[stephenkhoo]

TRUSTING IN GOD’S WISDOM AND PLANS FOR US
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GEN 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28; PS 105:16-21; MT 21:33-43, 45-46]

I am sure there were many times in our life when our dreams did not materialize. We felt discouraged and even angry with God. We expected our children to do well in their studies but they did not perform up to expectations. We hoped our sons and daughters would get married like everyone else but they ended up with same-sex relationships. Or it could have been our job, when we did so much for the organization, burning our weekends and midnight oil but we were not appreciated or recognized by our bosses. Most of all, when our marriage, relationships or health failed, we were devastated.

This, surely, was the case of Jacob when he lost his beloved son, Joseph, to the conspiracy of his brothers who were jealous of him. He must have been inconsolable to hear of his apparent death. It would also have been true for Joseph as well. He had great dreams of leading his brothers. But when he was thrown into the well, he must have thought that was the end of his life. But thanks to his elder brother, Rueben, his life was spared and he was instead sold to the Midianite merchants. When in Egypt, he was sold to one of Pharaoh’s captain. On hindsight, it was not entirely the fault of the brothers to feel that way. When Jacob practiced favoritism, it could not but have caused the other siblings to be jealous of him. It seems history repeats itself. His father, Isaac, loved Esau more than Jacob. He must have felt second class and so stole the birthright from Esau. What he was angry with, he did the same with his children by favoring Joseph. Again, Joseph himself was also to be blamed because he was boastful, arrogant and over-confident of himself. Surely his brothers would have been annoyed by his pride.

Yet the history of Joseph was a cycle of failures and successes, curses and blessings. Joseph was successful in the house of his Egyptian master. He was made overseer of the house. Unfortunately, his master’s wife fell in love with him. Out of revenge, she accused him of molesting her as he refused to respond to her overtures. Whilst in prison, locked up with the two other prisoners, the cupbearer and baker of Pharaoh, he interpreted their dreams for them. The cup-bearer was eventually released and restored back to the service of the king. It was only two years later that the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph interpreting his dream. This was when Pharaoh had a strange dream and needed an interpreter. He was introduced to Pharaoh and gaining the trust of Pharaoh, he rose to be the second-in-command in the country. Later on, when Canaan was in famine, the family of Jacob, his brothers travelled to Egypt to buy grain. Eventually, Joseph revealed his identity and Jacob and the entire family came to live with him. His dream was eventually fulfilled.

In the gospel, we have a similar situation. The religious leaders were envious of Jesus and felt threatened by Him. He was taking away their audience. Most of all, they saw Him as a deviant of the Jewish tradition. His teachings upset them and their narrow interpretation of the Law of Moses. Hence, they were intent on putting Jesus away. They thought that by killing Jesus, their enemy would be destroyed. Of course they were wrong. By putting Jesus to death, He was raised to life and showed Himself victorious over sin and death. This was the intent of today’s parable of the vineyard. This is more than a parable but an allegory of the religious leaders of Israel who continued to disregard the prophets of God, calling them to repentance and to be responsible leaders. But one after another, the prophets of God were rejected since the time of Solomon. Just as the prophets were killed, so too the Jewish leaders sought to kill our Lord. Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone. This was the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful to see?”

Indeed, today’s scripture readings offer us a few points for reflection. God writes straight in crooked lines. He brings good out of evil. The history of Israel, including our history, was never perfect. We do not always walk in the way of the Lord. Whether it was Jacob or Joseph or the siblings of Joseph, they all had their fair share in causing the tragedy to take place. Had they been more responsible and God-fearing, practicing charity and justice, such a situation might not have happened. Yet in spite of their imperfections, conniving and envy, God’s plan was never jeopardized or thwarted. God will turn every obstacle and man’s sins to something good. God will work His way in our lives. What is our mistake is also the stepping stone for growth as well! The mistakes of Jacob, Joseph and his brothers were all used by God to further the fulfillment of salvation for Israel and the whole of humanity.

No one can see the end of their journey, just like Joseph and his brothers. They had to walk by faith, not by sight. They never expected a good ending for their family. Of course, they also did not know that another long tragedy would soon begin after the death of Joseph. As the number of Hebrews grew in strength, the new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph started to persecute them for fear that they might be a threat to the stability of the country. (cf Ex 12:40; Gen 15:13) Again, it was part of the passage to the wilderness to prepare them for entry into the Promised Land when the Kingdom of David was realized.

This means that we are called to cooperate with God’s plan as much as we can in our lives. We will never know what will take place. We can only know by hindsight. When we look at the immediate situation, we can feel discouraged because things do not go the way we planned. We are often nervous and we want to be in control. But God is in control. We have to walk as much as possible the way of God. But being human, we will have our flaws, weaknesses and imperfections. Sometimes, we are short-sighted. Sometimes we are insecure, jealous, and we seek to destroy our competitors. Sometimes we are greedy and ambitious. Indeed, we are as much ruled by sin as by grace. But God’s wisdom is greater than ours. We just have to do our best and God will take care of the rest. St Paul assures us, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)

Indeed, God is merciful. He is patient with us. As Jeremiah said to the Babylonian exiles, “I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jer 29:10f) Just as He allowed His chosen leaders to fail Him so that He could help them to learn and grow, so too, we should not take ourselves too seriously. Often it is our pride and ego more than just a sense of justice and charity that we are angry with ourselves when we sin or fall. We hate ourselves and we cannot forgive ourselves for the mistakes that we have made. We fail to realize that we are human beings and are on the way to perfection. So long as we are Adam’s children, we will continue to fall into sin because of a fallen nature. Only with the help of God’s grace can we resist sin and live the life of truth and charity.

So instead of condemning ourselves for the mistakes we have made, let us thank God for our mistakes so that He can use them to bring greater good out of them. We can be sure that in the case of Jacob, Joseph and His brothers, they realized their share of the mistakes and hurts they had caused to each other. Eventually, they forgave each other. They let go of their hurts. The brothers asked Joseph for forgiveness and Joseph promised them that he would look after them and their families. (cf Gen 50:15-21) So, too, was the case of Jesus, the son of Joseph. Jesus was betrayed and killed. But His death brought about our share in His resurrection and sonship. His death was the price of our salvation. The continued rejection of Christ is the cause of salvation of the Gentiles, when the kingdom of God will be taken from them and “given to a people who will produce its fruit.” Of course, at the end, Paul believed that the Jews would also come to know Jesus as the Christ.