“Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom ahead of you”

”Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom ahead of you” – Matthew 21 vs 31

When I first read this verse I said ‘my goodness!’ I felt something unsettle in my heart. Could this be me?

Let me set the scene: Jesus has made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, knocked over the money changers stalls and pretty much upset the Chief Priests. He then tells them a parable, the parable of the 2 sons. Son 1 was told to work in the vineyard, initially He said no but later he changed His mind and went. Son 2 was told to go and work in the vineyard also, he said he would but he did not. Jesus let the chief priests know that they were the second son, John came to show them the way of righteousness and they shunned him and they consequently shunned Jesus. The tax collectors and protitutes held on to the truth proclaimed by John and thus trusted Jesus when they saw Him.

How many of us have ‘surrendered’ our life to Christ, yet refuse to do what He says. We refuse to love, forgive, be kind etc actively without seeking His help to change this. We have not surrendered if we do not obey and therefore we are operating as the person who wants to save their life but will end up losing (Matthew 16:25). The kingdom of heaven is not about saying ‘yes Lord’ but doing our own thing, it’s about clinging to him for dear life, denying ourselves and taking up our cross (Matthew 16:24). No matter what they have done, no matter what they look like, no matter how long it took them to hearken unto the word of God and lay their life down, anybody that obeys God is in a better position than those paying lip service. It is so easy for us to judge those that have been labelled because we are good at hiding who we truly are. We must remember that it is not everyone that cries ‘Lord Lord’ that is doing the will of the Father. We must produce the fruit of the kingdom else it will be taken away from us.

So when we say ‘yes’ make sure it is followed by action and from a place of surrender, God cannot be mocked.

Prayer: Lord, help me to bear the fruits of the kingdom. Amen.