|
First
Reading
|
Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Isaiah 5:1-7 |
Psalm 80:7–14 |
Philippians 3:4b–14 |
Matthew
21:33–46
|
Let me start with a riddle, hardly original with me, about two Federal Mine Inspectors who go and inspect a coalmine. Afterwards, as they come up and exit into daylight again, one of the inspectors has a very dirty face and one has a clean face. Which one will be the first to wash his face? If I asked this of the tenors in the choir, no doubt they would answer, why the one with the dirty face, of course. They would reason, people should always wash their face when it gets dirty. (Tenors, as a rule, have good habits and are neat people and that’s very commendable.) However, if I asked the basses the same question, they would argue that no, the first one to wash his face would be the inspector with the clean face. Basses tend to be very logical, and they would reason that the inspector with the dirty face would look at the inspector with the clean face and assume his face was clean, too, while the inspector with the clean face would look at his partner’s face and seeing it dirty would assume his face was dirty also.
By this time the altos and sopranos would lose patience. It’s a ridiculous premise they would say. If both inspectors went into the mine, both would come out with dirty faces. Both would need to wash them.1
Jesus’ parable of the wicked tenants of the vineyard, who not only did not respect the true owner of the vineyard, but also in effect tried to claim ownership of the vineyard by eliminating any presence of the owner, was obviously a sharp criticism of many of the religious officials of Jesus’ time. He is making the point that these officials covered up or subverted the true intentions of God and substituted their own selfish agenda instead.
The challenge for us, however, is how do we interpret this parable, thousands of years after the original controversy between Jesus and the religious authorities of the Jerusalem temple. Is it really helpful to elaborate the shortcomings of other people long ago? Is it helpful to unreservably compare Jesus’ opponents with those we think are opponents of the Gospel today and argue over whose face is clean and whose face is dirty and needs to wash?
Or, do we need to question the value of such endeavors by taking a hard look and putting a mirror to our reality? Might we come to the conclusion that in some sense all our faces are dirty, and it is a wise thing to ask ourselves how are we being faithful to the Good News, and admitting the possibility that we at times might be subverting the Good News or substituting our own wishes for God’s intentions?
In some areas of the country immediately after hurricane Ike, there has been a gas shortage. Knowing that gas supplies from the Gulf would be disrupted, people went out and topped off their tanks and filled up all the gas cans for their lawn mowers. We all know that action made things worse. However, if such a situation happened in Ithaca, many of us would do the same thing and consider it prudent. It’s only when every one of our neighbors tops off his tank that it becomes a foolish panic.
I’m told that in the revised so-called bail-out bill, there was a sweetener added that will provide a tax break for a manufacturer of wooden arrows for children. I don’t know why encouraging the manufacturing of wooden arrows was such a necessity, but I would hold that the Gospel is more in the business of holding up clear mirrors in front of our faces than encouraging the manufacture of arrows for us to shoot.
The altos and sopranos who more likely carry mirrors in their purses than the tenors and basses do in their wallets, are better figuring out the riddle of the two federal mine inspectors. In the same way, those who in their life’s journey are brave enough to hold up mirrors both inwardly and outwardly, rather than keep arrows in their bows ready to fly, are better able to benefit from the lesson of the wicked tenants.
And I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.
1 This old riddle was adapted from a commentary on investing by Ralph Wagner who used it September 1985.
