Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

First we need to set the stage. Last week we had the parable about the workers and the generous landowner. In chapter 20 Jesus also predicts his death and teaches about serving because the mother of James and John has asked for places of honor next to Jesus in heaven. Jesus then teaches that those who serve are the ones who are the greatest, not the ones who lord their positions over others, not those who flaunt their authority. 

Then comes the entry, yeah the Palm Sunday entry, the triumphal entry with palms and coats and “if these were silent the very rocks would cry out” entry into Jerusalem. That entry of course was followed shortly after by the driving out of the temple the money changers, the buyers and the sellers. There were healings, two blind men. There were children shouting “Praise God for the Son of David” which of course was dangerous talk, rebellious talk really. The religious leaders, the serious ones were indignant if not outraged at such talk and they confronted Jesus. Jesus quoted the psalm about children being taught to offer praise. 

Is it any wonder then that the next time Jesus is teaching in the temple he is confronted by the religious authorities who want to know by what authority does he do all of these things. Oh and in the middle there is healing of the blind and cursing of a fig tree. Certainly there is power, certainly there is authority with this one. 

The question though of course is a trap. You can set yourself up as having God given authority and we will throw you over to the Romans as one more religious zealot who is going to be leading a rebellion, proclaiming himself to be a king of some sort in the line of David. If you deny that then you will lose face with the crowd. Jesus turns the tables on them as he so often does. His question doesn't exactly stump them, but it reveals who they truly are. If we say this, this is how we will suffer. If we say this, well this would be the price we have to pay. 

Do you notice in their deliberations that it is not about right or wrong. It is not about what they believe. It is about which position should we take in order to do the least harm to ourselves. What will play well? They realize any answer is not going to be a good answer in terms of their power and privilege and esteem. So their answer is no answer. We can't say, don't know, won't say. 

Then comes the parable, what do you think? As I hear this parable I hear the echo of the times in the old testament when the people said yes, we will serve God. Moses asked, Joshua asked. Choose this day whom you will serve and the people said yes, we will serve God. Then not too long after the people are worshiping other gods. Yes, we will do this. Yes we will serve and then they don't. They get led astray so many ways, so many times. 

As I was thinking about this gospel reading this week it also made me wonder about the prostitutes and tax collectors who are going into the kingdom of God, heaven before the religious leaders. Why is that do you think? It is obviously another word which is going to annoy and frustrate the religious leaders. After all they are the ones who are convinced they have done everything right. They are the ones who know exactly what you have to think and do and believe if you are going to be going to heaven. How do you think they get it wrong? 

If they are getting it wrong, or at least not as right as the tax collectors and the prostitutes, how are those ones getting it more right? Jesus talks about them as believing John. Earlier in Matthew's gospel John is described as the one who comes preaching repentance. He also calls the religious leaders a brood of vipers. John preaches that people should turn to God and turn away from their sins. Not only are they to turn away from sin but they are also to turn to the new life, to turn to life in Christ. That is what repentance is at the heart of it. It is the turn, the great turn which we make because God is at work, active in your life. At the women's Bible study this month part of the discussion was about that great explanation to the 3rd article of the Creed which Luther gave us. I cannot by my own reason or understanding believe Christ Jesus my Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with gifts and kept me in true faith. 

Turning from our old life, repentance and turning to our new life in Jesus is the work of, the calling of the Holy Spirit. I wonder if that isn't what the tax collectors and the prostitutes got that the religious leaders didn't. This life of which Jesus speaks is the life of turning away and turning to and it is because of the Spirit at work. It is not just knowing and thinking the right things. It is because of the Spirit moving in us and moving us that we move in response to do the work of the kingdom. The religious leaders knew so much about right and wrong and exactly what should be believed, must be believed, and must be done, that sounds like those who might be relying on themselves instead of the work of the Spirit. 

One of the big themes in Matthew's gospel is the obedience, is the living out the life of a faith. In chapter 5, the sermon on the mount there is the list of the beatitudes, the blessed are you when, blessed are those who. In Matthew's gospel we also get that great section which talks about those who have served Jesus by serving the least and those who did not serve Jesus because they ignored the needs of the least. I wonder, do you think serving others, caring for others, blessing others might have something to do with the reason the leaders are not going to enter the kingdom of heaven as quickly as the prostitutes and the tax collectors? Caring for someone on the sabbath, healing on the sabbath, Jesus you shouldn't be doing that. It is against how we understand the law.

We have this same truth presented another way in the second lesson. That great hymn of who Christ is makes the point of the humility, the self sacrifice, the giving of self which Jesus does for us. Paul recounts this hymn in order to drive home his point that the people of God, the followers of Jesus put themselves behind their neigbors. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” Don't put yourself at the center of the world or your world or any world. How can I best serve my neighbor? How can I best care for my neighbor? 

In these days of so great of divisions in our society how do I best care for my neighbor? What would it look like if I were more concerned about the interests of the other instead of my own interests? Rolf Jacobson, professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary loves to point out that when we talk abou the 10 Commandments and Luther's explanations to them, which can seem rather daunting because of all that I am expected to do for my neighbor, it is good to remember my neighbors have the same commandment regarding me. They are about how we live together in community. Paul wants the Philippians to continue to live together in the blessing of community he knows them to have. 

Jesus wants workers in the vineyard. Jesus wants those who hear the preaching of John and turn from the life of self and turn toward the one to whom John points, Jesus. I'm not sure what the tax collectors and prostitutes did after they believed the preaching of John. I suspect life was changed, totally altered. Maybe one of them even wrote a gospel to tell the story of this Jesus who loves the broken ones, the hurting ones, the outcasts. No maybe, one of them was so moved by the call of the Spirit that the stories were written down to let others know there is a place for you in the kingdom. Jesus comes to give you that place. Jesus comes to give everyone that place. It is yours child of God, given to you by the love of Jesus, won for you by the death and resurrection of our Lord. That place in the kingdom is yours. So what should a kingdom life look like? Amen.