Ahead of You

Jesus said to [the chief priests and the elders of the people], “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.” (Matthew 21:31–32, NIV 1984).

My Musings – “Tax collectors and sinners” was just another way of saying the dregs of society. Two classes of people who were most looked down upon by “good” people. Yet they were said to be “entering the kingdom of God ahead of [the others].”

Why is it that those who have the least to offer are more likely to respond to God’s call to repentance than those who seemingly have the most to offer? Is it because they are more likely to be conscious of their unsuitability to God’s Kingdom than the rest?

These, of course, are not absolutes (without exceptions), but rather generalizations (seems to be true in most situations or for most people, but that may not be completely true in all cases).

My Advice – “My people come to [me], as they usually do…to listen to [my] words, but they do not put them into practice.” (Ezekiel 33:30–31, NIV 1984). “But the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.” They come to do more than just listen. They come to enter the Kingdom. We should too.