Year A

Matthew 21:23-32

The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn

Powerful Truth

The gospel text today is part of the intense, growing, and violent controversy between Jesus and the temple leaders. Politics and truth get mixed up in this passage, and the truth does not come out very well. The day before, Jesus had entered the city on a donkey accompanied by shouts of “Hosanna” “Son of David.” He immediately headed to the temple-the center of Jewish religious life-where he overturned the tables of the money changers, and called it a “den of robbers.” The next morning on his way back into town, after spending the night outside of the city, he cursed a fig tree causing it to wither instantaneously. He returns to the temple whereupon he is confronted by the chief priests and elders of the people who were still reeling from the outrageous spectacle of the previous day.

I’m sure, they are in no mood to deal with this countryside rabbi; but because of his rather large band of followers they feel they need to deal with him carefully. They demand “By what authority are you doing these things?” The question from the authorities is reasonable enough given the previous days actions by Jesus, but it is not coming from a place of seeking the truth, but from a place of political power. The gospel of Matthew makes it clear that the authority of Jesus comes from God. And Paul in his letter to the Philippians today, confirms this authority when he writes, “God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth.”

Yet, these leaders believe they are the ones who truly have the authority which had been given to them by God since the time of Moses and passed down for generations. Thus for Jesus to say, “By God’s authority,” would be to offer an answer easily refuted by biblical and traditional terms and it would invite the Roman authorities to move against this political threat. This indeed did happen later that week. But now instead, Jesus returns the challenge with a question of his own. The chief priests and elders realize they cannot answer the question, since they did not believe John and are afraid of the crowd.

Jesus’s answer to them suggests that the question of John the Baptist’s authority is essentially the same as the question about his own. To identify one is to identify the other. John and Jesus shared the same message: turn away from evil and toward God, and the rejection of John the Baptist foreshadows and even brings about the rejection of Jesus. The result for now is a draw and it silenced Jesus’ would be accusers, and it also sets the scene for the parable of the two sons. Jesus told them this story and then demanded they explain it for him. Two sons were asked by their father to work the fields. One says that he will do the correct thing and go.  Those hearing the story believe the son has made a good choice and assume he will do what he says.

The son who refused to do what his father asks appears to all as the wrong thing. From the beginning of the story one son would clearly be labeled in the right and the other in the wrong. And as we all know, appearances are often deceiving. The son, who appears to be right, does what is wrong. The son who everyone believes to be wrong, in the end does the right thing. The act of doing what is right speaks more forcefully than words. Hence, the saying, actions speak louder than words. Jesus tells the chief priests and elders of the people that they exhibit the behavior of the first son. It is one thing to parade religious values, but quite another to put them into practice. According to this parable, those who are seemingly “in the know” and believe they have authority from God are not the ones who are doing the will of God.

Indeed, their hypocrisy continues in their unwillingness to see in Jesus’ own ministry a “second chance” after their failure to recognize John. The implication seems to be that the traditional religious leaders of Israel have forfeited their authority thought unrighteousness, while the marginalized Israelites “the tax collectors and the prostitutes” have wisely recognized true power. Thus, it appears that one’s status in the kingdom of God depends upon one’s reaction to Jesus and John the Baptist. It is by this act of believing that those of the lowest social rank acquire higher status than those of the highest social rank. The real failure of the chief priests and elders is that they do not receive Jesus and in a very few short days will condemn him to death because he is a threat to their authority.  

Yet, who belongs in God’s kingdom here and in eternity, has everything to do with God and God’s amazing grace. Jesus welcomes the righteous and the lost. Christ welcomes all and Paul says, we are to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus who said yes to God, for us to be able to say yes to God and then, to do what is right. “For, it is God who is at work in you, Paul says, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Jesus came to our world to fulfill a mission give him by the Father and he chose to die to demonstrate the great Christian paradox, the truth that we find life through death. To emphasize the humility of Jesus fulfilling the Father’s will to complete his mission to bring salvation for all,  Paul, in his letter today uses an ancient Christological hymn to emphasize the authority and humility of Jesus.

“Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking on the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-even death on a cross.” It wasn’t pretty but Jesus got the job done. He finished the course and did what was right, because it was the right thing to do for the salvation of the world. It’s not always easy or popular to do what is right and each of us fail, so probably at times we should be asking ourselves which son in the parable we most resemble.

But also we must remember that this parable is not about who is in and who is out, for Christ welcomes all who believe and it’s not about faith verses works. In the theology of Matthew, to receive Jesus requires doing the Sermon on the Mount. Thus, to believe in Jesus is to walk in the way of righteousness in both words and deeds. The reason Jesus will not answer the religious authorities their question is that Christ’s authority is a complete paradox. It does not involve the exercise of power, but the very emptying of self in humility to bring about God’s kingdom. The very emptying of self we are called to live in the world. May we confess in our words and deeds that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Turn, then, and live.