(IS 55:6-9 / PS 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 / PHIL 1:20C-24, 27A / MT 20:1-16A)
Our first reading this Sunday is from the second part of the book of Isaiah. It was written toward the end of the second great captivity (Babylonian) as the people were preparing to return to their homeland. But what a task awaited them. An arduous journey across hundreds of miles of desert, followed by the huge rebuilding project necessitated by the total destruction of Jerusalem and its walls, temple and homes. Against that backdrop, the writer of Isaiah admonishes the people to, in the words of today’s popular hymn, “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.” In spite of slavery and captivity, the LORD/Yahweh was by their side, providing comfort and strength in time of need. God was available if summoned. But simply asking wasn’t enough. In addition, the scoundrel and those with wicked thoughts must forsake their ways. Mercy and forgiveness would be granted, but only when we treat others with that same generosity. A high standard? Certainly. But as we are reminded, as high as the heavens are above the earth, so far are God’s ways and thoughts and demands above ours.
The Gospel today certainly continues that thought. It is the well-known parable of the hiring of the workers in the vineyard, where the very recently hired were paid an equal amount to those hired first thing in the morning. A bit of cultural background helps to understand the parable better. The owner went out first thing in the morning and hired workers to work all day. A denarius was the typical pay for a day’s work, which was enough for a worker to buy food and shelter for him and his family for one day. Most families literally lived in this day-to-day scenario. The landowner though, known as a “patron” in his day, did not live day to day, and was expected by society to help his “clients,” by freely giving of his excess as he saw fit. And so he did. He went out four more times throughout the day. Though the ordinary thing to do would have been to pay for actual hours worked, this is a parable about the kingdom of heaven. So the patron (God), dispenser of all, chooses to share a full day’s wage with every person hired, no matter the hour. Those with “death-bed” conversions will have the same eternal happiness as those of us who have “labored” a lifetime. Those hired last are even paid first, but that is to to make the parable complete. How else would the first ones hired know that all received the same amount? Our translation says they “grumbled.” Literally, they gave the landowner the “evil eye,” a look of great envy mixed with a look of, and wish for, evil to befall the person. Such overwhelming love and generosity aren’t always welcome. When we are in the midst of difficulty, we might ask, “why me, Lord?” More often than not, the question is really “why me, Lord,” why have I been so blessed?