms, according to my study bible.  More specifically, this garment refers to the baptismal garment, and through its extension to a life of faith, repentance, virtue, and charity.  Without these, my study bible says, a person will ultimately be cast into outer darkness.  For many, as we've noted in other passages, is an Aramaic expression used to mean "for all."

What is the difference between being called and chosen?  This can be quite puzzling.  But one thing we can learn from this parable given by Christ in the temple to the religious leadership:  everyone is called.  The Greek word for "called" is κλητός/kletos.  It literally does mean "called" as in being summoned or invited.  As used in the New Testament, it indicates a call from God.  As such, we can understand that all who were part of the kingdom of Israel were called to God's wedding banquet, and subsequently the apostles are sent out (the literal meaning of the word apostle is one who is "sent out") to call all the world to this feast.  They go out onto the highways of the world -- again, in their own time, quite literally, as the Romans had built highways for transport and trade across the Empire.  In the language of the text, there's a double emphasis that these servants are sent out to the crossroads or thoroughfares, the places where roads meet outside of cities.   In the Greek, they are told to invite all whom they meet on the "road" -- and this second word for road is the same one Jesus uses which is translated as "way" in "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  Therefore we might understand a double meaning here for the apostles:  on their own journey of faith along the "way" of Christ, their job is to be those sent out to call those whom they meet, to invite them to this wedding feast of the Kingdom.  But to be chosen is another matter, and Jesus distinguishes these two things of calling and being chosen -- and not for the first time, either.  He used the same expression in the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard which He told to the disciples regarding their own work and calling, and the equal reward promised to all who answer the call to labor in God's vineyard (see 20:16).  To be "chosen" forms a sort of play on words by Christ, something that dots His speech in the Gospels, and makes it more clear to His original listeners what a brilliant mind He had in the use of language, of words.  While "called" is kletos, "chosen" is eklektos/ἐκλεκτός.  It literally means to be selected, or chosen out, and implies preference or favorite.  Perhaps it gives us a hint of the meaning to Jesus' words following the parable in chapter 20, in which He tells the disciples that the places on His right and left will go to those for whom it's been prepared by the Father (20:23).  In today's parable, we get a sense of being "chosen" as a kind of self-selection.  That is, the chosen are those who wear the garment prepared by the Father, who have accepted the place to which they are called to be citizens of this Kingdom, and who live it -- even embodying that calling.  This "self-selection," so to speak, echoes the meanings of judgment found in the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers in yesterday's reading (see above), in which the worthy vinedressers to come will be those who render the fruits of the harvest.  In other words, those who can accept and bear the spiritual fruit nurtured wisely and well by a properly tended vineyard of God's people.  In these parables we can obtain a sense of a kind of organic movement from within that constitutes being "chosen."  That is, who will bear the proper fruit of the harvest and return it to the Father.  Who can truly embody and wear that wedding garment, bearing graciously the fullness of citizenship in this Kingdom?  There is, somewhere along the line, an internal "yes" to that grace and its process in us.  It indicates a type of cooperation with God -- for why are we "called" if it is not so that we will respond in ways that others have failed to do?  Let us remind ourselves at once and marvel that it is indeed the whole world that is called to this banquet.  There is not one left out:  neither Jew nor Gentile, rich nor poor, master and servant, nor any distinction in this world.  The highways of the world -- including those of internet communications -- are those used to issue out this call, as we continue to do today.  Those of us who respond must bear the responsibility for wearing that wedding garment and assuming the duties and responsibilities that go with it, those things contained in the word of Christ for us -- for each of us.  Let us remember that garment is not of our own making, and will be provided for us.  We don't start all from scratch.  Our job is to respond to the grace which gives us everything we need.

Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing idle here all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

- Matthew 20:1-16

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children and lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing idle here all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."   My study bible explains that in this parable, the vineyard is life in this world.  The day refers both to the span of a single person's life and also to the entirety of human history.  The laborers are all the people in every nation.  Every hour can refer to varying times in a person's life, whether that indicates infancy, or youth, or adulthood, maturity, or old age.  My study bible adds that it also has a second meaning in the span of human history:  referring to those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  Another aspect of this parable is the teaching that God's generosity provides equal reward for both early and late comers.  My study bible says about this that Jesus teaches that the former shouldn't be proud of their long service, nor resent those who are called at the eleventh hour.  For latecomers, the parable teaches that it is possible even in a short time, or at the end of life, to recover and inherit all.  In the early Church, this applied specifically to the Jews (the first-called), and the Gentiles (those who were called later).  At the present time, this can be applied to individuals who have been raised in the Church and those who find the Church later on in life.  Both receive an equal reward.  The paschal sermon of St. John Chrysostom (read in the Orthodox Church each Easter) is based on this parable, and applies it to each person's preparation through Lent in approaching the paschal Eucharist.

This parable illustrates yet another way that the "rules" of the kingdom of heaven do not work according to worldly rules, and in particular according to the rules of material life (or mammon, if you will).  Jesus illustrates this same principle when He tells His disciples at the Last Supper, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).  In today's parable, Jesus gives a clear illustration that "not as the world gives" does God give.  He is speaking to His earliest disciples, and therefore when Jesus tells them that "the last will be first, and the first last" (repeating this phrase which He also stated in yesterday's reading, above, and so giving it great emphasis), He is clearly referring to them in particular.  It is yet again -- for these immediate disciples at that time -- an emphasis on humility, particularly in response to the earlier question about who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (see Wednesday's reading from last week).  There will be those who come after they who will also be "great in the kingdom of heaven."  In this parable there is a radical reckoning of equality in a spiritual sense.  It possibly emphasizes for us that in this kingdom there is no space and no time, even as at the Transfiguration Moses and Elijah both appeared speaking together with Christ, and each was immediately recognizable to Peter, James, and John.  In short, the "rules" of this kingdom are not the rules of the world.  We aren't rewarded according to worldly rules; there is a different standard involved.  And clearly, it is God who sets the standard.  Our expectations have to be subject to our faith and the perceptions that come from "work" in this kingdom, from participation in it.  On the surface, the parable seems like it is told to the disciples to enforce the message of humility:  that each will be called in a different way, and there is to be no comparison between one person's labor and another's, one person's reward and another's.  That also reinforces the lesson taken from St. Chrysostom's comment on the story of the rich man in Monday's reading, that for each follower the sacrifices asked will be different.  Above all, what is reinforced in today's reading is a galvanizing kind of equality within this kingdom of heaven, that we each have our own part to play:  we are not to look to one or the other nor to compare rewards.  Each is called according to his or her own life; each is called with the bargain being only between the landowner and themselves.  In the final chapter of John's Gospel, St. Peter is told three times by Jesus what his job is to be in this kingdom; Jesus tells him, "Feed my lambs."  But then Peter sees the disciple John, and asks what John must do.  Jesus replies, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me" (see John 21:15-25).  In other words, the things asked of each one apply only to that person.  Yet for all of us, the reward is the same.  As this applies to each one of us today, just as it did then, 2,000 years ago to the disciples, let us consider what Christ asks of us.  In the passage at the end of John's Gospel we've just cited, Jesus first asks Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?"  Let us ask for ourselves this question, and understand that Christ is always asking each one of us the same.  Let us turn to Him and offer ourselves, and leave ourselves open to what He asks.  Don't look around and assume everyone's gifts nor offering is the same; you might find it surprising what it is that God asks of you.  But humility is the key to accepting that answer, just as it was for St. Peter, and for all the rest.

Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?

Parable of the Wedding Feast, Dionisy.  Fresco, 1502.  Virgin Nativity Cathedral  (former Ferapontov Monastery, UNESCO World Heritage Site), Vologda Oblast, Russia

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, 'See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding." '  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.   And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came into to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  For many are called, but few are chosen."

- Matthew 22:1-14

Yesterday we read that Jesus replied to the leadership in the temple:  "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD'S doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, 'See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding." ' "  As in yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus presents yet another parable to the religious leaders, warning them and telling them of God's repeated calling, and the transfer of God's kingdom to others who will respond.  This parable is set as a joyful wedding banquet (see also 25:1-13).  Christ is often called the "Bridegroom" (9:15; John 3:29), and my study bible points out that St. Paul will also use a marriage analogy for the Kingdom (Ephesians 5:21-33).  We note the repeated sending out of the servants by the king (once again, in similarity to the previous parable, above).  My study bible says that this shows the God the Father's great desire to have God's people with Him in the Kingdom.  The first group is interpreted to refer to Moses and those with him, while the second group is composed of the prophets.  These are the groups who call those initially invited -- the Jews.  The oxen represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, according to my study bible.  The fatted cattle by contrast represent the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant.  (Fatted in the Greek of the text is better translated as "wheat-fed," or even more literally "formed from wheat.")  Therefore, both the Old and the New Covenants are fulfilled in this wedding of Christ and the Church, His Bride, God's people.

"But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.   And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."  My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom here, who teaches that Christ is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, thereby attributing this destruction to an act of God rather than simply that of human beings.  But still, the patience of God is evident, as it was approximately 40 years from the time of Christ, giving an entire generation a chance for repentance.

"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came into to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  My study bible explains that the wedding garment would have been provided by the king, and therefore the man had no excuse for not wearing one; therefore he is speechless.   His refusal to wear the garment that was provided is an illustration of those who refuse God's hospitality, or who want God's Kingdom on their own terms.  More specifically, the garment refers to the baptismal garment, and through extension, a life of faith, repentance, virtue, and charity.  Without these, a person will ultimately be cast into outer darkness. 

"For many are called, but few are chosen."  For many, as we have encountered elsewhere, is an Aramaic expression that means "for all."

Christ's warnings given through the parables of yesterday and today are given to the leadership, and so, effectively, they warn both broadly and specifically of this Kingdom that will be taken away and given to others.  Yesterday's parable of the Wicked Vinedressers was about those who repeatedly rejected, harmed, and killed those servants (meaning the prophets) who came calling people back to God, the landowner.  In today's parable, the king (God) gives a wedding feast, a banquet for the marriage of His son with the bride, who is the Church, or God's people.  Those who refuse to attend, too busy with their own concerns, will lose even what they have.  Those who appear but without the wedding garment provided by the king, will also be cast out of this kingdom.  It is a sense in which refused hospitality is not a benign act, but carries significant results.  Repeatedly in the Gospels, we are given a sense in which a refusal to accept or acknowledge grace -- particularly in the form of a spiritual truth which is revealed, given, or offered -- carries with it its own result.  In this case, one could say that the "outer darkness" into which the guest was cast was a matter of his own choosing, his own refusal or failure to wear the wedding garment.  The invitation of the king and what was on offer is not a question of a sale, of offering a good in the marketplace that one can take or leave, but rather an offer of life, of citizenship in that which gives life in the Kingdom.  And here we can start with an understanding of Christ, and how this parable applies to us all.  While it is told to the leadership as warning for what they are doing in their rejection and soon-to-follow persecution of Christ, this parable remains in effect for us and all who follow.  It is about what it means to refuse spiritual truth, a failure to come to terms with our potential as human beings for justice and mercy.   Jesus, as a person has no airs He puts on about Himself.  He has no formal title or recognized worldly authority to call upon.  But what He has instead is truth, just as John the Baptist carried within him a truth given by God, and so was considered to be a prophet (see Wednesday's reading).  Jesus has not declared to the world that He is the Messiah; instead He has lived, embodied, and fulfilled the role of Messiah, in a ministry unfolded in faith to the will of the Father.  There is no hypocrisy here on His part, there is only truth.  On the other hand, this is contrasted by the hypocrisy of the leadership, who secretly plot one way, and put a different face on for fear of the public's support of Christ (and of John the Baptist).  The outrage of the leaders in response to Christ's truth is typical of something we can observe in the world all around us; to tell the truth is a dangerous thing.   Those who cannot respond to truth by embracing it will in turn seek frequently to trample down the messenger, as Christ acknowledges when He instructed the disciples, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces" (Matthew 7:6).    So powerful, so potent is this effect that we are taught to be discerning with our truth.  On a worldly scale of manipulation of power, we may suffer for telling the truth.  But at the levels of spiritual power which Christ speaks of in today's parable, to refuse God's truth has an effect.  In the case of the interpretation of this parable and its reference to the eventual destruction in the Siege of Jerusalem we see the lag of time as mercy; but nevertheless a refusal of something so essential to our souls and the reality of the revelation of God -- which is a cosmic event -- has its effect.  The depth to which this particular truth reaches into us confers its own reality on soul and spirit, in turn affecting body.  We simply don't see the effect and the pattern quickly in time, but nevertheless this does not indicate a lack of effect.  This parable, as told to the leadership, is a truth-telling and a prophecy regarding the effect of their refusal of His ministry and His Incarnation.  But it's really a parable that applies to us today, and to all people, in some sense, as well.  When are we confronted with truth in our lives, especially a spiritual truth we ought to acknowledge?  When do we choose to refuse it?  When do we tell ourselves it doesn't really matter?  When do mercy and justice and all the teachings of God's humility in loving us come in for sharp refusal, lack of recognition, and especially a denial to put on our wedding garment?  We can see this happening in our world all the time, in all times and places, and especially in the abuse of power, both public and private.  God calls us to live in a certain way in this world, to respect God's truth, and living in this world in a way that reflects that truth, making our choices with good judgment.  Where is that righteousness and how can we find it?  The parable is a declaration to us all that it truly matters, and that it is our respect for truth -- or the lack of it -- that will always tell, and have its consequences, whether we wish to recognize it in our own lives and as our responsibilities, or not.  The self-righteousness and hypocrisy of the religious leadership tell us a great deal about ourselves, if we will only listen.   To deeply honor truth requires great humility, while the refusal of a gesture or act of pure love and grace requires a particular blindness and hardness of heart.  Let us consider the wedding to which we are all called.

Whatever is right I will give you

Grape harvest detail,  mosaic.  Nave of Santa Costanza (4th century), Rome

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

- Matthew 20:1-16

Yesterday we read that, after his encounter with the rich man who desired eternal life (Tuesday's reading),  Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."   My study bible tells us that in this parable, the vineyard represents life in this world.  The day refers both to the span of a single person's life and to the whole of human history.  The laborers are everybody -- all the people in every nation.  Every hour can refer to the varied times in a person's life -- possibly infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age.  There is also a second meaning noted in which this references the entire span of history, those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  God's generosity, my study bible says, provides equal reward for both early and late comers.  Jesus teaches that the former should not be proud of their long service nor resent those called at the eleventh hour.  To the latecomers, the parable tells us that it is possible even in a short time or at the end of one's life to recover and inherit everything.  My study bible also adds that in the early Church, this message applied specifically to the Jews (who were the first-called) and the Gentiles (those who were called later).  Today, we can apply this to those raised in the Church and those who find the Church later in life, both of whom get an equal reward.  The renowned paschal sermon of St. John Chrysostom is based on this parable, in which he applies the preparations of each person in approaching the midnight paschal Eucharist.

One thing that is striking when one reads this parable is that there is little doubt who is really in charge; that is, who is the boss.  It is the landowner.  He makes the deals, and the laborers agree to the wages, but he has the final say.  To those who come later than the earliest workers, even to those who are called latest, at the eleventh hour, he tells them, "whatever is right I will give you."   When those who began work the earliest complain, the landowner says, "I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?"  On this day of Thanksgiving (in the United States, at any rate) it is a good idea to remember who the landowner is, and even to think about what the purposes of work are in our lives.  That is, what do we labor for?  Where does our highest effort go?  Of course we all have natural needs, and this extends to all those who are in our care and whom we care about.  In God's sight, and by the tradition of the Church, all of our community falls into this perspective.  In particular, we also seek to remember those who cannot do for themselves, and so our labor may be for an entire community, even those whom we do not know.  But the parable emphasizes that there is more than one side to this question of labor and payment, and the ultimate distinction rests within the hands of the landowner.  What is our reward?  Is the purpose of this work merely payment, or is there a different story to be heard in the way in which the landowner decides "whatever is right"?  In this story, there is a different sense of justice involved in "what is right" than is conventional or worldly.  The longest laborers do not get more.  This is not about evening up, or weighing on scales, or measuring time.  It's not even about measuring labor.  It is all about those who come into the work, those who show up and participate, who hear the call and who respond.  It is all about coming to the place where we understand who the landowner is, and what is worthy of our labor, where we participate.  We can work our whole lives for the expectations of others, for the "good" of the society, for our own goals and ambitions, for a great deal of possessions, or any number of infinite goals we might choose or find ourselves serving in life.  But ultimately, there is one landowner who gives according to a kind of justice that we don't necessarily see and know.  There is one landowner who knows something about the value of labor that we don't.  There is one landowner who both calls and chooses, and that is the One who has created the world and given us our lives, even our capacity for labor, our talent, our intelligence, and all things are ultimately in God's hands.  There is that heart-to-heart meeting of each laborer with the landowner when the landowner decides to give us "what is right."  This parable applies to everyone who ever lived and who ever will live in this world.  This landowner clearly is "above" time, with a different sense of time than we who dwell in the world understand.  In the parable, he doesn't see the laborers as the laborers see themselves, and neither does he view their labor as they see their labor.  He's got a different point of view about what's fair, and he wants all beings -- no matter how late they come into the project -- to be sure they know they have been called.  There is a kind of unity in the reward that speaks of communion, that teaches us that no matter what individual roles we might play, we are really all in this together.  Whatever our individual life experiences, whatever roles we play, however long it might take us to come to this harvest and our labor and participation in it, there is one reward and it is, in fact, an equal reward.  The only ones left out are those who choose not to respond to the call, for the landowner calls, and calls again, and calls again.  Some of us may have great obstacles to overcome to get there, others may have great labors they need to do, and some may just show up at the last minute.  But we're not supposed to pay attention to what the others need to do, our deal is with the landowner alone.  Let us be grateful to put our hands into this growth and harvest, to know what we are about, and put our trust in the One whom we serve.  For it is not a question of what we get, so much as it is the great endeavor in which we are all called to participate, and for which we may be chosen.  The work continues, the vineyard remains a work in progress, and we may choose to put our hands to the work at any time -- and join in with those who were first.  Let us be grateful for the call to this great work, and humble enough to accept the places chosen for us in it.

So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

- Matthew 20:1-16

On Tuesday, we read about a man with many possessions, who asked Jesus what  good thing he should do that he might have eternal life.  Yesterday, we read that Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."   Jesus' final statement in yesterday's reading is exemplified through the parable He teaches in today's.  My study bible says that the vineyard is the world.  A day may be a person's lifespan, and it also may refer to the whole of human history.  The first laborers are called early in the morning.  The additional laborers are repeatedly called at times that correspond to the Roman hours which began at dawn, and also traditional hours of prayer:  the third hour was about 9:00 in the morning, the sixth hour noon.  The eleventh hour is just before sunset, after which no work can be done.  The laborers are all people in human history, called by Christ for this special work in His vineyard.  My study bible says there are various ways of reading the parable as well:  each hour could refer to an individual person's life:  infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age.  We could also look at the different hours as times in the span of human history:  those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  My study bible says, "God's generosity provides equal reward for both early and late comers.  . . . The former should not be proud of their long service nor resent those called at the eleventh hour."  As for the latecomers, it remains possible even in a short time, or at the end of one's life, to recover and inherit everything.  Time is in God's hands, and so is judgment.  For the early Church, this message applied specifically to the early Jews as the "first-called" and the Gentiles as those called later.  But in our time, we could apply it to those who were raised in the Church, and to those who find it later in life -- both receive an equal reward.  We remember, the young man with many possessions asked what he must do to have eternal life.  One of the most famous sermons in history, given by St. John Chrysostom and repeated each Easter in the Orthodox Church, is based on this parable.   In the sermon, Chrysostom applied the call and the hours to each person coming into the very lengthy service, in preparation for the paschal Eucharist.

We remember that the most recent discussions and teachings of Jesus have taken place after the disciples asked an important question:  Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (in last Thursday's reading).  This question marks a turning point in the themes of Christ's teachings because it comes in response to His second warning about what is to happen at Jerusalem:  His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  It seems the disciples have begun to understand something is to happen, and it's asked in expectation of the coming of the Kingdom.  Jesus has been teaching about the use of power in His realm, in His church:  the care of the "littlest ones," the importance of humility, detachment from possessions, and a kind of exchange that happens when one sacrifices in the context of working for the Kingdom.  Peter asked, in yesterday's reading, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  Jesus' reply, regarding the time the Son of Man will sit on His throne of glory, included the statement, "But many who are first will be last, and the last first."   Today's parable illustrates what He was getting at.  The disciples expected an immediate manifestation of this Kingdom, but we know that is not the case.  Time has passed so that twenty centuries later, as we begin the twenty-first, we understand we are all still being called.  Each one of us has an opportunity to step in the shoes of the apostles, of those who came first, although we may be the last.  What that means, then, is that each of the teachings given to the apostles -- all, in their entirety -- apply also to us who may be the last.  If we look at this parable as stretching to the whole of human history, then we also may apply not only the context of the entire Bible, from first to last, and the teachings contained therein in all of Jewish spiritual history, but even include an understanding of the acceptance that Christ descended to Hades after His death, even "calling" those in the tombs, all the dead of all time.  What we accept most importantly, it seems to me, are Jesus' teachings on service and humility, an understanding of relationship to the things we have, a comprehension that no matter where we are or what we do, we are all called in the same way.  This parable makes Jesus' teachings to the disciples timeless.  It is a message not just to Peter and the disciples present at the time, but to all of us who would come later to hear this text and these teachings.  We each carry this call with us, and have a Kingdom to serve, His way.

Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding."  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.   Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  For many are called, but few are chosen."

- Matthew 22:1-14

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught in the temple, "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: . . .  My study bible notes of today's parable:  "Like the preceding parables, this one also proclaims the transfer of the Kingdom from the faithless Jews to the Gentiles.  It is set as a joyful wedding banquet, for Christ is often called the 'Bridegroom' (9:15; John 3:29), and St. Paul uses a marriage analogy for the Kingdom (Ephesians 5:21-33).  The repeated sending out of servants shows the Father's great desire to have His people with Him in the Kingdom.  The first group (verse 3) is interpreted to be Moses and those with him, while the second group (verse 4) is composed of the prophets.  These groups call those initially invited -- the Jews.  The third group (verse 9) represents the apostles sent to the Gentiles, those not initially invited, but now called."

"The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding." ' " My study bible says that these oxen represent the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, and the fatted cattle are the eucharistic bread of the New Covenant -- fatted is better translated as "wheat-fed," or more literally "formed from wheat."   Therefore, we conclude that both Old and New Covenants are fulfilled at the wedding of Christ and His Church.

"But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was furious.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."  My study bible offers the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who teaches here that Christ is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70, and thus attributes this destruction to an act of God rather than simply to that of men.  "Nevertheless," it says, "God showed His patience by waiting some 40 years from the time of Christ, giving the entire generation a chance to repent."

Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.'  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'  And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"  My study bible says, "The wedding garment would have been provided by the king, and therefore the man had no excuse for not wearing one; thus he is speechless.  His refusal to wear the garment that was provided is an illustration of those who refuse God's hospitality, or who want His Kingdom on their own terms.  Specifically, the garment refers to the baptismal garment, and by extension, a life of faith, repentance, virtue, and charity.  Without these, a person will ultimately be cast into outer darkness."

"For many are called, but few are chosen."  This phrase was used by Jesus at the end of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, who each received the same wage regardless of when they were called and when they began working.  It is once again an illustration of the ultimate power of God, to choose.  It reminds us again that it is not we ourselves who make this decision about who is welcome or why.

Let us think about the wedding garment.  There are several places in the Gospels where we have given to us the idea of the "white garments."  There is first of all the Transfiguration, at which Jesus' garments were shown to be white as the light (in Matthew's version).  In John's Gospel, as the villagers in a Gentile town come to him, Jesus tells the disciples, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest"  (John 4:35). The traditional interpretation is that these believing Gentiles are dressed in white as they approach Jesus.   In Revelation 19, at the marriage supper of the Lamb, His Bride was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (Rev. 19:8).  The armies of the Lamb in heaven are clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Rev. 19:14).   In Revelation 7, those multitudes from every nation who serve the Lamb are clothed in robes that they have washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:9;14).  These garments represent not "perfect lives," but lives that have been lived in endurance through difficulty, "washed in the blood of the Lamb" (His Covenant, His sacrifice), and made pure by their own transfiguration, or metamorphosis, in the life and light of Christ.  It is not so much the notion that someone has made choices that are perfect, so much as it is the notion that those who come in faith may wash their clothes in the blood of the Lamb, transfiguration via the repentance that comes with God's help.  As in the previous reading where Jesus said, "Many are called, but few chosen," we recall that this choosing is not up to us.  We are to endure, and to live as He has asked of us, accepting the great grace that has been given to us in the blood of the Lamb.  That is our calling.  How do we endure so that we, too, live as these clothed in the bright wedding garment?