Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Matthew 20: 1-16
August 20, 2025 | Wednesday

Today’s Gospel

This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven: A landowner went out early in the morning, to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay each worker the usual daily wage, and sent them to his vineyard.

He went out again, at about nine in the morning, and, seeing others idle in the town square, he said to them, ‘You also, go to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is just.’ So they went.

The owner went out at midday, and, again, at three in the afternoon, and he made the same offer. Again he went out, at the last working hour the eleventh and he saw others standing around. So he said to them, ‘Why do you stand idle the whole day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ The master said, ‘Go, and work in my vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ Those who had gone to work at the eleventh hour came up, and were each given a silver coin. When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, received one silver coin. On receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.

They said, ‘These last, hardly worked an hour; yet, you have treated them the same as us, who have endured the heavy work of the day and the heat.’ The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on one silver coin per day? So, take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you. Don’t I have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Why are you envious when I am kind?’ So will it be: the last will be first, the first will be last.

Today’s Reflection

The Deuteronomic story continues. The death of Gideon was narrated, and the relapse of the people of Israel towards idolatry and other sins. The analogy was related actually to one of Gideon’s sons who made himself king of Shechem. During the reign of Gideon as Judge, there was peace for almost forty years. His death brings this discord and slaughters the rest of his brothers, except one who manages to escape. The fable explains a reality and teaches a moral lesson. It is just a fable and maybe has no theological significance in the story of Gideon’s sons and possible heir. It is an oblique critique and taunt for the self- proclaimed King of Shechem.

“Are you envious because I am generous?” or Is your idea of justice corrupted? These are the questions thrown to us by Jesus, who consider themselves entitled to the benefits and promises of the Kingdom and constrain God to our idea of justice and generosity. The story of the parable is an exemplar of the idea of justice to those who worked for the whole day and charity or generosity for those who worked for less than the day. This is a slanted critique for those who see justice only to the letter of the Law and prohibit themselves from showing charity beyond the Law. The parable also tells us that God’s justice and generosity are not limited to one group of people. God’s justice is encompassing. On the other hand, the recipient of hearers of the parable story, His contemporary, and of course to us, our idea of justice and generosity is different from God’s idea of them. We could demand justice from Him, like the story of Job, but we cannot demand charity from God. Maybe we could plead for mercy. It is. Indeed, that generosity is given, and we have no right to the love and mercy of God, which is freely given to be the object of our jealousy that would affect our relationships with our brothers and sisters. Our standard is not God’s standard!

/Vulnerasti, 2025