Parables #11: Too late for regrets

Too late for regrets

Context

Developer

The triumphal arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem has great significance on several counts. And at the same time, it serves as a revealer at the level of faith. The outcasts of society come to Jesus in trust and faith. And the spiritual and political elite once again showed their distrust of Jesus.

Legitimate Jesus?

They are again trying to corner Him on His legitimacy to teach the people. So Jesus leads them to be logical by considering how they answered the same question with John the Baptist who was preaching repentance in preparation for the coming of Jesus.

Matthew chapter 21

23 Jesus went to the temple and

while he was teaching,

the chief priests and the elders of the people came and said to him:

“By what authority do you do these things, and who gave you this authority?”

24 Jesus answered them,

“I too will ask you a question and, if you answer it,

I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

25 John’s baptism, where did it come from? Of the sky or of men?

But they reasoned thus among themselves:

“If we answer:

‘From the sky’,

he will tell us:

‘Why didn’t you believe in him?’

26 And if we answer:

‘Men’,

we have to fear the reactions of the crowd, because all consider John as a prophet.”

27 Then they answered Jesus:

“We do not know.”

He tells them in turn:

“I too will not tell you by what authority I do these things.

And it is this discussion that will trigger the following parable.

Jesus will compare this discussion with the following parable:

Matthew 21

28 What do you think?

A man had two sons.

He addressed himself to the first and said to him:

‘My child, go to work today in my vineyard.’

29 He answered:

‘I don’t want to’ but, later, he showed regret and went.

30 The father turned to the other and said the same thing. This son replied:

‘I will, lord’, but he didn’t go.

31 Which of the two did the will of the father?”

They said, “The first.”

The comparison

We understand the comparison.

The incredulity of the leaders of the time in the face of the ministry of John the Baptist and which persists without regret with Jesus, even when seeing the worst who have changed them

     is compared to 2 sons:

     The first, rebellious but who finally regrets and does his father's will

     The second, who promises respectfully but does nothing

In fact, I am not making this up, Jesus says it much better in verse 31b:

Matthew 21

31b And Jesus said to them:

“I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes

will precede

in the kingdom of God,

32 for John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him.

On the other hand,

tax collectors and prostitutes believed in him

and you, who have seen this,

you did not then show regret for believing in him .

Regret

Note that Jesus insists on the lack of regret. In view of what was happening with Jean-Baptiste. Even if they had been reluctant at first, they too should have changed…

Not too late

But it’s not too late. You are just preceded. Note that in this parable, there is no final sanction as in other parables. It is truly an invitation to come to Him. And if you see a bit of the context, time is running out in the sense that Jesus knows that His presence among them is coming to an end.

Truth

Let’s not be stubborn with God, there is always time to come back to Him

Application

For X reasons:

education,
cultural,
ideological,
policy,
pride,
scientist…
We do not grasp the outstretched hand of God through Christ even if we have obvious examples of life changing through Christ, which Jesus tells us through this image. Don’t stay stubborn; for a first step of faith or for other steps of faith…####

Chain of parabolas

But beware.

Matthew 21

33 Listen to another parable.

So there, it’s very interesting, we have a sequence of parabolas.

Interesting, because the Holy Spirit, when He inspired the authors to follow them, invites us to refine the reflection, to progress from one parable to another. And there is often a crescendo!

It’s not just a collage or a patchwork of parables, but there is a plot, an intention.

There was an owner,

who planted a vineyard.

He surrounded it with a hedge,

dug a wine press there and

built a tower;

then he rented it to winegrowers and went on a trip.

Here we are facing a beautiful wine property at the height of the great properties of the Médoc like Château Margaux that I know a little. When I was a young Bordelais, in the last century, I had a strategy for entering the estate, when we were doing the route of the castles, and the description of the parable makes me think of it…

34 When harvest time came,

he sent his servants to the vine-growers to receive his share of the harvest.

35 But the husbandmen seized his servants;

they beat one,

killed the other and

stoned the third.

36 He also sent other servants, more than the first, and the tenants treated them in the same way.

37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying to himself:

‘They will have respect for my son.’

38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,

‘Here is the heir.

Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’

39 And they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

40 Now, when the master of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these vinedressers?”

41 They answered him:

“He will miserably kill these wretches and he will rent the vineyard to other winegrowers who will give him their share of the harvest when the time is right.”

Overall, we could say that we have the same comparison addressed to the same people (primarily the politico-religious leaders).

Comparison 1

The Inescapable Consequences of Continuing Disbelief by Leaders Who Have No Regrets

     is compared

to 2 types of tenants of a vineyard of a wealthy owner:

     The former enter a destructive vicious circle which leads them to murder and theft. They are naturally punished to height.

     The second are entrusted with the management of the domain to do the job normally.

Comparison 2

Jesus points to a replacement in the kingdom of God.

Given the behavior of political-religious leaders towards Jesus, it is ultimately the worst in society who take their place in the Kingdom of God

     is compared to

     the flight forward of the first tenants in their crimes and their theft which leads them to be dispossessed of the vineyard for the benefit of other tenants and to be punished for their misdeed; they are replaced by others who normally do the job.

Truth

Accuracy of Jesus

In his immense pedagogy, Jesus specifies the truth that shines through in this comparison.

Matthew 21

42 Jesus said to them:

“Have you ever read in the scriptures:

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;

it is the work of the Lord,

and it is a miracle in our eyes?

43 Wherefore I say unto you,

the kingdom of God will be taken from you

and will be given to a people who will produce its fruits. (Replacement)

44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be crushed

and whoever it falls on will be crushed.”####

Progression in the Word of Jesus

We change scale. You see the crescendo. There, it is no longer a question of being preceded in the kingdom of God as in the comparison of family work in the vineyard. But to be dispossessed for the benefit of others for the management of a beautiful property.

We could even specify this crescendo:

several people while 2 people;
responsibility for an area that goes beyond the family vineyard;
crimes and thefts whereas in the first, it was only a question of obedience;
the punishment appears, there was none in the first;
what he stumbles on, the crux of the problem becomes clearer: the cornerstone.
And there, Jesus only reminds

Psalm 118 , verses 22-23

A Psalm of transmission from one generation to another which recalls

help,
sovereignty,
the power of the Lord.
And his salvation granted to the righteous, unlike those who stumble against what they had rejected.

Psalm No. 118

20 This is the gate of the Lord:

it is through it that the just enter.

21 I praise you, because you answered me,

because you saved me.

22 The stone which the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

23 This is the work of the Lord

and it is a wonder in our eyes.

24 This is the day that the LORD has made:

May it be for us a subject of gladness and joy!

25 O LORD, grant salvation!

Eternal, give success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!

Don’t do the same!

Jesus shows his audience, who know this Psalm very well, that the Lord had inspired him to realize that the attitude they now adopt with Jesus resembles what God said in this Psalm.

This stone is me

And this stone, it is obvious that Jesus makes the connection with Himself. (The apostle Peter in Acts 4:11 says so explicitly). Indeed, what was the crowd saying when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem the day before?

Matthew 21. 9

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest places!”

Recovery

of Psalm No. 118. 25 and 26

which speaks of this rejected stone.

solemn appeal

The purpose of Jesus is not to snuff them out, to shut them up, but to warn them, once again. Be careful, the spiral that ignores regret will lead to extreme drifts and in the end, there will be a boomerang effect.

Thinking of getting rid of me, it is ultimately I who will be your judge for a disastrous end; so will there be any change after this solemn call?

Matthew 21

45 After hearing his parables, the chief priests and the Pharisees understood that it was them that Jesus was talking about.

46 They sought to arrest him,

but they feared the reactions of the crowd,

because she considered Jesus a prophet.

Application

I hope we won’t be like them

Matthew – Chapter 22

1 Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables.

The chain of parables continues, the thread of the development of Jesus’ thought becomes clearer…

He says:

2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who made a wedding for his son.

3 He sent his servants to call those invited to the wedding,

but they would not come.

4 He also sent other servants, with this order:

‘Tell the guests:

I prepared my feast;

my oxen and my fat animals are killed, everything is ready, come to the wedding.’

No refrigerated rooms at the time, so guests were notified globally of when the wedding was going to take place, but they were notified precisely on D-Day when everything was prepared.

5 But they, neglecting the invitation,

went one to his field,

another about his business.

6 The others seized the servants, mistreated them, and killed them.

7[At this news,]

the king became angry;

he sent his troops,

slew these murderers and burned their city.

8 Then he said to his servants:

‘The wedding is ready, but the guests were not worthy.

9 So go to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding.’

10 These servants went out into the highways, gathering together all they found,

bad and good,

and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 The king went in to see them, and he saw a man there who had not put on a wedding garment.

Ah yes, at the weddings of the time, it was the families who dressed their guest (perhaps even the groom’s family). The servant would pick you up and dress you in the clothes provided.

12 He said to him:

‘My friend, how could you enter here without having a wedding garment?’

This man kept his mouth shut.

13 Then the king said to the servants:

‘Bind his feet and hands, [take him away and] cast him into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 Indeed many are invited,

but few are chosen.”

Overall, we have roughly the same comparison.

Comparison 1

The refusal of Jesus, without regret, and with the aggressiveness of those who should have been the first to welcome Jesus, highlights those who “jump at the chance” (those we would never have imagined)

     is compared to the wedding of a king's son

     where the first guests, snub the party mistreat and kill the king's servants (those will be exterminated for their crimes). And finally, it is those of a second invitation who celebrate.

Lack of precision

So that’s not quite fair and before clarifying the thing, I’ll tell you a true story that happened to us with my wife on our wedding day:

Well, we had a guest for the evening meal who invited himself, although he had never received an invitation card for it. Don’t worry, we haven’t rotted his descendants for 3 or 4 generations, but it always makes us smile…

Our attention should be on the surprise guest

As you have understood, the particular focus of this parable is on the free rider who showed up at the wedding without having gone through the “suit” box which was managed by the servants, when you followed them to go to the wedding.

Who is he ?

Inevitably, it was someone who knew about the wedding and the precise date. It can only be one of those (non-murderers) who snubbed the invitation and who, now overcome with regret, wanted to crash the party.

But hey, he didn’t have the royal “dresscode” and certainly couldn’t afford it. He got spotted and ejected forever.

Refined comparison 1

The hardening in the refusal of Jesus without regret for the politico-religious leaders

     is compared

to a guest at a royal wedding who is sorry but too late

Refined comparison 2

Irony, tax collectors and prostitutes

     are compared

to those chosen for the royal wedding.

It’s about being “chosen”

Indeed,

Matthew – Chapter 22

14 Indeed many are invited,

but few are chosen.”

You see the crescendo…

Choose

There, it is no longer a question of being preceded in the kingdom of God nor of being dispossessed for the benefit of others, but that “the others” are chosen.

royal wedding

To be chosen, not to work in the vineyard, nor to be the manager of a wine estate, but for a royal wedding.

All type of people

Note that it’s all types of people, not just people who are emblematic of rejection.

Matthew – Chapter 22

10 …bad and good,

Truth 1 for all parables

It is no longer a question of being preceded, dispossessed for the benefit of others, but that “the others” are chosen

What a disaster, the most legitimate who refuse the outstretched hand of God by Jesus, this leads to show that it is the others, whom we absolutely did not expect at first sight, that God chooses.

Truth 2 for all parables

Irony God chooses others to celebrate

God’s arms are wide open to those for whom it makes sense. Their refusal shows that God is ready to welcome all others who lay hold of His grace. God’s arms remain open anyway but beware, one moment it will be too late even for regret. It will be the time of eternal remorse.

Application
The politico-religious world of the time of Jesus

First of all, these verses are not intended for us. It is to the politico-religious of the time of Jesus. We know what happened next, it was them, with the kindness and help of the Romans who crucified Jesus.

However, some came back to themselves and put their faith in Jesus, before it was too late.

One could say that regret was salvation.

Acts 6. 7

The word of God spread more and more, the number of disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a large crowd of priests obeyed the faith.

Jews and Gentiles in the Apostles’ Days

An extremely zealous, extremist, fundamentalist young rabbi gave himself to Jesus: Saul, who later became the apostle Paul.

He witnessed the rejection of his nation, the Jews, who should have been the first to lay hold of the Messiah Jesus. For the benefit of the gentiles, the pagans, that is to say the non-Jews.

He writes about this:

Romans chapter 9

30 So what shall we say?

Non-Jews who did not seek justice obtained justice, that which comes from faith,

31 while Israel,

who sought a law of justice, did not arrive at this law.

32 Why?

Because Israel sought it not by faith, but by works [of the law].

They collided with the stone that stands in the way, 33 as it is written:

I put in Zion a blocking stone, a rock fit to stumble, but he who believes in him will not be put to shame.

Romans 10

19 I ask again:

“Hasn’t Israel understood?”

Moses, the first, said:

I will cause your jealousy by those who are not a nation,

I will provoke your irritation by a nation without understanding.

20 As for Isaiah,

he goes so far as to declare:

I let myself be found by those who were not looking for me,

I revealed myself to those who asked nothing of me.

21 But of Israel he said, All day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and rebellious people.

Romans 11

1 I therefore ask:

“Did God reject his people?”

Certainly not!

Nothing is lost for Israel. Pray they regret. But in the meantime, God moves forward with those who throw themselves into the arms of Jesus.

Switzerland, country of reform?

Switzerland, which was an incubator for living faith, today no longer cares about it despite this beautiful heritage. Faith in Jesus is much more dynamic in countries

from Asia,
from Africa,
of the Magreb,
from Arabia,
from South America,
bastions of animism with all their variations…

Who would have thought that 50 to 70 years ago? At the time, massive numbers of missionaries were sent to these countries from Switzerland. Now they are the ones who come as missionaries to us.

We were a country attached to God by the Bible, we have become a hedonistic country which mainly thinks

to do business,
skiing,
at the restaurant,
at festivals,
to travel
and other hobbies (we saw these shortcomings during the COVID period. But God…).

The macro and my micro-story

But beyond the macro-history, there is the micro-history, mine, yours…

At my level, what God points out to me for the first step of faith or for other steps of faith, do I snub them?

There is always time to regret and to take up the path that Jesus shows us. Where does God have to choose someone in my place? To replace me in His vineyard, in His property and in the end, at the wedding!

Pray

My prayer is that I grasp what God is pointing out to me and each of us…