Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  

 

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. 

 

- Matthew 21:33–46 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the temple (the day after the cleansing of the temple), the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  so they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

 "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him."   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 of the landowner's servants sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God.  But the son is a reference to Christ Himself.  When the son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, this is understood on two levels, my study Bible explains.  First, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (Golgotha, the place of crucifixion, was outside city walls at that time).  Second, that He was crucified by foreign soldiers, not those of His own "vineyard."  

 

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."   Yet again, as noted in yesterday's reading and commentary, the religious leaders convict themselves.  

 

 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  My study Bible informs us that this stone is Christ.  According to commentary by St. John Chrysostom, this is a saying which illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while they are still in this life.  But those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant, who suffer utter destruction in the final judgment.  Similar references to the "cornerstone" which is a foundation and also a potential stumbling block is found at Isaiah 28:16; and quoted by Sts. Peter and Paul (see Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6; Romans 9:33).

 

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.  Once again, the religious leaders' hypocrisy should be noted.  They sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the multitudes, who took Him for a prophet.

 

 One thing that is striking about Jesus is that, although He clearly demonstrates His foreknowledge of His death in this parable, He nevertheless continues to speak out in condemnation of those who will seek to put Him to death.  In other words, He both warns them and criticizes them at the same time -- telling the truth they don't want to hear and confronting the ones who will bring Him to the Roman authorities with false charges of treason.  These religious leaders are corrupted.  Their places are what are important to them, as Jesus will go on to say in chapter 23.  But today's parable speaks clearly about judgment, and how that judgment happens.  The One whom they will seek to put to death -- who will be crucified through their manipulations -- is also the One who is the stone.  This stone, ultimately, is the stone of judgment.  As testified to by Isaiah the prophet and subsequently Sts. Peter and Paul in their letters, the stone of judgment is ultimately one that is both a "stumbling stone and rock of offense and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame" (Romans 9:33).  Jesus Himself quotes from Psalm 118:22-23 in today's reading to tell these religious leaders just that -- that the One whom they will seek to put to death ultimately will rule in this position of authority and judge, and that He will become the new foundation, the chief cornerstone.  It is His authority which will prevail, and "the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Nonetheless, these men will still seek to put Him to death.  But it is their very failure to repent which will determine their own outcome.  So we have Christ's bold words today for ourselves as well.  How can we understand what He is teaching here?  How do we understand them for ourselves?  We live in a world in which material outcomes are seemingly all that there is.  Surely Jesus' death on the Cross was convincing for many that His claims to be the Christ were untrue.  But where does faith come into it?  And how do we understand this death of the Son?  One of the first ways to understand the parable He teaches in today's reading is to grasp that merely laying claim to something is not necessarily a truly effective power.  We can't grasp the mysteries of the kingdom of God simply by claiming them for ourselves; they don't work that way.  Faith doesn't work that way.  And the spiritual power of the kingdom of God doesn't work that way.  It is not something we can control and manipulate, and our faith is not magic.  The image of Christ as this chief cornerstone functions to give us a concept of a foundation, something which is ignored or abused at one's own peril.  It cannot be moved or persuaded through means other than the truth, for it is God's presence and therefore the ultimate reality.  This foundation stone is like a throne, it conveys authority, and it teaches us about the purpose of Christ's Incarnation:  to establish God's kingdom in this world and invite all those in who wish to follow Him.  In this sense, we can observe evil around us, that which opposes God.  In this sense, the world is a kind of battleground in which we are tempted (as imaged by Christ's time in the wilderness; see Matthew 4:1-11).  Thus we are invited to do as He did, and to engage in the "good fight" of faith (1 Timothy 1:18; 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7), putting on the "whole armor of God" (Ephesians 6:10-18).  Jesus goes full into that battle, and as sovereign Son He leads that we may follow Him, and share in His courage and His love for us all, bearing the fruits of His true vine.

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

- Matthew 20:1-16 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

- Matthew 20:1-16 

 

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

 

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

 

Today's parable comes to us in context of readings with the theme of sacrifice; that is, what do we sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom of God?  The rich young man who came to Christ asking what he must do for eternal life was asked to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Christ -- then he would be "perfect."   Following this encounter, the disciples -- through Peter, who so frequently speaks for all -- said, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?" (see yesterday's reading, above).  Jesus replied, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  And Christ has followed this statement with the teaching of the parable in today's reading, about the laborers in the vineyard.  One thing He seems to make clear is that we should not expect a sort of worldly sense of work and reward  (or risk-reward, in modern investment terms) in equal measure.  In this economy of the Kingdom, all who labor, regardless of differing degrees of sacrifice and time, earn the same reward.  Jesus gives us a sense of this seemingly upside-down (by worldly standards) economy when He states flatly, "So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."  He also makes it plain that this reward system is purely up to the wisdom and discretion of the owner, the Lord, and not up to the laborers.  The landowner says, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?"  The ultimate good is God, the Lord, the landowner.  Out of some sort of envy (is your eye evil?) comes the thinking that we know better, have a better idea how things should be run than God does.  But we, like the disciples, are to trust that all things are in the hands of God, and thus the ultimate good is in the judgment and discernment of God.  There may be things that are quire mysterious to us, like whether or not it is fair or just that those who sacrifice more receive the same ultimate reward or benefit of eternal life.  But the ultimate good is in the discernment of God -- and we who are called, in whatever way, need to understand that how we are called, and the "work" we are called to, is just that:  appropriate to us.  This is true even if we do not understand the why and the wherefore.  This parable reminds us that, after Job had his long-desired confrontation with the Lord, the Lord began to reply with these words:  "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements?  Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"  (Job 38:4-7).  The vineyard owner is the One who told Isaiah, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways" (Isaiah 55:8).  This is an important theme throughout the whole of the Bible, and is expressed even in the ending to John's Gospel, in which Peter was given personal and explicit instruction three times. "Feed my lambs," said the Lord.  But then Peter asked, referring to John, "But Lord, what about this man?"  Christ replied to Peter, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?  You follow Me" (see John 21:15-25).  Therefore let us understand that, as we take up our own crosses (just as in that same passage from St. John's Gospel, St. Peter was warned by Christ that he would follow Him to his own cross), each one's own "labor" may be entirely different from the others.  Truly we may recall that St. John Chrysostom's commentary on the command Christ gives to the rich young man, to sell all that he has and give to the poor, is actually easier than following Christ in all things.  Life often does not seem fair -- and indeed, it is not.  But if we pay attention to the ways God will ask us to go forward, the things we will be asked to work at and perhaps to sacrifice, we just might find that all that we do in faith is in fact the remedy to the injustice we perceive.  All will receive the equal reward in God's sight, but not all will perform the same labors in life, and not every life or person will be exactly the same -- nor should we wish it to be.  "So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."