Reflection
People who heard Jesus preach understood that a master would require their servants to cook dinner even after they had been out in the field all day. The servants who were treated thus were not to complain, because they were only doing their jobs, recognizing their status in comparison to the master. Today, when we read the story, we often assume that God is the demanding master, compelling our uncomplaining service, even to the point of exhaustion by the end of the day.
But if we look more closely, we see that Jesus addresses the saying to his listeners – “Who among you…”. As is his frequent practice, Jesus skillfully turns the question on its head. He frames his listeners – us – as the masters, and he asks what type of master we would choose to be.
This story then blends with the first reading and the psalm, which exhort us to live justly and temperately, to take delight in the Lord, and to do what is right and honorable. These things are not presented as being extraordinary, but the expectations of us as followers of Christ, ways of living that flow naturally when we live out the Gospel. Rather than requiring so much of others and demanding their service, we expect much of ourselves, knowing that our Christian service to others is an expression of who and whose we are.
- So, who among us would reach out in compassion to those who had been working all day and serve them, rather than preferring to demand service from them as an extension of their job?
- Who among us would refuse to use our status or station to subjugate others, but instead invite “lesser others” to our own table, where we feed them?
- Who among us would live justly in our own relationships and then work for justice for all people?
- Who among us would do what is right and honorable, even when we’re tempted to tell a white lie, cheat a little (or a lot), spread negative gossip, or refuse to treat another person with the dignity that is their due as a fellow child of God?
The world is full of “masters” who choose against the values and practices that Jesus lived and taught. This week, let’s take a hard look at what kind of “master” we choose to be and how we live that out in our relationships, especially with those we consider to be of a lower status or station than ourselves.
