Wow – those scribes and Pharisees were slow to learn, weren’t they!?!  Over the past three weeks, we’ve heard Jesus try to open their eyes to their disobedience, avarice and indifference toward God and today, instead of repenting and turning back to God, we hear them double down and plot against him.  Let’s quickly review.  Three weeks ago, we heard Jesus speak to them through the parable of the man who asked his two sons to go work in his vineyard.  You’ll recall that the first son said “yes” but […]

Everyone loves a feast, and that was as true in ancient times as it is now.  It is not surprising, then, to hear imagery about feasting to give us a sense of God’s overabundant generosity.  “A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines,” we hear in today’s first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  Just listening to these readings makes my mouth water.  And, you’ll notice that the prophet Isaiah sets God’s feast of rich food and pure, choice wines on […]

When I think of a vineyard, I think of visiting a winery and tasting their selections or of enjoying a nice glass of wine with friends over a leisurely dinner.  It’s a luxury that many of us enjoy.  For the people in ancient Israel, however, wine was not a luxury but a necessity and vineyards were as important as wheat fields or sheep folds.  Since their water was often impure, they had learned that adding a little wine to the drinking water made it safer to drink.  They didn’t know […]

We are all familiar with the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” Jesus teaches this very lesson in our Gospel today. The religious leaders of the Jewish community in his day spoke many pious words and gave the impression of great holiness. They were considered the greatest servants of God in their communities. Once Jesus began to challenge them, however, they were revealed as righteous in their speech but not in their treatment of others.

Jesus demonstrates this contradiction in his parable of the two sons. The son who speaks […]