Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you.

The words of Jesus in today’s Gospel are among the most unsettling statements He ever made: “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you.” This is a deliberate shock. Jesus directs it to the chief priests and elders—people who were outwardly religious, respected, and certain of their righteousness. In Advent, as we prepare for the coming of the Lord, this word is addressed to us as well. Jesus is not glorifying sin, nor is He condemning religious practice. Rather, He is exposing a deeper truth about the Kingdom of God: entry into the Kingdom is not determined by reputation, position, or appearances, but by repentance, humility, and obedience to God’s will. The tax collectors and prostitutes represent those who were publicly labeled as sinners, excluded and despised. Yet they had one decisive advantage—they knew they were broken. When John the Baptist called for repentance, they listened. When God spoke, they changed their lives. By contrast, the religious leaders in the Gospel are like the first son in the parable. They said the right words. They knew the law. They appeared obedient. But their hearts were closed. Their “yes” to God remained only words, unaccompanied by conversion. Jesus’ warning is clear: it is possible to be close to religion and far from God. This is where the message of Zephaniah becomes crucial. The prophet speaks of a corrupt city, weighed down by injustice and pride, yet he announces hope: God will leave behind “a people humble and lowly, who shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord.” These are not the self-assured or the morally perfect, but those who depend entirely on God. They are the same people Jesus points to in the Gospel—the repentant, the poor in spirit, the ones who allow God to change them. The Kingdom of God belongs to those who respond, not those who presume. The tax collectors and prostitutes enter first because they take God seriously when He calls them to conversion. They do not defend themselves. They do not explain away their failures. They turn around. This is the heart of Advent: not simply waiting for Christ to come but allowing Him to reorder our lives. Jesus’ words challenge every form of spiritual complacency. They ask us: Do I rely on my role, my ministry, my moral image, or my past faithfulness? Or do I live each day in humble openness to conversion? Advent reminds us that the door of the Kingdom is low. Only those who bend down can pass through. As we approach Christmas, the Lord who comes to us in poverty and vulnerability invites us to meet Him with the same humility. Those who know their need for mercy are already on the path into the Kingdom. May we not be content with saying “yes” to God with our lips, but may we do the will of the Father with our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.