September 24, 2011

26th Sunday - A (September 25, 2011)

Commentary

Who Does the Father's Will?

In this parable, Jesus gives the scenario of the two sons and their responses to a demand from their father. He then asks the chief priests and the elders of the people for their judgment, "Which of the two did the father's will?"

It is, however, not the parable, but Jesus' life, that gives the perfect answer to that question.

This passage is from the second half of Chapter 21 of Matthew. By this time, Jesus has entered Jerusalem (21: 1 - 9). He did this knowing exactly what awaiting him there. On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus told the disciples, not once, but three times, that he would "be handed over" and "condemned to death" by crucifixion (the third time is in 20: 17 - 19). Yes, he knows the Father's will.

And he clearly states his intention of fulfilling the Father's will, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many" (20: 28).

And the Father's will is the salvation of sinners, the tax collectors and prostitutes who accepted the Son.


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