Matthew
21:23-32
A man had two sons. Just because two individuals come from the
same gene pool, doesn't mean they are going to be alike. Even if they are raised in the same family,
treated in the same manner, regarded with the same affection, there is no
guarantee they are going to behave in the same manner. Having two sons means that one has two individuals
and each is going to do as they please.
It would be simpler if they were the same. Then you would know what to do and how to
handle them. But each is going to be
themselves, acting as they so choose.
Jesus tells a parable about two sons
because he wants to acknowledge the differences with which the children of God
respond to God's word. He wants to
acknowledge that among God's children there are those who say "No!"
and then live a "yes," while there are those who shout an emphatic
"Yes!" only to live a "no."
Just because it is the same God who speaks to us; just because God
speaks the same words and interacts in the same manner; it does mean that we
will respond in the same way.
The people to whom Jesus spoke these
words had not. In the crowd that day
there were at least two differing groups of individuals. One group was made up of the chief priests
and elders. Up to the giving of the
parable, they are the ones who had felt pretty good about how they had
responded. They were teachers of the Word
of God; they were the caretakers of God's story; the spokespersons for God's
commands. They had definitely said
"Yes" to God and they were living in the confidence of having
confessed God as Lord.
But, as Jesus points out, their
confession had not been followed up with action. They had thrown their hat into the ring early;
they had joined up with God's people and in fact had taken on the
responsibility of inviting others into the family of God. They had taken the name of the Lord, they had
committed themselves to that word, but as the day had progressed they were not
in the vineyard working, they were resting in the shade, thinking their
confession was enough.
They had not listened to John the
Baptist. In fact, this whole encounter comes
about because they came to Jesus, demanding to know upon what authority he
taught. Rather than give them a straight
answer, Jesus had promised to answer if they would tell him whether John's
message was from God. The malice of
their ways is exposed in their reluctance to respond to Jesus' question. Matthew records they argued with one
another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you
not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of
human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd;
for all regard John as a prophet."
So they answered Jesus, "We do not know."
Those who find themselves in this
dilemma were the ones who had said "Yes" to God. These were the son who was courteous and
prompt in telling the father they would go and work in the vineyard. But they do not follow through. They must have believed they had given God
everything that was called for.
We see the error of their ways by
looking at the other group. This other
group is comprised of folks we had just as soon overlook or ignore. Jesus describes them as tax collectors and
prostitutes. We might call them lawyers
and drug dealers. These were the hated
classes. Tax collectors and prostitutes
were about as low on the social ladder as one could go.
Remember that the tax collectors
were collecting taxes for Rome. They
were collecting money in order to pay the salaries of the soldiers that had
been sent by Rome to oversee Palestine. These
taxes were not collected and then spent on a public health plan. Tax
collectors made it possible for the occupying forces to occupy.
Prostitutes were more than a threat
to an individual's moral character. Most
often prostitution was associated with the worship of the pagan gods. Interaction with them implied a denial or
rejection of Yahweh.
These people are the first son in
Jesus' parable. Somewhere along the way
they had said a "no" to God.
For whatever reason, they had decided to go their own way and do their
own thing. They had rejected the Word
which was so precious to those chief priest and elders. They wanted no part of it.
But then something happened. Someone came into their path and they found
themselves listening with a renewed hope.
Whereas they had come to think that their "No" was the end of
it, a new opportunity was being extended to them. John the Baptist had spoken of this
opportunity. As they listened to him
they had come to believe there might be a second chance, that it might be possible
for them to revisit their earlier response and reconsider their choices. John had said it was possible. He had offered them a sign of this
possibility. In the waters of the Jordan
River they had acknowledged their earlier transgression and emerged with a
renewed hope. Thankful for all that God
had done, they were now in the company of God's messenger. They were doing the work the father asked
them to do.
Two children, raised in the same
family, regarded equally by the same father, and yet their responses are
entirely different. One believes that
making a confession with their lips is enough.
The other understands that the hope of the Father is to be His hands,
doing His work in the world. This child
responds, out of appreciation, for all that the father has done. Regardless of their previous responses, they
are now setting themselves about the task of working in the vineyard.
Which child are you? Do you think of yourselves as one of the
chief priests and elders or are you among the tax collectors and
prostitutes? If you don't like having to
choose between those options, I'll break it down for you in another way; is
your following of Jesus little more than a confession of the lips? Or does is a spoken “Yes” supported by action
and commitment to the things Jesus would do, where he in your shoes?
The tax collectors and prostitutes
knew that their only access to God was through Jesus' radical word of
forgiveness. On their own they had no
right to claim to be acceptable in God's eyes.
It is out of gratitude for that acceptance that they reconsider their
"No" and decide to go into the vineyard. Their giving of themselves is an indication
of the appreciation they have for that which God has given them.
May we all be like these tax
collectors and prostitutes.
Amen.
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