Better Late Than Never
Matthew 21:23-32
When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
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Think of a time when someone asked you to do something, and you told them, "No," but had a change of heart and did the task. Or I guess you could flip it and say think of a time when you asked someone to do something. Can you come up with an example? Better late than never, the saying goes, and this morning Jesus preachers a word we need to hear. Actions speak louder than words. We can talk about faith and talk about God until we are blue in the face, but if our conduct doesn't match our talk of God, then we're hypocrites. Jesus is telling us we need to step it up! If you, we, are not out doing the life-giving work of God and building the kin(g)dom of God, then we need to start doing so! There is still time for us to do our part, the sun hasn’t set! Again, better late than never. Are we up for the task?
As a hospital chaplain, I had a few of those "better late than never" moments. I can recall stopping by to see a patient before I left for the day. It had already been a long day, and I was ready to go home, but I figured I would stop in for a visit since I didn't get to them during my shift. We chatted for a while, read a psalm, and said a prayer, and before I left, they thanked me for visiting them. The next morning when I came in, I heard that they had passed. In this instance, the showing up late instead of not at all meant that a patient could get their last thoughts out. They could say a prayer and do whatever else they wanted, knowing that someone and others cared about them. Showing up meant something. It might not have changed the world, yet it was enough for someone alone in a hospital, not sure what tomorrow was going to bring.
Jesus knows that faith is a critical part of life, and the words that we use to describe such faith give shape to how we understand God, the world, our communities, and ourselves. Though theology, the language we use to talk about our beliefs and God, can only take us so far. There is a call to action in Jesus' teaching this morning. Sure, we all love someone who is enthusiastic and says they'll get the job done, nonetheless if they ultimately don't complete the task, their words become a moot point. The same is true for us. Yes, let our theology, our understanding of God take precedence in our hearts and lives. However, if those words and convictions don't translate to real-world implementation, then there's something wrong. With so much that is at hand, our lives cannot ring empty they need to sound forth with prophetic action and the life-giving love and justice of God. Because if we think we're worthy or done our part, Jesus says countless others are living out the call in ways aligned with the heart of God.
For those of us who think we're worthy or done enough, Jesus holds up a mirror and asks us to take a close look at ourselves. That is what Jesus is doing in the reading for today as he encounters the religious leaders in the temple. Jesus tells the story of two brothers who represent the people who viewed themselves as pious and the people who they deemed "outsiders" and said, "Yeah, it's not you. Those you rejected are the ones doing the work of God." As Jesus asks his adversaries to find themselves with this short parable, we too are asked where we see ourselves in responding to the call of God. The religious leaders know which brother they represent based on their failure to respond to John the Baptist's preaching, and we know which "brother" we are based on how we respond to God's voice that cries out to us this very day. Cries that resound from a world on fire, cries that resound from the homeless and hungry, and cries that resound from all the corners where we have failed to stand up and love and protect our sisters and our brothers.
Friends believing, believing means; that we have to make a decision. We have to decide who we are in this parable about two brothers. Do we place our trust and hope that Christ will work with what we offer? Or will we instead turn to what we know, the false promises of power that only end up causing strife and hurt and apathy? Jesus knows the answer that we write upon our hearts. Still, I want us to take a moment now and pause. And for a few moments, I want you to place yourself in front of Jesus. Imagining how you would respond to the question, "Which of the two did the will of his father?" How would you also answer the not so subtle question of, "Who are you in this parable?" [Moment of Reflection]
You don't have to share where you placed yourself in the parable that we hear from Jesus today. Know though that there is grace and good news even if we painted ourselves as the brother who said, "Yes," yet never went. The good news is that there is still time. There is hope that if we haven't started merging our life and faith, we can do so now. This blending of life and faith is what enables the church to be a public witness. It is what compels us to cook for the hungry, build homes for the homeless, speak up for the welfare of all people. There is time to live into the good news and the resurrection life of Jesus Christ, and that time is now! The Church of Jesus Christ, the Church of God, is made up of sinners who, by the grace of God, are saints. The tax collectors, prostitutes, gentiles, you, and I, make up this community, the body of our living God. So let's get rollings, and let's start acting as living witnesses whose hearts the Holy Spirit transformed. Better late than never, and there is no time like the here and now! Amen.