Second Son

Matthew 21:31 - Which of the two did the will of their father? They (chief priests and elders) said, "The first one." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you that tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you."

Jesus has just told them that they are the second son, that they rate lower than the "filth" of their society - the tax collectors and prostitutes. Crapping on prostitutes has its own problems, which I might go into tomorrow. For now, let's focus on Jesus' point. He has called out the chief priests and elders of the temple as being lower than what they considered to be the lowest of the low. Ouch. Definitely a difficult thing to hear for them and for the disciples and other listeners. These people were thought to be the pinnacle of society, the cream of the crop and Jesus tells them they ain't shit. (sorry) Just so we're clear, he's talking to anyone else in the audience to whom it might apply as well. Just mouthing the words without changing our heart gets us nowhere. Jesus is challenging them and us to change our hearts.

Drastically. The kingdom of God completely inverts the structures of Roman society - and our own. It is the tax collectors and sinners who will inherit the kingdom first. He's telling the chief priests and the elders the same thing he told the rich, young man, although for a different reason. The rich man didn't want to give up his riches. Thus, they came between him and God. The chief priests and elders don't want to give up their power and it gets in between them and God. No doubt there were some in Jesus' audience with the same problem. The same problem afflicts our current Republican leaders - they, too, are addicted to money and power.

We all have things, though, that we tend to put above Christ in our lives. If not today, then tomorrow perhaps. No one is immune. The chief priests, elders, and Republican leaders are the second son. They say the right thing and don't follow through. Or they don't even bother with such duplicity and straight up act wickedly. They have no desire to change or learn. They don't have ears to hear. Do you?

What do I tend to put before God in my life? Why? What would happen if I did it differently next time?