December 1st, 2021
Matthew 21:23-32
23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 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. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
The Business of the Kingdom
"For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him." Matthew 21:32
Weird as it sounds, even as an ordained priest working in a parish church, I still wonder if I have a place in all of this Kingdom of God business. It's a complicated feeling, honestly. All the outward marks of being a successful Christian or pastor seem to be there, at least outwardly speaking. People come to church and seem to enjoy it. I like them—and I am glad they are there, too. I know, believe, and feel as if Jesus shows up to minister to all of us in the blessed sacrament. It all seems like it's working, right?
But over the past couple years of the pandemic, so many aspects of what makes me a successful Christian priest were pretty well sidelined by social distance. I noticed that my interior life had become less concerned with Christ and His Kingdom and more absorbed in frustration and even grievance. I felt as if I had drifted pretty far off track, and I admit that I wondered if I would ever know Christ's love and peace in the same way as before.
Thankfully, through the regular offering of prayer and, therefore, consistent exposure to the Scripture (a great benefit of live-streaming the offices for like a year or more), I was able to appreciate anew what Jesus promised in words like the ones above. In Matthew 21:23-27, Jesus' opponents mean to get him to admit that he believes that his authority is divine, that he is the Son of Man, the Messiah. But Jesus knows that his opponents are seeking to entrap him and unjustly accuse him before the time appointed. His opponents do not seek the truth about who he is so that they can be transformed by that truth, but rather so they can continue to hold authority and keep the status quo. Then, Jesus tells them a curious parable about two sons who were sent to work. One declines, but changes his mind while the other says he'll go but abandons his work. He quizzes his opponents to see which son was faithful to the will of the father who sent to them to work. His opponents responded, “the one who actually did the work.” Interestingly, Jesus interprets the parable right in front of his opponents saying that that the repentance of the tax collectors and prostitutes at the ministry of John the Baptist should have had a greater impact on the belief and behavior of the religious authorities.
The ones who do their work at the bottom of society, the ones who carry the weight of their sin and shame on their backs, they are the ones getting the message and giving their lives over to God. They are the ones who will come to know Jesus the best and will have their hearts transformed to be disciples and even taking the Gospel to Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth. Jesus is their Messiah, their comfort, redeemer, and hope.
Maybe I won’t know Christ as my Messiah in the same way as before. But he can be my Savior now. I'm hoping that this Advent will renew my zeal to serve Him, even if the past couple of years have shaped me in some not-so-great ways. But I want to be the son who changed his mind in the vineyard, doing the will of his father. I want to be numbered with the sinners who repented with John. I want to change my mind and believe so that my heart can be drawn into even greater union with Christ. May he be my peace; and may all earthly success be guided and governed by his humility and sacrifice. It took some time to come back around to it, but I know I have a place in all of this Kingdom of God business, after all…
And to that, I say: Thanks be to God.
The Rev. David Bumsted
Rector, St. John’s, Tulsa
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahom