Daily Readings - Wed Aug 22 2018
Ezekiel
1The word of the LORD came to me:2"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?3You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.4You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.5So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.6My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.7"'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:8As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,9therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:10This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.11"'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.
Matthew
1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.'5So they went.6"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'7"'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on God’s justice, mercy, and the call to humility. In the first reading from Ezekiel, we hear a powerful rebuke of the shepherds of Israel who failed to care for God’s people. Ezekiel speaks on behalf of the Lord, condemning those who prioritized their own interests over the well-being of the flock. The shepherds neglected the weak, the sick, and the lost, ruling with harshness instead of compassion. This passage serves as a stark reminder that leadership is not about self-serving power but about serving others with love and care. God promises to intervene, seeking out His scattered flock and restoring them, for He is the true Shepherd who cares for His people.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, challenging our notions of fairness and reward. The landowner hires workers at different times of the day, yet pays them all the same wage. When the early laborers complain, the landowner reminds them that His generosity is not limited by human notions of fairness. This parable underscores the boundless mercy and grace of God, who calls everyone to His kingdom, regardless of when they respond. It also calls us to humility, warning against envy or resentment toward others. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last, for God’s ways are not our ways, and His love is not constrained by our expectations.
Together, these readings remind us that our relationship with God is not about earning rewards but about trusting in His goodness. Like the shepherds in Ezekiel, we are called to care for one another, especially the vulnerable. And like the laborers in the vineyard, we are invited to embrace humility and gratitude, recognizing that God’s grace is a gift, not something we can earn. Let us strive to live with hearts open to His mercy, trusting in His plan, and serving others with love.