Sunday 01 October 2023

Psalm 25

Background

In today's gospel reading we have Jesus teaching not in the market place or to folk on a hillside, but in a place that might well seem unexpected. He is in the Temple, the holiest place and he is teaching in the presence of the Temple officials and the priests who are serving within that holy place. 

It is hardly surprising that questions come at him from all sides as they find this 'stranger' undermining their work and interfering with their day to day lives. It certainly gets those present talking among themselves, not because they are unsure about the authority of this man who is teaching among them, but because some present have been followers of John and are beginning to take Jesus seriously as someone sent by God to be with them.

When the people said they didn't know the answer to Jesus' question about John's baptism,  his reply is one which we are familiar with: he tells a story. It is a story which can sometimes stop us in our tracks because – as so often happens in the parables – it is one that strikes home. 

Here a father asks one of his sons to go out and do some work which is not to his liking, indeed he actually tells his father that he will not do it, but then his conscience cuts in and he gets on with the job he had been asked to do. 

His brother on the contrary replied positively to his father, but then it seems life got in the way and he did not take on the task – leaving it all to his brother. 

The answer is clear to the question that Jesus poses "Which of the two did the will of the father?" It the one who at first refused the request who is the one to be honoured, while the other deserves derision for his behaviour. Because they had faith in John the Baptist, Jesus declares to the Temple officials “The tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” (v. 31)

If we dwell on the implication of these words in our own context they can be quite a challenge. The people in the Temple that day saw the Temple as the place where they were separated from the folk who did not respect their faith. Jesus' words must have really hit home as I am sure they sometimes do to those who are part of the Church today.

To Ponder:

• Would we object to someone disturbing our time of worship with a message similar to the one Jesus took into the Temple that day?
• In the story, which brother do we relate to? Do we always follow the request God makes of us which might lead us into uncomfortable places?
• How closed are our church doors to those who might be termed 'tax collectors and prostitutes' today and how well are we acknowledging that phrase 'all are welcome in this place'?

Prayer

Help us Lord to be the disciples you would have us be. Help us to be open to your prompting and the tasks you put before us. Help us to focus on building your kingdom, not just in worship but in our daily lives, so that more and more people will turn to you and love you. Amen.