Word to the Wise
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Wednesday in the 20th Week in Ordinary Time
[Ezek 34:1-11 and Matt 20:1-16]"'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?' Thus the last shall be first, and the first will be last." [Matthew]
Jesus' parables can be a source of puzzlement to many, including the audience to whom they were first spoken. The immediate response from many to the parable in today's gospel passage from the Gospel According to Matthew is to say, "It's not fair!" (Many are the parents who have heard those words from an offspring upset about the treatment of a sibling!" Isn't Jesus advocating unfair labor practices? Then and now, the parable is not about social justice. It is about God's generosity.
The line, "Take what is yours and go..." is an important one. It could be rendered in the more modern words, "Count your blessings!"
We humans love to set standards for God and judge God according to our expectations and desires. Why does this or that person or group have this or that resource and we do not? In the USA, we have a special day of Thanksgiving "for the many blessings" we have received. Is that to be a day when we look enviously at the "blessings" that others have received? Those who accepted the "blessing" of opportunity at the beginning of the parable agreed to the daily wage. That is what they received. Did the last laborers receive "more" than the first? The expectations of the first laborers come face to face with the generosity of the owner. Shall we complain to God about what WE perceive to be "unfairness" on the part of God? Perhaps we should take a closer look at our own expectations and ask whether or not we are being "fair?" AMEN