"The last will be First, and the First will be Last"

Today's Mass Readings

Gideon (one of the judges who ruled over Israel), whom we encountered in yesterday’s reflection, initially led the people to the Lord and then misled them to worship the ephod he had made of gold. As Judges 8:27 tells us, it led to the ruin of Gideon. Today’s story moves on from the death of Gideon. For a very brief time, Abimelech, one of the sons of Gideon, ruled as “king” over Israel, although, the general understanding was that the only the Lord could be the King of Israel. Here, we see Israel already experimenting with monarchy. Today’s first reading shows that Abimelech had good intentions in being named the king of Israel. We see his humility in the parable of the trees in the forest. He knew his weaknesses and describes himself to his people as buckthorn. All he asked for was their faith in him. However, as the saying goes, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” He killed his seventy brothers (Yes! Gideon had seventy sons), so as to make his own position secure. Thus, just as Gideon met his destruction because of his idolatry, Abimelech courted the displeasure of God for the murder of his siblings.

As the people began to think of monarchy as the answer to the problems of the time, they also in the same process dethroned Yahweh as the king of Israel. They would soon begin to take the presence of God for granted, rely on the human king more than Yahweh, and successive kings would often lead them astray. This would finally lead them to destruction.

In the gospel reading, the Lord presented as not only the only just and righteous king, but also as a generous king. The people who came and worked in the vineyard since early morning were the children of Israel while the ones who came toward the end of the day were the tax collectors and sinners who were entering into communion with God through the ministry of Jesus. They were late in their knowledge of God, yet sincere in their search for the truth. To them Jesus offers the joys of the kingdom of God in the same manner that it was offered to the Israelites who stayed obedient to the commandments.

The lesson for us? We can never take the presence of God for granted. In the final analysis, what matters is the sincerity of our love for God. Gideon and Abimelech failed in this regard.

We are invited today to be loyal to God, walk in his ways, and love him sincerely. Our just, righteous and loving king will lead us to salvation.