A couple of weeks ago, when we looked at the parable of the lost sheep, we saw that the length of a parable does not determine its power. In a mere five sentences, which fill four verses, Jesus powerfully communicated His love for all. Today, we visit another brief, yet extremely powerful, parable. With a mere six sentences, Jesus brings true faith to light and confronts the listeners. Let us give attention to His story.
In this succinct parable, we see the father and the two sons. We see that the sons’ words and actions do not match. The story is clear; so now Jesus asks the listeners to respond.
We have read the story and witnessed the confrontation; let us now explore the purpose for His words. Before covering the other aspects of His parable, we need to remind ourselves of the ministry of John the Baptist. His name and his role are crucial to this story. As prophesied to his parents, when John grew to be a man, he pointed people to the Messiah. He showed the way to righteousness by preaching repentance and helping people prepare for the Promised One’s arrival through the means of baptism. As John ministered, some heard his message of the way to righteousness and they thought that the way was too hard or not appealing; others assumed that his ministry was not needed. The first group, while initially unresponsive, did finally follow the way. The second group largely ignored John, thinking that they already possessed the way to righteousness.
In Luke and in our text in Matthew, we see how Jesus upheld the ministry of John and its importance in preparing people for Him. In fact, the Baptizer’s ministry was so crucial that Jesus said that those who ignored it were not ready to follow Him. Who were those who ignored and how did they do so? Answer 1: Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. Answer 2: By giving false words of acceptance. In Matthew 21:30, notice the word “sir.” While the first son said, “I will not” and then did work after changing his mind, the second son said very politely, “I will, sir.” He gave false “lip service” that did not meet his actions. Many of the religious elite in that day spoke empty words that did not equal their heart or their actions. George Buttrick reminds us that this was not a new epidemic. He does so by weaving answers into the rhetorical questions asked by the prophet, Micah.
Clearly, words of faith are not enough; faith must be exercised and it will be if it is real! Buttrick again: “The ritual of worship without some serious attempt at worthy living is a painted lie" (307). Or as Craig Blomberg states, “in the kingdom performance takes priority over promise” (322). Fast forward from the 30s AD to 2024. Move our focus from the religious elite of first-century Jerusalem to all of us living our everyday ordinary lives in the 21st century. Have we heeded the Lord’s message? Have we done what the Lord requires of us? Have you acted justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly with our God? If you have been involved with church long enough (and it doesn’t take long), you learned the lingo and the “right” answers; you are able to talk the talk. In His parable, Jesus made it clear that the talk, even with the added “sir,” is not the crucial ingredient. Listen to His question to the priests and elders again: “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” Jesus recognized true repentance and the action to prove it. In his letter, James caught this vision: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 NIV) Salvation, while it is a grace gift, does require our effort. We need to claim our salvation and in the words of Paul “work it out.” I want to give you a few verses that will help you embrace your salvation and work it out. 1. We must Hear about salvation.
2. We must Accept salvation through faith.
3. We must Act on our salvation.
4. We must Wait on our salvation.
Four steps (Hear, Accept, Act, Wait) – They are not many, but we have plenty to do, especially on the 3rd step, Acting.
True faith is faith demonstrated. Faith that does what the Father wants. We are called to do His work; you are called to do His work. May each one be faithful in completing it! #ordinarylives For further reading … Blomberg, Craig L. The New American Commentary. Ed. David S. Dockery. Vol. 22 Matthew. Nashville: Broadman, 1992. Buttrick, George A. The Parables of Jesus. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1928.
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