September 25, 2011

by Jon Strasman

Two Brothers

I have been watching closely this week to see what becomes of the UN General Assembly in New York. Machmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has boldly applied for statehood of Palestine… operating against the wishes of the heavy hitters in the world. The United States and others have vowed to veto this resolution if it passes. Palestinians are hopeful, on the other hand, seizing this one moment to state their case before the world. Israeli's are nervous and want to restart peace talks first before things get out of hand. It is almost as if the Palestinians have acted outside of their power limits or world honor and are being asked by who's authority are you doing these things?

I am hopeful that this historic move on the part of the Palestinians can bring about change in the Middle East… at least to get people back to the table to work toward peace on the ground. It is obvious the current process wasn't working and hasn't worked.

Many people around the world are praying for peace in that region. Could God be doing a new thing starting this week in New York? I am hopeful.

In Jesus Christ we all agree that God did a new thing that first Christmas night. God put on human flesh and acted in a way God never had before. Not everybody was on board with Jesus as God incarnate. And today, still, not everybody is on board with Jesus as God. In our Gospel for today, Jesus' ministry and actions clearly gave the religious leaders of the time great fits. So much so that it eventually led to his death on a cross.
We are at the point in Matthew's Gospel during this 1st year, year A of the three year lectionary, where the plot to kill Jesus is thickening.

Just before our Gospel for today, Jesus just cleansed the temple, flipping over tables and calling the religious leaders a bunch of crooks. After his display of holy anger, he left the Temple for the night and returned the very next day, perhaps to teach what the temple cleansing meant.

The chief priests and the elders, looking to entrap Jesus, ask him two questions. "By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority."

Here they are asking Jesus to present his credentials. This is an honor question. Does Jesus have the honor in his family as the son of a carpenter, or in his blood line to do these things? Is this authority from God, Satan, or himself? In an honor/shame society, you weren't supposed to act outside of your chosen path. Youngshim alluded to this in her presentation about the role of Korean Women a few weeks ago. Korean Women ought not to be pastors.

Instead of answering the challenge, Jesus poses a question to them about John the Baptist. Was his baptism from God or human origin? Refusal to acknowledge God at work in Johns's ministry anticipated their rejection of Jesus. A non-response meant that Jesus won that challenge for now.

But then he didn't let them off the hook. He told them a parable, which ultimately was a parable of a judgment against the chief priests and the elders.

A man had two sons. He asked the first, "Son, go and work in the vineyard today." The Son answered, "No I will not; but later 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 one pleased his father?" The first.

The honest son infuriates his father by saying no, but then does what his father wants and pleases his father.

The Lying son lies to make his Father feel good; he is behaving properly; he is a good son on paper. But he does not do what pleases his father.

The honest son, who repented and ultimately did what his father wanted honored his father. Thy lying son disappointed his father.

Then Jesus pulls out the "Truly I tell you," Amen Amen in Greek. This means you better listen up. "The tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom ahead of you. Ouch. This was a slap in the face for the religious leaders. Tax collectors and prostitutes were some of the obvious sinners in society, the lowest of low, never being good enough according to the law to find God's favor.

Tax collectors and prostitutes, or sinners, rank with the first Son who said no, but went anyway.

The temple opponents are like the Son who lies by saying yes but didn't do what pleases his father.

This Gospel is very convicting especially to us religious people and the institutional church. The Chief Priests and the Scribes and the Pharisees and the Elders… people who were in their own mind were being faithful to God and obedient to what they thought God wanted them to do were actually blind to the new thing God was doing right in front of them.

The sinners in Israel who had carelessly ignored the demands of their religion are lifted up by Jesus and were told they will take their place in the Kingdom. This was a new message. In Jesus' Kingdom, tax collectors and prostitutes were now welcome.

The good news is that God is continuously doing a new thing in our world and in our lives. In Luke's Magnificat, Mary proclaims that Jesus will bring down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly.

The second part of the good news is tax collectors and prostitutes are welcome in the Kingdom. That is good news for us. Because we are sinners too. We lie, We make walls literally or figuratively between us and others, on our borders, in our churches, in our homes. We still discriminate, we still say things to please others that we don't mean. But there is hope. After meeting Jesus Nicodemus, a tax collector, changed his business practices. The prostitute who washed Jesus feet with her tears knew that her past life was not sustainable, and accepted the grace Jesus offered.

On the cross we to learn that Jesus loves us beyond all measure. We too are forgiven and called to change our destructive ways.

Third part of good news, the religious authorities of the time weren't left out of the Kingdom. Jesus reserved a place for them at the table as well.

Lord Jesus, give us the eyes of faith to see that you can do a new thing today?