26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A – Sept.
27, 2026
Ezekiel 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32
Theme:
Individual Responsibility to Repent and Maintain One’s Relationship with God
A. A
Brief Exegetical Analysis of Matthew 21:28-32
- Historical
and Literary Contexts
Our
Gospel parable is the first of three that Matthew presents in succession within
the context of controversies between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders (Mt
21:23–22:46). It began when the Jewish religious leaders questioned Jesus'
authority (21:23-27). In response, Jesus told them three parables in
succession: the parable of the Two Sons (21:28-32), the parable of the Tenants
(21:33-46), and the parable of the Wedding Feast (22:1-14). Through these
parables, Jesus revealed that because they failed to believe in him, the
kingdom of heaven was being taken away from them and given to the Gentiles, tax
collectors, prostitutes, and sinners who believed in him and repented. In
response, the Jewish religious leaders plotted to eliminate Jesus, whom they now
viewed as a threat to their power. Subsequently, Matthew presented a series of
three trapping questions (22:15-22; 23-33; and 34-40) that they posed to Jesus,
intending either to embarrass him in public among the Jewish community or to
gather legal evidence to accuse him and have him arrested and condemned by the
Roman authorities. We will meditate on these three parables and two of the
three trapping questions in the Gospels over the next five Sundays.
- Form,
Structure, and Movement
This
Gospel passage is a narrative with a parable. It is structured into two
movements. Jesus first tells the parable (vv. 28-30) and then interprets it
with an exhortation (vv. 31-32).
- Detailed
Analysis
Vv.
28-30. The man represents God, and the vineyard symbolizes the kingdom of
heaven on earth. The first son, who initially refused to work in the vineyard
but later accepted, represents the outcasts (Gentiles, tax collectors,
prostitutes, and all sinners). They initially rejected God’s call but later,
through Jesus' preaching, repented and embraced the opportunity to work in
God’s kingdom. They echo Ez 18:27: “But if the wicked turn from the wickedness
they did and do what is right and just, they save their lives.” (NABRE). The
second son, who initially accepted the work in the vineyard but later refused,
represents the Jewish religious leaders. They initially accepted their status
as God’s chosen people but later turned away from God by not believing in
Jesus. They recall Ez 18:26: “When the just turn away from justice to do evil
and die, on account of the evil they did they must die.” (NABRE).
Vv.
31-32. Jesus asked the Jewish religious leaders to tell him which of the two
sons did their father’s will. In their correct answer, “the first,” the Jewish
religious leaders condemned themselves. Then Jesus interpreted the parable for
them, contrasting their lack of faith with the outstanding faith of the sinners
who repent and enter the kingdom of heaven, while the Jewish religious leaders
remain unrepentant.
- Synthesis
Through
the parable of the Two Sons, Jesus tells the Jewish religious leaders that
they, who initially said yes to God’s call, now turn away from him by failing
to believe in Jesus. In contrast, the outcasts who once rejected God’s call now
believe in him and repent. Consequently, the outcasts enter the kingdom of
heaven ahead of the Jewish religious leaders.
B. Pastoral
Implications
- Liturgical
Context
Today,
we close September, the month of the Bible. The Church encourages us to
regularly read, listen to, study, share, and pray with the Word of God. Today’s
Gospel and first readings remind us that everyone is responsible for repenting
and maintaining a relationship with God to be saved. To do this, we need to
imitate Jesus' humility (second reading).
- What
the Church Teaches Us Today
In
our Gospel, Jesus addresses the Jews who believe they do not need to repent
because they are the “chosen people.” Similarly, many Christians today think
they do not need to repent to be saved because they are already baptized. Many
others believe they will be saved through the faith of their parents or
children. The Prophet Ezekiel addresses this issue in our first reading.
It
is necessary to analyze the entire Chapter 18 to understand the background of
our first reading passage. In this chapter, Ezekiel addresses individual
responsibility. The people used the proverb, “Parents eat sour grapes, but the
children’s teeth are on edge” (Ezekiel 18:2), to imply that their current
suffering is a divine punishment for sins committed not by themselves but by
their parents in past generations. Ezekiel clarified that this saying is false:
“… the life of the parent is like the life of the child… Only the one who sins
shall die!” (vv. 3-4, NABRE). He explains this through different scenarios. In
the first scenario, if a righteous parent begets a wicked son, the parent will
live because he does what is right, but the son will die because of his sins
(vv. 5-13). In the second scenario, if a wicked parent begets a righteous son,
the parent will die for his wickedness, and the son will live for his
righteousness (vv. 14-18). In the third scenario, if a wicked person repents,
he will be rewarded with life; if a righteous person turns from righteousness
to wickedness, he will be punished with death (vv. 21-24). Ezekiel’s listeners
do not want to accept that each person is judged for his or her own sins or
merits and that wicked people can escape destruction. They rebel against
Ezekiel and God when they say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!” (v. 25). Our first
reading passage starts here.
Ezekiel
emphasizes two categories of people in this reading. The first category
comprises the wicked who repent. They correspond to the first son in our
Gospel’s parable, representing the outcasts (tax collectors, prostitutes, and
all sinners) during Jesus’ time. The second category in our first reading is
the righteous who turn away from God. These individuals correspond to the
second son in our Gospel’s parable, who represents the Jews of Jesus’ time.
They initially said yes to God’s call because they were the “chosen people,”
but later failed to maintain their relationship with God because they did not
believe in Jesus.
Through
our Gospel and first reading, the Church wants us to understand that salvation
is not merely an inheritance passed down through generations. Everyone is
responsible for their own eternal salvation or condemnation. Furthermore,
claiming baptism is not sufficient for salvation. We are called to regularly
repent and nurture our relationship with God and with one another in our Church
community, in our families, and wherever we live. This is what Saint Paul
teaches us in our second reading. He encourages each of us to pursue unity in a
spirit of humility.
Paul
says that we Christians must pursue unity because we belong to Christ and
participate in the Spirit; we consider ourselves sharers in the “same mind” and
“the same love” that flow from Christ (vv. 1-2). Our unity will be most clearly
displayed when we reject any form of selfishness and regard our brothers and
sisters as more important than ourselves (vv. 3-4). Then Paul presents the
humility of Jesus in an early Christian hymn (vv. 6-11) as an example to
follow. We can note two phases of Christ’s humility: First, he chose not to
grasp his divine nature but to become as lowly as a slave in human likeness
(vv. 6-7). Second, his humility extends to the cross, where he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (v. 8). His humility results
in the exaltation and privilege he has received from God (vv. 9-11). This same
exaltation awaits all believers who imitate the humility of Christ. So let us
imitate Jesus’ humility to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
May
the liturgy of this Mass enable us to repent regularly of our sins and to
maintain our relationships with God and our brothers and sisters in humility,
as Jesus did. Amen.
Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Jackson, MS
&
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
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