Saying yes or no to authority

Sermon for Pentecost XVIII, 2026, delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY
Text: Matthew 21:23-32

If you have raised children, or remember your own childhood, part of this morning’s Gospel reading is familiar. You ask an older child, or maybe you were asked to perform some chore, be it taking out the trash, cleaning a room, or helping with yardwork. And the responses to such requests are often the same as the two sons in the reading, where one says no at first, then (sullenly) does it, while the other says yes and then does nothing. As a parent, it is a test of patience, and I commiserate with the father in the reading. For those with children, it does get better. This scenario is a test of authority, children testing the authority of their parents as they  mature and become more self-directed, doing things that they want to do. They become their own authority on what they will or will not do. They question the authority of their parents in this unfolding ability to decide how to live their lives.

While the father-son interaction may be the most memorable scene in this reading, Jesus’ comments ultimately revolve around John the baptizer’s authority and the religious leaders’ response to his call for repentance and baptism. They may have heard of him and understood why he was baptizing people, but they did not take him seriously, or maybe some did take him seriously but did nothing that he called them to do. The Gospels do not say this explicitly, but we get this impression when Jesus responds to their challenge of his authority when he says, “For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him.” If they did not believe in John’s authority, they will not believe Jesus’ authority, even as he speaks with authority. What the initial conversation between Jesus and the religious leaders does is to expose the reason why the leaders did not recognize Jesus’ or John’s authority. They see themselves as the only ones to teach or to determine religious rules, and Jesus has them trapped in that assumption. They either have to admit to John’s divine authority, and thus Jesus’ authority, or they have to admit to their self-serving authority that would cross the Jewish people’s belief in Jesus. It is a tough spot for the leaders to be in, but an expected one when political and religious power are combined to create self-serving hypocrisy. 

What the religious leaders and elders have done with their authority is to set themselves as gatekeepers of the kingdom of heaven, determining who is worthy, or without sin, and who is not worthy to enter. They are illegitimate gatekeepers at that, because Jesus says that even after they saw John’s work, they still did not believe him and accept his authority to call for repentance. They ignore the intent of the law as they enforce the words of the law to their advantage. How could they be righteous gatekeepers when they do not even understand how to enter the kingdom, or what the kingdom is like? They ignored the call to serve the needs of the poor and needy, the people who Jesus pays attention to. And that is part of entering the kingdom. The religious leaders and elders have responded to Jesus like the second son in the parable where they may have said “yes” to John, but then did nothing else. The irony of their claim of power is that the very people whom they scorn and condemn are the ones who will lead them into the kingdom. The tax collectors and prostitutes may have said “no” at first, but they repented, and they will enter the kingdom. It was not a repentance that put them in good graces with the leaders, instead it was a repentance that led to a surrender to Jesus’ teachings. It was a surrender as faith in his teaching and the salvation he was bringing.

What I see in this passage is that the greater the gap between actions and righteousness, the more significant the repentance. The sinners would have a more significant transformation away from sin than the religious leaders would, because they recognize how distant they are from God. The leaders could have the same kind of transformation but they instead claim no need for repentance. Jesus tells the leaders in so many words they have no right to say who can enter the kingdom because they have not repented themselves. Righteousness that comes from repentance is needed to enter the kingdom of heaven, and it comes ultimately from recognizing Jesus’ authority by following his teachings, his way of life, and his humility before God. To claim righteousness by being a gatekeeper is not the way of Jesus. It is not the repentant righteousness that John called for. Authority does not come from doing things other than God’s will. When you think about authority, ask yourself where it comes from. When you respond to a request, ask yourself what it looks like to respond to the authority behind the request. When you think about the kingdom of heaven, ask yourself who is acting as a gatekeeper and why. Through faith, we give Jesus authority over our lives, to lead us to the kingdom and help us understand what a righteous life looks like in it. That life will require changes from us, ones that we initially say no to. The task for us is to understand what it takes to get up like the son who said no, and do the work we are called to do.