With Opened Bibile

"Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.” (Matthew 21,31)

Jesus declares that tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom ahead of so-called believers. 

Why such a declaration?

The answer to this question lies in the rest of the discourse: "When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him." (Matthew 21:32)

Believe! Believing in Jesus goes hand in hand with listening to His Word. For it is written: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) To do the will of God, one must listen to His words.

In Sunday's Gospel, the son who said "no" is the one who changed his mind and did what the Father wanted of him. No one can please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), and faith requires listening to His Word (John 10:27).

We can better understand why Jesus was so harsh with the Jewish crowds. They pretended to believe but did not listen. Tax collectors and prostitutes were looked down upon in Jesus' time. Yet, their strength lay in listening to the Word. Consequently, they will enter the kingdom ahead of those who claim to believe in Jesus but do not obey Him.

Indeed, the word of saint Paul to the Romans joins that idea of listening to show faith: “Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10,17)