Matthew 21:28 “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.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “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. 32 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.
Big Idea: Words without actions won’t get you anywhere.
This parable was told to the priests and the elders in response to their authority question. Christ stumped them with a question for their question. Once they were quieted, Jesus told them this parable. He is building to a greater point and this is the halfway point in his argument. His point from earlier remains, humility is the key to recognizing the truth. But now Christ is elaborating by explaining that social status is no guarantee of being right. The religious authorities were unwilling to recognize John’s authority when even the prostitutes and tax collectors could clearly see it.
Application: This is especially true in our society. We like to think of America as a meritocracy. Which means that if we are successful, it is because we earned it through being smarter, working harder, or better education. But God is sovereign and causes the sun to shine on the good and the evil. If God really is sovereign, then the outcome is up to Him, whether we succeed or fail. What God requires from us, is service, not success. The son who obeys is the one who does what the father wants. Not the one who talks a good game. Today, let go of your pursuit of success, and enjoy serving the Lord. He’ll take care of everything else!
