On Influence And Responsibility

“Again, if he teaches his disciples that something is not to be done, then neither must he do it, lest after preaching to others, he himself be found reprobate.” -St Benedict

In this Sunday’s Gospel we find Jesus speaking directly to “the chief priests and elders of the people.”

It’s a short Gospel passage, but it’s to the point. Jesus begins with the parable about two sons who are asked by their father to work the vineyard. The first son tells his father that he will work the vineyard, but doesn’t. The other son refuses to work the vineyard, but then changes his mind and does. The bible passage ends with Jesus plainly telling the “chief priests and elders of the people” that “tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.”

Mercy And Forgiveness

The Good News of the Gospel is that God has provided a way through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. We are not bound by the sins of the past, and our future is not determined by our current circumstances. God has provided the way to redemption and His name is Jesus.

That is what we first see in today’s reading. Those who are following Jesus once identified themselves by their sins, their failings, and their circumstances. It was to the point that they were only known within their communities, by their sin: “tax collectors and sinners.” But as I wrote before, how did Jesus treat tax collectors and sinners? Jesus loved them, and His kindness brought them to repentance. Though the community of religious leader may still think of them by their sin, Jesus does not. He knows that they will be the first to enter the Kingdom.

We should find hope as Christ begins here by acknowledging the power of repentance and the mercy of God towards those who are seen as worthless in the eyes of the religious leaders. But the rebuke and the power statement of, “tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you” holds a lot more than a simple correction.

Hypocrisy In Power

Today’s outcry is a prelude to a much more detailed admonishment in Matthew chapter 23. Today is Christ’s hot take; in a couple of weeks we’ll really hear Him lean into this rebuke.

In Matthew chapter 23 Jesus tells the crowd and His disciples that, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.”

Jesus was speaking plainly here to the leaders of that time. They too needed to repent and believe in the Gospel. They were sinners that expected that their religious authority and prestige would usher them to salvation.

Notice that Jesus in Matthew 23, does not abolish the office that gives those people power. He doesn’t abolish the chair of Moses, but instead tells His followers to do and “observe the things they tell you.” If you’ve ever struggled with leaders who preach one thing, while doing another, this is for you. The office is still valid and we must let God be the arbiter of justice.

And in the meantime if we have leaders who we think Jesus would rebuke, we would do well to “observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example.”

Our Influence

Those of us who do not have a religious office still have influence over others. We may not have far reaching influence like those with formal titles, but our influence is just a vital.

If you are a parent, teacher, or coach, you are aware of your influence. But even within our friendships and relationships with those we work with, we hold a level of influence and we need to make sure we don’t also become like the Pharisees. The same way that our religious leaders have a responsibility to live authentically, we too have that same responsibility. There are people who rely on us, who look up to us, and with great influence comes great responsibility.

So ask yourself:

• Who are those you influence?

• Do you model holiness to them or are you like the Pharisees who don’t model what they preach?

• What areas of your life must change so that you can enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

If the answer to any of these challenges you, God is inviting us this Sunday to repent and begin again. At the end of the day this Sunday’s Gospel is an invitation. It is an invitation for all of us to repent of the ways we are falling short, to remember Christ’s mercy, and to live our faith authentically.

So today, think of those you influence and consider whether it is time to repent and strive to genuinely possess the virtue we preach.

If you don’t think you have influence over anyone, take a look at the video below by Father Mike Schmitz.

I pray that we all embrace the influence God has given us and that we may model the Gospel in our words and actions. Our world needs our influence now more than ever, let today’s Gospel reading be and invitation and wake up call.

Verso L’alto - Renzo