Replies

From: Judges 9:6-15

Abimelech tries to become king of Shechem

[6] And all the citizens of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they
went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

[7] When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim,
and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God
may listen to you. [8] The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them; and
they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ [9] But the olive tree said to them,
‘Shall I leave my fatness, by which gods and men are honoured, and to sway
over the trees?’ [10] And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come you, and reign over
us.’ [11] But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good
fruit, and go to sway over the trees?’ [12] And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come
you, and reign over us.’ [13] But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine
which cheers gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?’ [14] Then all the
trees said to the bramble, ‘Come you, and reign over us.’ [15] And the bramble
said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come
and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and
devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

9:1-57. This account of Abimelech’s royal ambitions teaches the lesson that the
only king of Israel is the Lord, or whomever he anoints, and it has to be read in
that religious context. When someone schemes to obtain political power, he
could well be motivated by greed or ambition rather than a sense of public ser-
vice. Certainly that was true in Abimelech’s case: he murdered his brothers in
order to gain power. Even though at first he convinced the people of Shechem to
go along with him, he eventually lost their trust and was defeated, after causing
great suffering to those who were naïve enough to ease his path to power.
Jotham’s fable is a nice example of how those who have really important things
to do (the olive, the fig tree and the vine) find excuses for not getting involved in
government, whereas those most unsuited for it (the bramble) have ambitions
in that direction (vv. 7-15). Abimelech is very different from the other judges:
they, men and women chosen by God, bring the people salvation and peace; he
acts only for himself, and brings destruction, fire and death.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 20:1-16

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

[1] “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who went out
early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. [2] After
agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into
his vineyard. [3] And going out about the third hour he saw others
standing idle in the market place; [4] and to them he said, `You go
into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they
went. [5] Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he
did the same. [6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found
others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all
day?’ [7] They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.’ He said to
them, `You go into the vineyard too.’ [8] And when evening came, the
owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay
them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ [9] And
when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received
a denarius. [10] Now when the first came, they thought they would
receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. [11] And on
receiving it they grumbled at the householder, [12] saying, `These last
worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have
borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ [13] But he replied
to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with
me for a denarius? [14] Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to
give to this last as I give to you. [15] Am I not allowed to do what I
choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?
[16] So the last will be first, and the first last.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1-16. This parable is addressed to the Jewish people, whom God called
at an early hour, centuries ago. Now the Gentiles are also being called
— with an equal right to form part of the new people of God, the Church.
In both cases it is a matter of a gratuitous, unmerited, invitation; there-
fore, those who were the “first” to receive the call have no grounds for
complaining when God calls the “last” and gives them the same reward
— membership of His people. At first sight the laborers of the first hour
seem to have a genuine grievance—because they do not realize that to
have a job in the Lord’s vineyard is a divine gift. Jesus leaves us in no
doubt that although He calls us to follow different ways, all receive the
same reward—Heaven.

2. “Denarius”: a silver coin bearing an image of Caesar Augustus
(Matthew 22:19-21).

3. The Jewish method of calculating time was different from ours. They
divided the whole day into eight parts, four night parts (called “watches”)
and four day parts (called “hours”)—the first, third, sixth and ninth hour.

The first hour began at sunrise and ended around nine o’clock; the third
ran to twelve noon; the sixth to three in the afternoon; and the ninth from
three to sunset. This meant that the first and ninth hours varied in
length,
decreasing in autumn and winter and increasing in spring and summer
and the reverse happening with the first and fourth watches.

Sometimes intermediate hours were counted—as for example in verse 6
which refers to the eleventh hour, the short period just before sunset,
the end of the working day.

16. The Vulgate, other translations and a good many Greek codexes
add: “For many are called, but few are chosen” (cf. Matthew 22:14).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.