Remember, last week we talked about the workers in the field. The workers who labored an entire day received the same pay as those who worked one hour. The crux of the gospel from last week is that we don’t get a say in how God controls God’s creation. God makes decisions that we sometimes don’t agree with. A part of our transformation as people of faith is working through our resentment and anger AT God when God doesn’t perform as we expect.
Matthew 21:23-32
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”
Jesus has been busy since the reading from last Sunday! Jesus and the disciples have been making their way to Jerusalem. In that journey, Jesus has spoken for a third time about his potential death. The mother of the sons of Zebedee corners Jesus asking if her boys could sit on the right and the left of Jesus in God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus has healed two blind men. And, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem. The days between last Sunday and today would actually be Palm Sunday. With that triumphant entry, Jesus will be greatly offended at the merchants and money changers, and he flips tables in response to their audacity. Jesus also curses an unproductive fig tree. Yes, Jesus has been busy since our reading last Sunday!
Today, the religious leadership asks Jesus a question regarding his authority. They don’t ask “why” but “how.” They want to know where Jesus received his power, his authority. In Jewish custom of engagement with Torah, the expectation is one of learning. A student has a teacher or rabbi. When the leadership asks “by whose authority,” they are asking Jesus who his rabbi is. They question the nature of his authority. This authority could come from one of three possibilities: God, Satan, or himself. Warren Carter says, “They are the social, economic, political, and religious elite allied with and given legitimacy by Rome. Their authority consists of social status and power over others. It is based on birth (chief priests), training (scribes), wealth (elders), and political alliances.” They know Jesus is not one of these four cliques. So, they want to know what makes him believe he can do and say what he does. Carter continues, “His actions have challenged the political and religious elite. Their question is a trap. If he claims his own authority, he admits to having no institutional or cultural legitimacy, and he acts against God’s purposes and certainly against theirs. If he claims God’s authority, he blasphemes and violates their jurisdiction.”
The religious leadership, fearful of losing both their authority and their power, choose the response of least resistance. Carter states, “They choose the path of non-commitment, which ironically, betrays their commitment. To not answer displays not genuine ignorance but deliberate resistance. Judgment on them and their temple is inevitable.”
The religious leaders Jesus speaks to would know Torah, and they would know the leaders of their heritage. They would know the historical leaders of prophecy and battle and community. They would easily recognize Joshua and Elijah and the impact these two had on the Hebrew community.
Joshua said to the tribes of Israel, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve.”
Elijah said the same, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” In other words, with an idiom that Peter and Andrew would understand, fish or cut bait.
This next week we will be at Diocesan Convention. This is a time that we assess where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going. And the ultimate question is: does the use of our time, our resources, and our money engage the spiritual health of ourselves and kingdom work in our communities. In other words, are our actions proof of what we say we believe?
What is said matters. That’s the first decision to be made. We must proclaim what we say we believe. The next decision is what we do as a result of what we say. What is done proves what is said. Actions speak louder than words. The first son said no but did the work anyway. The second son said yes but never followed through. If a man says he loves his wife but has an affair, is his love truth? If a woman says she is pro-life and votes against abortion as well as against healthcare systems that address the drastic differential between mortality rates of black birth mothers to white birth mothers, is that woman’s claim to be pro life truth? If a government states child pornography is morally and legally wrong, but that same government states child pornography using Artificial Intelligence is neither morally nor legally wrong, what is the ethical standard of said government?
Douglas Webster states that the parable is a sober warning against anyone who says “yes” to the tenets of the faith but hardly lifts a finger for Jesus’ kingdom work. He continues, “This parable is radical because a theoretical “yes” to routine church attendance and tithing is really only a cover for spectator passivity.” As we said last Sunday, the way of Jesus is the way of the cross, which is salvation, service, sacrifice, and simplicity. If they can’t tell that you’re different because your actions aren’t any different than theirs, it doesn’t matter what words come out of your mouth. If I stand here on Sundays and say that I love Jesus but come Monday morning I’m sharing information that people have said to me, telling Loretta to reject everyone who comes to the door for help, and scoff at self awareness and repentance, am I not a liar?
We have a choice to follow Jesus or not. No one is twisting our arm. No one holds a gun to our heads. When we make the free choice to follow Jesus, our actions must back our words. Garrison Keillor said, “Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car.”
The gospel calls for an honest personal inventory. Tennis players video themselves playing then watch the tapes for movements and habits that sabotage their winning. Authors give their writings to editors who critique and evaluate the writing, then they adjust so their writing is better. If we don’t look at what we do to see if it aligns with what we believe, why are we here?
Jesus is quite blunt as he talks with the leadership. May we be willing to face the Savior of the World, hear his question, and answer it honestly…no matter how terrifying or embarrassing or isolating it makes us feel.
Amen.
