DAY 49 of #100daysofJesus - Parable of the Two Sons

 

DAY 49 of #100daysofJesus

On one occasion, when confronted by jealous priests who questioned His authority, Jesus shared what is known as the Parable of the Two Sons to teach an important lesson.

In this parable, a father asks his two sons to go work in his vineyard. The first son "answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented and went." The second son "answered and said, I go, sir: and went not."

He then asks the question - which son "did the will of his father?"

Although it first required repentance or a change of heart, it is obvious that only the first son obeyed his father.

To the shock and anger of these high priests, Jesus concludes, "the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you."

Jesus' point was that the "known sinners" were willing to listen to the words that John (the Baptist) and Jesus preached. They were willing to repent, make necessary changes in their lives, and humbly worship God.

In contrast, the religious leaders of the day professed to worship God with their lips, yet their actions told a very different story. And they were unwilling to repent and change.

I hope that each of us finds ourselves in the first group of "sinners." I hope we can acknowledge our shortcomings, weaknesses, and failures, and that with humility we can turn to God for a change of heart and the courage to do His will.

We live in an age of perfectionism where far too many of us strive more for the perception of piety than for the actions of Christian discipleship.

While this parable is certainly a warning to those who profess belief but do not act accordingly, it is also a message of hope to all of us imperfect people: it's not too late to repent and change, regardless of whether we relate more to the first or the second son.

If we are not doing the will of our Father in Heaven, we can acknowledge that, seek forgiveness through sincere repentance, and change our thoughts, words, behaviors, and hearts. Jesus' grace makes this possible for us. This is the beautiful, saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

(Matthew 21:28-32)