ABOUT THIS EPISODE
On this Sunday the lectionary pairs the end of the book of Jonah and a parable of Christ from Matthew about a householder who hires laborers multiple times in one day. It's not clear at first what the connection might be, but Fr. Jeff has a theory: Jonah's story ends with him spitefully begrudging God's mercy and love being shown to the repentant citizens of Nineveh; the laborers in the parable spitefully begrudge the householder's generous sharing of his money with all the laborers, including those who have only worked the last part of the day. Spite is a dangerous and petty sin that we must eradicate from our spiritual lives so we can truly rejoice in the grace of God—no matter to whom it is shown—and learn to share love and generosity ourselves.
