The Poor in Spirit

" 'The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, 'If we say, "From heaven," He will say to us, "Then why did you not believe him?" But if we say, "From men," we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.' And answering Jesus, they said, 'We do not know.' He also said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things...Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.' " (Matthew 21:25-27, 31b-32)


The second day of His final Passover in Jerusalem, Jesus came to the Temple-grounds, where worshippers from throughout Judea and the diaspora were gathering. Amidst the tens of thousands with their sacrificial animals, the loud praying of the crowds and bleating sheep being slaughtered, the "chief priests and elders of the people" sought Jesus out and challenged His authority.

These were not men who did the ordinary work of the Temple; not the workaday priests continually slitting animals' throats and splattering their blood on the altar, or those who chanted psalms to the dusty, noisy crowds. Jesus' challengers were men of the wealthy, politically-connected establishment from whose families every High Priest was selected: the Bushs, Kennedys and Rockefellers of Judaism.

Jesus expertly challenged His challengers: could they recognize authority, spiritual authority, when they saw it ?

I'm impressed that the Jewish rulers' referred first to their public-image. They knew any straight answer, either for or against John's ministry, would let them be bested by a rustic trouble-maker, or lose them popular support. To save their public image, they dared not answer.

Jesus pointed out that their dishonesty went deeper than playing to the crowds. Even "afterward," He said: even after seeing that God changed the lives of repentant tax collectors and prostitutes who believed John, even after John's threat to your religious establishment was ended by his murder: you dare not admit you were wrong. To preserve your self-image, you dare not, even now, honestly admit to yourself that John was preaching God's message.

I doubt the chief priests and elders acted any differently than any of us would. What we perceive as ours is hard to give up. The "rich young ruler" was crestfallen when Jesus said, from love for him (Mark 10:21), that he must give up all his riches. The chief priests and elders had even more to lose: wealth, but also status, power, reputation, public esteem and self-esteem.

Those who welcomed God's rule in their lives at John's preaching, had none of these. Pariahs, despised by all who met them, the prostitutes and tax-collectors had no status to forfeit, no power nor wealth, no reputation or self-respect to lose.

Bob Dylan got it right: "When you ain't got nothin', you got nothin' to lose."

God, give us the BLESSING to have nothing to lose !