"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." — Matthew 21:32
Jesus tells a story about two sons, and it's easy to hear it as a simple lesson about follow-through, saying yes and meaning it. But the sting is in what comes after. The people who looked most obedient, most righteous, most "in”, are the ones who missed it. The people written off; tax collectors and prostitutes, are the ones who actually turned toward God.
This is not really a story about vineyard chores. It's a story about who we expect to find in the kingdom, and how often we are wrong.
I wonder if part of what trips up the religious leaders in this passage is that they had already decided who belonged and who didn't. Once you've decided that, it's hard to see God moving somewhere you weren't looking. The tax collectors and the prostitutes didn't have that problem. They had less to protect, and less reputation riding on being right. So when John came preaching repentance, they had room to say yes.
Where might you be more like the second son this week, saying the right words, but slower to actually move? Where is God already at work in a person or place you weren't expecting?
Who have you already decided doesn't belong? What if you are wrong?
Prayer: God of surprising grace, soften the places in us that have already decided who is in and who is out. Give us eyes to see you at work in the people and places we least expect, and give us the humility to say yes with our actions, not just our words. Amen.
Peace, Pastor Erin
