Word to the Wise
Sunday, September 28, 2008 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
[Ezekiel 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32]Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.
Honor and respect are core values in the Middle Eastern society in which Jesus lived and this is still the case. On one level the son in the parable who says, "Yes I will!" but later disobeys would be considered the better son in a Middle Eastern setting because he did not "shame" his father by publicly refusing the father's request. However, Jesus' question is not about "honor" or "face." It is about obedience: hearing the word of God and keeping it. The scribes and Pharisees were good at maintaining honor and face but they would not change their ways when they were confronted by John the Baptist! "Saving face" is not just a Middle Eastern or Oriental cultural characteristic. I think we individualistic Americans have a form of it in the expression: "Image is everything." It becomes more important to "seem" (and be seen) to do something than to actually "follow through" to the goal! Those who work long and hard in social justice ministry have often spoken to me about their preference for the humble steady efforts of those who do not care who gets the credit, as contrasted with those who seek publicity through token appearances or simply to soothe guilt feelings. The latter may have "heard the word" but they are not "keeping it." The first son in the parable becomes through conversion the obedient son and a model for many of us who find the demands of our faith and moral beliefs too demanding and restrictive of our freedom. Perhaps it is the opportunity to "think it over" which turns us back to the father whose original request seemed repugnant? Or perhaps we are like the first son in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 10:11-32) who must first suffer the consequences of his behavior before returning to the father who is always ready to welcome back the lost? Jesus warns us that it is not those who cry "Lord, Lord!" who will enter the kingdom (Matt 7:21) but only the one who DOES the will of the Father. An election year gives us plenty of examples of this contrast between those who "talk the talk" but don't "walk the walk." I hope their example does not lead to imitation but to an examination of conscience! AMEN
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