Readings:
Exodus 13:17 - 15:18
Matthew 21:23-46
Psalm 26: 1-12
Proverbs 6: 16-19
Matthew reading: Jesus speaks of accessibilty to the Kingdom of God being much harder (if not impossible) for the chief priests and elders than for "corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes", because the latter heeded John the Baptist's call to repentance while the so-called "righteous" did not. Further on, Jesus refers to the Kingdom being removed from the "righteous" and handed to "a nation that will produce the proper fruit."
While in a literal sense this could perhaps be seen as Jesus removing his salvation from the Jews and bestowing it instead on the Gentiles, that would be a somewhat narrow reading of these words. A more magnanimous view, in keeping with the very nature of Jesus, would be that those who do not bear the fruits of repentance (whether Jew or Gentile) would not experience the Kingdom, while those who do repent (whether Jew or Gentile) will receive the Kingdom.
So why, then, the reference to "corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes?" Could it be that the message of salvation through acceptance of Jesus as Lord is available to all who will hear and accept the message - regardles of who they are or what they have done? That is a bitter pill for many Christians to swallow, but that is also the essence of the Gospel message.
No comments:
Post a Comment