26th
Sunday in Ordinary Time-A
I
Reading: Ezekiel 18:25-28:
When the sinner renounces sin, he shall certainly live.
II
Reading: Philippians 2:1-11:
In your minds you must be the same as Christ Jesus.
Gospel: Mt.
21: 28-32: John came, but it was the sinners who believed in him.
The Parable
of Two Sons: What It Takes to Enter God’s Kingdom
God wants us all to be
saved on this earth and in heaven too. The basic demand that God makes of us to
do the will of God/Father in heaven (Mt 7:21). In the seconding reading, Jesus
saved us through his perfect obedience to the plans of his Father. The parable
of the two sons narrated in today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us that doing his
Father’s will is not a matter of words but of deeds.
The first reading tells
us that God condemns no one; it is man himself who chooses to be lost by
committing sin and refusing to repent. God saves everyone who does His will;
but we must say “yes” to God, but so much with lips but with our deeds. Jesus
is the Son who always said “yes” to his Father by total obedience and humility
until death on the cross, as a result God raised him high and gave him the
name…that all beings should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every
tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
What does it take to
enter God’s kingdom? Not only profession and righteousness, but also repentance
and belief. In this passage Jesus wanted to convey a critical message to the
Jewish leaders by saying a parable of two sons and asking a question, “What do
you think?” that would determine their eternal destiny. Now we analyse the
parable of two sons:
1.
The Parable is simple and clear. It
concerns a man had two sons. Notes several facts.
a. Commands
first son to go and work in his vineyard is an emphatic imperative. There is no
other alternative choice to excuse.
i.
He says “I will not.”
ii.
He later changes his mind and goes
to work.
b. Commands
second son.
i.
He says, “I will, sir.”
ii.
He never goes to work.
c. The
first son did what his father wanted.
2.
Jesus gave the point of the
parable: Sinners enter the kingdom before religionists (the self-righteous and
those who make a false profession).
i.
Jesus identified the man and the
two sons in the parables.
ii.
Jesus identified the vineyard and
work that was to be done. The vineyard is the kingdom of God and the work is
“entering the kingdom of God.”(Mt 19: 23-24).
iii.
Jesus clearly stressed the point of
the parable. “I tell you the truth.” “Sinners, the tax collectors and
prostitutes entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”
iv.
Jesus shocked his audience. He
declared that people’s idea of religion is wrong.
3.
The reason: Religionists do not
believe John-that Jesus is the Son of God.
a. Yet
John was righteousness
b. Sinners
believed John
c. The
religionists’ problem: See changed lives but still do not repent and believe.
Thought: The
great tragedy of religionists is this: they stand aloof. They reject the
counsel of God. They do not listen, obey, go and work in His vineyard with
obedience and humility.
Jesus opened
the way to salvation for everyone by submitting to the plans his Father had
laid down for him to save the world. God saves all who does his will and obeys
Him with humility.
