Let Our Hearts Be Softened - June 24
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30; PM Psalm 119:121-144; Num. 16:36-50; Rom. 4:13-25; Matt. 20:1-16
“Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15)
Today’s gospel passage is tricky, and being completely honest, I can easily get irritated with the workers who are hired last and receive the same wages as the first shift. And, of course, I always imagine myself among the workers who are first, the ones who are working the longest hours, bearing the burden in the scorching heat. Not fair. This parable fits right in line with the other parables Jesus has been telling about the kingdom of heaven and what it takes to receive eternal life. But I’m just not seeing the good news in this one…yet.
Because of my own irritation with this passage, I needed to do some digging to uncover the good news of this parable. That recurring phrase about the first being last and the last being first is hard and I was investigating that part. But what actually captured my attention is the word “envious” and it turns out this is an important word. Being envious has to do with how the world is seen. The eye is described a few chapters earlier as a lamp of the body. Is our eye healthy or unhealthy? If our eye is healthy, our whole body is full of light; to the contrary, an unhealthy eye fills the body with darkness. In this passage, the question Jesus asks, “are you envious because I am generous?” is the same as asking, “is your eye evil?” This gets my attention. Am I seeing God’s love and goodness, and reflecting the light of Christ in my life? Or am I envious and seeing through the eyes of judgment, fear, jealousy, and darkness? For me, as much as I hate to admit it, it’s both. Sometimes my sight is healthy and others it’s not.
This is not just any old vineyard Jesus portrays…this is God’s vineyard! This parable is about God’s love, justice, and mercy. God rewards those who are in the vineyard because these are God’s people and God loves them and wants to draw everyone to the vineyard. It doesn’t matter when, what matters is that everyone arrives. I think my irritation is rooted in my understanding of our capitalist economic system which is based on competition. BUT with God’s free gift economy there is no competition because there’s enough of God’s love, justice, and mercy to go around for as many people who seek God’s kingdom. In fact, in God’s vineyard – the kingdom of heaven – the more the merrier!
Someone offered prayers for our hearts to be softened during the Daily Office yesterday, and I think that gets to the heart of what the kingdom of heaven is about. The world needs us to release our envy and soften our hearts for each other right now. Softening our hearts allows us to reflect the light and love of Jesus. As we work for God’s kingdom, let us be glad that we are God’s people and welcome others to join in the work to receive the same love, justice, and mercy that we’ve already received.
-- Susan Oakes, Seminarian
Susan Oakes is a rising senior at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. This summer, she is serving as a seminarian intern at Saint Stephen's, her sponsoring parish for ordination.
Questions for Self-Reflection:
Have you ever invited someone into kingdom work or questioned someone else’s work?
Daily Challenge:
In real life, it’s easy to hold the posture of envy and judgment. Think of a time that you have held this posture and pray about it, asking God to soften your heart.