Br. Jack Crowley

Matthew 21:28–32

Tonight we heard Jesus say to the chief priests and elders “Truly, I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Ouch. How do you come back from that? Those are humbling words.

One rule I follow in praying with scripture is, no matter what the context, I try to imagine Jesus speaking his words to me personally. I try to imagine Jesus’ tone and words matching what someone close to me would say to me today. So for tonight’s passage, I imagine Jesus looking me in the eye and saying “Jack, seriously, tax collectors and prostitutes are getting into heaven before you.”

I’m always left humbled by Jesus’ words. Humbled, not humiliated, but humbled. Humbled to know my place in line.

The good news is there’s never a bad time to be humbled. Humility is always a good response when you have no response. Humility works when nothing else does.

However, there is a price to be paid for humility. That price is honesty. To be humble with God is to be honest with God. Honest with God about what we are going through, what we are thinking, what we are feeling, and most importantly, honest with God about what’s causing us pain. Pain forces us to be honest. It’s a brutal price, but it is worth it.

One way or another, we will all learn humility. Life has a way of shattering us. We will all go through situations that will break us. Humbling situations that we will have no control over. Humbling situations that will shatter who we think we are, where we are going, and what the arc of our life is to be.

These humbling situations make us who we are. These humbling situations make us reach out to God with an earnestness we never thought possible. Think of the deepest, most heart felt, tear-soaked prayers of your life, those were humbling moments. It is in those moments that we find God in such a personal way that we can never fully explain with words.

When we find God in that personal way, we find love. God love us. God personally loves us. God loves us right through whatever masks we wear to get through the day. God loves us right through the band aids and duct tape that keep us together.

Above all else, remember we are humble servants of God, no better or worse than any other human being. No matter who we think we are, we are still children of God. So let us be humble, and carry on the work God has given us to do.