Jesus teaches that the religious often say "yes" to God with their words, but "no" with their actions.
Matthew 21:28-32 28 "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29 He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
"Religious" people - especially religious leaders - often say yes to God with their words, but no with their actions. This is because it is very difficult for those entrenched in religion - those committed to the institution - to see that their lives might be out of step with Jesus. Leading the institution is different from giving up everything to be in relationship (to follow) Jesus. Leading the institution can become a full time task that derails us from being a servant in Jesus' community. This is especially true for the leaders of religion whose personal power is strong only when the institution is strong. But it is true of anyone who worships the institution rather than God.
And it is as true for the 1st century Jews as it is for the church today. After all, Jesus never defined "church" as an institution, but instead as his body - his hands and feet. This makes it very difficult for those in love with the institution to be both part of the institution and in a relationship with God - a relationship that is defined by servanthood not power. These religious Jewish leaders said "yes" to God with their mouths, but "no" with their lives. Sure, they were following all the right rules, believing all the right theology ("even after you saw it"), but they hadn't decided to follow Jesus. The cost was too high.
On the other hand, tax collectors (Jews who were taking Jewish money and giving it to the Roman oppressors) and prostitutes don't have as much to lose. Their lives are pretty unhappy already. Society treated them like outcasts. They weren't welcomed except by those who wanted to use them. Being invited into the Messiah's community - where they are forgiven, loved, and valued - is a giant step up. Jesus says they are the ones that originally said no with their lives, but now they have changed their minds. And he welcomes them into his community.
Do we ignore Jesus' warning that religion often says "yes" to God with words, but "no" with actions? How can we guard our hearts from following religion instead of Jesus?
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