The Good Son…Sort of.
Matthew 21:28-32
Beartown Road Alliance Church
October 8th, 2006
There was a movie out a while back called “My Life” about a man who learns that he is dying and you get a look at the way that it changes his life and his family’s life. He begins to make a series of videos for his unborn son so that the baby will know his father. He is forced to boil things down to what he thinks is most important to share in the little time that he has left. Have you ever thought about what you would do if you knew that you only had one week to live? What would your priorities be? How would you spend your time, who would you spend it with? Parents, what would you teach your children during your last days?
When we know that we only have a short amount of time, things take on a sense of urgency. When every minute counts, we can’t be bothered by trivial things, things that don’t have life changing implications.
As we move through the book of Matthew, we have come to what is known as Passion Week. We have come to the last week of Christ’s Earthly ministry before He is sentenced to death and crucified by the Romans at the insistence of the Jewish leaders and people. Christ knows that his ministry is winding down and He knows that He must prepare His disciples for the coming days and there is a sense of urgency. He begins to openly discuss His coming death and resurrection. Every exchange, every action, every lesson takes on added importance. He boils His teachings down to the essentials; He reiterates those things that He has been teaching for the last three years, hammering home His points with a series of actions and displays and events that will leave the disciples shaking their heads in wonder.
The week begins with the arrival of the King in Jerusalem. Jesus rides into the city on the back of a donkey, fulfilling the words of the prophet Zechariah in 9:9
ZEC 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
President Bush visited the town of Mansfield in Ohio where Erin and I lived. It was an unbelievable sight. As his car drove through the city streets, there were people lined up 10 deep on the sidewalks screaming and waving, just hoping to get a glimpse of the most powerful man in the world.
This is the scene that we have at the beginning of chapter 21 as Jesus rides into the city. We’re told that a large crowd lined the streets and that they laid their cloaks and branches they had cut down on the road in front of Jesus. The crowd followed Him shouting:
"Hosanna to the Son of David!""Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"
The Jewish crowd was welcoming it’s Messiah home. The gospel of Mark adds these words to what the crowd was shouting: "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" The Messiah King had returned! This is the moment that the disciples had waited for, this was what the Jewish people had waited for, the king returning to take His throne, to restore the people to their place of prominence. And this was the beginning of what would restore God’s people, but it was not found in thrones and power, like the people imagined, but in humility, weakness, and a cross on a hill.
When He entered the city, we’re told that the whole city was stirred, they realized that something significant was taking place. The Pharisees also were watching and it burned them to see this trouble maker received in this way. This was the first in a series of encounters with the Pharisees, that happened this last week, that pushed them over the edge and put into motion the events that would forever change man’s relationship with God, the events that would accomplish the plan of God for the salvation of His creation. All of History had led up to this.
When Jesus enters the city, he goes immediately to the temple. Seeing this structure that had been God’s plan and design, that had been built as the dwelling place of God, that place where man and God came together in fellowship and reconciliation, seeing what it had become, Christ takes action. Again, we see that He no longer has the luxury of veiling His teachings, of leaving it up to the listener to discern the Truth. His time is running short and so He makes a dramatic point. Seated at tables throughout the courtyard are men who are making a profit off of the poor who have come seeking the forgiveness of God through sacrifices. Christ enters the courtyard and is consumed with zeal for God’s honor. He begins to fling the tables over. Money would have been flying everywhere, doves and pigeons, the ones used for sacrifices, would have been escaping into the air. It would have been chaos. And just to make sure that His point is received, John tells us that He made a whip and drove the merchants out of the courtyard. If you want to make a point, a whip is a very effective way to do it! He cleanses the temple, returning it to what it was meant to be, a house of prayer, a place where people could come and meet God. Again the Pharisees are watching.
The next day, Christ approached a fig tree ad seeing that it had no fruit, he cursed it, saying, “May you never bear fruit again.” Immediately it withered. I remember reading this for the first time as a child and thinking that Jesus had just thrown some sort of hissy fit, No fruit, I’ll show you! But it is another carefully planned demonstration and illustration for his disciples. The tree had signs of life, the leaves, if a fig tree had leaves, it indicated that the fruit was there and could be eaten, yet this one had no fruit. It was a symbol of hypocrisy of the Pharisees and many of the Jewish people. Another miracle, another shot at the Pharisees who looked good, showed signs of life, but when you got close you could see that they bore no fruit. Jesus seizes another opportunity to teach the disciples about hypocrisy and faith.
From here, Jesus moves into a series of direct confrontations with the Pharisees in which He answers questions and teaches in parables. In the initial confrontation, the Pharisees question the authority of Christ. Jesus turns a question back to them and when they fail to answer, he refuses to reveal the authority that He has, knowing that they would not believe the Truth anyways. It’s against this backdrop that Jesus tells the parable that I want to focus on this morning. Remember, this is Passion week, as we’ve already noted much of the instruction He gives this week has already been given over the course of the last three years, but now Jesus is using His parables to reinforce those Truths that He most wants His followers to grasp. And so, in the presence of the disciples and these Pharisees, Jesus tells the parable of the two sons. A story that stirs the pot just a little more and brings Christ one step closer to the cross.
Read Matthew 21:28-32
Like any parable, you have different aspects of symbolism here. For the listener, the Jew of that day, they would have understood the vineyard to be Israel and the work to be God’s work. The Father, would be God and the sons would be two different classes of people. The Good Son who agrees to work would be the Pharisees and religious Jews who outwardly affirmed a relationship with God yet inwardly did nothing to further His kingdom. The other son would be the sinners, the pagans, those who have rejected God in the past but through the Good News of the Gospel, preached by Christ and by John the Baptist, have repented and begun to do the work that God calls them to. In this story you can see the frustration of Christ at the long history of the Jews who have seen God work, have tasted God’s goodness and favor and yet still turn away, honoring Him with their lips but producing no fruit with their actions.
For us today, the symbolism is similar. The “Good son” would be those who can talk a good game when it comes to God and religion. Those good people who believe in God and try to be good but it stops at that, the commands of God and the work of the Kingdom have no place in their lives. The rebellious son would be those who have turned from God, rejected Him at various points in their lives but have had a heart change and are now active in His Kingdom and actively obeying His call and commands. It makes you think, which one describes you better? Now, neither of these sons are perfect and that was not the intent of Christ to say that one or the other is how you should be. There are those who say yes to God and then follow through. The intent of Christ here, the big idea, is to impress upon the disciples that a relationship with God is about more than just words. In a theme that we’ve seen repeated over and over as Christ has dealt with the Pharisees, it’s not about the outside, the way we look and the ceremonies that we engage in, the trappings of religion, it’s about heart change and obedience. Before His ministry is done, Christ wants to make sure that there is no doubt about this fact, in God’s Kingdom, it’s not enough to talk the talk, you’ve got to back it up by walking the walk.
So, let’s pull some things out of this story.
I. The Request
Son, go work in the vineyard today. Not much has changed over the years. Fathers are still having to get after there sons to do something productive. All of you can remember your mom or dad asking you to do something that you absolutely don’t want to do. Maybe because of the kind of work it is, maybe it’s because you’ve got other plans, but we all know what it’s like to be told to do a job we don’t want to do.
We’re not going to spend much time here other than to point out that the request, the call here, is identical to the call given in the parable that we looked at two weeks ago. God’s call has not and will not change. He wants us to be active in the fields, active in the harvest, active in the work of the Kingdom here on Earth. Often times, for us, that work is not something that we want to do. We are too shy, we are too busy, we are too preoccupied with other things. God’s call rarely comes at the most convenient time for us in our lives. But that call is consistent and it’s constant, work in my fields. The specifics change, the details differ, but the basics stay the same. The request is the same, the responses, however, are very different.
These two sons responded in different ways.
II. The Responses
a. The Marks of the 1st Son
i. Rebellion
The response of the first son was nothing short of open rebellion. We don’t know if he was angry about being asked and that’s not important, but we do know that he was certainly stubborn. The moment he heard the request, he said defiantly, “I will not” Those two Greek words that are used there are as defiant and as resolute a response as can be in the gospels. There is no precedent in the Bible for such a short and sharp reply in the same sentence construction. He didn’t care to argue, he didn’t explain his response, and was not going to waste any time considering it. The message was clear: I don’t care. Don’t bother me. Get someone else. It was open rebellion. Now some of us may fall into this category today. Openly defying God’s call and His offer of a relationship, openly living in a way that displeases Him. While that may only describe a few now, the reality is that at one point, we were all in this position.
Col 1:21 You were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions,
All of us were separated from God at one point, all of us have shared the mark of this first son of being rebellious by virtue of the sin that we are born into. Now, there would have been very little good that we could take from this story if rebellion were the only thing that marked this son. But there was something else. This son was also marked by:
ii. Repentance
The NIV’s use of the phrase “changed his mind” is really a weak and inferior translation. The Greek is regretted, or repented, it’s the same word Matthew used for Judas’s repentance, literally to be seized with remorse. This son came to the point where he wished his rebellion had never happened and he changed not only his mind, but his attitude, his heart, his priorities, and his actions. He came to the conclusion that he was wrong, expressed remorse, repented, and understanding that the Father was right, he went out to do what was asked of Him.
Repentance is a huge aspect of this parable. Sorrow is not enough, feeling bad is not enough, even actions are not enough in themselves, we need to come to that point where we recognize our rebellion and truly repent of what we’ve done.
2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow (with no repentance) brings death.
Lack of repentance leads to death, but listen to the way that Colossians 1 continues.
22 yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
Repentance leads to forgiveness, forgiveness allows us, who were once rebellious and sinful to stand before God as Holy, clean, and pure. It’s an amazing Truth.
The first son’s story was marked by rebellion and then by repentance and that repentance led to his life being marked by:
iii. Obedience
Obedience is the end result of repentance. True repentance, involves turning from your sin and heading in the opposite direction, that direction is the way that God calls us to live. Paul says in Acts 26:20:
Acts 26:20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
The proof that repentance has happened is in our actions, in the way that we live and the way that we obey and follow God’s call in our lives to work in the fields. The first sons change of heart, would have been hollow if it had not been followed by the obedience of his actions.
b. The Marks of the 2nd Son
i. Agreement
On the surface, this one sounded like he would be the good son. He hears the request and immediately replies, I will! And for good measure he throws in a sir. How many parents would pass out if this was the immediate response that they received form their child when they asked them to work? The first son agrees to the request. Unfortunately, where things got better for the first son, they begin to go downhill for this one.
While he agrees initially, we see that he is also marked by:
ii. Inactivity
He agrees, but nothing happens! He accepts the call but there is no activity on His part. He may look good on the outside, he may not look like there are any issues to repent of, not like that rebellious brother of his, but on the inside, he is just as sinful and it keep him from being effective for the kingdom. Unfortunately today, there are too many Christians who fall into the category of this son. We come to church, we sing our songs, we shake our hands and bring our dish to pass, but when God says work in my field, we decide that we’re more comfortable where we’re at. God’s call requires commitment to Him and to His church. It requires stepping out and being uncomfortable at times. God’s call is not a call to sit and look good. It’s a call to get dirty and messy and to be involved in the lives of those He puts in our path. If your relationship with your Father is defined by inactivity, I hope that this story makes you uncomfortable as it would have to the original listeners. This son’s inactivity leads to the third thing that marked his life.
iii. Disobedience
Matthew 7:21; "Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
Doing nothing is a sin in the same way that openly rebelling is. Conforming to what God expects outwardly while refusing to change inwardly is empty and hollow and does not please God.
My friend told the story of a conversation that he had with his 3 year old son. They were driving and the boy stood up in the backseat. After a few warnings to sit down, or else, the boy sat down and mumbled to himself, “I’m still standing on the inside.”
Was that obedience? No, it was conforming outwardly and rebelling inwardly. It was disobedience and it was sin. In the same way, the second son conformed and agreed on the surface, but in the heart he rebelled and remained inactive and disobedient. On the other hand, the first son openly rebelled, but repented and obeyed.
Two very different responses gave us two very different results
III. The Results
The results are clear and simple.
A. Repentance led to the work getting done.
Christ said that those who are like this son, who turn away from their sin when they are confronted with the truth, they are entering the kingdom of God ahead of those who produce the second result:
B. Lip Service led to the work remaining untouched.
When you consider that the work we are talking about directly influences the eternity of those around us, it’s a sobering thought. Yet even this reality is not enough for some to change their focus from what they look like on the outside or what ministry looks like on the outside to whether or not they’re heart is clean and they’re being obedient to God’s call and request and the work that He calls us to is getting done.
As we close, I want you to take three things with you by way of application into our own lives.
IV. The Realities
a. There is always Hope
God is not looking for the ones who look perfect on the outside. He’s not asking us for unattainable perfection, He just wants us to obey His call. No matter where we’ve gone or what we’ve done, no matter the depth of rebellion that has marked out lives, there is always hope through the forgiveness of sins. We have only to ask for it and then we can join the others in the field and build God’s Kingdom here on Earth.
b. Repentance is our Right Response to Sin
When we see our rebellion for what it is, repentance is the only right response before God. We need to have remorse over our sins and turn away from them and back towards God. And with repentance comes this third Truth.
c. Obedience is shown through our Actions
Some of us say yes in church every week, we say yes in Bible Study, yes in prayer meeting, yes in small groups, we have become like the Pharisees, looking spotless and holy on the outside, but, like that child in the car, we’re still standing on the inside and we say no by our lack of actions in response to God’s call.
Jesus says: JN 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
It’s that simple. He wants our hearts, he wants our obedience. If the external is not flowing from the internal and our lives are not marked by obedience than we are just playing at religion and missing out on the relationship that God so deeply desires to have with us. Obedience is shown through our actions.
Hope, repentance, and obedience, these are the lessons of the story, these are the Truths that Christ wanted his disciples then, and wants His followers now, to grasp.
In these next few weeks, as we wrap up Matthew, pay close attention to the words that Christ speaks and to the things that he does. His time of Earthly ministry is winding down and He is getting right to the point now. Every word, and every action contains Truth that can transform the way that we think and live. Let’s Pray.
