Elia-Sleeva6t.S,09

Elia-Moosa,6th S.,09
(Mt.20:1-16)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is giving his listeners a new perspective on God’s kingdom and salvation. Until the teaching of Jesus, the Kingdom of God was seen as a birthright of Israel and was exclusively confined to the Israelites. Salvation was seen not only as belonging to a particular race but also as something to be attained by one’s own effort by observing the rituals of tradition. Through the parable of the laborers of the vineyard, Jesus is correcting the perception of the Israelites on Salvation.

The parable of the laborers highlights the current notions prevalent in Israel on salvation and God’s kingdom. The earlier laborers hired for work in the vineyard represent the Chosen people of Israel. They are given the privilege of the call to be part of the kingdom of God. But Jesus points out to them that they are not the only people called to Kingdom .The gentiles are also entitled to the grace of God and hence, the call goes out to them also to join the kingdom of heaven.

What Jesus tries to make his listeners understand is that God’s offer of salvation is not limited to one particular race or nation. It is open to all. It is also not confined to those who are righteous but also to sinners. No one is excluded from the call of God. It is a free gift. Salvation is not attained by human effort but given as a pure gift of God.

The early laborers complain that they have worked all day and get the same wage as the laborers who come in the evening. Jesus makes it clear that in the kingdom of God, human considerations like these have no place. There, one experiences the peace and joy that God gives. The more one is aligned with God, the more one experiences the abundance and generosity of God, love. Envy, competition, jealousy, superiority or inferiority has no place in a world that is permeated with love, peace and joy. These are the benefits that God gives to one who comes to Him. These experiences are similar to the love the children experience when they are with their parents. The older and the younger children experience the same kind of love. The oldest is happy because he gets a longer time to experience it and the enjoyment of the love is not considered as a burden.
So too , when one becomes part of the kingdom of heaven, one does not feel burdened by earthly values of being the first or the last. Those considerations disappear in the vast ocean of love and happiness that one enjoys in heaven. The fist and the last are on the same footing.
How consoling it is to know that at any time in one’s life one can come back to the Lord and experience the joy of salvation. Even in the evening of one’s life, at death bed, one can experience the grace of God.
The parable of the laborers in the vineyard, hence, is a call to all to come to him and to experience the joy of salvation.
Notes:
The parable highlights God’s generosity. This is not about rewards but about salvation .The Jews divided the whole day into eight parts, four night parts(called “watches”) and four day parts(called” hours”).