Of Good News, Prostitutes and Thieves
Matthew 21:23-32
September 28, 2008
On the lectionary calendar, today is the Sunday that is dedicated to evangelism. Now in some Christian circles, and in many secular arenas, the word “evangelism” seems to be a bit of a dirty word. Many times it is associated with “evangelists” or “televangelists” or “evangelization” which don’t necessarily bring positive images to the minds of many people. Indeed perhaps these words have you thinking of wealthy preachers, scandals, fast growing mega-churches, or a particular theology that promotes door-to-door salesmanship of salvation. Indeed, many people are rather wary of the word “evangelism” and its linguistic cousins, because of these particular connotations, so much so that like many other Presbyterian and mainline denominations, we don’t have an Evangelism Committee, but Mission and Service and Outreach Committees—by the way, the Mission and Service Committee is meeting after the service today, so don’t forget!
But the Greek word from which “evangelism comes—euvaggeli,wn, pronounced “eu-an-gel-i-on”—simply means “to announce or bring good news” and this is what I would like to focus on today—the broader meaning of “good news.” And unlike the way “evangelism” is frequently used today to refer to “saving souls,” the “good news” of Christ and the “good news” found in the Old Testament are focused on this world more than on the afterlife. When Jesus refers to the “good news” it particularly relates to people who are in poverty. Jesus is here to bring “good news” to the poor by offering an alternative vision of life that is more just and more equitable.
In the only use of “good news” in the book of Matthew Jesus says that in his ministry “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them” (Matt 11:5).
Evangelism and to be an evangelist, then, is tied very directly to the problems and troubles of the world that we live in everyday. It is about a Kingdom of God where people living in the here and now bring justice, faith and mercy to all people. The “good news” of Christ is in the present as much as it is in the future and it is practiced in our daily lives and our day-to-day activities. And even though the specific word that “evangelism” comes from does not appear in our text today, our passage does show us an example of how to live a life that actively promotes the “good news” of Christ wherever we are. So let’s take a closer look at Matthew 21.
The passage from Matthew today has two clear segments. The first describes Jesus teaching in the Jewish Temple where he is interrupted and questioned by the chief priests and elders. In particular--these two sets of people—the chief priests and elders—are concerned with power and authority. Who gave Jesus authority and from where did John the Baptist’s power come, are their main concerns. Their interest in power and authority is very personal for them. Let us remember that the chief priests are part of the Levite family, and the elders are the descendants from the 70 elders selected by Moses and Aaron during the Exodus period. Both groups had hereditary power from the tie of Moses as the communicators between God and the Israelites.
But there is a problem. It appears their lives have been too focused on the particulars of the law and faith and not on the welfare of the Jewish people. And this is the central critique that Jesus levels against them just 2 chapters later when he says to another set of Jewish leaders—scribes and Pharisees—“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill and cumin, and you have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith…you blind guide! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (Matt 23:23).
Jesus is trying to help the religious leaders focus not on impractical theological interpretations, but on the practical matter of helping those who were suffering horribly under Roman rule. For Jesus the chief priests and elders had forgotten their duty of “evangelism”—of bringing good news and justice, mercy, and faith to those who needed it. And how easy it is for us who are comfortable to forget the needs of others.
So Jesus tells a parable to remind them (and us) of God’s “good news.” In the parable of the two sons Jesus says that the religious leaders have been given the gift of taking care of God’s fields and after agreeing to care for God’s people, they have not responded either to their duties or to the calls of Jesus for reform and renewal. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did respond to Jesus and because of their decisions to change their lives and believe in the way of Jesus, they will enter the Kingdom of God before the religious leaders. That is a powerful message!
But why would Jesus use prostitutes and tax collectors as examples? Well, tax collectors and prostitutes were people who were legally ostracized. Prostitutes, as I’m sure you can imagine, were not looked upon as models of decency. Their stigma needs no explanation because it is, sadly, still powerful today. How many prostitutes do we know or are we associated with?
But why tax collectors? Well, tax collectors were Jewish people who worked for the Roman Empire, which was an alien occupying force in Palestine. They were viewed from a legal perspective as “thieves” under Jewish law. Many tax collectors extorted and exploited the poorer folks of Palestine to line their own pockets and fill the coffers of the Roman Empire. They were, essentially, viewed as traitors. In fact, tax collectors were so scorned that they could not even testify as witnesses in courts and it was approved by Jewish religious law that you could lie to tax collectors so that you didn’t have to pay taxes to Rome—but I don’t suggest trying that with the IRS today!
So tax collectors and prostitutes were officially and practically removed from the faith and life of the Jewish people. But when they heard the words of Jesus and were treated by him with mercy and faith, they repented and Jesus brought them back into the community—but these conversions with the “good news” of Jesus were not smiled upon by the religious leadership, which chose to view tax collectors and prostitutes as enemies, instead of as people, human beings who needed to be at the very heart of the “good news” of repentance, forgiveness, and mercy.
And this is what Jesus did: he saw the humanity of scorned people and he gave them the “good news”—he evangelized with mercy and repentance and helped them out of their lives of misery.
But what does this have to do with us here and now in a place where we don’t run across tax collectors and thieves and prostitutes daily? Well there are two stories I’d like to share with you today. You may call them modern day parables, if you like. They come from real life. The first is about a prostitute and a preacher. The second is about a thief and his potential victims. And I ask you to decide who it is that brought the “good news” of Jesus, and were evangelists of mercy, faith and peace.
The first is from a movie, that some of you may have seen, though most of you probably didn’t. It was called Borat and told the story of a man named Borat, played by the actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who left his home in Kazakhstan to come to America to learn about our country. It was a spoof and was meant to poke fun and expose underlying attitudes and convictions in American society. It was filmed in a documentary style where the Borat is played by an actor in full character, but none of the people he interacts with knows this. And there one particular scene that was particularly revealing.
In this scene Borat is in Alabama and sitting around a large dinner table, in a big nice house, being hosted by a wealthy family. There are a few couples one of whom is a preacher and his wife. Borat goes through a ludicrous routine, meant to embarrass his hosts. He insults the pastor’s wife. His manners are absolutely atrocious. He curses. He is blatantly obnoxious. And his hosts, real life people who are not actors, continue throughout these proceedings and antics to treat him with respect, forgiveness and grace. They are, in fact, amazingly patient.
But then the doorbell rings. And on the other side of this door is a prostitute that Borat has called to meet him at the house. And as she enters the dining room the party is stunned. Almost immediately after seeing the prostitute, the pastor—the only religious figure at the table—abruptly rises from his chair, and says “I think it is time for us to go home.” And he and his wife simply walk out the door.
The second story comes from a strange event written up first in the Washinton Post. I quote from that article:
“A grand feast of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp was winding down, and a group of friends was sitting on the back patio of a Capitol Hill home, sipping red wine. Suddenly, a hooded man slid in through an open gate and put the barrel of a handgun to the head of a 14-year-old guest.
"Give me your money, or I'll start shooting," he demanded, according to D.C. police and witness accounts.
The five other guests, including the girls' parents, froze -- and then one spoke.
"We were just finishing dinner," Cristina "Cha Cha" Rowan, 43, blurted out. "Why don't you have a glass of wine with us?"
The intruder took a sip of their Chateau Malescot St-Exupéry and said, "Damn, that's good wine."
The girl's father, Michael Rabdau…told the intruder…to take the whole glass. Rowan offered him the bottle. The would-be robber, his hood now down, took another sip and had a bite of Camembert cheese that was on the table.
Then he tucked the gun into the pocket of his nylon sweatpants.
"I think I may have come to the wrong house," he said, looking around the patio of the home.
"I'm sorry," he told the group. "Can I get a hug?"
Rowan…stood up and wrapped her arms around him. Then it was Rabdau's turn. Then his wife's. The other two guests complied.
"That's really good wine," the man said, taking another sip. He had a final request: "Can we have a group hug?"
The five adults surrounded him, arms out.
With that, the man walked out with a crystal wine glass in hand, filled with Chateau Malescot. No one was hurt, and nothing was stolen.”
Where is the “evangelism” in these two stories? Where is the “good news” of mercy, justice and faith? Now our situations will not always be this drastic, but perhaps if we diligently strive to live our ordinary times with mercy, justice and faith—those weightier matters of the law—then perhaps when the extraordinary moments of life come, we can exhibit the very “good news” of Christ. Because the fact of the matter is, this is exactly who we are called to be and how we are called to live. And in the end the tax collectors and thieves and prostitutes are part of the Kingdom of God just like we are, and it is our duty and our obligation show all people the justice, faith, mercy and love of God. This is indeed “good news” and in this we can all be “evangelists.” Amen.
