October 22, 2023
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Last weekend we heard Jesus describing the conditions which must be met in order for a person to attend the heavenly banquet which awaits us in the kingdom of God (Mt. 22:1-14). When Jesus finishes the story, which is called “The Parable of the Wedding Feast,” he concludes by saying “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Mt. 22:14). The readings for today offer us a clue to the difference between being invited, or called, and being chosen.
In the First Reading for today (Isaiah 45:1, 4-6) the prophet Isaiah describes one such person who is chosen by God. The Israelites have spent seventy years under the captivity of the Babylonians, the time period which the prophet Jeremiah had predicted for them to serve their punishment (Jer. 25:11). God is now ready to act to return them to their homeland of Judah.
God gives His reason for releasing the captives from exile: “For the sake of Jacob, my servant, of Israel my chosen one, I have called you by name, giving you a title, though you do not know me. I am the LORD, there is no other, there is no God besides me. It is I who arm you, though you do not know me, so that all may know, from the rising of the sun to its setting, that there is none besides me.” (Isaiah 45:4-6).
God is liberating Israel as God had once done at the time of the exodus, releasing the people from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. God is doing this again so that all the nations will come to recognize the God of Israel as the one, true God who redeems His people.
God reveals who the chosen leader will be; it is the king of the nation that has defeated the Babylonians, Cyrus the Persian. Cyrus was much more tolerant of the people in the lands he captured and their various religions. He saw this as a means of maintaining peace. He even publicly worshiped Marduk, the god of the Babylonians.
Cyrus was compelled by God to release the Israelites so that they could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and the Temple that had been destroyed at the time of the exile. They were free to resume the life and worship they had left behind in the Promised Land. For this action Cyrus is proclaimed by the LORD to be His “anointed” one, or in Hebrew, “messiah.” Cyrus is not even an Israelite, yet he has been chosen as a “messiah” for Israel by God, the term we use for Christ!
Now we come to the Gospel from Matthew (Mt. 22:15-21) and a scene which is a continuation from the past few weeks. It is a confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. In the passage for today the Pharisees have plotted on how to “entrap Jesus in speech” (Mt. 22:15).
They come to Jesus with a riddle saying, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” (Mt. 22:16b-17).
They are trying to trick Jesus. If he says that it is lawful to pay the tax to Rome, then they can accuse him of supporting the nation that is oppressing the Jewish people. And if he says it is not lawful to pay the tax, they can accuse him of subverting the authority of the Roman Emperor. Jesus has no patience for their antics. He tells them to show him a coin and asks them whose image and inscription is on it. They reply, “Caesar’s.” (Mt. 22:21a).
In response to their question Jesus gives a two-part answer. Since the coin bears the image and inscription of the emperor, Jesus says to simply pay the owner what rightfully belongs to him, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.”
Then he also adds, “[And give] to God what belongs to God.” (Mt. 22:21b). In other words, acknowledge God as the one, true God who redeems Israel and who deserves the recognition and honor of His name.
This exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees comes after a series of three parables which Jesus has used to insult and convict the Jewish leaders for their improper behavior in this regard. He has accused them of being hypocritical and unrepentant like the son who refuses to work in his father’s vineyard. Here he has told them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” (Mt. 21:31b).
He has chastised them for “rejecting the cornerstone,” that is rejecting Jesus as the Son of God. They are no better than the tenants in the landowner’s vineyard who plot against and kill the only son. For this he says to them, “Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” (Mt. 21:43).
Finally, in the previously mentioned, “Parable of the Wedding Feast,” Jesus has charged them with being unworthy of attending the banquet given by a king for his son. This is where he tells them, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Mt. 22:14).
These Jewish leaders, the chief priests, elders, and Pharisees, have been called by God to guide their people living during the time of the Roman occupation. They need to be led in right worship, instructed on the law, and shown how to maintain faithful religious practices, while living amidst secular influences beyond their control. But these leaders, according to Jesus, have failed in their role by rejecting the anointed one who has come to save their people. Although invited, they have been rejected.
As Christians today we are all called to accept the salvation offered by Jesus along with God’s plan for our lives. And it is up to us to consider which of two groups we will fall into. Will we, like the Jewish leaders of the time of Jesus, deny the only begotten Son of God? Will we refuse to follow the teachings of the Lord and instead pursue our own selfish desires?
Or will we, like Cyrus, accept the grace of God which is offered and use our time and talents for the betterment of God’s people? Will we follow the advice of St. Paul in the Alleluia Acclamation and “Shine like lights in the world [and] hold on to the word of life?” (Phil. 2:15D, 16A).
It is up to us to decide. For many are invited, but few are chosen.
