Word to the Wise
Friday, March 9, 2007 - FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF LENT
[Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13A, 17B-28A and Matthew 21:33-43; 45-46]"Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them.
The parable of the Wicked Tenants follows on the parable of the Man Who Had Two Sons. Both parables take dead aim at the corruption of the religious establishment at the time. This is why the quotation above says "parableS." They are taken from the dramatic time that follows Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. He is directly confronting the forces of evil that will ultimately seize him and put him to death. It can be a dangerous thing to say to a politically powerful person or persons that they are unworthy of their office and that it will be taken away from them and given to someone who will do a better job. When one is perceived as being a serious threat, the reaction may be a violent and cruel one. Jesus is perceived as being such a threat. We are told at the end of today's gospel that his opponents were already trying to find a way to arrest him but were afraid to do something publicly. Lest we think that such things don't happen in our democratic society, we should remember the Watergate scandal and the paranoid actions of the President and his close advisers. There are plenty of other examples in our history. The files of the FBI and CIA are filled with information from investigations that were undertaken as acts of political revenge. This still comes to the surface from time to time. The courageous teaching and behavior of Jesus may be seen as foolhardy by some. Why did he have to push the chief priests and Pharisees so far? Didn't he bring it on himself? Perhaps our own fears are showing in this kind of reaction. Don't rock the boat! Jesus moved steadily ahead with his mission. Those who think that they stopped him by "killing" him must learn again and again through modern day prophets that their efforts failed. AMEN
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