A reading from the book of Genesis (37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28)
Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a coloured tunic made for him. But his brothers, seeing how much more his father loved him than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a peaceful word to him.
His brothers went to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem. Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘Your brothers are looking after the flock at Shechem, aren’t they? Come, I am going to send you to them.’ So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
They saw him from a distance, and before he reached them they made a plot to kill him. They said to one another, ‘Here comes that dreamer. Come on, let us kill him now and throw him down one of the pits; we can say that some wild animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.’
But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their hands; he said, ‘Let us not take his life.’ Reuben said to them, ‘Do not shed blood; throw him into that pit out in the desert, but do not lay hands on him’ – wanting to save him from their hands and to restore him to his father. So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pulled off his tunic, the coloured tunic that he was wearing, and catching hold of him, threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, with no water in it. They then sat down to eat.
Looking up, they saw a group of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balsam and resin, which they were taking to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What do we gain by killing our brother and hiding his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, then we shall not have laid hands on him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.’ His brothers agreed.
Now some Midianite merchants were passing, and they pulled Joseph out of the well. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver, and these took Joseph to Egypt.
In this reading we hear the opening stages of the story of Joseph from the book of Genesis, a story that covers several chapters. As this gripping short story unfolds, Joseph, despite being sold as a slave, will be raised to power in Egypt and be able to assist his brothers who descend into Egypt due to the famine in their own land. Once he has revealed his identity to his brothers, Joseph himself will proclaim that God turned the evil they did to him into good, sending him before them to be able to save their lives (Genesis 45). Once again, as in the case of the prophet Jeremiah, a figure from the Hebrew Scriptures stands as a preparation for Jesus: Joseph becomes saviour of his people. The passage also illustrates the frequent failure of flawed human persons: the father Jacob who displays preferential love for Joseph (just as Jacob’s mother Rebekah had done in his favour), and thereby provokes jealousy and hatred among brothers.
Psalm 105 (104) is a historical psalm which covers the descent into Egypt and the exodus. A few verses recall the story of Joseph sold as a slave and then released and given power.
A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (21:33-43, 45-46)
Jesus said: ‘Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad. When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third. Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, thinking, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said among themselves, “This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They answered, ‘He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him at the proper time.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this is the Lord’s doing
and it is amazing in our eyes?
‘I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’
When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the Pharisees realised he was speaking about them, but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.
Jesus faces hostility from the religious leaders in Jerusalem. They have been poor tenants, reacting with violence to those sent to collect the fruits of the Lord’s vineyard. The owner of the vineyard has even sent his son, who is killed by the tenants. As a result the kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to a new people, who will produce appropriate fruit. The rejection of the prophets and of the Son will lead to a new dispensation open to people of other lands. Jesus uses a verse from Psalm 112 which speaks of a rejected stone becoming a cornerstone: ‘the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’. This parable is a severe indictment of the religious leaders, which surely added to the danger facing Jesus in Jerusalem. And yet the ‘crowds’ were more wise, and knew him to be a prophet of God.
Reflect on how God uses negative situations to create new openings of grace.
For all who are stuck in their own incomplete righteousness, we pray.