Anna Nicole Before Us
Matthew 21:28-31 (RSV) "What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, `I will not'; but afterward he repented and went. And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.We took a look at this verse this morning and thought about the ramifications as it relates to real lives. The point Jesus was trying to make was that the conversion of the heart was what matters. Forget about outward actions. Outward actions mean nothing.
This made me think about a person who meant and said “no” and has not yet converted. Who is closer to God then? One who says “no” and means it or one who means “no” and does what appears to be good. My conclusion was that the one who says “no” and means it is still closer to God than the one who shows all the right outward actions but does not earnestly do the thing out of love.
Now, obviously, both are in the same condition before God because their hearts are both in the same place. This is simple Pauline-Augustinian Christianity. The one with the integrated understanding is the one with the advantage. The prostitute has the advantage. The robber and the murderer have the advantage. Why? They understand who they are. The consequences of life have made them painfully aware of what is going on inside of their heart.
This led me to an article in today’s Opinion Journal about Anna Nicole Smith. The author takes the tragic figure of Ms. Smith and (condescendingly and dismissively, in my opinion) makes her into this representative of the wayward and materialistic American culture. This PERSON. She was a PERSON. A tragic, victimizing, brokenhearted, heart-breaking, exploited and exploiting PERSON.
I then thought of who was closer to God. Anna Nicole Smith or this columnist with an incurable admiration for his own prose? It is Anna Nicole Smith. Anna Nicole Smith goes into the kingdom of God before any of us. Sinners leap with joy at the mercy of God while Pharisees recoil. This is the intent of Jesus in the Parable of the Two Sons.
posted by David Browder at 2/13/2007 01:34:00 PM
3 Comments:
Thou hast hit it, good eye and well said.
Ah, David! The mirror you hold up before me shows me that my phylactery is broad and my fringes long. “Such a shame,” I have been thinking, while refusing to even consider her as more than a type, much less to entertain for a moment that she, not I, was “the one with the integrated understanding.” I thank you.
Walter, I am dressed just like you are, shuffling along on my way to the Temple. I am always pooh-poohing folks like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears with raised eyebrows and ashes on my forehead.
Robin, your use of the old English harkens me back to the confession in the old '28 BCP.
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