THE GOSPEL ACCORDING
TO MATTHEW
CHAPTER
20
1. "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2. After agreeing with the Laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3. When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4. and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. 5. When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. 6. And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle all day?' 7. They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.'
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 1 to 7)
Oh Jesus You call us into Your kingdom during different phases of our life. There are those of us whom You have called since the time of our birth meaning since the time of our baptism where we became a member in Your body on earth that is the Roman Catholic Church. However there are others, whom You may call during the time of our adolescence. However there are those of us whom You call at the last phase of their lives that is when they have become of an age or even at the time when they are on death's doorstep! God is always waiting for us to change our ways. He is in no particular hurry. A year or an hour for You oh Father is just like a second, therefore it does not matter when we turn from our ways as long, as we show genuine signs of repentance and change our sinful ways.
8. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay beginning with the last and then going to the first.'
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 8)
At a time of Your choice oh Father You will call on us to leave this earth in order to give us the gift that we deserved, either a place in heaven with You forever, or a place in the never ending fires of hell. The choice is entirely our own. As in the case of the parable we might be in for a surprise. Those who pretend to be better than others may find themselves at the back of the Que while others whom, they had judged as being bad and unworthy people will go into heaven before them. Oh Father Your criteria of judgement is totally different from that of our selves and I thank You for this with all my heart. Amen.
9. When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10. Now when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12. saying, 'These last worked only one hour, any you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 9 to 12)
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 8)
At a time of Your choice oh Father You will call on us to leave this earth in order to give us the gift that we deserved, either a place in heaven with You forever, or a place in the never ending fires of hell. The choice is entirely our own. As in the case of the parable we might be in for a surprise. Those who pretend to be better than others may find themselves at the back of the Que while others whom, they had judged as being bad and unworthy people will go into heaven before them. Oh Father Your criteria of judgement is totally different from that of our selves and I thank You for this with all my heart. Amen.
9. When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10. Now when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12. saying, 'These last worked only one hour, any you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 9 to 12)
At the point of death oh Jesus or when we are in heaven we may meet people whom we never had a high opinion of and whom we may have even judged as being sinful or whores and paedophiles while on earth. However much to our surprise You may have considered such people more worthy of being in Your presence before us, because Your judgement is more, loving caring, and accurate than that of our selves. Moreover their spiritual conversion was stronger than ours and may have come at an earlier time, however according to our judgement we may have kept on being prejudiced against them and did not recognise the change that took place in them due to our own sinful blindness.
13. But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14. Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give this last the same as I give to you. 15. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?" 16. So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 13 to 16)
In all Your Justice You explain to us, that You made the same contract with all humanity, in the sense that You promised us a place near You in heaven if we believe in You and try to behave according to Your will. However if there are some whose behaviour than others, or maybe make an experience of You at the very end of their lives and You decide to save them, it is not Your fault oh God, for You are kind and generous and Your wish is that nobody is denied a place in heaven even though we are sinners.
17. While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way. 18. "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death; 19. then they will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified; and on the third day he will be raised."
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 17 to 19)
Oh how true oh Jesus is the reality of our death. It is like a back pack that is always strapped to our shoulders that contains our burial shroud and the tools needed to put us in the ground. The harsh reality that even though the world makes us think that we are indestructible and that we will live forever, the truth is that life on earth will one day come to an end and all the worldly honours and promotions will die with us and in time will be forgotten as if they never even existed. What is more out of all the achievements of this world, what will remain are the good works of love and charity that we did in order to help others and obey Your holy will.
20. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him.
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 20)
The mother went kneeling in humility before Jesus asking a favour. Oh God may we come before You with an honest and sincere spirit of humility and adoration in order to praise Your name and not simply to ask grants or favours as we do with our fellow persons from whom we attempt to get any chance to improve our status, even if this means corrupting or bribing others or even seducing them in order to get our ways.
21. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom."
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 21)
As much as the mother of the two sons of Zebedee wishes nice things for her two sons, our mother in heaven who is also Your mother also wishes that You grant us the greatest gift of all that, is a place near You and heaven which means the salvation of our souls. Amen. I thank You oh Jesus for giving me a second mother. I feel sorry that my relationship with her is not as strong as my relationship with You my God and Father.
22. But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able,"
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 22)
Oh God indeed we do not always know what we are praying for. Many times we pray To You for wishes that are not good for our selves or for others. At times our intentions may be very good as in finding a particular job, but in truth our choice of a job is not healthy for us and as a consequence we might end up hurt or in trouble. Therefore in such cases You would need to deny us of our wish and say "No" to it.
23. He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 23)
Oh Jesus by means of verse 23 You teach us a great lesson in humility and obedience. Even though You are one with the Father, You still respect the authority of God, the Father and remain in subjection and obedience to Him. Oh God that we may learn to be subject and loyal to You and even to our superiors and to the norms of our society. If one had to observe the way we drive, the quantity of traffic accidents at times due to the disobedience of speed limits, violation of speed limits, loading capacity, lack of road work maintenance among others all reflect sin at work that is manifested in disobedience or some form of negative act at the cost of many innocent victims of such sinful attitude.
24. When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25. But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant. 27. and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave. 28. just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 24 to 28)
Oh my Jesus how different You are when compared to others. You rule with love and humility as a loving father and not as a tyrant ruler. The golden rule is that of being a servant, helper to others and not to be dominant over others. This does not mean that we are to let others abuse us or harm us, however we are to be humble and help to promote others instead of only or egoistic self. I am aware oh Jesus that my sinful self will rebel against leading such a lifestyle because it is so proud as a sinful nature bu together we will overcome it and help in my reconstruction according to Your ways. I am aware that this process is already in process, but at times I go back instead of advancing forward. I pray on You my Father to help me overcome my self in order to be humble like You and overcome a total victory over my sinful self.
29.As they were leaving Jericho a large crowd followed him. 30. There were two blind sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! 31. The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David! 32. Jesus stood still and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33. They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." 34. Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 29 to 34)
On reflecting oh Jesus I am not really sure about who were really blind, in the sense of if it was the two blind men or the crowd of people who were following You my God. The crowd tried to silence the two blind men. Today Society is also trying to silence those who believe in You my God. The media and science are trying to hammer into our heads that we are to live today in luxury and wordily environment that puts You aside and places humans in the centre of control. The world is trying to attribute all good to Science and technology in the name of cliche's such as progress., however the culture promoted is one that drives one away from You. In many areas we are playing God. There was a time oh God when we would turn to You and offer prayers to have a child. Today we use surrogate mothers, test tube babies or make a pre-order of a baby by choosing the colour of ones eyes skin and even the genes and traits. We leave no space for error because all is scientifically and biologically programmed thus eliminating You from the process of creation.
Oh Jesus I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-
Oh Jesus as in the case of the two blind men, the more society attempts to silence us, the more we are to proclaim Your name and give testimony of Your presence in our lives amen.
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 20)
The mother went kneeling in humility before Jesus asking a favour. Oh God may we come before You with an honest and sincere spirit of humility and adoration in order to praise Your name and not simply to ask grants or favours as we do with our fellow persons from whom we attempt to get any chance to improve our status, even if this means corrupting or bribing others or even seducing them in order to get our ways.
21. And he said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left in your kingdom."
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 21)
As much as the mother of the two sons of Zebedee wishes nice things for her two sons, our mother in heaven who is also Your mother also wishes that You grant us the greatest gift of all that, is a place near You and heaven which means the salvation of our souls. Amen. I thank You oh Jesus for giving me a second mother. I feel sorry that my relationship with her is not as strong as my relationship with You my God and Father.
22. But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able,"
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 22)
Oh God indeed we do not always know what we are praying for. Many times we pray To You for wishes that are not good for our selves or for others. At times our intentions may be very good as in finding a particular job, but in truth our choice of a job is not healthy for us and as a consequence we might end up hurt or in trouble. Therefore in such cases You would need to deny us of our wish and say "No" to it.
23. He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
(Matthew Chapter 20 verse 23)
Oh Jesus by means of verse 23 You teach us a great lesson in humility and obedience. Even though You are one with the Father, You still respect the authority of God, the Father and remain in subjection and obedience to Him. Oh God that we may learn to be subject and loyal to You and even to our superiors and to the norms of our society. If one had to observe the way we drive, the quantity of traffic accidents at times due to the disobedience of speed limits, violation of speed limits, loading capacity, lack of road work maintenance among others all reflect sin at work that is manifested in disobedience or some form of negative act at the cost of many innocent victims of such sinful attitude.
24. When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. 25. But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant. 27. and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave. 28. just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 24 to 28)
Oh my Jesus how different You are when compared to others. You rule with love and humility as a loving father and not as a tyrant ruler. The golden rule is that of being a servant, helper to others and not to be dominant over others. This does not mean that we are to let others abuse us or harm us, however we are to be humble and help to promote others instead of only or egoistic self. I am aware oh Jesus that my sinful self will rebel against leading such a lifestyle because it is so proud as a sinful nature bu together we will overcome it and help in my reconstruction according to Your ways. I am aware that this process is already in process, but at times I go back instead of advancing forward. I pray on You my Father to help me overcome my self in order to be humble like You and overcome a total victory over my sinful self.
29.As they were leaving Jericho a large crowd followed him. 30. There were two blind sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! 31. The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, "Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David! 32. Jesus stood still and called them, saying, "What do you want me to do for you?" 33. They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened." 34. Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.
(Matthew Chapter 20 verses 29 to 34)
On reflecting oh Jesus I am not really sure about who were really blind, in the sense of if it was the two blind men or the crowd of people who were following You my God. The crowd tried to silence the two blind men. Today Society is also trying to silence those who believe in You my God. The media and science are trying to hammer into our heads that we are to live today in luxury and wordily environment that puts You aside and places humans in the centre of control. The world is trying to attribute all good to Science and technology in the name of cliche's such as progress., however the culture promoted is one that drives one away from You. In many areas we are playing God. There was a time oh God when we would turn to You and offer prayers to have a child. Today we use surrogate mothers, test tube babies or make a pre-order of a baby by choosing the colour of ones eyes skin and even the genes and traits. We leave no space for error because all is scientifically and biologically programmed thus eliminating You from the process of creation.
Oh Jesus I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:-
Oh Jesus as in the case of the two blind men, the more society attempts to silence us, the more we are to proclaim Your name and give testimony of Your presence in our lives amen.
