The who’s who of heaven
Comments (0) “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are
entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”
Matthew 21:31
When you Google Who’s who you can find out who are the movers and shakers of society in our day. There are registries for people from most walks of life where they may qualify to become registered on various sites. A person needs to have made some significant contribution to their field of endeavour in order to qualify.
We can spend a lot of time looking at the accomplishments of various people and muse on what it would be like to be such an individual. Such achievements we read about on the various sites seem well out of the reach of most of us.
Recognition by the world and also the industry we work in is usually a highly desirable thing to have. No one would find fault with a desire for recognition of one’s accomplishments in life. However, there can be a strange twist in this desire for recognition by those around us. Jesus speaks to this matter in the context of our verse for today.
The religious leaders who confronted Jesus were a class of people who lived to be recognized by others. In Matthew 23:5-7 Jesus says of them, “Everything they do is done for men to see…they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them “Rabbi””.
Jesus is teaching us that in the kingdom of God there are no “Who’s who” lists like the ones in this life. God is not impressed by university degrees or titles received by industry. While He did enter the homes of the rich and famous at times, He was most often in the presence of the people spurned by normal society. People such as the ones referred to in our verse today.
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