Today’s Gospel points the way: Matthew tells us
that there is one thing that Jesus the rabbi, Jesus the preacher and teacher,
wants from his followers above all else. And that is change. But not just
change from one side of some aisle to another. What Jesus is after is change
that makes a difference. Jesus talks about change that changes people.
Well, nothing makes us all warm and fuzzy
inside like being told we have to change, right? Especially folks like us. How
does the old joke go? How many Episcopalians does it take to change a
lightbulb? Change?
I get it, but don’t panic. Jesus is looking for
something more than simply good behavior or new year’s resolutions.
Let’s look again at today’s Gospel which
happens in the context of two familiar stories: Just before today’s lesson, Jesus
entered Jerusalem in triumph: the humble king who rode a donkey. People at once
shout “hosanna in the highest” and yet also ask “who is this person?” Then,
Jesus goes to the temple and famously cleans house, driving away the dealers
and the money changers that have taken up the space in outer courtyard, while
at the very same time he healed the blind and the lame. These are the catalyst
for today’s Gospel.
Jesus, the humble king, the fighting healer, meets
the religious elders and the scribes who ask him, “what the heck are you
doing?” Or, in Bible-speak “by what authority do you do this?” Jesus, in good
rabbinical style, will answer their question if they answer a question of his
own: did John the Baptist do what he did under God’s power or his own? This
causes them to do what political and religious leaders from time immemorial
have done: they punt. They say a study has been commissioned. Actually, they
shrug and say “We don’t know.” Well, Jesus says, if you don’t know, you don’t
know.
Why’d they shrug? Well, if they say John the
Baptist came from God then Jesus will ask them something awkward like “Well,
then, why didn’t you pay attention?”
That’s exactly what Jesus does—but he goes one
step further than John the Baptist. Jesus’ parable about the two sons describes
God at work in people, not just in one prophet. All around us, lives are being changed
by God for the better and still, Jesus says, you cannot see.
Now comes Jesus’ next allegory, the one we
heard this morning: A father has two sons and a vineyard. He says to one son,
go and work today and he says “No!” but
then this first son changes his mind and works anyway. He says to the other son,
go and work today and this second son says “Sure!
You bet!” but instead goes away and does nothing. So, Jesus asks, which son
did the father’s will? Well, the religious leaders say, obviously the first
son—the one who did the work.
Jesus invites the leaders to look around and
see that lives are being changed—no matter how unsavory they may seem. These
folks are like the first son, who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven faster than
the people who act like the second son—those religious folk who think they are
saying “yes,” but never change.
What Jesus is after is change that changes
lives. The religious leaders understood what Jesus was saying, and except for a
few exceptions, most apparently chose to be offended rather than reflective.
Which leads me to another question: Are you
threatened by this? Are you the least bit uncomfortable by this news? Is it my
imagination or did these pews just become a little bit harder? I don’t know
about you, but the fancy duds I’m wearing right now feel a little warm right
now, and this backwards collar I put on today seems a little, well, snug. Why?
Well, Jesus is saying that the addict asleep in
the bus shelter, the person in the AA meeting, the people coming to our food
giveaway, all those kids hanging out at the Wawa, and the guys at the beer bin
or OTB may in fact be entering the Kingdom faster than me. And I must be honest: I don’t like it.
I need to calm down here. And there is nothing
wrong with your pew. Jesus is not against religious people. He is not against
anyone. What Jesus is for is change.
Jesus reminds us that God seeks deep inner change that shows itself in
significant outer change. Sometimes it happens the other way round, we change
our behavior and a new heart that gets the message. However it happens, Jesus
seeks change in heart, mind, and action that make a real difference in both our
personal living and in how we are with one another. What does Jesus want? He
wants change that changes lives.
Okay, so what does that look like? Let’s take a
look at those two sons again.
Both of these guys need to change. The first
son is the one who obviously changes—and we cheer him on—says “no” at first,
but thinks better of it, turns around and does the work. He knows what is right
and does it, even if he was at first grumpy and resistant. The second son needs
changing, too. Because he knows what must be done but either by way of
distraction or, perhaps, people pleasing or just plain old passive resistance,
walks away from the work. The second son says “yes” but his heart—and his
feet-- says “no.”
Both need to do the right thing: one needs to
line up his will and his actions, and the other needs to line up his heart and
his words. Either way, both need to change. The one who changes not only
changes himself, but he also ends up making a difference to those around him.
What does Jesus want? He wants change that
changes lives.
Hmm. It’s actually simpler than it looks.
There is
always room for growth and change. No matter how faithful and how observant a
person is, no matter how proficient a person may be at prayer, service, and
knowledge in the Bible, there is always room from growth and change. Jesus was
particularly hard on the elders and chief priests when they did not see in
themselves the room for change—who thought they had this faithful living thing
figured out and down pat. Jesus lifted up tax-collectors and prostitutes who
not only changed, and began to the process of learning to live differently, who
welcomed, however tentatively, the opportunity to change.
Start
where you are, not where you are not. One of the reasons the big-wigs resented Jesus’
ministry is that he did not expect people to become perfect before he welcomed
their change. There is an important lesson here: too often we put off our own
conversion because we know we aren’t ready. Deadly Temptation Alert! None of us
are ready. Get over waiting to be ready. Don’t worry about getting your
spiritual or emotional ducks in a row! God knows we are not ready, that’s why
we need to change! Because God always starts where we are, right now and no
place else.
The point
of Godly change is to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The purpose of Godly
change is to make a difference in God’s creation. This is not self-help. We are
not converted as part of a three-step process of self-improvement. We are
changed to become God’s visible face, tangible hands and beating heart in a
world that desperately needs blessing, help, and justice. One way that we will
know that we are becoming the people God made us to be is when we find
ourselves making a positive change in the lives of the people around us.
And that will happen on many levels. Lives will
be blessed. We will uphold the dignity of others. We will defend and befriend
those who have no friends. We will care for those who have no one to care for
them. We will visit the lonely. We will hold our leaders, both political and
religious, accountable when they, in our name, make policies that ignore or
exploit or harm the poorest and most defenseless around us. We will know we are
changing when we see others around making a difference in the lives around
them. We will know we are changing our vision and our hearts when we will
rejoice that people are changing and orienting their lives to God even if—especially
if—they are not at all like us. When we don’t mind what religion they follow,
or who they vote for, or where they hail from, but see them as the people God
made and loves unconditionally.
This is the Bulletin for Worship for The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost: September 27, 2026 at St. Chad's, Tampa, Florida.
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