Reversing Course
Twenty-Sixth Sunday Scripture Readings
The readings in today’s liturgy are incredibly rich—so rich, in fact, that I could probably speak on them for an hour or more. Mercifully, I wouldn’t subject you to that. However, I’d like us to look at all three readings this morning: first, the passage from the prophet Ezekiel that introduces the theological ground for our discussion, then the reading from Matthew’s Gospel that presents the issue in practical terms, then, finally, Saint Paul’s magnificent kenotic hymn—the core and kernel of both Christ’s life and his message. The theme of the three readings is the same throughout. It shows us the essential nature of obedience, not as slavish capitulation, but as humble submission to the will of God as it reveals itself through life on life’s terms.
Ezekiel begins our examination of what it means to be children of God. The people of Israel complained that their humiliation and suffering in the present was because of the unfaithfulness of their forefathers who had—at least in their eyes—sinned and brought about the downfall of Israel. Ezekiel, speaking in God’s name, turned their complaint back on them. “You say ‘The Lord’s way is not fair.’” It wasn’t their forefathers’ intransigence that was behind their suffering, but their own. They continued the same hateful behavior from years past down into their own time. It was their own refusal to consider their ways and change that continued the self-destructive and self-defeating consequences they then experienced. Here, Ezekiel introduces the concept we’ll see play out throughout our consideration today: the Hebrew term שׁוּב (shub), meaning “to turn” or “to reverse course.” He says, “…if [the wicked man] turns from the wickedness he has committed, […] he shall surely live, he shall not die.”
There are two kinds of change in our world: the first is called incremental change. That’s a sort of course adjustment, where the path forward is adjusted to better align with stated goals. Incremental change rarely produces significantly different results. The second type of change, called radical change, is qualitatively different. It’s discontinuous because not only is the path forward modified, but the goal itself is replaced with a new one. The kind of change that Ezekiel is calling for is radical, not incremental. שׁוּב (shub) is a reversal—a shift away from one set of life goals to another, a true change of fundamental life option.
That’s the foundational concept we can carry with us as we consider the gospel passage. Jesus aimed this parable at the religious leadership, the chief priests and elders who held office and authority. These men were as confident and secure in their righteousness as the Israelites in the time of Ezekiel. They were schooled in the ins and outs of the Law of Moses and played the games of power politics with studied expertise.
A man owned a vineyard. Once again, an allusion to God and his vineyard, Israel. He sent his sons, his children, us, to work in his vineyard, nurturing faith that would bring forth fruit and a rich harvest of goodness, kindness, and mercy. The first son refused. He chose not to obey his father’s wishes. The second son politely agreed to be obedient and to go. Both sons made their intentions clear. They meant what they said. However, the second son, who agreed to go work in the vineyard, kept on with what he’d been doing. If there was any change at all, it was incremental, and the boy’s goals never varied. He did what he wanted to do.
The first boy experienced compunction. He changed his mind. There was a שׁוּב (shub), a change of course. The Greek word Matthew uses is μετεμελήθη (metemelēthē), a reversal of course—a metanoia—that leads in a new direction. It’s a kind of deep obedience that effects a fundamental change. Jesus’s criticism of the chief priests and elders was that they saw the people they thought were their inferiors—the tax collectors and prostitutes—effecting this fundamental change in life direction, yet they kept on keeping on, questioning neither their methods nor their goals. Meanwhile, the voice from the front of the line calls out, “They’re letting those others in there, too!”
Jesus calls on his followers—his disciples, the Christians—to experience this reversal of course that sets our sights on new goals. What kinds of goals are they? What are the goals that the tax collectors and prostitutes embraced that the chief priests and elders did not or would not? We find those goals laid out for us in today’s second reading. Paul calls on the Philippians to change direction, to change their minds. He asks them to change and become “of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.” This union of heart and mind he calls on to seek “encouragement in Christ, solace in love, […] participation in Spirit, […] [and] compassion and mercy.” He tells his readers how to achieve those goals: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.”
In this, Paul has described the essence of obedience to us. It is not reluctant subservience, but rather the renunciation of self-will and selfish self-interest. That is what we saw preached in Ezekiel. That’s the reversal we saw in the tax collectors and prostitutes. And that’s what Jesus found lacking in the chief priests and elders of the people. Paul takes as his model and ours the example of Christ, achieving true victory and glory by emptying himself of everything except his commitment to carry out the will of his heavenly Father, regardless of the cost. His conclusion should give us pause to reflect: “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” That reversal of course—that willing renunciation of self-will and commitment to unconditional love—is what obedience means, and it’s the hallmark of a true Christian.
What damage did the Israelites of Ezekiel’s time do to themselves and their fellows by ignoring the שׁוּב (shub), the reversal they were called to? What damage did the chief priests and elders do to themselves and those they governed by ignoring God’s call to μετεμελήθη (metemelētē), to reverse course? What damage do the Christian nationalists of our own day do to themselves, their victims, and the name of Christ by boasting of their refusal of God’s encouragement, solace in love, compassion, and mercy to the least of God’s little ones? What harm do we do to ourselves and others when we ignore the call to reverse course and embrace humble obedience to Christ’s call to self-emptying love? The goals of Christian life and the paths to reach them are spelled out in today’s readings. Let us pray that when we lose sight of them, we will always find the courage to reverse course and once more embrace the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus. May we ever confess to the glory of God the Father, Jesus Christ is Lord.
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