- no title specified

1A Homily given by Deacon Ben Jones, assisting Deacon;

St. George’s Anglican Church, Raleigh, NC;

Commonly known as Septuagesima, A.D. 2009

+In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,AMEN.

“Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own. Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”

Today we are roughly seventy days from Easter Sunday. Thus begins our pre-Lenten journey, the SEASON OF GESIMATIDE. The three sets of propers for the Sundays of Gesimatide prepare us for the PENITENTIAL SEASON OF LENT. The propers for the first Sunday of Gesimatide, or Septuagesima, tell us to refrain from complaining against God and one another. The propers for the second Sunday in Gesimatide, or Sexagesima, remind us that the key to our Lenten fast is to spend intensive or quality time with Holy Scripture, and to carefully listen to and heed to the living Word of God, that it may bear abundant fruit within us.

The propers for the third Sunday in Gesimatide, or Quinquagesima, tell us to allow God’s mercy and grace to work within us by the power of the Holy Ghost, that we may hope for, (by faith and through God’s love for us), Eternal Salvation. Through this Eternal Salvation, it is God Himself, in Whose presence we hope to be, and with Whom we hope to enjoy perpetual communion, that “State of Being Eternally” with God.

The Gospel lesson this morning is the “Parable of the Laborours in the Vineyard.” This parable has a set-up or a type of a connection if you will, from the previous chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. A rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked Him a question concerning Eternal Life. During the course of the conversation the young ruler stated concerning the commandments, “All these things have I kept from my youth up, what lack I yet?”1 In other words, Jesus, tell me I’m in. Go ahead and give me that “well done good and faithful servant” speech. At this point, “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possession.”2 What had Jesus done? He had shown the ruler that he had not kept the commandments at all. He loved himself more than his neighbor, (in that he didn’t want to provide for the poor), and he loved his possessions more than God, (in that he didn’t follow God). This teaches the seriousness of true discipleship, but in no way teaches the average man that he must sell his possessions in order to be a Christian, or even a good one. The young ruler was not seen again.

Now Jesus turned to the Disciples and used this opportunity to teach how difficult it is for the rich and selfish to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Peter asked Jesus a question. “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”3 Peter’s motives behind this question are pure as seen in the answer Jesus gave. “Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”4 These stories examine two “Attitudes of Heart” which we can easily adapt to the “Attitude of OUR Hearts. Jesus ends His reply with a warning that while rewards will be abundant, attitudes of the heart are still crucial, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”5 This warning both precedes and follows the parable that is our Gospel lesson this morning.

The “Parable of the Laborours in the Vineyard” falls into two parts. The first part describes the hiring of the laborours and the second part describes the payment of the wages. We are all probably familiar with this parable where laborours are hired at different times of the day for the same fair, but unspecified wage as those that were hired at the start of the day. “Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.”6 The payment of the wages didn’t seem to go quite as uneventful.

“But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.”7 Now for the rest of the story!! “And when they had received it, they murmured against the Goodman of the house.”8 The householder had an answer for those that murmured against him. “Friend, I do thee not wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?”9 I will come back to the last verse of this parable. We will save the best for last.

Since this parable is in response to Peter’s question, we get an understanding that the workers represent the apostles and others like them, with the Goodman of the house, or the householder being Jesus Christ, who oversees the vineyard, or the field of labor, which we recognize as being the service to the world through the Church. We get many scriptural references to this vineyard, and even have the story of a vinedresser.

How does this parable apply to us? All of us are promised equal blessings to Christ’s original disciples. Jesus is warning us against jealousy and impurity of actions in serving Him; or the sin of covetousness. We must take care that this goodness of God does not provoke us to complaint. We think, “Why in the world would we complain about the goodness of God?” Remember the Israelites in the wilderness? They murmured and outright complained over the goodness of God after receiving exactly their desires. I said I would save the best for the last, so let’s take a look.

The householder completed His statements with, “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.”10 The point to this verse is that all Christians receive equal reward, “Everlasting Salvation,” which is given on the grounds of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. St. Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Romans, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”11 By earthly standards of judgment or our murmuring against others, such actions lead to putting the last first and the first last. This is seen in the example set by the householder when He made the decision, “Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.”12 “For many be called, but few chosen”, refers to the general call of the gospel and the subsequent call to the grace of God. Jesus is teaching us to overcome the difficulty that some experience in believing and obeying the gospel because their minds are fixed on what they can achieve or obtain for themselves. So here are a few things to meditate on in preparation for the Penitential Season of Lent.

LET’S EXAMINE OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS CHRIST’S GENEROSITY

1)Is our attitude one of Thanksgiving and Gratitude?

2)OR, Do we find ourselves “BARGAINING” for what we will receive?

3)OR, Do we find ourselves becoming “JEALOUS” of what others may have or receive?

4)OR, Do we simply “HOPE” for Christ to do what is right or just for us?

In the “Sacrifice of the Mass at the Altar, we get that glimpse of our reward, our end, our object; that “Eternal Hope,” that “State of Being Eternally with God.” What glimpse does someone get that would bargain for their reward or becomes jealous of God’s gifts to others? They receive no glimpse of an Eternal Hope because it is given freely, not in exchange for a bargain. Let us focus our Lenten journey on our promised reward of “Eternal Hope” and our work in the “Vineyard of Christ,” being that service to the world through the Church, and bring those in need to glimpse upon their “Eternal Hope.”

Amen.

And now unto God the Father, God the Son,

and God the Holy Ghost,

be ascribed all might, majesty, power, and dominion,

most justly due this day,

both now and forever,

world without end,

Amen.

1 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 19:20.

2 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 19:21-22.

3 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 19:27.

4 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 19:28.

5 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 19:30.

6 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 20:7.

7 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 20:10.

8 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 20:11.

9 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 20:13-15.

10 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 20:16.

11 The Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans 11:29.

12 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 20:14