Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things

 

 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."  Because Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests and the elders now challenge His authority to cleanse the temple (in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible explains that, as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He confounds His questioners with another question about John (that is, John the Baptist).  Both the elders' question and Christ's question ask for the same answer, and therefore would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  In not answering them directly, my study Bible tells us, Christ teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a 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 comments that by using their own principles, the elders convict themselves in their answer to Christ's parable.  

 

It's an intriguing comment on Jesus' response to the chief priests and elders that is made by my study Bible on today's reading.  My study Bible remarks that Jesus replies to their question with another different question of His own, as Christ "is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers."  In a time when seemingly all things are available on the internet (including an increasing number of claims and stories which are not true at all, and often are concocted through Artificial Intelligence), it seems a rather quaint notion that there are things that are preferable to remain hidden from scoffers and others who make inquiries with a malicious intent.  But it gives us an important taste of what it means that things are holy.  To be holy or sacred first of all means that such things are "set apart."  This is the story of God's formation of the people of Israel, that they were called out of the world to be set apart as a holy people, dedicated to Yahweh, to the God we know.  Jesus' story mirrors the same, as when He says to the disciples at the Last Supper, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).  This expression by Jesus, "I chose you out of the world," echoes the powerful call to Israel that we could say started with Abraham, a people chosen out of the world to be set apart, to be holy; that is, dedicated to God.  When we think of the holy things of our churches and our faith, perhaps we should more often consider the same.  Our church services (at least those which are based on the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom) still make a provision for catechumens to leave before the Holy Eucharist.  We forget that there are powerful mysteries to our churches, and that some indeed remain only for those who are prepared for it and prepared to receive, for those who have chosen to dedicate themselves in faith.  Again, a modern age seeks all kinds of information, even information which people are not necessarily prepared to use wisely, for this is the nature that the internet and social media magnifies and spreads like wildfire.  But perhaps even at such a time we should consider more wisely what it means not to reveal holy things to scoffers, to those who don't ask sincerely.  To use the modern parlance of popular psychology, it's an important boundary to consider.  In fact, there are boundaries of all kinds that we'd be better off respecting, such as those of personal privacy, even integrity.  Not every opinion needs to be known -- and certainly every opinion does not need to be judged by the public, nor by mobs of people with no concern for the boundary of respect for other people.  But the sacred needs to be prized by us, set apart, put in its proper place in our hearts and in our lives so that we cherish what needs to be cherished, and that is what Jesus is so cleverly doing here with His reply of a question about the baptism of John the Baptist.  To this day, in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, we hear in the Communion Prayer, "O Son of God, receive me today as a partaker of Your mystical supper. For I will not speak of the mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss, as did Judas. But like the thief, I confess to You: Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom."   If we look carefully at all of Scripture, we find that everything begins with the creation of the world we know through meaningful boundaries.  The Spirit hovers over the waters of chaos, and creates all of the cosmos by separating and distinguishing, creating boundaries, and filling them with good things (see Genesis 1).  Even the garden of Eden is distinguished as a special garden planted by God in a particular place, and in that sense, separated and taken out of the world.  For humankind, God places a particular tree of knowledge of good and evil off-limits, as yet another boundary to respect, for human beings were not yet wise enough for that.  Well, we know the rest of the story.   Jesus, as Lord, teaches us the same particular respect for the sacred boundaries of life, the separation that keeps things holy.  Again, in the Divine Liturgy, the priest declares of Communion, "the holy gifts for the holy people of God."  In a modern age in which there seems to be a great drive to overturn all boundaries wherever possible, let us consider instead the importance of the sacred and what it means to respect the holy as such.  For we all need the proper boundaries of respect for the soul, the tender things of the heart, and the gifts of the sacred that teach us that all life, at its heart, is holy.  For when we lose this relationship to Creator, we lose the meanings of life God gives us.

 

 

 

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

 

 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 

 

In our current reading, Jesus has made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday.  Yesterday we read that then 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 to us that, since Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests and the elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple.  As Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He instead offers them a different question about John, confounding them.  Both the elders' question and Christ's question require the same answer.  They would therefore lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  My study Bible cautions us to note that by not answering them directly, Jesus is teaching us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a 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 suggests that these elders, using their own principles, actually convict themselves in their answer to Christ's parable.  

We've all heard the old adage, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."  But words have meaning and power, and Christ Himself is the Word, an indication of the true power behind language properly used -- and therefore the false and destructive power of language improperly used.  Today's reading is all about the use of words, and how powerful and important they truly are.  For words convey to us meaning.  If that meaning is distorted and turned to lies, that is surely a destructive power.  But when language is used for truth, especially with the spiritual power of truth that is in Christ, then it becomes a powerful and important tool indeed.  In these passages from today's reading, Jesus shows His exceptional skill with language, and also teaches us how powerful it is, showing us that to be careful with our words is essential and important -- for it is clearly so to Him.  The elders in the temple come to Him with an assumption about authority, an accusation with which Christ has already become familiar:  "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  They are couching their language in terms with which they're on familiar ground, a sense of authority which they can hold over others in what they do.  But Christ has a heavenly authority they can't point to nor perhaps apprehend sufficiently to recognize; indeed, their desire is to obliterate that powerful effect Christ has in His preaching and healing among the people.  Jesus refuses to answer on their terms, and instead poses to them a question about John the Baptist.  John, we know, was widely revered as a holy man, as indeed the Gospel reports these elders saying among themselves, that if they deny John's authority, "we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So, instead, they take a kind of cowardly refuge in refusing to answer Jesus, saying instead, "We do not know."  Note how nothing in their response is truth; everything is sparked by the fear of losing their own position and authority; their fear of the people's response guides everything.  But Jesus' own effective use of language, unmasking their fear and deceit, is pure truth in and of itself.  The power of His words means that He can effectively respond to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  In the parable that follows, it goes without saying that Christ is the premiere Wordsmith we know.  His parables are deceptively simple, yet powerful in their own right.  This parable works as a kind of riddle ("riddle" is one meaning given to the word parable).  With such a clever parable, Jesus makes the point, not only defending His own ministry the religious leaders have criticized ("eating with tax collectors and sinners"), but also that of John the Baptist:  "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."  Importantly for us, Christ's emphasis here is on repentance, "change of mind."  Although their words are chosen out of fear, their hearts are far away from Christ.  But perhaps ironically, this is the one thing they need, for repentance is a cure for error -- and it is the tax collectors and harlots who could show them the way by example.  Jesus did not come into the world in order to find sinners to punish.  He came to save.  Indeed, at the very time when the Pharisees criticized Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus replied, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Matthew 9:12-13).  John's Gospel tells us, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17).  But those who are self-righteous, blind to their own error, cannot repent -- even though this is the one thing they need to find Him and the life they could have in His kingdom.  Repentance is the key to the gospel; all Jesus wants is for us to find our way back to Him, and the way is very simple.  Prior to giving the parable of the Lost Sheep, in which the Shepherd will leave the ninety-nine at risk to seek the one lost, Jesus taught, "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."  If we observe these religious leaders, we see their drive to obfuscate, to entrap, to twist language, even to the point of finding false witnesses whose stories trip over one another in order to try to condemn Jesus to death.  But Christ's words and truth go to the heart of the matter, and His truth is what they need to embrace in order to simply repent and find their way to His life and salvation.  Let us consider the ways we can use language to obscure and even to lie to ourselves, covering up the one simple thing we need: repent by turning to truth and toward Him.  His powerful but simple words remind us that the strength of His truth is always present to us, and it is only there in which we need to rest and take our stand, as does He.

 

 

 

John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him

 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, after 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."  As Christ isn't a Levitical Priest, the chief priests and elders are challenging Him as to His authority to cleanse the temple (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study bible emphasizes here that Jesus is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers -- and therefore confounds His questioners with one of His own:  about John the Baptist.  Both the elders' question and Christ's question would demand the same answer, and therefore lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  My study bible adds that by not answering His questioners directly, Jesus teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a 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."  Jesus once again uses a parable to illustrate His points.  The elders convict themselves by using their own principles in their answer to Jesus' parable.

Jesus tells us that "tax collectors and harlots" believed John the Baptist, and therefore enter the kingdom of God before these religious leaders.  It is something we might pause to marvel at, because from this distance of 2,000 years we might not understand the great impact of the ministry of John the Baptist.  The fact that even tax collectors and harlots -- that is, people widely considered to be sinners and therefore outside of community -- enter into the Kingdom for having believed John's word teaches us something powerful.  It teaches us about the great and powerfully egalitarian nature of the word of God.  John preached and practiced a baptism of repentance in preparation for the Messiah.   His good news regarding the preparation for the Messiah was good news for all, and all were welcome to participate in it.  We should remember that John preached repentance, and therefore those who heard his message presumably were prepared to repent of their sins against community.  But these religious leaders were threatened by a radical outsider like John, although we can see for ourselves the people's high regard for him.  Even in his death, John the Baptist's name is still powerful in the temple, a reminder of the high esteem in which people still held him.  Beheaded by Herod because he criticized Herod's marriage as unlawful under Mosaic Law, John is a figure of a holy man and prophet dedicated to the true Israel, the people of God.   John called these religious leaders a brood of vipers, which Jesus has already echoed, and will do so again (Matthew 3:7, 12:34, 23:33).  Reflecting John's scorn that these men are incapable of repentance, Jesus does not answer directly in today's reading, but rather gives them a parable which teaches us something about people's hearts.  Who truly does the will of God?  A prophet such as John is one who is committed wholly to the word of God.  His radical poverty and humility were assurances that he lived purely to do God's work, focused on one thing.  He would be a model for the early monastics who sought to serve Christ by living in the wilderness, dedicated to spiritual struggle, in a radical kind of humility determined to focus solely on serving God.  Theirs was the power of prayer and a constant repentance.  So how are these models to form for us something we can focus on today?  Well, let us consider Jesus' parable in the light of today's world.  We may see so many people doing what is called "virtue signalling."  That is, showing in some way using "signs" that they are moral human beings, that they follow some kind of code which indicates they are being "good."  Through social media, this is entirely widespread and simple to do.  But Christ -- and John the Baptist -- with their name for the religious leaders of "brood of vipers" call us to a different kind of reckoning and understanding.  And Jesus' parable in today's reading definitely does the same.  We should ask ourselves the question, which again has a rather obvious answer to those who observe:  who is actually doing the will of God?  Do you know people who are humble and love God devotedly?  Do they make a great show of their virtues to others?  Or is the love of God dependent not so much on showing the rest of the world that we are morally perfect -- but that we, in fact, acknowledge that we are imperfect?   Where is the humility that goes with that, and the practice of prayer, and the understanding of the heart devoted to God, even the one that understands and seeks God in the secret place, and as One who sees in secret?  These are highly important questions to ponder in today's media-driven world, where some hardly seem to know an identity separate from such "signalling" to the public.  What keeps a heart honest?  Where do we escape to a desert to face ourselves beyond the crowds?  Let us remember that the crowds who welcome Christ today will reject Him in the space of a few days.  It all comes down to our own hearts:  how best do we protect them?  How best do we seek to be like the child who follows the Father's will, aside from all appearances?  When it all comes down to reckoning,  in what righteousness do we believe and choose to live?

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?