Thursday, Oct. 17
Matthew 21:23 – 23:39 Read it here
What do you do when ‘no’ means ‘yes’ and ‘yes’ means ‘no’?
Today we read a series of familiar parables, but I’d like to start with one I don’t hear preached or written about as often: the Parable of the Two Sons.
It seems a man has two sons, and tells each to go work in the vineyard.
The first son refuses and says he will not do what his father asks. He later has a change of heart, though, and does the work.
The second son is quick to agree to his father’s request. However, he doesn’t follow through with his promise, and doesn’t work.
Which of these, Jesus asks, did the will of his father?
It was the first.
He may have started out a bit rebellious in his attitude, but his actions were right. He did what he was asked to do.
We aren’t told why the second son didn’t follow through on his initial agreement. He may have been one of those people who dishonestly agrees with no intention of following through, or he may have been weak-willed or easily distracted. He may even have had a completely unavoidable reason for not doing what he said he would. At the end of the day, though, he did not do his father’s will.
This parable is a shorter version of the same lesson of two that follow: the parables of the tenants and wedding guests are both about judgment being based on action, not words.
In chapter 23, Jesus abandons the subtlety of parables and makes the same point more directly. The teachers of the law and pharisees (and many more among the Jews) obeyed God with their words, but not their actions.
We’re tempted to read these passages smugly, understanding that we are the late-but-faithful son, or the good tenants, or the later guests. But the stories bear a warning, too. God will find faithful servants; if it’s not us, there will be others.