A reading from the book of Zephaniah (3:1-2, 9-13)
Woe to the rebellious, the befouled, the tyrannical city!
It did not listen to the call, did not accept correction;
it did not trust in the Lord, did not draw near to its God.
Yes, then I shall purge the lips of the peoples
so that all may invoke the name of the Lord
and serve him with one accord.
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,
my suppliants will bring me tribute.
When that Day comes you will never again
be ashamed of all the deeds
by which you once rebelled against me,
for I shall rid you of those who exult in your splendour;
never again will you preen yourself on my holy mountain.
But in you I shall leave surviving a humble and lowly people
and the remnant in Israel will take refuge
in the name of the Lord.
They will do no wrong, will tell no lies;
nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths.
But they will graze and rest with no one to alarm them.
Two sets of verses come from the third and final chapter of the minor prophet, Zephaniah, a contemporary of Jeremiah. The first section is a ‘woe’ speech against Jerusalem, dating before its destruction by the Babylonians. The people ‘did not listen’, trusting in political alliances and refusing to trust in the Lord, or draw near to God. These are common prophetic accusations. But the tone changes and God announces a new start, whereby God purges their lips so that they may invoke and serve the Lord. People will come ‘from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia’, from very distant lands. There remains ‘a humble (‘ani) and lowly (dal) people’, a remnant which trusts in the Lord and lives in honesty. They will ‘graze and rest’, under the benevolent care of the Lord.
Psalm 34 (33) The psalm speaks of the ‘humble’ and the ‘broken-hearted’, whom God will heal.
A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (21:28-32)
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: ‘What do you think? A man had two sons. Going up to the first he said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not,” but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man then went up to the second and said the same thing, and he answered, “I’ll go, sir,” but did not go. Which of the two did the father’s will?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Amen I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you on the road of righteousness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.
This gospel passage follows directly after the dispute about ‘authority’, which was yesterday’s gospel reading. Jesus puts a parable to the priests and elders, which once again considers the authority of John the Baptist. They are quick to assert that the son who initially refused and then repented is the better son, and they fall into the trap Jesus has laid for them. He points out that ‘tax collectors and prostitutes’ responded positively to the preaching of John the Baptist, and to the ‘road of righteousness’ (hodos dikaiosunes) he offered. They were willing to change. Will the priests and elders be able to accept that the parable has a lesson for them?
Why is it so difficult to listen to the words of the gospel?
Religious professionals often find it hard to take the risk of faith.