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Tuesday – Third Week – Advent
Readings: Zeph 3:1-2, 9-13; Mt 21:28-32.
1/ First Reading: RSV Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! 2 She listens to no voice, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God. 9 “Yea, at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord. 10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering. 11 “On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain. 12 For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD, 13 those who are left in Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall pasture and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”
2/ Gospel: RSV Matthew 21:28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, `I will not’; but afterward he repented and went. 30 And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.
I. THEME: Live according to the truth.
When facing the truth people have different reactions: Many are indifferent with the truth because they don’t recognize its importance. Many are afraid of the truth because the truth hurts; if they know the truth, they have to live according to the truth; for example, many know what Jesus said is true, but they don’t want to believe; they fear that if they believe, they must keep what he teaches. Many want to destroy the truth because it brings their hidden secret to light for others to see. Lastly, many love the truth and eagerly search for it because the truth helps them to recognize their shortcomings so that they can correct them and become better person. The most important quality is the truth liberates people. Even though people commit no sin if they don’t know the truth, but they still have to endure all results due to their indifference, turning their back to, or destroying the truth.
Today readings rotate around the need to know and to live according to the truth. In the first reading, the prophet Sophonia pointed out for people to see dangers of turning their backs to God, the origin of all truth, and the imagination of all who believed in their own strength or foreign gods. In the Gospel, Jesus indicated for the scribes and the Pharisees to know that tax-collectors and prostitutes shall enter the Kingdom of God before them, because though they were sinners; but they repented in order to receive God’s forgiveness and to reform their lives. Jesus also issued a warning that if they didn’t believe and practice what John Baptist and he himself demanded, they shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: Woe to the rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!She listens to no voice, she accepts no correction.
1.1/ The Israelites didn’t obey God: The prophet Sophonia lived on the exile, he let people know the reason why Jerusalem was destroyed and people were on exile: “Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!She listens to no voice, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God.” Jerusalem was called the Holy City where God dwelt, now became the rebellious, defiled and oppressing city. The reason is because people were indifferent with the prophets’ invitations and corrections whom God sent to them. They were no longer hoping in God, but on their own strength and foreign gods.
1.2/ God prepared for Himself a new people: The purpose of God’s punishment isn’t to destroy the Israelites, but to purify them so that they shall recognize and live according to the truth, His way and will. A new people which God was preparing to bring them back to Jerusalem contained two kinds of people: those who were not the Jews but believed in God and served Him, and the remnant Jews who recognized their sins against God and came back to Him. The prophet wrote: “Yea, at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.”
1.3/ The remnant shall listen and do God’s will: The exil helped the Israelites to recognize their sins because they didn’t believe and hope in God; at the same time, it also helped them to be humble and to conduct their life according to God’s teaching. Once the Israelites recognized these, God shall continue to care for them: “For I will leave in the midst of you a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord,those who are left in Israel; they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall pasture and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”
2/ Gospel: The one who only said but didn’t do God’s will.
2.1/ The parable of the two sons: To teach the scribes and the Pharisees the lesson of the truth, Jesus gave them a parable as follows: “What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’And he answered, `I will not’; but afterward he repented and went.And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.””
2.2/ The two sons represented for two kinds of people:
(1) The tax-collectors and the prostitutes: were compared as the first son by Jesus. Judging from the outside, they were sinners and not concerned with God’s teaching; but when they had an opportunity to listen to John Baptist or Jesus, they immediately changed their life and believed in the Good News. Jesus said to the scribes and the Pharisees: “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him.” The Gospel gave us some examples: Matthew and Jachaeus were the tax-collectors; Mary Magdala was the prostitute; and the good thief who was saved on the cross because he believed in Jesus.
(2) The Pharisees and the scribes: were compared as the second son by Jesus. Judging from the outside, they were good and holy men; they knew the Law well, prayed many times a day, and carefully kept God’s law. But God doesn’t judge according to the outside; He looks deep into their souls and judge according to them. He saw that they only worshiped Him in lips but their hearts were far away from Him. They made their phylacteries broad and their fringes long in order to be praised; they knew the law but didn’t practice them; and they cited long prayers to swallow widows’ heritage. John Baptist gave them a stern warning because “now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire;” but they were still not repented. Jesus also gave them stern words: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
Many of them didn’t listen to his warning but looked for a way to destroy Jesus.
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– We need to know the truth and to practice it.
– We must recognize our sins and correct them on time. We should never have the self-righteous attitude and despise others; instead we should be humble to examine ourselves and to confess our sins to God.
– We shall receive all damages resulting from despising and neglecting the truth.