JESUS Calls Matthew

"As JESUS moved on from there, HE saw a man named Matthew at his seat in the customhouse, and HE said to him, 'Follow me.'  And Matthew got up and followed HIM.  Now it happened, while JESUS was at table in Matthew's house, many tax collectors and other sinners joined JESUS and HIS disciples.  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to HIS disciples, 'Why is it that your master eats with those sinners and tax collectors?'

When JESUS heard this, HE said, 'Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do.  Go and find out what this means: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice.  I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.'" - Matthew 9:9-13  

(To enter the family of GOD, we must change some of our values.  This conversion is not as conspicuous as participation in devotional practices but is much more valuable.  First, we must liberate ourselves from prejudices by which we classify people.  Let us stop dividing people into good or bad; those we can greet and those we cannot; those we can love and help and those we cannot.  Let us learn that GOD does not hate the rich or the uneducated, those on the left or those on the right, for GOD's merciful plan sees to the salvation of all.

The Gospel speaks about the publicans or the tax collectors, who served the foreign powers.  JESUS' nation was under the domination of the Roman Empire, and the tax collectors were Jews who worked for foreigners.

Patriots consider them traitors.  The people knew they filled their pockets; even beggars refused to receive from the publicans.  Yet JESUS did not condemn them but chose one of them, Levi, as one of the apostles, of whom the majority were committed patriots.

The teachers of the Law were like catechists or religion teachers.  They were well versed in religion and admired JESUS teachings, but they did not consider as brothers and sisters the publicans and other sinners [that is to say people who did not fulfill the religious precepts].

Levi is probably the apostle Matthew.  In this case, like Simon, named Peter by JESUS, Levi would have been given the name of Matthew; in Hebrew Mattai means gift of GOD.

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The Workers In The Vineyard

"This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven.  A landowner went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  He agreed to pay the workers a salary of a silver coin for the day and sent them to his vineyard. 

He went out again at about nine in the morning, and seeing others idle in the square, he said to them:  'You, too, go to my vineyard and I will pay you what is just.'  So, they went.

The owner went out at midday and again at three in the afternoon, and he did the same.  Finally, he went out at the last working hour - it was the eleventh - and he saw others standing there.  So, he said to them:  'Why do you stay idle the whole day?'  They answered:  'Because no one has hired us.'  The master said:  'Go and work in my vineyard.'

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager: 'Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'  Those who had come to work at the eleventh hour turned up and given a denarius (a silver coin).  When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more.  But they, too, received a denarius each.  So, on receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.

They said:  'These last hardly worked an hour, yet you have treated them the same as us who have endured the day's burden and heat.'  The owner said to one of them:  'Friend, I have not been unjust to you.  Did we not agree on a denarius a day?  So, take what is yours and go.  I want to give to the last the same as I give to you.  Don't I have the right to do as I please with my money?  Why are you envious when I am kind?'

So will it be the last will be first, the first will be last.'" - Matthew 20:1-16   

(Many are surprised at this parable.  They find it unfair to give the same reward to everyone, without taking into account the labor and sacrifices of everyone.

 

Without doubt JESUS wanted to shock us and shatter the idea we obstinately cling to that we have merits that GOD must recognize.  However, we should pay close attention to the story:  JESUS makes a comparison, not of several laborers, but of several groups of laborers.  Each group represents a nation or a social class, and while some of them have long ago received the word of GOD, others have just become believers.

 

All throughout history, GOD has been calling different people to work in his vineyard... The elders never cease to claim their right to receive better treatment than the others.  Actually, the vineyard has not been confided to them exclusively.

Then, with the coming of CHRIST, the Gospel was brought to other nations that were until then pagan.  They came into the Church and shaped Christianity.  They also claimed to be owners of the kingdom of GOD and the Church.

 

To this day, there are also social groups that are amazed when the Church criticizes their demand for privileges and does not assign them the first benches in the temple for, they had always believed that the Church was theirs.

 

In this parable, all are treated on equal terms and receive one silver coin each.  Let them be happy for having been invited to work, as they were unemployed.)

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The Parable Of The Sower

"As a great crowd gathered and people came to HIM from every town, JESUS began teaching them through stories, or parables, 'The Sower went out to sow the seed.  And as he sowed, some of the grain fell along the way, was trodden on and the birds of the sky ate it up.  Some fell on rocky ground, and no sooner had it come up than it withered, because it had no water.  Some fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with the seed and choked it.  But some fell on good soil and grew, producing fruit - a hundred times as much.'  And JESUS cried out, 'Listen then, if you have ears to hear!' 

The disciples asked HIM, 'What does this story mean?'  And JESUS answered, 'You have been granted to know the mystery of the kingdom of GOD.  But to others it is given in the form of stories, or parables, so that, seeing they may not perceive and hearing they may not understand.'

Now, this is the point of the parable:  The seed is the word of GOD.  Those along the wayside are people who hear it, but immediately the devil comes and takes the word from their minds, for he doesn't want them to believe and be saved.  Those on the rocky ground are people who receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe for a while and give way in time of trial.  Among the thorns are people who hear the word but as they go their way, are choked by worries, riches, and the pleasures of life; they bring no fruit to maturity.  The good soil, instead, are people who receive the word and keep it in a gentle and generous mind, and persevering patiently, they bear fruit." - Luke 8:4-15 

(The comparison [or parable] of the Sower helps us to understand what is happening around JESUS.  Many people became very enthusiastic at the beginning, then, after a while they left.  Only a few persevered and the apostles wondered:  How will the kingdom of GOD come if no one is interested?

 

The Gospel records JESUS' explanation about the fields on which the seed fell.  There was a lot more to explain.  First, HIS comparing the kingdom of GOD with something that is sown must have surprised the listeners.  Throughout Sacred History, there had been abundant sowing, and JESUS' contemporaries were expecting a harvest [see Revelation 14:15].

 

We, like JESUS contemporaries, want to reap, that is to enjoy the fruits of the kingdom of GOD, namely, social peace, justice and happiness.  Many wonder how it is possible that people continue to be so evil two thousand years after CHRIST.

 

If the kingdom of GOD has come and it is already in our midst, that does not mean we are going to enjoy its fruits.  The kingdom of GOD is where GOD rules, and GOD rules where people accept HIM for what HE is, where HE can be FATHER and where HIS sons and daughters can accept HIS plan for them.

 

From that moment on, people grow in a thousand ways, and social consciousness also develops.  People become aware of their dignity and their common destiny, in spite of the fact that it seems more impossible every day to reach the goal.)

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The Women Who Followed JESUS

"JESUS walked through towns and countryside, preaching and giving the good news of the kingdom of GOD.  The Twelve followed HIM, and also some women, who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary called Magdalene, who had been freed of seven demons; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Suzanna; and others, who provided for them out of their own funds." - Luke 8:1-3  

(No spiritual master would have spoken to a woman in public: women were not even admitted to the synagogues.  Nevertheless, JESUS did not pay the least attention to such universally accepted prejudices.  Various women took JESUS' words and attitude as a call to freedom.  They even joined the circle of HIS intimate friends while ignoring the gossip.  Here we have a fundamental testimony about the freedom of the Gospel.

JESUS was truly human, and as such HE belonged to a race and a culture: HE was a Jew of HIS time and HIS gospel was attuned to the culture that HE shared.  Yet JESUS did not adopt the inhuman traits of HIS culture; nor did HE accept the prejudices of the Jews of HIS time with regard to women, to public sinners, to pagans and so on, nor did HE share their views in regard to the Sabbath.  HIS gospel is a leaven that changes cultures for the better; in many respects HIS way of life goes against the mainstream of cultures.

Mary of Magdala [Magdala was a village on the shore of Lake Tiberias] will be at the foot of the cross along with Mary, the wife of Cleophas, the mother of James and Joset.  These two women, along with Joanna, will receive the first news of the Resurrection [Luke 24:10].)

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Resurrection Is A Fact

"Let me remind you, brothers and sisters, of the Good News that I preached to you, and which you received, and on which, you stand firm.  By that gospel, you are saved, provided that you hold to it, as I preached it.  Otherwise, you will have believed in vain.

In the first place, I have passed on to you what, I, myself, received: that CHRIST died for our sins, as Scripture says; that HE was buried; that HE was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures; that HE appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.  Afterward, HE appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters together; most of them are still alive, although some have already gone to rest.  Then HE appeared to James, and after that, to all the apostles.  And last of all, HE appeared to the most despicable of them, this is, to me.  For I am the last of the apostles, and I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of GOD.  Nevertheless, by the grace of GOD, I am what I am, and HIS grace toward me has not been without fruit.  Far from it, I have toiled more than all of them, although, not I, rather the grace of GOD, in me.

Now, whether it was I or they, this, we preach, and this, you have believed." - 1 Corinthians 15:1-11  

(Have we here the response to a last question of the Corinthians?  Many Greeks thought that at death the immortal soul leaves the body and remains alone.  Was it admitted to the paradise of souls?  Did it come to the great reservoir of souls already gone or who were to return, forgetting all the past lived on earth?  Others held [as do a good number of Christians today], that all ends with death: see 1 Thessalonians 5:13.  Paul will therefore remind the Corinthians that faith in the Resurrection is at the heart of the Christian message.

I remind you of the Gospel.  Here certainly we may speak of Good News, for death as something unknown is and always has been the great burden of human life [Sirach 40:1].

I have passed on to you.  Paul will not recall a tale, or a "myth," these stories full of wisdom that abounded with the Greeks.  They bared an order in the world, a meaning of life, but were only stories.  Today certain people speak of the Resurrection in the same way.  They say: "It matters little what took place, the Gospels are not directly interested in what happened to JESUS, for them it was important that strange events would give courage to the disciples and the hope of another life."  Paul says precisely the contrary: the Resurrection of JESUS is a fact.)

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"What Comparison Can I Use For The People?"

"And JESUS said, 'What comparison can I use for the people?  What are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain, 'We piped you a tune and you wouldn't dance; we sang funeral songs, and you wouldn't cry.'

Remember John: he didn't eat bread or drink wine, and you said, 'He has an evil spirit.'  Next, came the Son of Man, eating and drinking; and you say, 'Look, a glutton for food and wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'  But the children of Wisdom always recognize her work.'" - Luke 7:31-35  

 

(They are like children sitting...  They do everything at the wrong time; they reproach John for his austerity and JESUS for HIS lack of austerity.  There is no "one" way of serving GOD; there is no "one" model of holiness, "one" style of Christian life.  GOD acts in thousands of ways throughout history, encouraging at a given time what HE will censure later in another milieu.  The extreme asceticism of hermits in the desert or that of the ancient Irish monks has been a richness for Christianity.  Modern Christianity that appears more human may look easier to follow but the demands of the cross are always there.  JESUS went further than John, but HE needed John: The Gospel is heard with pleasure but is not taken seriously as long as repentance and sacrifice are brushed aside.  Perhaps the renewal of our faith today is waiting for prophets and for movements that dare to question a culture and a society that has become sterile.)

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JESUS' Last Words

"Near the cross of JESUS stood HIS mother, HIS mother's sister Mary, who was the wife of Cleophas, and Mary of Magdala.  When JESUS saw the mother, and the disciple whom HE loved, HE said to the mother, 'Woman, this is your son.'  Then HE said to the disciple, 'This is your mother.'  And from that moment the disciple took her to his own home." - John 19:25-27  

(At the moment of Man's fall, Eve was with Adam.  Now, at the moment of restoration, that is, the second creation, another woman is with the Son of Man [the Human One], the second Adam.  Mary has neither spouse nor son who can receive her and, for the Jews, a woman who remains alone would be considered cursed.  JESUS entrusts Mary to John and, also, John to Mary.  John testifies having heard both phrases.  Notice that he writes: JESUS said to the Mother, and not, to HIS mother.  This is a new symbolic gesture of JESUS.  Mary will be the Mother of believers.

Through this last deed of JESUS, the Church discovered something about the mystery of the Christian life.  The believer is a member of a spiritual family.  As a child needs a father and a mother to grow normally so, too, does the believer need Mary and the heavenly FATHER.  This is an unchanging doctrine of the Church, which in no way attempts to make the creature equal with the Creator.

Not without reason has GOD given us a mother: if it is a misfortune for a child not to have known a mother, it is also a misfortune for a believer when his religion only expresses itself in masculine terms.  The believer who welcomes Mary to his home as did John is neither a fanatic nor a quibbler regarding faith.  There exists a form of humility, joy, interior peace and simple piety characteristic of those Catholics who have known how to open their doors to Mary without throwing out their Savior.)

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Imitate The Humility Of JESUS

 "Though HE was in the form of GOD, HE did not regard equality with GOD as something to be grasped,

but emptied HIMSELF,

taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness,

and, in HIS appearance, found, as a man,

HE humbled HIMSELF by being obedient, to death,

death on the cross.

That is why GOD exalted HIM

and gave HIM the name which outshines all names,

so, that, at the name of JESUS all knees should bend

in heaven, on earth and among the dead,

and all tongues proclaim, that CHRIST JESUS is the LORD,

to the glory of GOD, the FATHER.

- Philippians 2:6-11

(HE did not regard equality with GOD: the mystery of GOD's Son who became a mortal man and gave up GOD's glory, although HE could have preserved it even in HIS human life.  Since CHRIST was to be the New Man, glorified by GOD and placed above everything, HIS being subject to misery and limitations was a way of being reduced to nothingness.

GOD exalted HIM.   The humiliation and obedience of CHRIST were the condition for receiving HIS glory.  HE gave HIM the name [of GOD], that is, HE made HIM fully enjoy in HIS human nature the divine Power [or name].)

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The Pardon

"Then Peter asked HIM, 'LORD, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister?  Seven?  JESUS answered, 'No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'

This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven.  A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants.  Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots.  As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his goods in payment.

The official threw himself at the feet of the king and said, 'Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.'  The king took pity on him and not only set him free but even canceled his debt.

This official then left the king's presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a hundred pieces of silver.  He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangled him, shouting, 'Pay me what you owe!'  His companion threw himself at his feet and asked him, 'Give me time, and I will pay everything.'  The other did not agree but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt.

His companions saw what happened.  They were indignant and so they went and reported everything to their lord.  Then the lord summoned his official and said, 'Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so.  Weren't you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on you?  The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt.'

JESUS added, 'So will MY heavenly FATHER do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive your brother or sister.'" - Matthew 18:21-35 

(The offenses we suffer from our companions are nothing compared with our offenses against GOD.  While GOD forgives all, we do not even give others enough breathing space.  GOD does not demand HIS rights, but we, in demanding them, behave like wicked servants [see Matthew 5:43].

This parable goes beyond personal problems.  The world needs, above everything else, the forgiveness of GOD, and those who want a more just society will not achieve it through accusations and hatred.

The parable helps us understand much better another verse in the Bible: Revenge is mine, says the LORD; I will pay each one according to his own conduct.  GOD will not demand an account regarding HIS own rights [what we owe HIM], but regarding the rights of the little ones who, unable to pay, were deprived of them.  HE will also demand an accounting regarding those who were sorry for their sins but were not forgiven by others.

The fourth Discourse of Matthew's Gospel ends with this parable on the duty to forgive.  The Church has not always been as holy as she should have been.  Yet nobody can deny that, at all times, in the Church the mercy of GOD has been preached, and people have learned to forgive.)

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"No Healthy Tree Bears Bad Fruit; No Poor Tree Bears Good Fruit."

"'No healthy tree bears bad fruit; no poor tree bears good fruit.  And each tree is known by the fruit it bears: you don't gather figs from the thorns, or grapes from brambles.  Similarly, the good person draws good things from the good stored in his heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil stored in his heart.  For the mouth speaks from the fulness of the heart.

Why do you call ME, 'LORD!  LORD!' and do not do what I say?  I will show you what the one is like, who comes to ME, and listens to MY words, and acts accordingly.  That person is like the builder who dug deep and laid the foundations of his house on rock.  The river overflowed, and the stream dashed against the house, but could not carry it off because the house had been well built.

But the one who listens and does not act, is like a man who built his house on the ground without a foundation.  The flood burst against it, and the house fell at once: and what a terrible disaster that was!'" - Luke 6:43-49  

(No healthy tree...  These sayings were already mentioned in Matthew 7:15. Here, however, Luke gives them a different meaning by referring to a pure conscience.  We must purify our mind and our spirit to become the tree that produces good fruits.)

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