Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 13, 2022 - 3rd Week of Advent - Tues
[Zeph 3:1-2, 9-13 and Matt 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 in him." [Matthew]
DECEMBER 13 ST. LUCY, virgin and martyr
The audience for Jesus' comments is the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem in Jesus' last days before his arrest and crucifixion. The story is about a man with two sons. He asks one to do something. The son says yes but does not do it. The other says no but then changes his mind. Jesus asks which one obeyed. They respond that the second one did. Jesus then compares them negatively to the second son because even if they found it hard to be in the company of tax collectors and sinners, they should have changed their minds and not rejected John's (and Jesus') teaching.
The religious leadership of Jesus' time were blinded both by their messianic expectations and by their righteousness. How could a rabbi from Nazareth be the Messiah? How could tax collectors and "sinners" possibly be righteous in faith when they did not keep the law perfectly? Do we find ourselves creating a Messiah of our own designs? Do we put Jesus' challenging teaching aside because we don't like the kind of people we might be associated with?
The Baby we adore in the manger scene will grow up to challenge our expectations and prejudices. Advent prepares us not just for what happens in Bethlehem but what happens later as well. AMEN