In the Mass readings today (Gen 37:3f ; Mt 21:33-43,45-46) we
find the theme of the rejection of the good and innocent man doing his father’s
work. First in Genesis it is the rejection of Joseph by his brothers who are
jealous of the favour shown to their father’s youngest son. They almost kill
him in the wilds but instead sell him into slavery and fake his death by a wild
animal. In the Gospel parable of wicked tenants of the vineyard the tenants in
the vineyard refuse to pay the owner of the vineyard his dues in the form of a
proportion of the harvest. They thrash and kill the owner’s servants, and then
when the owner sends his son (whom he thinks they will respect) they murder
him.
On the face of it we might well ask, why is it that good people
can be so rejected even to the point of murder? What was it that drove Joseph’s
brothers to consider selling him to slavery or even consider murdering him?
What was it that led the religious opponents of Jesus to consider finding a way
to have him killed? Jesus had only done good in His life. But He had also
challenged and pointed out the Jewish leaders’ errors. Was that enough for them
to consider having him executed? It is naturally difficult for us to see how
this can happen, and I think the early Christians must have also struggled with
this question. The parable of the wicked tenants of the vineyard in part
answers that question, showing the long history of the rejection of the
prophets by Jerusalem leaders, and then finally the rejection of the Father’s
only Son.
What causes the heart of man to consider the murder of a good
man as the best option? The short answer is, of course, sin. It was jealousy.
It was anger. It was looking for the easy way out. It was fearing earthly
powers more than God. It was pride and not wanting to lose one’s own status.
The sad fact is that when light shines, those that wish their
deeds to remain hidden despise the light. The light that shines from a good and
righteous man can cause those who are attached to their sin to react against
that good and righteous man, sometimes in ways that are surprising and shocking
to us. But this is the way of the witnesses of Christ, in which we are all
called to walk. We are called to live Christ’s way even when it is counter to everything
that the world stands for. We are living in a time when increasingly we who
answer the call of Christ to bear witness to him will face rejection and
conflict. Let us ask for the prayers of the Martyrs that we may have the
courage to be faithful to Christ and less concerned about the world’s reaction.
And when we suffer because of our faith, whether it is in a small or big way,
let us offer that suffering to God as a prayer for the salvation of souls,
praying especially for those who persecute us.
Fr Ian
