Churchgoers, Hookers & Traitors

Christians are sometimes arrogant and sometimes humble, sometimes pompous and sometimes modest. We often confuse what is important, our position in a church or our faith? That is a question that Jesus pursued in his classic confrontations with religious leaders. They would not go into the kingdom of heaven first, despite their dedication and lofty positions, but lowly sex workers and traitors who simply believe would go first. How insulting! We can be in the same boat as the two sons in the parable in Matthew 21:23-32. One said yes and did nothing; the other said no but changed his mind and eventually acted. We have said yes to Jesus and others have said no, for now. Our natural bias is to look down our noses at those that live depraved lives outside the church. Next time someone with a dirty past comes into our midst, let’s remember: they may be the first into Christ’s kingdom.