Cue Santana!

 Cue Santana

Ezekiel is a priest and a prophet in Jerusalem.  The Lord God of the Exodus and Wilderness Campaign issues a decree: quit blaming the current bad circumstances on your parents or anyone else but yourself. “It is only the person that sins that will die.” Turn around and walk in my way again. Oh, you think my way is too hard! Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? Each of you need to change your evil ways. Tell my people, Ezekiel, and let them know there is good news: there is still time to turn back and change.  

 

Six Hundred Years later, Jesus enters Jerusalem with a demonstration that mocks Royal entrances! He proceeds to the Temple and begins to overturn the tables in the market place and currency exchange in the outer precincts. The chief priests are angry. Then as a demonstration of what should really be going on there, he cures the blind and the lame who are flocking to him, and crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” This elicits anger from the chief priests. And then he withers a fig tree because… it does not have fruit. Causing the disciples to ask, “Wow! How did you do that?” Aw shucks, he replies, with a little prayer and faith you could tell mountains to be lifted up and thrown into the sea! It’s crazy time in the midst of the annual Passover festival! All this recalls that Ezekiel did crazy stuff too – like eating a scroll!

 

All of this explains why the chief priests and elders ask him, “By what authority are you doing these things?” A reasonable question. Which implies there are different kinds of authorities: such as God, Satan and Jesus himself. Jesus is a shrewdie and does not take the bait, and instead asks them a question: Answer this and I’ll tell you. Does the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? They’re in a corner and realize there is no good answer: if they say from humans, the people will be angry, and if they say from heaven they know Jesus will ask them why they did not believe John. Not believe in him, but believe John when he says it is time to repent and change your evil ways, each of you, individually – the message Zeke was to announce, also in Jerusalem, yea those many years ago. No answer from you, says Jesus, no answer from me! But I will tell you story.

 

A father has two sons. He asks one to go work in the vineyard, and the son says, “I will not.” But then he does go out to the vineyard. He goes to the other son who says he will go, but he does not. Which one does the will of the father? This is a layup. It could not be easier. Of course, it is the first. Then Jesus says, “Right, and I’ll tell you something else: tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God before you! John came to show you the way but you did not believe him. They did! And even after you saw all those people down by the River Jordan turn back to God’s Way, you did not change your evil ways. Snap! Cue Santana!

 

What’s the take-away for us today? In the midst of lots of crazy stuff going on, social chaos, an ongoing pandemic, a yearning to return to business as usual, back to normal, our texts appear to scream, “Forget about it!” The point being, things need to change. We need to change. John told people to bear fruit worthy of repentance. No fruit on your tree. Zap! No tree. The good news is that there is time to change. Time to repent. Time to turn things around. Time to bear fruit. Time to be agents of change. All things will turn out all right in the end. Things don’t look so good right now? Good news! Then it’s not the end! All shall be well, all shall be well, all manner of thing shall be well. You can be agents of change. You can be agents of healing. You can move mountains! You really really can. There is still time. Amen. It is so. It is truth.