Transcript

Matthew 21:26-30 · NOBA @ Noon

Canon Justin Murff: The Gospel of Matthew chapter twenty one twenty six thirty And when he had entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority? Jesus answered them I will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The Baptism of John From where did it come? From heaven or from earth? And they discussed it amongst themselves, saying, If we say from heaven, Jesus will say to us, Why then did you not believe him? But if we say from man, we're afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet. And so they answered Jesus, We do not know. And he said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, Son, go and work in the vineyard today. And he answered, I will not. But afterward he changed his mind, and he went. And as he went to the other son and said the same, he answered I will, sir, but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said the first. Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him too. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus is in the temple courts and the chief priests and elders are directly challenging his teaching authority. Rather than answering directly, though, Jesus poses a counter question about John the Baptist's baptism. The religious leaders then huddle up. If we say from heaven, then Jesus will say to us, Well, why didn't you believe him? Gotcha. But if we say from man, well, look at the size of the crowd outside. They all love John. They thought John was a prophet. Notice their reasoning here. They don't ask what's true. What they're really asking is what's the safest answer? They're too busy calculating the political consequence of their answer rather than pursuing the honest truth. So they answer Jesus, we don't know, and Jesus rightly says to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. You see, Jesus refuses to engage those who aren't willing to engage honestly. If they won't commit to truth about John, whom they could have evaluated at any moment, they'll never really receive truth about Jesus. Then Jesus tells this parable. What do you think? A man had two sons, and he goes to the first and says, Son, go and work in the vineyard today. This vineyard theme is a recurring theme in the teaching of Jesus. And he answers, I will not go. But afterwards he changes his mind and the son eventually goes into the vineyard and works. The the vineyard owner goes to the second son, and he says the exact same thing. And this son answers, I will go, sir, but he didn't go. The parable is simple. Two sons, two responses. The first says no, but eventually obeys, and the second says yes, but never follows through. Initial response and failed action don't match in either case. Jesus' application will be devastating. The tax collectors, the prostitutes, those who initially said no to God, those who were shut out and rejected and despised by the religious elite of their day, those are the ones entering the kingdom of God ahead of you all. The religious leaders who said all the right things, did all the right things, but yet the condition of their heart was closed. This exchange illustrates the dangerous sophistication of religious leaders who had learned to navigate truth for their own political advantage. How does this passage challenge us today? Well, first it exposes the danger of calculating risk rather than pursuing truth. When we evaluate positions based on their social consequences rather than the accuracy of their statements, we've compromised our integrity. Second, the parable of the two sons confronts our tendency to substitute words for actions. Religious profession of the mouth without obedient action from the heart is worthless. Third, this passage offers hope to those with a shameful past. The tax collectors and the prostitutes, they'd said no to God through their lifestyle, but their no could become a yes through genuine repentance and forgiveness. Today, let's examine our own response patterns. Is there area in our life where we say, I'll go, sir, but where we've refused to actually follow through? Is there something that we need to get right with the Lord today? Maybe, just maybe it may be our own heart and how we look at those around us. Whatever the case may be, let's be faithful to the Lord today. Surely He is faithful to us.