Jun 30 2019 Matthew 21: 23-32

Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.

Why is this so hard for us? Why do we keep forgetting that Jesus intentionally picked the outcasts? I took a class on ‘liberation theology’, the line of thinking that originated from countering the wrong-headed notion that the powerful colonial church could be horrible to the indigenous people because their reward would be in heaven. Let us oppress you now because we’re spectacular, and you’re brown-skinned. It will all be ok, because your reward is not in this world. Trust us. No wonder a whole line of theology sprouted in response to that.

But while I fully enjoyed the theology of the underdog, I couldn’t get behind the conclusion of the theology. They landed at something called, God’s preferential treatment of the poor. God cares more for the poor and underdog. I think I struggled with this because I don’t like the idea of a preference for anyone, or any class of people.

Jesus wasn’t saying that the prostitutes and corrupt tax collectors were inherently better. This quote from Matthew comes after the story about the two sons who were asked to do their father’s will. One said he would do it, and didn’t. He said the right things, but had wrong actions. The other son said he wouldn’t, but eventually did do them. He said the wrong thing, but followed through with right actions. He told this story to a bunch of religious leaders in the temple. He was suggesting that these ‘leaders’ were good at saying the right things, but didn’t end up doing the right things. They didn’t believe John the Baptist. But the tax collectors and prostitutes, who did said and looked wrong, eventually did believe John. It’s because of their faith.

Unfortunately, this feels like a very relevant story today too. There was a big clash in downtown Portland yesterday between conservative ‘Proud Boys’ and Antifa, with arrests, beatings and pepper spray. Both sides were willing to resort to violence to silence the other, all for what they believed or said.

On a more personal level, my church tradition is full of conservative, wealthy, well intentioned Jesus followers, who scoff at the uber liberal, or at the homeless and addicts. Meanwhile the church is also full of the uber-liberal well-intentioned Jesus followers, who scoff at the 1%, the conservatives, the elite. I don’t believe God loves the 1% better than the addicts. Nor do I believe God loves the liberals more than the conservatives. If this is a God of love of all, God loves all. It all comes down to belief and right-action. Do the homeless love God, believe in Jesus? Do the bankers believe in God, and love Jesus? They’ll all make it to heaven, for a gigantic classless party, with bankers dancing with addicts, and liberals helping the 1%.

The tax collectors in Jesus’ story, or the brown people in liberation theology don’t have a fast-pass to get to the front of the line. Nor are they precluded from the party. With right action, with a belief in an all-loving God, all are welcome. Including me. 

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