Wednesday
20th Week of Ordinary Time
(I) 1st Reading: Judges 9:6-15
Abimelech tries to become king of Shechem
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[6] And all the citizens of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they
went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
[7] When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim,
and cried aloud and said to them, "Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God
may listen to you. [8] The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them; and
they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.’ [9] But the olive tree said to them,
'Shall I leave my fatness, by which gods and men are honoured, and to sway
over the trees?’ [10] And the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come you, and reign over
us.’ [11] But the fig tree said to them, 'Shall I leave my sweetness and my good
fruit, and go to sway over the trees?’ [12] And the trees said to the vine, 'Come
you, and reign over us.’ [13] But the vine said to them, 'Shall I leave my wine
which cheers gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?’ [14] Then all the
trees said to the bramble, 'Come you, and reign over us.’ [15] And the bramble
said to the trees, 'If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come
and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and de-
vour the cedars of Lebanon.’
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Commentary:
9:1-57. This account of Abimelech’s royal ambitions teaches the lesson that
the only king of Israel is the Lord, or whomever he anoints, and it has to be read
in that religious context. When someone schemes to obtain political power, he
could well be motivated by greed or ambition rather than a sense of public ser-
vice. Certainly that was true in Abimelech’s case: he murdered his brothers in
order to gain power. Even though at first he convinced the people of Shechem
to go along with him, he eventually lost their trust and was defeated, after cau-
sing great suffering to those who were naïve enough to ease his path to power.
Jotham’s fable is a nice example of how those who have really important things
to do (the olive, the fig tree and the vine) find excuses for not getting involved in
government, whereas those most unsuited for it (the bramble) have ambitions
in that direction (vv. 7-15). Abimelech is very different from the other judges: they,
men and women chosen by God, bring the people salvation and peace; he acts
only for himself, and brings destruction, fire and death.
(II) 1st Reading: Ezekiel 34:1-11
Oracle against the shepherd of Israel
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[1] The word of the Lord came to me: [2] ”Son of man, prophesy against the
shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus
says the Lord God: Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves!
Should not shepherds feed the sheep? [3] You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves
with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. [4] The
weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled you
have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not
sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. [5] So they were
scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the wild
beasts. [6] My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and
on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with
none to search or seek for them.
[7] ”Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: [5] As I live, says the
Lord God, because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become
food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd; and because my shep-
herds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves,
and have not fed my sheep; [9] therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the
Lord: [10] Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I
will require my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no
longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their
mouths, that they may not be food for them.
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Commentary:
34:1-31. In some Sumerian and Egyptian texts the image of the shepherd is
sometimes applied to leading men and gods. In the Bible it is often applied to
kings (1 Kings 22:17), perhaps because David began life as a shepherd (1 Sam
17:34; Ps 78:70-72), and to the Lord (cf. Ps 23:1-6; 80:2-3). The prophets, par-
ticularly Jeremiah, use the image when talking about rulers, be they kings or
priests (cf Jer 2:8; 10:21; 25:34-36; Zech 11:4-17). In this first address to the
exiles, Ezekiel talks about bad shepherds, that is, the evil rulers who led the
people into the disaster of the exile (vv. 1-10) -- and, by contrast, he speaks of
the Lord, the supreme shepherd who takes over the reins of government to rule
his people without intermediaries (vv. 11-22), and of the new messiah-ruler whom
God himself will place at their head: he will he their new shepherd, David, who
will lead his flock to the best pastures (vv. 23-31).
Jesus found this a very appropriate image for explaining his role as Messiah and
Saviour (in 10:1-18) and as Judge at the end of time (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Moreover,
he confirmed his words by actions. When, at the multiplication of the loaves, he
gathers those who have followed him (they are “like sheep without a shepherd”:
Mk 6:34: cf. Ezek 34:5), and nourishes them with bread and with the word of his
teaching, he is fulfilling this prophecy of Ezekiel which promises a new king, a
true shepherd, and a new Covenant. Jesus is, then, the shepherd who assem-
bles all mankind to lead it to salvation: “He is the one who has gathered toge-
ther into one flock all the holy sheep from all the nations under heaven, without
neglecting any of the peoples of the earth: he carries out every day what he
once promised, when he said: There are other sheep, that are not of this flock,
and these too I will tend, and they will listen to my voice, and there will be one
flock, and there will be one shepherd” (St Leo the Great, Sermones, 63, 7). And
as John Paul II teaches: “The figure of Jesus Christ as shepherd of the Church,
his flock, takes up and represents in new and more evocative terms the same
content as that of Jesus Christ as head and servant. Fulfilling the prophetic pro-
clamation of the Messiah and saviour joyfully announced by the psalmist and
the prophet Ezekiel (cf. Ps 22-23; Ezek 34:11ff), Jesus presents himself as
‘the good shepherd’ (Jn 10:11, 14), not only of Israel but of all humanity (cf. Jn
10:16). His whole life is a continual manifestation of his ‘pastoral charity’” (Pas-
tores dabo vobis, 22).
34:1-10. As is usual in condemnatory oracles, the charges are mentioned first
(vv. 2 6) and then comes the sentence, which begins with the usual “Therefore”
(vv. 7-10). The rulers of the people (cf. 23:23-31), that is, the princes, priests,
elders and professional prophets, have exploited the people and sought their
own gain. What Ezekiel says here carries a message for those who hold office
in Christian communities: “In the Church of Christ, everyone is obliged to make
a tenacious effort to remain loyal to the teaching of Christ. No one is exempt.
If the shepherds do not themselves strive to acquire a sensitive conscience and
to remain faithful to dogma and moral teaching -- which make up the deposit of
faith and the inheritance of all -- then the prophetic words of Ezekiel will he borne
out: ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say
to them, even to the shepherds, thus says the Lord God: Ho, shepherds of Is-
rael who have been feeding yourselves! [...] This is a strong reproof, but the
offence against God is even worse when those who have received the task of
promoting the spiritual welfare of everyone abuse souls instead, depriving them
of the crystal water of baptism, which regenerates the soul; of the soothing oil
of confirmation, which strengthens it; of the tribunal which pardons; of the food
which gives eternal life” (St Josemaria Escrivá, Christ Is Passing By, 81).
Gospel Reading: Matthew 20:1-16
The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard
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[1] "For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who went out early in the
morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. [2] After agreeing with the laborers for
a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. [3] And going out about the
third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; [4] and to them he
said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they
went. [5] Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the
same. [6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing;
and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' [7] They said to him,
'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.'
[8] And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call
the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'
[9] And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received
a denarius. [10] Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more;
but each of them also received a denarius. [11] And on receiving it they grumbled
at the householder, [12] saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have
made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching
heat.' [13] But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did
you not agree with me for a denarius? [14] Take what belongs to you, and go;
I choose to give to this last as I give to you. [15] Am I not allowed to do what I
choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? [16] So
the last will be first, and the first last."
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Commentary:
1-16. This parable is addressed to the Jewish people, whom God called at an
early hour, centuries ago. Now the Gentiles are also being called -- with an equal
right to form part of the new people of God, the Church. In both cases it is a mat-
ter of a gratuitous, unmerited, invitation; therefore, those who were the "first" to
receive the call have no grounds for complaining when God calls the "last" and
gives them the same reward -- membership of His people. At first sight the labo-
rers of the first hour seem to have a genuine grievance--because they do not rea-
lize that to have a job in the Lord's vineyard is a divine gift. Jesus leaves us in
no doubt that although He calls us to follow different ways, all receive the same
reward--Heaven.
2. "Denarius": a silver coin bearing an image of Caesar Augustus (Matthew 22:
19-21).
3. The Jewish method of calculating time was different from ours. They divided
the whole day into eight parts, four night parts (called "watches") and four day
parts (called "hours")--the first, third, sixth and ninth hour.
The first hour began at sunrise and ended around nine o'clock; the third ran to
twelve noon; the sixth to three in the afternoon; and the ninth from three to sun-
set. This meant that the first and ninth hours varied in length, decreasing in au-
tumn and winter and increasing in spring and summer and the reverse happe-
ning with the first and fourth watches.
Sometimes intermediate hours were counted--as for example in verse 6 which
refers to the eleventh hour, the short period just before sunset, the end of the
working day.
16. The Vulgate, other translations and a good many Greek codexes add: "For
many are called, but few are chosen" (cf. Matthew 22:14).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].