The Immediate Word
Polls, Parables, And Complaints
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This week the lectionary offers a pair of texts in which we discover how God provides unimaginable benefits for those whom he favors. In the Old Testament passage from Exodus, we read of God's provision of manna and quail for the Israelites in their desert sojourn, and in the gospel Jesus tells a curious parable about laborers in a vineyard that is meant to demonstrate God's grace and generosity for all -- even for those who come to him late in life. Another striking feature of both texts is the centrality of complaining to human nature... even when God is the one whom we are kvetching about.