Salvation is not a right, but a gift
Sometimes, Jesus’ words can be puzzling, going against what we call common sense, according to our thinking. In the first reading, God warns us: “my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways” (Is 55:8). And Jesus makes that very clear both in his teaching and his actions.
In a way, the parable of the landowner calling workers to his vineyard tries to give a justification to the saying: “the last will be first, and the first, last.” It sounds strange, but it is a reality of life, even if it does not happen every day. Do you want to see clear examples of that? Just remember what has been happening in some countries, like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The ones who were all powerful yesterday are today in prison or in hiding. They were the first, and now they became the last.
If we play tricks with life, life will play tricks with us. We should never behave as the owners of life or as people who are superior to others. When we forget the others and start dominating them, we are preparing our own downfall.
In the parable, all the workers were paid the same. According to old and modern mentality, that was very unfair. Nowadays, it would cause a strike or even a riot. It is accepted wisdom that different work goes with different pay. However, if we concentrate on this line of thought, we miss the whole point of the parable, which is not dealing with fairness, but with generosity.
The truth of the matter is that all of them were jobless and all of them were lost in idleness. The landowner came to their rescue, not out of need, but of love and compassion. That’s why he kept on checking if there more people in need of work. And he invited all of them to his vineyard. He wanted them to have a purpose in life and to have their dignity restored, because idleness brings dependence and shame.
With the first ones, he had agreed a good salary. So he was not cheating or exploiting them. In the end, he gave the same to all, not out of duty, but generosity. God calls all of us, and he gives to all the same payment, salvation.
The parable of the landowner who called different workers at different times to his vineyard and paid all of them the same amount tells us that salvation is not a right we were born with or one which we acquired with our hard work. Salvation is a gift from a loving God. We cannot be jealous, when God calls others and offers to them the same salvation he offered to us. Instead, we must be thankful for the great things God has done for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment