Seeds for 12/15/2023 - Matthew 21:28-32
Scripture: “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
Observation: The religious leaders are wishy-washy on the significance of John the Baptist’s ministry, whether it was heavenly or humanly in origin. But that was not the case for all. Many did experience the drawing near of God in John’s ministry. They experienced John’s fierce call to repentance as a wake-up call, confronting their reality and leading them to freedom by turning their hearts and lives back to God.
To illustrate the difference between them (the religious leaders) and those who responded to John’s ministry in faith (“the tax collectors and prostitutes”), Jesus told a story about a father and two sons, one of which refused the father in his words, but later changed course and obeyed, and the other who said the right things in the moment but did not follow up with actions.
Jesus’ point is straightforward and clear. God is from Missouri. Words are fine for what they are worth, but He says, “Show Me.” Obedient actions are pleasing in God’s sight. This must not be confused with earning our salvation or our standing before God. Rather, obedience springs forth from the soil of a changed heart and mind. It is an inside-out transformation, and both aspects are critical. On this, Paul and James also agree.
One more thing. We think of parables as cozy and familiar homespun stories that make God’s love real in engaging ways. That’s not wrong, but it is far from complete. Jesus’ triumphant ride into Jerusalem on the donkey began a week that would end with His crucifixion. The parables in these chapters are sharp and confrontational. Far from charming tales, they essentially pick up where John’s calls for repentance left off. They are meant to call out and to convict. This is hard. We’d rather God “killed us with kindness.” And yet being told a truth we desperately need is a kindness indeed.
Application:
When have you received a convicting truth as a gift?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for telling me the truth I need to hear. Grant that I may respond with a changed heart and mind that bears fruit in a changed life. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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