Services

The beginning of this passage is famously linked to one of the most popular parables, the Good Samaritan. This means the focus is on who is the good neighbour?

The Pharisees and Herodians are trying to trap Jesus by putting him in an impossible bind. If he says no to pay the taxes, the Romans can have him arrested. If he says yes, doesn’t that make him look like a collaborator for the Romans? But Jesus answers a question with a question; whose face is on the coin? And the well known words; give to the emperor that which is the emperor’s and to God that which is God’s.

The two parts of Thanksgiving come together. In Corinthians Paul says that God loves a cheerful giver, and we have in the Gospel the Samaritan leper coming back to thank Jesus. He receiving the gift of healing with such thanks he had to feel a sense of cheerfulness and joy.

What seems to be missing in the parable in the wicked tenants is the agreement about what goes to the owner and what goes to the tenants. In other words, why would the tenants work the vineyard and give all to the owner?

Given the religious atmosphere of the day it is not surprising that Jesus’ authority is questioned. Here is this itinerant preacher associating with tax collectors and sinners and earlier in Matthew, Jesus throws the money-changers out of the temple. The religious elite want to know by what authority he is doing what he is doing.

This parable like so many can be viewed from a variety of perspectives. For example, the last ones hired at the end of the day have no problem seeing the justice in them receiving the day’s wages. Besides it is not as if they did what they wanted to do instead of working and only came to the market just before being hired. They were waiting all day to get work.

The Gospel: how many times do we forgive and the parable of the unforgiving servant. The issue of forgiveness in the parable seems to be about forgiving or not a financial debt. This may be a metaphor.

This passage in Matthew seems pretty straight forward. It is a how to in resolving conflict of a personal and individual nature, by moving forward in resolving the conflict by bringing witnesses to hear what you say to the person you have the conflict with.

Get behind me Satan. Is it just me, or is this one of the more well-known phrases from the Bible? And is this again Jesus being harsh to Peter? Just last week, Jesus calls Peter the Rock on which he will build his church, And promises him the keys of the kingdom, and this week…