One of my friends spent time in prison. After meeting Jesus as his Savior, he came to church and shared a saying he learned while incarcerated: “Don’t talk about it, be about it.”
In prison, he also told people hiding behind the bars, “Don’t bring it, sing it.” I would not have wanted to test him on that, but I was glad to walk with him as we tried to live out his motto: “Don’t talk about it, be about it.”
Good Talk Lacking Appropriate Action
Earlier when Jesus was at the temple, He had a confrontation with the religious leaders when they asked where He got His authority. He asked them a question about John the Baptist, and they refused to answer Him.
Jesus told a parable about two sons. One spoke well but did not follow through. The other said he would not do what his father asked, but later changed his mind and obeyed.
Jesus then applied the parable to John the Baptist. He challenged the religious leaders who spoke well about God but refused to follow God’s direction. They certainly chafed under His application of the parable.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him” (Matthew 21:31-32).
Tax collectors and prostitutes were among the lowest-status people in Jewish society. Jesus told the religious leaders that they would enter God’s kingdom before the religious crowd. Though their lifestyle had denied God, they came to John in repentance, seeking forgiveness for their sins and a new life.
A friend sent me three photos from the small group Bible study he attended last Wednesday night at Maywood Baptist Church. I call it a small group, but it looked like about 20 people were there.
If you saw some of them in a grocery store, you might step aside because a few look a little intimidating. But the truth is, they are like the people who came to John the Baptist. They have a past, but Jesus gave them a great present and a wonderful future.
The Least, the Lonely, and the Lost
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I will begin studying the book of Acts after we finish the Gospel of Matthew. I have been reading Ben Witherington’s commentary on Acts, and he made a statement about Luke’s Gospel that really speaks to me.
He says Luke’s Gospel is about God’s purpose to change society’s social order. Jesus came to serve the least, the lonely, and the lost.
When I think of those who came to John the Baptist, followed Jesus, and gathered with the church crowd I mentioned earlier, I am thankful that God loves everyone, including people like me.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Matthew 21:28-44 on YouTube today.
Real Voices 