Brief synopsis of the readings: God speaks to Ezekiel in our first reading and reminds him about fairness: “Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” God then states that when a virtuous person commits an iniquity and dies, he dies because of the iniquity. Likewise if a wicked person turns toward virtue he shall live. Matthew’s Gospel gives us a parable about two sons. Their father directs them both to work in the vineyard. The first son said he wouldn’t go but then thought the better of it and went into the vineyard. The second promised to go but didn’t. Jesus asked which son did his father’s will and they all answered that the first son did. Jesus then announced that tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before his audience. When John the Baptist demanded conversion the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him but Jesus’ audience didn’t, even when they had the opportunity.
Last week’s readings discussed the issue of fairness and today we continue with the same subject. Ezekiel’s prophecy happened during the Babylonian exile, the worst time in their history. The Israelites were defeated by the Babylonians who then destroyed their Temple and drove many (including Ezekiel) from their homes to Babylon. Prophets of that time navigated a tough balance: they needed to explain that God allowed them to be conquered because of their wickedness but also tell them that if they turn back to God they will be restored.
Our readings are about conversion. And conversion can go both ways. Those Israelites who were exiled could have easily settled into despair and given up on God, believing God first gave up on them. But, as Ezekiel explains, that is the way of death. On the other hand, giving up wicked ways and coming back to God is the way of life.
Our Gospel continues this with a dramatic turn toward the end. Jesus’ question to his audience is kind of a no brainer; no father is satisfied with a son who promises what he does not deliver. Talk is cheap and the father will soon learn that his second son is not trustworthy while the first son has the ability to pleasantly surprise him.
Why did the first son change his mind? We don’t know. Maybe he thought better of disobeying his father. Maybe he was texting and wasn’t paying attention to his father’s question. In any case he experienced the kind of conversion Ezekiel was describing.
And so with the second son where we also don’t know his motives. Maybe he got a better offer from his friends or he thought he didn’t need to work because his brother did. Or maybe he thought he was too important to do that kind of work.
I think that may be it. Jesus delivers a throw-down at the end of today’s reading. His no brainer question was a set up for a harsh message and frankly I’d love to have been there to see the reaction. Jesus is generally impatient with those in authority and does not suffer fools gladly when he sees injustice. I have to imagine at least some of those gathered listened to the parable and thought themselves better than either son: they would have told their father that they would go into the vineyard and they did.
For Jesus to say to these (allegedly) elite that they are no better than the second son must have burned. They were certainly the ones who told their father they would get to work. But did they really do the will of the father?
Well, the burn they felt at being thought less than prostitutes and tax collectors must have been immense. Starting with the way they looked at prostitutes and tax collectors; they looked at them with contempt, as if they chose these lives among others. Like today the people of Jesus’ time looked down on prostitutes for obvious reasons and they looked down on tax collectors because they were seen a sellouts to the Romans. Additionally they only way they made money was to collect more than they needed to turn in to the authorities. I think it’s safe to say that none of them could have chosen these professions over being a pharisee or a teacher. They were almost certainly people in impossible circumstances who traded away status to avoid starvation. By the way, why no condemnation for those men who pay the prostitutes?
The last line of last week’s Gospel was perhaps Jesus’ mission statement: The last shall be first and the first shall be last. To condemn prostitutes and tax collectors blames the victim and violates Jesus’ demand that we love one another. In his book Consistent Ethic of Life Cardinal Joseph Bernardin (1928-1996) argues for a “preferential option for the poor.” In other words, those who have power must advocate on behalf of those who don’t.
In fairness we’ve made tremendous progress in the last 2000 years. Though we haven’t completely eliminated slavery we do nearly universally condemn it. While prostitution still exists we’ve become aware of the need to end human trafficking.
But on the other hand we continue to experience involuntary global migration. Countries around the world, for a variety of reasons, have made life for the poor unbearable and they have sought refuge. But wealthier countries, much like those in the Gospel, argue that these refugees threaten our way of life or travel great distances out of laziness.
Worse yet, many of those who complain claim to be followers of Jesus. Famously in 2018 US Attorney General Jeff Sessions quoted Romans 13 to defend President Trump’s policy of separating immigrating children from their parents. You can read it for yourself but Paul admonishes his audience to obey governing authorities.
On the other hand Pope Francis admonished European leaders to stop claiming there is a “migration emergency” in Europe. He argued that those fleeing violence and starvation are our brothers and sisters, not competitors for “our stuff.”
I wish today’s readings were more popularly known. Believing God would give us a world insufficient for our needs speaks to a lack of faith that God loves us. But believing our call to love and care for those who flee injustice gives honor to the God of Ezekiel, and also to the father who prays one day both of his sons will get to work.