Matthew 21:28-31

“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.’” vs. 31

When he was challenged by the chief priests and the elders in the temple Jesus told them a little parable about a father who asked his two sons to go work in the vineyard. One says that he will work but fails to do so, the other refuses, but then goes. Jesus’ follow-up question has an easy answer, and his opponents quickly respond. And then Jesus nails them with an unexpected and insulting observation. Sinners will enter the kingdom of God ahead of them!

Jesus didn’t win any friends among the religious establishment that day in the temple, but he couldn’t have given a more fitting response. The kingdom of God is particularly designed for those that religion labels as unworthy, and it’s the broken and downtrodden who are received with open arms.

In our faith communities this presents a special challenge. Many of us have cultivated lifestyles that fit societal standards and we enjoy gathering for worship with “proper folks” who live by the same norms. And often there is a strict unwritten divide between us and less respectable people. So it hurts our feelings when Jesus indicates that he prefers the company of the “lowly ones.” We might wonder if he’d even feel welcome in our congregation.

Thought for the Day: Is my congregation more like a country club or a hospital?