Proper 21, Yr A (2026) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Proper 21, Year A (2026) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Philippians 2:1-13 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Matthew 21:23-32
In the name of the one, holy, and loving God:
in whom we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
Authority and transformation…
these are the topics of this morning’s readings.
The chief priests and elders of the people question Jesus
as to his authority to teach and to heal:
“By what authority are you doing these things
and who gave you this authority?
As usual, in response to their questioning,
Jesus asks them a question…
which they cannot answer.
“Did the baptism of John come from heaven,
or was it of human origin?”
The chief priests and elders quickly realize
that they cannot answer this question about John the Baptist’s authority
because either way they answer, they will be in trouble.
So, Jesus poses a simpler problem:
A father goes to his two sons and tells them to go work in the vineyard.
One says “yes” but doesn’t go.
The other says “no” but then changes his mind and goes to work.
Which one is obedient?
Simple answer: the one who actually does what the father asks.
If Jesus had stopped there,
he would have been OK.
But… he doesn’t.
He goes on to tell the chief priests and elders that they are, in fact,
like the son who says “yes” but then doesn’t go.
They say all the right things and believe all the right things,
but their lives don’t exhibit their faith.
On the other hand,
the tax collectors and prostitutes who might have said “no” initially,
but who ended up believing and following Jesus…
living out the life he set before them –
they would be entering the kindom of heaven ahead of the religious leaders.
You see, the folks who were considered “sinners”
had taken Jesus’ words to heart,
and their lives had been transformed.
Where the rubber hits the road in our lives as Christians
is not merely having the right beliefs and right intentions,
but actually living out our lives in obedience to God.
Now, having this understanding of the Gospel in the background,
I want to look at Paul’s words to the Philippians.
Paul says,
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant,
being born in human likeness.
“And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death.” (Phil 2:5-8)
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
Let the same mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus.
I would wager that when it comes to really considering that we might have the same mind as Jesus, we might take a step back… or even run the other direction.
I think we tend to separate ourselves from Jesus:
He is divine.
We are not.
He was a holy man, the Son of God.
We are not.
Scripture tells us that as Christians,
we are to continue the work of Christ in the world,
but we are merely human, right?
And yet, do we not believe in the incarnation?
Do we not believe that God became human,
emptying himself,
humbling himself,
so that he could live life as one of us… taking on our own flesh.
Jesus lived here as man, not God.
Jesus, in his baptism by John in the Jordan River,
was anointed by the Holy Spirit.
He worked miracles,
not by his own power,
but by the power of God.
In the Gospel of John Jesus says,
“The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own;
but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” (Jn 14:10)
When Jesus prayed,
he prayed not as a divine one who had authority as God,
but as one who walked obediently with God,
as one who engaged reverent listening toward God.
As Paul says…Jesus, the divine Son of God,
set aside his divinity and lived as a human being.
Once we understand that,
we can live our lives in a new and transformed frame of mind,
understanding that our authority comes through the power of the Holy Spirit
at work in us… just as the Holy Spirit was at work in Jesus.
And…once we truly understand with not only our minds
but let that understanding descend into our hearts and our wills,
then we will be transformed,
having the mind of Christ.
John Main, a Benedictine monk, said this about having the mind of Christ:
“Holiness is the point.
“It means to discover the Spirit of God within us.
“Wholly open to that Spirit
we are taken up into that spirit of love beyond all division….
“In purity of heart,
we have actually seen our true likeness to God
who is love.”
(Main, Door to Silence, pp. 13,15)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says,
“Very truly, I tell you,
the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do,
and in fact, will do greater works these” (John 14:12), and….
“Just as you have sent me into the world,
I also have sent them into the world.”
We are sent,
with power,
to continue the work of Christ in the world.
We are sent to live as Jesus lived
and are equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit to do such work:
healing the sick, eating with outcasts, preaching repentance…
baptizing, spreading the Good News of God in Christ…
clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless.
Most of us here would say that we believe in Jesus’ power and authority,
but I would guess that most of us doubt our own.
There is no way that we could make such a difference in others’ lives as Jesus did!
Or, is there?
Jesus was fully present to those he met along the way.
What if we saw that as our task?
Not the worldwide need of disease and war and famine.
Not even the enormous needs in this County for affordable housing,
resources for treating addiction and mental illness,
equal access to healthcare.
What if we just focused on the person or persons in front of us at any given moment,
and asked: “what do you seek?”
And then listened to their answer.
Not many people actually listen anymore.
They are busy trying to get somewhere else or to do something else.
We can offer companionship on the journey…
listening to the deep hunger of another…
sharing words of forgiveness and love and grace and hope
and sometimes the need for repentance, in order to receive new life.
We can put on the mind of Christ,
humbling ourselves in the presence of each other,
knowing that God is at work in and through us.
Through our baptism God has given us the power and authority to act as Jesus did,
in obedience to God’s will.
We have the choice to respond – daily…even hourly.
It is God who is at work in us,
enabling us both to will and to work for God’s good pleasure.
My friends, the vineyard awaits….
AMEN.
