Matthew 21:28-32

Matthew 21:28-32

“And what do you think by you all?  A man was having two children.  And after approaching the first he said, ‘Child, go today and work in the vineyard.’  And the one who answered said, ‘I do not desire,’ and later after his mind being changed, he went.  And after approaching the other he said similarly.  And the one who answered said, ‘I will, Lord,’ and he did not go.  Who out of the two did the will of the Father?”  They say, “The first.”  Jesus says to them, “Amen, I say to you all that the tax collectors and prostitutes go before you all into the kingdom of God.  For John came to you all in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him.  But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.  And even after you all saw, you did not change your mind later to believe him.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s make sure that we don’t lose the context of this passage.  Yesterday we saw that the religious elite came to challenge Jesus.  Matthew doesn’t tell us that the conversation in over.  Jesus is still talking to the religious elite in this parable.  Jesus is still addressing the chief priests and the elders of the people!  Jesus is talking to the people that most people in Israel would have said were the safest to be saved!  That is the audience and subject of this parable.

Why is it significant to remember that Jesus is addressing the religious elite here?  What does this say about Jesus’ desire to speak God’s truth remembering that in the passage yesterday He didn’t feel the need to defend Himself and assert His authority?

Second Thought:

As we look at this parable, let’s also remember something about the children of the parable.  Neither child is perfect.  One child is disobedient in person by submitted in action.  The other child is obedient in person but disobedient in action.  Clearly, the first child is better than the second.  But the truth is that neither child is perfect.  Neither child gets it totally right.  Human beings are full of mistakes.  We can’t be perfect.  But what we can do is realize that when we make a mistake we can try to do right anyways.  That’s what the first child gets right.

Do you ever try and be perfect?  Why is that an impossible dream?  What should you focus on rather than perfection?

Third Thought:

There is a reason Jesus speaks this parable to the religious leaders.  They had an opportunity to do right when John came in righteousness.  But they did not.  When they saw that people were having their lives changed, they had every opportunity to recognize that God was at work through John – even if his message was delivered differently than they would have preferred.  But they didn’t.  People were repenting and turning to God.  People were coming to know the Father.  That should have been significant and important.  But it wasn’t significant or important to them.  In the end, they reject God’s work.  They say that they are interested in God.  They say that they are interested in doing His will.  But in the end they just aren’t.  They are like the second child.  Their actions never come around, even if their lips speak pleasant words.  It is sad when people reject God’s hand at work just because it is different than they would desire it to be.

Have you ever rejected someone genuinely proclaiming God’s message?  Have you rejected genuine ministry just because it was different than you anticipated?  Why?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 21:33-41