Song “Abide with me”
Song “You are my hiding place”
Song “Why should the devil have all the good music”
The world belongs to God
The earth and all its people
How good and lovely it is
To live together in unity
Love and faith come together
Justice and peace join hands
Song “Brother, sister let me serve you”
Let us in silence remember our faults and failings
Christ have mercy on us, and deliver us from our sins and may we amend our lives
Amen.
We say the Lords Prayer in our own language
Reflection on Matthew 21v23-32
Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching and his authority as a religious teacher was questioned by the religious authorities. The chief priests led the temple services and were members of the Sanhedrin.
In return, Jesus asks them a trick question, showing how shrewd he was in understanding the political expediencies at the time and how they mitigated against truth telling as they do today. By what authority did John perform his baptism? The religious leaders are unwilling to answer due to the issue's political sensitivity and they get heated with one another because they have been caught out! He has exposed the game!
Jesus says if you answer me, I'll answer you! The religious authorities supported Herod and Pilate. They were as slippery as snakes! The people thought John was a prophet even though they saw him as mad. They couldn't answer him because they had no theology just political alliances! Political expediency is nothing new. Most of the Church supported Nazi Germany. Many Christians support Trump.
Jesus then uses a parable to illustrate his teaching. In the parable the father is God and the sons, the religious and non-religious. Unlike kingdom parables, teaching parables serve to illustrate a truth. The parable of the two sons illustrates the difference between saying and doing. The Pharisees had a real problem with this. They claimed to be moral and upright, tithing their herbs, mint and cumin, but were hypocrites.
"What do you think?" introduces the parable. The parable of the two sons underlines what is right and not merely talking about it. Walking the walk not just talking the talk. Jesus says that so called sinners tax collectors and prostitutes, nice gender balance there, living sinful lives, choose to do what is right, but the so called moral authorities, the righteous or self-righteous, just talk the talk.
The Pharisees thought that despite the special relationship of the Jews to God, meant they were blessed but they were not good people! The so called righteous, Jesus said, Israel's religious leaders, are excluded from Gods kingdom. This is heresy! Blasphemous! Its like saying the Pope is excluded from Gods kingdom!.
But the lost, the common, the unclean, like tax collectors and prostitutes, and outcasts are included in the kingdom! They were thousands of religious outcasts in Israel at the time, excluded from its social and religious life. Just like in the world today!
Jesus however discriminates in favour of the poor! What a message for our governments! Option for the Poor. Positive discrimination! This is rooted in Old Testament theology, but not in twenty first century consumer capitalism!
Let us remember to walk the walk as well as talking the talk!
Song “Put peace into each others hands”
The blessing of God be upon you
On those you love and those you meet
This day and forevermore. Amen
Song “Some say he was an outlaw”
Song “When I was up in Canada”
Song “He will hold you fast”
With thanks to the ©Iona Community adapted
