Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you

St. Matthew the Evangelist (former tax collector for the Romans).  Mid-19th century, Palekh school, Ivanovo Region, Russia

 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

"But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

- Matthew 21:23-32

Yesterday we read that, following His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  My study bible explains that, as Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests and elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple, which was the first thing He did on the previous day, immediately following His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (see yesterday's reading, above).  It notes that as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He instead responds with a different question about John, intended to bring about an illuminating answer both to their question and to His.  The correct answer to both is the same; therefore leading to the conclusion and confession that Christ has come from heaven.  My study bible says that as He does not answer them directly, He teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with malicious intent.

"But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."  My study bible points out that, using their own principles, the elders convict themselves in their answer to Christ's parable. 

Jesus turns the arguments of the leadership back against them.  They fear the people; their chief concern is retaining their places as leaders, not a spiritual truth, not the truth of Christ (which, as experts in Scripture, they should already know and recognize).  Their envy and jealousy for their positions is key to it all.  How do they retain their places?  Even their lack of honor to John as a prophet is down to a zealous guarding of their own positions of authority.  And there we come down to their question of Christ, after He has cleansed the temple of those who bought and sold:  What is His authority?  It all comes down to that, because what they care about is their power, their position.  In effect, their own version of leadership is making the point to the disciples that Christ has repeatedly taught.  It is how one serves even the least among them that determines true leadership, and this is the way He wants them to be as future leaders of His Church.  It is the not-so-well hidden motivations of these leaders that make them vulnerable, and, in effect, weak.  It is their unaddressed concerns for position over all else that lend corruption and will lead to the horrific injustice they will commit by sentencing and taking Jesus to death by the Romans.  But, as we know, with God even this injustice will be used to trample down the author of injustice, and death itself.  But in the meantime, we should observe closely what is happening here:  Jesus is exposing flaws we should take note of, and He's also not afraid to address the truth.  He flips hypocrisy on its head in the ways in which He tells the parable of the the sons who say one thing but do another.  In effect, the leadership's hypocrisy is like that of the falsely "obedient" son, and the notorious sinners such as tax collectors and harlots who became followers of Jesus who are like the second, true son.  When Jesus teaches the disciples that they must take care how they treat the least among them, He emphasizes the importance of knowing ourselves, and being willing to take decisive action to cast away those impulses that lead to abuse.  But these leaders do not hold themselves to that standard.  Let us be clear that the Gospels contain members of the leadership, Pharisees and wealthy men, who do follow Christ and are themselves righteous men.  Unfortunately they will not hold sway over all the others, even if they try (see, for example, Nicodemus' objection to the abuse of the Law in the way that Jesus is tried, and the false answer he's given by others).   Christ exposes the truth, and let us be very clear that this is the action of the Cross and of Christ's work in our own lives.  He wants for us the truth that makes us free, and that is unafraid to face the things within us, our flaws as well as our great potentials with God's grace.  Let us attend and watch closely, for even a rebuke from Christ is an act of love (Revelation 3:19).  In this confrontation are the seeds and possibility of repentance, for all concerned.  That is the way with Christ's truth, it invites us to the freedom of finding who we are and what we really need to be about, what we need to do.  In our own lives, He calls us to pay attention.  When will it be too late, or what would it lead to before we think and change?