“When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him." What is going on here? Why this sense of urgency? For several weeks we considered our response to Jesus’ teaching. We discussed our response to God’s love in light of how we love. We saw God’s generosity at work. Can I be that generous? Considering all this thinking and considering suddenly Jesus’ teaching becomes urgent.
“When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him."
What is going on here? Why this sense of urgency?
For several weeks we considered our response to Jesus’ teaching. We discussed our response to God’s love in light of how we love. We saw God’s generosity at work. Can I be that generous?
Considering all this thinking and considering suddenly Jesus’ teaching becomes urgent.
Our scriptures for this week and the weeks ahead are taken from Jesus’ last discourses before He would be arrested and killed. He has arrived in Jerusalem. The people are cheering Him on. He sees the corruption and disregard for His Father’s way all around Him, especially among the leaders.
He teaches in the Temple with urgency. He is basically saying: Hear Me and live. Ignore me and be condemned. There is no time.
He makes this point exceptionally clear in today’s teaching.
Jesus lays out a parable about two sons, the son who says yes, but does not follow through and the son who says no and later does follow through.
The Chief Priests and Elders inherited the yes of God’s leaders, but they have not followed through. The tax collectors (working for the Romans and considered the worst of betrayers) and the prostitutes (unclean) listened to the call to repentance the Baptist offered, and they followed through.
Who are the redeemed and saved, the ones who listened.
Worse than not listening, if that wasn’t bad enough, was the blindness to what they saw before them. How can they possibly ignore what God is doing right in their presence, how can they possibly write it off?
Jesus makes their offense clear: “Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him."
The urgency is here for us. We see, hear, and truly experience Jesus’ miracles big and small. We see His power to overcome adversity and save. We see people set upon by life finding a way back from the brink. It happens all the time. Jesus asks us the same question: What is your conclusion?
Here is the conclusion the Chief priests and Elders arrived at: Who, them!?! They are not worthy, they are dirty!
Jesus’ conclusion, they heard the call to repentance. They heard the call to set aside stereotypes and fear, and they received life.
Will we allow it? Will we look forward to a future with Jesus, relying on His forgiveness and renewal? Will we believe?
