A Word from the Vine No. 549: The Ones Nobody Expected

Well hello there, friends. This is A Word from the Vine, and I'm Pastor Loren Christensen, coming to you from the Danish Countryside Chapel here in Exira.

Jesus said something to the religious leaders of His day that must have landed like a slap:

"Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you." — Matthew 21:31

Now think about who He's talking to. Not the outcasts. Not the folks everybody else looked down on. He's talking to the priests — the ones with the titles, the robes, and the seats of honor.

Here's the hard truth in that verse: nearness to God was never about your résumé. It was always about your response.

I think sometimes we quietly sort people into categories — the ones who belong here, and the ones who probably don't. But God's kingdom has a funny way of surprising us.

The person we've written off as too far gone might be closer to the Father than we are. And the person who's been in the pew the longest might be the one who's drifted the farthest.

Isaiah 29:13 put it plain: "This people honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me."

So here's your word from the vine today: before you decide who's in and who's out, take a good look at your own heart first.

This is Pastor Loren. Thanks for listening to A Word from the Vine. And remember — the Gospel isn't just something we believe. It's something we live.