Tax collectors and prostitutes

Jesus was talking to the chief priests and the elders at the Temple when He told them the parable of two sons. One of them did not agree to do what the father told him, but did it later. The second one told the father he would do it, but did not do it. Then, obviously referring to religious leaders who professed to follow God faithfully, like the second son, Jesus said that they were actually ungodly in that they did not do what they professed (Is.29:13). He said that tax collectors and prostitutes would enter the kingdom of God before them (Mt.21:31).

It is simple enough to understand because tax collectors and prostitutes knew very well about their sins which were so obvious, and so it was easier for them to repent and turn to God. But the chief priests and the elders assumed that they were already acceptable to God because of their religious activities, and never saw their need to repent. Isn't this such a profound parable that we should sit up and examine ourselves? Are we taking God for granted, or have we seen ourselves as sinners before Him and turned eagerly to the Saviour for salvation?

The world around us is going through a process of minimising and then normalising sin, so as to make sin look like something acceptable. Some time ago, the word prostitute would cause people to shudder. But now it is fashionable to call them sex workers, giving them an acceptable place among others who work for earning a living. Homosexuals were considered to be an abomination for God, but they are now acceptable as being gay!

How has this trend affected our dealing with sinful tendencies inside us? For example, what do we think of lying? Is it our way of handling difficult situations, like everyone else around us? Have we forgotten that Satan is the father of lies, and that Jesus has come to deliver us from Satan's hands and give us a heavenly Father? Even though Jesus said that looking at a woman (or man) with desire amounted to adultery, have we come to believe that flirting and watching a little bit of porn are ok? Such things are still sins we must repent from, and our Christian work will not compensate for them. You get the picture. Have we become like the chief priests and the elders in the parable who were only making profession of faith even though their hearts were far from God?

Why is it that people can be active in the church but still have not repented from their sins and turned to Jesus for salvation? The blame is on the preaching. The preaching in many churches is about blessings which God wants to shower upon them from His love. People don't have to turn around from their old way of life, but they can find thrill and amusement in the church! The result is the pathetic representation of the body of Christ, where actually what is going on are honour seeking, making money, seeking fun and pleasure, etc., instead of humbling of ourselves before God, turning from our sin and seeking to do God's will.