{"id":6075,"date":"2010-08-16T17:40:11","date_gmt":"2010-08-16T22:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buddymartin.net\/blog\/?p=6075"},"modified":"2020-01-10T17:18:37","modified_gmt":"2020-01-10T17:18:37","slug":"the-prostitute-will-enter-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buddymartin.org\/blog\/2010\/08\/16\/the-prostitute-will-enter-first\/","title":{"rendered":"The Prostitute Will Enter First"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but \"\"<\/a>afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. \u2018Which of the two did the will of his father?\u2019 They said, \u2018The first.\u2019 Jesus *said to them, \u2018Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you<\/strong><\/span>.\u2019\u201d<\/em> (Mat 21:28-31 NASB)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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J<\/span>ournal,<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In this entry I want to follow two closely related tracks. One will concern itself with those who have a self-righteous religious attitude. The other track will address the Church that Jesus established, that is, the church made up of prostitutes and tax collectors. The tracks will run together.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To appreciate what Jesus had to say about prostitutes and tax collectors entering the kingdom of God before the religious authorities of that hour, we need a bit of background. The day prior, Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple area. When He returned to the temple the following day, He was confronted by the authorities:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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“…the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.'”<\/em> <\/span><\/span>(Mat 21:23-24 NASB)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
When Jesus asked them if the baptism of John was from heaven or from men, it caught\"\"<\/a> them completely off guard. They were unable to respond. The crowds saw John as a prophet, and were being drawn to Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. They were calling Him, ‘Son of David.’<\/span> (This term had regard to the promised Messiah.)<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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The religious leaders refused to answer. Thereby Jesus refused to tell them where His authority came from. It is at this point that the Lord gives the parable of the two sons.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

It is how Jesus ends this parable that is so interesting. He simply says that the prostitutes and tax collectors would enter the kingdom of God, ahead of these Jewish leaders? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Think about it. The Lord was in the temple complex speaking to the recognized leaders of world Judaism. Included in this group would be those who would have Him crucified.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, you guessed it. Religion crucified Jesus. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The gospel of the prostitute<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But why did Jesus draw attention to prostitutes and tax collectors? After all they were considered the very dregs of Jewish society, the very worst of sinners. For one reason they were utterly detested\u00a0especially by the Pharisees. And so you have the dregs of society versus the high and mighty. You have those who know they are sinners, and you have the religious bigots, the very epitome of the self righteous, those who look down their noses at everyone not of their sort. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Yet it is in the prostitutes and tax collectors that we see the true gospel story. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Strangely enough the verity of \u2018the prostitutes entering first\u2019 can be seen of a sorts in Biblical form. In the very genealogy of Jesus Christ, only four women are recorded. Three of the four women were non-Hebrew in ancestry; Tamar the Canaanite, Rahab the Canaanite, and Ruth the Moabite. Two had prostitution written in their lives, Tamar and Rahab. One was an adulteress, Bathsheba. (Bathsheba was the only Hebrew of the four. She was from the tribe of Judah.)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>All four of these women were in the direct lineage of Jesus Christ. Does that tell us anything at all? Why were these the only women recorded? Perhaps it is because in these women we see the very heart of the gospel story and of God’s love for all of humanity.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a brief rundown.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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