Is it better to be an insider or an outsider to a movement of God? Or perhaps a better question is this: How does one tell an insider from an outsider? Is it the words that one uses? Is it the clothing that one wears? Is it the friends with whom one lingers? Is it the title that one carries?

            The power of the good news that Jesus announced lies in part in the Gospel’s ability to break down boundaries in surprising ways. God often reverses human expectations and puts our wisdom to shame. In the kingdom of heaven, the first becomes last; the last becomes first. In the kingdom of heaven, the head becomes the tail and the tail becomes the head. In the kingdom of heaven, the strong become weak and the weak become strong. In the kingdom of heaven, the wise become foolish, and the foolish become wise. This is not a divine conspiracy to confound humanity. Instead, it is an affirmation of every person’s utter need for God. The truly lost person is one who depends on his or her own gifts, talents and strengths without recognizing our lostness apart from God’s kindness and mercy.

            In Matthew 21, the gospel writer narrates the high point of Jesus’ reception on earth as well and points ahead to his ultimate rejection. Matthew 21 opens with Jesus’ triumphant arrival on the back of a donkey into Jerusalem. A throng of people greet him and recognize him as the long-awaited king who would restore Israel’s fortune. He goes on to cleanse the temple and heal the blind and lame. These are tangible signs that the long-awaited era of God’s salvation has come.

            But there is a dark cloud in the midst of this good news: The chief priests and the elders do not welcome him.

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