Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone'?

"Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

 

- Luke 20:9-19 

 

On Saturday we read that it happened on one of those days, as Jesus taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  

 

  Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  My study Bible explains that, in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, while the beloved son is a reference to Christ Himself.  So, when the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, it is understood on two levels.  First, Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem (Golgotha, the site of Crucifixion, was outside the city gates).  Second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, not by those of His own vineyard.  The others who later receive the vineyard are the Gentiles brought into the Church.  

  

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone'? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken  this parable against them.  That stone, my study Bible explains, is Christ.  It notes that, according to St. John Chrysostom, this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those falling on the stone are people who suffer the effects of their own sins while yet in this life, whereas those on whom the stone falls are unrepentant people who become powder in the final judgment.

 

Christ speaks of Himself in today's reading, as "the stone which the builders rejected," and which in turn becomes "the chief cornerstone."   This is a quotation from Psalm 118:22, and He's clearly indicating that He is the fulfillment of this Psalm.  The religious leaders understand this perfectly as His meaning and context, but their response is to seek to lay hands on Him to kill Him.  The only thing that stops them at this point is their fear; they fear the people who delight to hear Christ speak (Luke 19:47-48).  When Jesus says, "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder," He is speaking of Himself as the Judge. When Jesus says, "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father" (Luke 10:22; Matthew 11:27), He is indicating that, upon completion of His mission in this world, of His Crucifixion, death, Resurrection and Ascension, all things in all of creation will be in His hands, and He will have authority over all things -- including Judgment at the end of the age.  So when these men, the chief priests and the scribes, immediately plan to lay hands on Him, they are in effect rejecting His authority over them, rejecting His role as Judge, rejecting Him as the Almighty; see John 5:22-23. What does it profit us to reject Christ as the Judge, to reject His word and teachings for us, even His way for us (John 14:6)?  From the standpoint of this authority to which He will ascend and fulfill, we might as well curse the laws of physics, and reject the fact that we need to breathe because we just don't feel like it.  For a rejection of Christ and His role that He will play is a rejection of the reality of the Lord, of the power of the universe and the spiritual truths behind it and all that we know.  This is what is meant in St. John's Gospel, when we are told, "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).  If we reject, we exclude ourselves from that authority and judgment, we exclude ourselves from the life that He has on offer to us.  This is not to say that we are punished, but that we have excluded ourselves from the eternal life He offers.  In the context of our faith, earthly death comes when our human soul is separated from our earthly body.  But true death, spiritual death, happens when our soul is separated from God, the Source of life.  We have no idea and cannot predict what happens when Christ will judge, and we cannot judge one another.  It seems that we cannot even judge ourselves, for we don't know ourselves as Christ knows us.  But we can accept with confidence what Jesus teaches us about His authority, and what he says regarding the stone the builder rejected.  We ourselves can stumble upon that stone in our lives in this world, suffering the effects of our own sins and errors, and learn from that, repent and change in our brokenness and failure.  Or we can carry on heedless and face the stone that that can crush to powder -- spiritual death -- in judgment.  Let us consider this warning of the One who loves us so much He's willing to suffer and die, to suffer judgment of the world, rejection by His own community, and a voluntary, literally excruciating death on the Cross, all so that we can live with Him.  Let us, unlike these men in today's reading, take His warnings seriously, for the life of the world, and our whole lives, depend upon it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you

 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  

 

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

- Luke 12:13-31 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus was speaking to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.   Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  My study Bible comments that it was a custom for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes.  But a dispute over an inheritance can be detrimental to salvation.  This greed is pure idolatry, my study Bible comments (Colossians 3:5) and unfitting for those who know God.  Notice how incompatible this question is with what Christ has just finished saying, in yesterday's reading, above. 

 

 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  My study Bible says that the question, "Whose will those things be which you hae provided?" is the key to understanding the saving up of material goods.  St. John Chrysostom writes that the only barns we need we already have:  "the stomachs of the poor."  St. Basil the Great taught that the bread in our cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in our closet belong to the one who has no shoes; and the money we hoard belongs to the poor.  St. Ambrose teaches, "The things which we cannot take with us are not ours.  Only virtue will be our companion when we die."  My study Bible says that even when Joseph stored up grain in Egypt (Genesis 41) it was for the benefit of the whole nation.  These teachings apply to parishes as well as to each person. 

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  Here my study Bible comments that Christ is warning against anxiety, not against thoughtful planning.  Our physical well-being is directly dependent upon God, it says, and only indirectly on food and clothing.  Anxiety over earthly things can demonstrate a lack of faith in God's care.  The nations of the world is a reference to the Gentiles, who served pagan idols, and remained consumed by dependence on earthly things.  My study Bible says that those who follow God can be freed from this dependence.   The kingdom of God is the central theme of Christ's teaching.  As we are freed from excess anxiety about earthly things, Christ guides us to look to how we please God (seek the kingdom of God) and be secure in the faith that God will provide our needed earthly blessings. 

What does it mean to seek the kingdom of God?  Christ has given us prescriptions, so to speak, in all of His teachings, about how to do that.  We are to pray, we are to seek God's righteousness.  We are to love God with all our hearts and minds and soul and strength -- and to love neighbor as oneself, extended that love through practice.  To dispute over an inheritance does not seem to indicate that one is seeking a righteous judgment but rather contesting something legitimately given out of greed and covetousness.  Let us think for a moment about what such disputes entail, the expense and effort and time, not to mention the family dynamics of such a circumstance.  This indicates that one has not sought God's will in such a dispute but rather values material wealth first over the kingdom of God.  We make such choices all the time; we are presented with such choices all the time -- and in today's passage, Jesus is clearly coming down firmly on the answer for us all.  We're to seek first the kingdom of God, in all things, and at all times.  This may seem difficult, if not impossible to do in a world obsessed with material goods and consumption.  It's exacerbated through modern conditions of comparison to others and being offered all kinds of goods through images, advertising, social media.  Social media often offers to us what we supposedly "should" be seeking in life, because everyone else does it, because all our friends do, or even family members.  But this is not where the Christian heart must be focusing.  These are all great distractions to seek something else and take our mind and our focus off of God, and Christ's teaching for us and for our lives.  There really is no compromise on this; Jesus teaches that we cannot serve both God and mammon.  We have to make a choice.  Note that Jesus does not say that we must live without blessings of a material kind -- what He does say is that we need to seek the kingdom of God.  He tells us that "your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."    Seeking the kingdom of God, therefore, applies to all times and circumstances.  We seek God's will through prayerful life, putting all things -- our troubles, concerns, worries, needs, and choices -- before God and seeking the discernment to find God's way.  Sometimes I have found that an important practice in life is seeking to give control up to God, to accept what comes with gratitude.  Regardless of circumstances, I find that letting go to God helps me with clarity and also with charity; sometimes those in need are brought to me with what God thinks I can offer, even if that's just a kind word or smile.  So often, we forget what blessings we really have to share; a focus on the purely material blinds us to the other things people need and desire for their hearts as well.  Let us seek that Kingdom and God's blessings, and we will find that we have so much more than we know.

Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  

 

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone'?

"Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

 

- Luke 20:9–19 

 

On Saturday we read that it happened on one of those days, as Jesus taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

 

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  My study Bible comments that in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, and the beloved son is Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, this is understood on two levels:  First, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem; and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, and not those of His own "vineyard" (Israel, or the people of God).  The others who later receive the vineyard, my study Bible explains, are the Gentiles brought into the Church. 

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  Here Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22, a powerful psalm associated with messianic expectation and the coming Kingdom.  My study Bible comments that that stone is Christ.  It notes that, according to the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the effects of their own sins while still in this life.  But those on whom the stone falls are unrepentant people who become powder in the final judgment. 

 

 What does it mean to be ground to powder in this context?  Of course, as St. Chrysostom's commentary illustrates, this is about the final judgment.  "Powder" gives us a metaphor to think about.  A powder scatters.  If we look closely at Christ's own words about Himself and His power in one regard, we think about these words:  "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad" (Matthew 12:30).  This is what a powder does, it "scatters abroad," and as such it has no being, nothing to hang it together, no substance.  When something scatters as a powder, it does so seemingly into thin air, and therefore nothing remains of it, perhaps not even a memory.  In St. Chrysostom's understanding of this saying, then, it is far better to stumble and be broken in this life, for in this place of brokenness we may seek to find what we lack, what will put us back together again.  Recently I've been listening to various individuals who have rather newly come to Christ and to faith, having followed various other ways to find meaning and spirituality.  Many have spoken of the brokenness they found in other practices, such as those who follow cults or perhaps pseudo-revivals of ancient pagan religions of various types.  Many speak of this type of brokenness, that the promises which seemed to beckon resulted in broken lives, tragedy, and difficulties.  Whether we speak of modern day cults around charismatic individuals, or those founded upon various practices such as drug use, or even worship of demonic elements, these are similar to addiction, in the sense that false promises of happiness turn to a kind of slavery, a disappointment in which our last state is worse than the first.  I have met people for whom a dabbling in the occult meant coming face-to-face with a force that seemed to threaten madness, with saving grace found in Christianity, a road back to security and a stable, organized life.  In the First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul speaks of one whose unrepentant sin is such that he advises, "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:5).  What this means is that St. Paul hopes for the kind of worldly brokenness that may be an only path to salvation for this person.  There are times in life when one will find brokenness that seems to be purposeless and inexplicable, such as harm that comes from a parent, abuse that is simply cruel, and other unfortunate circumstances in life.  But every sort of brokenness is a potential opening to Christ and to salvation.  Sometimes our own heedless behavior leads us to come up short against God's powerful presence, stumbling over the stone that is Christ's word and His teachings.  Even when a self-destructive impulse is in response to hardship and bad circumstances, our brokenness resulting from such can be God calling us to know God's love, and to find that right path to being saved, one that does not harm our own dignity further, but gives us good insight, real humility, and the capacity for needed change.  So let us consider this image of the stone.  For some who run in the opposite direction, it is the brokenness that follows which can redeem.   In the parable of the Sower, Jesus speaks of the seeds of His word which fell among thorns.  These are "those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity" (Luke 8:14).  Such cares, riches, and pleasures of life can blind us, a way to powder that scatters into nothing.   Let us hope for all to find way to what is better, and be grateful even for the brokenness we might experience that leads to such.  For despite the world's appearances, we are the fortunate ones who are better off.

 

 

 

Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours."  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, 'Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone'?

"Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

 

- Luke 20:9-18 

 

Yesterday we read that on one of the days when Jesus taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  The baptism of John -- was it from haven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."   

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours."  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, 'Certainly not!"   My study Bible explains that in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant who is sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet, who comes to call people back to God, as did the prophets.  But the beloved son refers to Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, my study Bible explains that this is understood on two levels:  First, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem; and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers -- not those of His own "vineyard."  The others who later receive the vineyard are the Gentiles who are brought into the Church.   

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  That stone, my study Bible explains, is Christ.  It notes that this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction, according to St. John Chrysostom.  St. Chrysostom comments that those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the effects of their own sins while yet in this life, while those on whom the stone falls are unrepentant people who become powder in the final judgment.  Jesus' quotation is from Psalm 118:22.

Chrysostom's teaching on the lesson of the stone which the builders rejected, but which has become the chief cornerstone is a very interesting thing to ponder.  We don't like to think about judgment, and especially harsh judgment.  But we can't ignore Christ's words here, and we also must remember at the same time that this sort of judgment is reserved for what is not repented.  That is to say, nothing is unforgivable save that which is not repented.  So, in some sense, this is good news, because we have election in things.  That is to say, there is a level at which our actions, or we might say our "assent" to something counts for something.  In keeping with this vein of thought, we might consider St. John Chrysostom's understanding of the action of this Stone that is Christ in terms also of our participation.  Certainly we might all accept that there are times in life when we experience the consequences of our decisions, our choices.  Sometimes, like Christ, we will suffer for good decisions, and for important choices in obedience to what God wants of us.  It is easily possible for us to suffer for doing good, just as did Jesus.  If we offend powerful persons, or malicious persons who wish to make us miserable, this might be understood as a wrong choice.  But Christ teaches us differently; it is only God we are to fear in this sense, and God to whom we owe our ultimate loyalty.  Jesus taught, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!" (Luke 12:4-5).  And, as we explored in yesterday's reading and commentary, God is the ultimate authority.  But there are also times in life when we might suffer for a choice we make that is not in keeping with the authority of God, or where Christ wants us to go.  In the context of this understanding of the parable and the quotation from Psalm 118, we ought to understand this as a good and preserving thing.  It means there is an opportunity in life to reconsider and to repent, to grow in love and dependency upon God.   It means that during our lifetimes, we have a chance to "change our minds" (the meaning of repentance in Greek, μετανοια/metanoia).  In truth, there are times in which I did something I believe is good in the sight of God, and for which others made me suffer, but God has the power to turn those into times of learning and growing dependency upon God as well.  But when the stone falls and grinds to powder there is no coming back.  This is an analogy for the obliteration of identity, of being, for the full oblivion that characterizes ontological non-being.  That is, when we are no longer remembered by God, in the theological language that teaches us that all that has being is sustained in the mind of God.  Of course, judgment puts us in mind of Christ's parable of judgment found in Matthew, that of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46).  It is important to consider that it is acts of compassion that make the difference in that parable, and in that light, perhaps we should consider that what these men lack to whom Christ tells this parable is compassion themselves.  As such, compassion becomes a saving grace -- not in recompense for an earlier act (as if we are in a system of merits and demerits), but rather as that which sparks repentance and reconsideration, a genuine change of mind and heart which opens the heart to God.  Ironically, it is their own stoniness, their hardness of heart, which is the obstacle in the way for those whom Christ addresses -- and which will contribute the most to the possibility of that Stone falling upon them.  This is something, therefore, that we all need to consider.  This parable tells a story of Israel and the prophets sent to Israel, and the Son sent to Israel, but it remains an important parable for all of us, each one of us.  For we also have the prophets, and we have Christ the Son, and we have the Church with her many saints who have shown compassion in the world, and warned us about our own hardness of heart.  See the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, in which we hear, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."   We are all, in some sense, in the same shoes as the men to whom today's parable is told, those who are warned of the Stone that may fall upon them.  Whatever it is we think we know or want in life, this Stone remains and will remain, and one way or another we must come to terms with its authority in our own lives.  Let us be grateful He is the Stone of love, who has come to save and not to condemn (John 3:16-17).

But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you

 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." 

 

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

- Luke 12:13-31 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus criticized them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." My study Bible notes that it was a custom for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes.  But a dispute over an inheritance, my study Bible says, is detrimental to salvation.  This greed is pure idolatry (Colossians 3:5) and unfitting for one who knows God.  My study Bible asks us to notice how incompatible this question is with what Christ has just finished saying (see yesterday's reading, above).  Note Christ's important words, giving us the emphasis on what is truly life-giving; if we think our life consists in the abundance of things we possess, we are on the wrong track.

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  My study Bible says that the question, Whose will those things be which you have provided? is the key to understanding the saving up of material goods.   It notes that St. John Chrysostom writes that the only barns we need we already have; that is, "the stomachs of the poor."  St. Basil the Great, my study Bible adds, taught that the bread in our cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in our closet belong to the one who has no shoes; and the money we hoard belongs to the poor.  Moreover, it says, St. Ambrose teaches, "The things which we cannot take with us are not ours.  Only virtue will be our companion when we die."  Even when Joseph stored up grain in Egypt (Genesis 41), it was for the benefit of the whole nation.  Such teachings, my study Bible notes, apply to parishes as well as to each person.  

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."   My study Bible comments that here Jesus warns against anxiety, and not against thoughtful planning.  It says that our physical well-being is directly dependent on God, and only indirectly on food, drink, and clothing.  Anxiety over earthly things, it notes, demonstrates a lack of faith in God's care.  The nations of the world:  my study Bible explains that because the Gentiles served pagan idols, they remained consumed by dependence on earthly things.  Those who follow God can be freed from this dependence.    To seek the kingdom of God is the central theme of Christ's teaching, the true gospel message.  Christ calls us to be free from anxiety about earthly things, and look to heaven as the center of life and its Source, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings.  

In today's reading, there is a subtle shift toward the Cross that we might miss if we believe that a reference needs to be explicit.  But the shift toward the Cross is there in the sense that Jesus begins to shift the attention of His disciples from the purely material to the transcendent.  That is, He is taking them toward a sense that life does not come from purely material accumulation "for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  In this context, we must consider their expectations of what His kingdom will be and when it will appear.  As Jesus is now on the journey toward His Passion, this shift in the attention of His disciples is important.  In order to understand and experience the events that are coming, it will be necessary to have a perspective capable of taking in and accepting the deeper values of the Kingdom which will sustain them on their future apostolic journeys.  As St. Paul will write, "And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now" (1 Corinthians 4:12-14).  In the parable Christ teaches, the subject touches upon death, making us think about our relationship with God and the things we take with us when we leave this world -- and again, there is the beginning of the journey toward the Cross.  The man in the parable who has made his storehouses has failed to consider even what will happen with his material goods at his death, and has not nurtured his soul -- although that would be possible with acts of  mercy toward those in need.  Jesus says, "So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  In selfishness, we lose out on our life, we take away a richness that is not possible to gain through material consideration alone.  Our wealth must have a meaning, and we must consider ourselves stewards, for "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" James 1:17).  Our goods are a means toward expressing the things that the Cross will teach us, our management of things under our care reflects our beliefs and values.   When He teaches, "For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things,"  Jesus conveys two things.  First, the nations of the world are those who have neither Jewish spiritual history nor Christ Himself at the time these words were spoken.  (Of course we could make an argument today about what bearing Christ's teachings have on the nations of the world today).  Second, the Father knows that we have material needs for our lives.  Jesus' true emphasis here is on what we put first:  "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  In our understanding of the Cross, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for His friends because He put the Kingdom first, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Luke 11:2).  But in Christ's so doing, the gruesome instrument of Roman capital punishment became for us the life-giving Cross of Resurrection.  Jesus is not preaching a sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice or deprivation, and neither is He preaching a life absent an abundance of good things.  But He is preaching in the light of the Cross and the transcendent reality that feeds all things, adding redemption to our lives as it transfigures.  A focus on the purely material will not gain us those things, will not give meaning to what we have, will not teach us good stewardship nor planning.  For it is in the light of Christ that we learn what beauty and compassion mean, what our true needs are most deeply in the soul, and how to beautify life with what is nurturing when we need it.  Christ's compassion waters us with His love (John 6:51), giving us life in abundance.  The beauteous images He suggests here -- the lilies clothed in more splendor than Solomon in all his glory, and the ravens for whom God cares -- teach us that an appreciation for the beauty and goodness of the world is always present with Him, and in the sight of God.  Let us look to the light of the Cross to show us how to plant and nurture our gardens, so that whatever we have is simply added to the beauty of the Kingdom He offers, which our anxiety and worry cannot give to us.

But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you

 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your east; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink. nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

- Luke 12:13–31 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.   Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your east; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  My study bible explains that it was a custom for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes.  However, it says, a dispute over inheritance is detrimental to salvation.  Notice how unfitting the question from the crowd is, coming directly after Jesus' words in yesterday's reading (above).   So, in this particular setting, it is considered a form of idolatrous greed (Colossians 3:5), unfitting for those who know God.  Jesus puts the full reliance on material goods into perspective when in the parable God asks, "Whose will those things be which you have provided?"    St. John Chrysostom writes that the only barns we need we already have:  "the stomachs of the poor."  St. Basil the Great taught that the bread in our cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat that hangs unused belongs to the one who needs it.  The shoes which rot in our closet belong to the one without shoes, and the money we hoard belongs to the poor.  St. Ambrose says, "The things which we cannot take with us are not ours.  Only virtue will be our companion when we die."  My study bible adds that even when Joseph stored up grain in Egypt (Genesis 41), it was for the benefit of the whole nation.   It says that these teachings apply to parishes as well as to each person.  Notice again, the context into which Jesus' words apply our attitude toward wealth:  it is a fool who "lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which if you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink. nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."   My study bible says that Jesus is warning against anxiety, not against thoughtful planning.  Our physical well-being is directly dependent on God, and only indirectly on food, drink, and clothing.   It adds that anxiety over earthly things demonstrates a lack of faith in God's care.  

In many different dimensions Jesus gives us greater expressions for our faith, and by contrast, the lack of it.  Here, Jesus applies the understanding of faith in God to material possessions.  He does not say that we can live on air, or simply drink water, or have no need for material things.  On the contrary, He assures us, "For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."  Our Father knows that we have need of these things.  Our faith is not one that separates life into the material and the spiritual, focusing on only one.  Rather, it is just the opposite:  life as lived with a foot only on one side or another is false.  We are to live in this world, understanding that there are material things of which we have need, but only in a commingled understanding of the dedication of all things to the purposes of God.  Our lives are to be infused with all of life -- in this world as fully human, but also of the kingdom of God as fully faithful follows in communion with Christ and in participation in His life and the grace He offers us, in all aspects in which that can manifest.  There is nothing left out, no either/or choice here.  Rather -- the choice is for a fullness of life.  It makes sense to think that, since all things come from God in the first place, since life itself is a gift of God, we place our lives in God's hands, and therefore whatever we have, or make, or do in our lives is in the service of salvation.  This does not mean that we are to starve and it does not mean we punish ourselves.  Rather, we seek God's purposes for what we have.  The treasure in heaven, without which earthly treasures are rather empty and meaningless, is the capacity to use our worldly gifts for God's purposes:  to put our worldly goods to use for our faith.  If the two great commandments that Jesus gives us are to love God with all our heart and strength and soul and mind, and to love neighbor as oneself, then out of that great love for God so we also consider our lives as lived in this world in nurturing and helping those in need.  We become more fully "like God" when we also are generous and abundant with what we have, our hearts expand with the knowledge of what truly great gifts we have when we have the capacity to share them with others in need.  There is truly nothing more truly wealth-generating than the understanding that one has the capacity to enrich others' lives.  It makes what we have that much more valuable, and gives us a consciousness of our own wealth of resources.  It almost doesn't matter what the amount is (and this is especially true when we follow Jesus' teaching about the widow who gave two small coins to the treasury of the temple, Luke 21:1-4).  And it doesn't just apply to material wealth.  We have other resources we spread to help the world:  our time, our skills, our compassion or empathy, our ability to communicate a needed message, our support, our intelligence, our food, our prayers, and a host of other things we don't necessarily think of as wealth.  Anyone in the world, even the poorest among us, have gifts to share and give to others.  All of these, in service to our faith and through discernment within our love for God and seeking God's guidance, can be "spent" in such a way that we accumulate treasures in heaven, which make all the things we think we have just that much richer and abundant.  The greatest key to understanding how this works is Jesus' final statement to us in today's reading:  "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  All we really have to do is to seek that kingdom in the ways that we're taught, in the ways that grace leads us, in the faith it takes to pray and seek a deeper communion with God -- and "all these things shall be added unto you."  It is all about putting our lives as firmly, deeply, blessedly, and persistently in God's hands, and resting in that place of faith.  The abundance we have might surprise anybody.  Let us not take even the tiniest gift we have for granted -- for its use in faith brings an abundance of blessing.

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will tore all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

- Luke 12:13-31

Yesterday we read that as Jesus warned of "woes" to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  My study bible points out the incongruity between this question and the things that Christ has just been saying, speaking of dependency upon God, and fearless witness, living for the Gospel.  It also adds that it was a custom for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes.  As we have already learned that Jesus is the "knower of hearts," we understand His warning to this man about covetousness.  Where is the focus of this person's heart?  We all must take it to heart that Jesus teaches us that "one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Such a standard -- judging by the abundance of things one possesses -- is true covetousness, a mistaken focus.

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will tore all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."   Jesus tells a parable which reveals to us a higher power at work in life than all of our plans and our worldly perspectives.  My study bible cites the teaching of St. Ambrose on this parable:  "The things which we cannot take with us are not ours.  Only virtue will be our companion when we die."  This passage invites us to consider what our worldly goods are for, and in whose service they are put.  Christ invites us to full dependency upon God, so this should apply to our considerations for our material lives and wealth as well -- the perspective we need on wealth is the one given us by our faith!

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."  My study bible notes here that Christ is not referring here to thoughtful planning, but rather is warning against excessive anxiety.  Where is our focus?  A sense of dependency upon God is essential to developing the perspective on our material lives that are necessary to our well-being, and our personal balance.  It's not that these things don't matter, for as He says, "Your Father knows that you need these things."  Christ is calling us to understand the limits of anxiety and obsessive planning, toward a deeper understanding and reliance upon our relationship to God.  When Jesus says that all these things the nations of the world seek after, He's referring to pagans who worship idols, fully dependent upon earthly things.  Let us note that in these examples Jesus gives, each speaks to the love of God for each of us, even in our worldly lives and for the things that we need.

"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  Here is our first priority, the focus that we need in order to put all else into the proper focus for our lives.  My study bible says that the kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' teaching.  It notes that, calling us to be free from anxiety about earthly things, Jesus directs us to look to heaven, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings.

The basis for our worship services is an attunement to the reality of the kingdom of heaven.  This is not simply a kind of place that exists separately from this world.  Rather, it is a reality that intersects with our world, that is integral to our own identities, albeit one that is hidden and that we don't often perceive.  Jesus invites us into this perception, an active and knowing awareness that God is not just at work in our lives, but is closer than our heartbeat, ever-present with us, watching and knowing and caring.  Moreover, not only is God concerned with us, but Jesus calls us to be fully concerned with God.  Our awareness of the things of God, and the kind of living awareness of God's richness for us, must create a backdrop to life in which our priorities are all affected.  We must live for this Kingdom, the life that our communion with God calls us toward.  Our focus starts there, and this puts everything else into its proper order for us.  Will we lose an inheritance?   Do we have as much as others do?   Are our lives focused only upon how much we have?  These questions can be answered in the light of God's love, or in the absence of awareness of God's love -- and in either case, the answers will be different as black and white.  We are called to the life of the Kingdom, and this means allowing our faith to put into perspective that which we truly need, and that which we don't.  When it looks like we may lack something, faith teaches us about patience.  It teaches us about proper goals.  It teaches us about fulfillment of God's goals for us.  Perhaps there is something we need to let go -- a goal that is unsuitable or that leads us down the wrong path.  To take up one's cross daily means that God is calling us to transcendence, to a kind of perspective that is beyond what we already know and understand.  It is quite remarkable what can happen when we put our affairs in the hands of God, and approach life in a prayerful manner.  An abundance of wealth in life can seem to solve many problems, but it really doesn't work magically to resolve our basic struggles for meaning and purpose.  A focus on wealth, in fact, can create far more problems than it would seemingly resolve.  Jesus gives us images of care and wonder:  the ravens who are cared for by God -- a highly intelligent bird, known for its cleverness in nature; the lilies of the field, robed in splendor which Jesus calls more gorgeous than Solomon in all his glory.  And, as in the sayings He gave us in yesterday's reading (above), we are once again assured of our great value to our Creator.  The image of beauty Christ gives to us in comparing the lilies to Solomon's array gives us an important sense of the Kingdom:  it is beauty itself, and this is what it adds to our lives.  It doesn't matter what our circumstances are, it is participation in the joy and love and richness of the Kingdom that truly adds the dimension of beauty to us, and gives us insight and sensitivity to what beauty truly is.  Christ invites us to learn the virtues through faith, to give up our anxieties to God and put our trust where it belongs -- in the One who truly knows all of our needs.  In times that are uncertain and changing, can we do this?  It will take us to riches we couldn't find otherwise, to a resilience and release from anxiety we can't find elsewhere.

Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

- John 8:33-47

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles.  Yesterday we read that He spoke again to the Pharisees who question and seek to accuse Him.  He said, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."   Jesus teaches about freedom in a depth meaning, even in a type of existential sense.  Sin works as a kind of slavery, it does not cherish us as human beings.  But to become a son (and therefore heir) by adoption is something different.  It is to become a member of the household of Christ who loves us.  It is to be given the fullness of life.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father."   My study bible says that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood.  Instead, Abraham's true children in fact share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  According to St. John Chrysostom, our Lord wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature.  He teaches that they must come to faith by their own free will.  The idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing that was preventing them from coming to Christ.

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word."  Proceeded refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather He's saying that He's sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.   Jesus has repeatedly told these leaders that if they truly loved the Father, they would hear His word and understand Him.  Their hearts betray their ability to hear the One sent by the Father.

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  My study bible explains that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing his attributes, as Jesus has expressed in the verses above, likewise, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil.  In particular, that would entail a hatred for truth.  Possessing such attributes results in being called the devil's children.  Again, Jesus repeats the link between the love of God and the capacity to hear His words.

At Jesus' time, although emphasis on genealogy was clearly important, lineage was emphasized more by household than purely by blood relation.  Adoption was a common practice, ensuring lineage and inheritance.  (Augustus Caesar, for example, was a maternal great-nephew of Julius Caesar, but was named in Julius' will as adopted son and heir. Augustus was in turn succeeded by his adopted son and heir Tiberius.)  Identity was shaped through affiliation of household, lineage, family branch, clan, community.   We can see the cultural importance of the extended family group even in the language of the Gospels, as those called Jesus' brothers and sisters are more likely to be either step-children of His mother Mary by an earlier wife of Joseph, or cousins.   The notion of fatherhood as given by Jesus in today's reading shifts the view of lineage from a worldly perspective to one of a spiritual perspective, emphasizing the orientation of the soul.  Whose character do we emulate?  What traits do we take on?  Where does our heart place us in deference to its true objects of love?  Jesus emphasizes the state of the heart, and more clearly, what our true preferences are, what or whom we love.  He returns always to the love of the Father, and in so doing, reminds us of the depth of communion that is at work determining everything about us, even true identity.  It is in this sense that we are to understand paternity.  The person (or Person) you love will be the one whom you emulate, whose characteristics you take on, to whose ideas you will be receptive.  Jesus says elsewhere that the whole of the Law and the Prophets hang on the two greatest Commandments.  The first is to love God with all our heart and soul and mind, and the second is to love neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:36-40).  In the great consistency of the Gospels and Christ's teaching, our very identity and character is determined within the framework of such a command. Everything depends on what we put first in our hearts, and whom we truly love - or not.

It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

* * *

Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.

"Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

- Luke 15:1-2; Luke 15:11-32

Yesterday, we read that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.  Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."   We begin with the complaint to which Jesus replied (in yesterday's reading, above) with two parables.  One of them was about the lost sheep that was found; the other the found silver coin that went missing from a woman's necklace.  In both parables, the owner sought what had been lost; having found it, exclaimed, "Rejoice with me."    By tradition, we may see Christ as the shepherd who rejoices over the lost sheep that was found, and the Church as the married woman, the bride, who seeks and finds mankind who bears the image of the King, Christ, returning us to grace.

Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living."  In Greek, the word for the portion of goods requested by the son is ousia, which literally means "essence."  My study bible says that this indicates human beings receiving free will and a rational mind from God.  As did Adam in Eden, the younger son uses these possessions to rebel against his father.  The far country represents life in exile from God.

"But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything."   That this man would find himself in a place where his job was to feed swine is an indication of how far he has sunk down.  For a Jew this is nearly the lowest rung possible in life.  Certainly the image would not be lost on the Pharisees and scribes to whom Jesus is speaking!

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father."  That this young man came to himself is the text teaching us about true self:  being immersed in sin is straying far away from the true person we are (Romans 7:17-20).  My study bible says that this prodigal realizes his hopeless condition.  The bread symbolizes Christ, who is known through the Scriptures and the Eucharist.

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'"  In Jewish culture  it was considered unseemly for an old man to run.  And yet, this father does not passively stand by awaiting the return of his son.  He not only ran to him but fell on his neck and kissed him, in the fullness of an open display of emotion.  This is a kind of self-humiliation for the sake of the lost.  My study bible says it indicates the way in which our Father, through Christ's sacrifice, actively seeks those who stray.

"And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet."  My study bible says that the significance of the robe is righteousness granted by baptism (Isaiah 61:10), the signet ring is family identity (Haggai 2:23), and the sandals refer to walking according to the gospel (Ephesians 6:15).  

"And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry."  My study bible explains that fatted calf is more closely translated as "wheat-fed bull calf," or even more literally "a bull-calf formed from wheat."  That means this is a male calf that was raised on wheat in preparation for use as a religious offering, and why this is so significant.   The fullness of reconciliation of the prodigal son isn't complete without the sacrifice of this calf; it's an illustration that a person's reconciliation to God isn't by his or her repentance alone, but by Christ offering Himself on the Cross.  This festive dining on an animal offering that is "formed from wheat" gives us a reference to our sharing in the eucharistic bread.    The father's actions are another way of commanding all, "Rejoice with me!"

"Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in."  The resentment of the older son is meant to illustrate the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees to whom Christ is telling the parable.  My study bible cites Cyril of Alexandria, who writes that God requires His followers to rejoice when the most blamable man is called to repentance.

"Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"  The older son fails to recognize his own sins.  This leads to his self-righteous and merciless attitude.  The younger son's contrition stands out by comparison.  Ambrose of Milan writes, "The one who seems to himself to be righteous, who does not see the beam in his own eye, becomes angry when forgiveness is granted to one who confesses his sin and begs for mercy."  The elder son also expresses a kind of blind ingratitude when he says, "You never gave me a young goat."  The father has already given him all he has.

What does it mean to be ungrateful?  Clearly the older son, in his resentment, doesn't see what he has and what has always been on offer to him.  I think that often when we have so much, it's such a common human foible to take it all for granted, and only look to what we think we don't have.  This happens, often, with wealth.  It's been observed that in our society, it's easy to get caught up in the demands of upward mobility.  Crossing a threshold of a certain amount of income one thought would be desirable leaves many people with the feeling that if they only had a bit more, things would be better -- and this pattern just continues to repeat itself through time and more income.  It's easy to overlook what we have.  How does this apply to God's love for us?  Rejoice with me is the theme of the three parables Christ has given to these Pharisees and scribes.  He has come opening doors for those who are sinners, who have been excluded from the wedding feast.  Repentance is the key, and teaches us that God is always ready to celebrate our return.  Not only is God ready, but the command goes out that the rest of us should rejoice with God, as do the angels ("I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance," from yesterday's reading).   Is there some way in which resentment is playing a role in your life?  "Entitlement" is a common word we hear today, and I think we can definitely apply it to the Pharisees and scribes in the Gospels, as their behavior bears out this kind of assumption and even resentment of Christ.  Mark's Gospel tells us that Pilate knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy (Mark 15:10).  There's an underlying hint that Christ understands these people much better than they know themselves in the envy and resentment of the older son.  The irony is that not only does his sense of entitlement keep him from being happy for his father, but it locks him out of the feast, the celebration of the whole household in reconciliation.  It keeps him from understanding that all of it already belongs to him.  The older son would be the favored heir anyway, by tradition.  Entitlement of this sort ironically works as a plank in our own eye that effectively keeps us, hinders us, from realizing all that we truly have.  It keeps us from understanding the great wealth of our blessings that are already present to us.  Let us learn to practice gratitude if only for the sake of our clear sight, our own happiness, and the joy we can share in with others.