When my kids were younger, I'm thinking in particular of my three boys, there was a day
in which my wife Karen passed through the playroom and it was clear that they had been
there. It needed some attention. So the next son she found was Trent and she said, Trent,
being the youngest, told him, go get your older brothers and y'all need to clean up
the playroom.
Some time passed and she happened to pass by the playroom and in that playroom she
saw the two older boys, Reed and Drew, cleaning up the playroom. And so she asked them, where's
Trent? And they said, well, I don't know, but he told us we had to come clean up the
playroom.
I think Reed and Drew needed to question the authority that Trent held to tell them when
to clean up the playroom, especially when he excluded himself from that duty. That's
what we have going on in our gospel text today. There's a question of authority. Who
has the right to tell me what to do?
We see Jesus in the last week of his earthly life. He's entered Jerusalem and made quite
the splash. He came in in a big parade with the people shouting, Hosanna, the son of David.
He broke up the marketplace that had arisen in the temple grounds, overturning the tables
of the money changers. And he's healed a man. And all this has set the temple leadership
on edge. So they confront Jesus. By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you
this authority? Jesus isn't a high priest. He's not from the right family from which
those high priests are chosen. Jesus isn't an elder. They were more than noblemen, the
landowners who supported the work of the temple. He doesn't have the right degree from the
right school. He isn't ordained by the right authorities. What right does he have to come
to the temple to teach, to overturn the marketplace, to heal? These are the temple leaders. They've
not authorized it. They're sure they have Jesus in a trap. But Jesus isn't easy to trap.
He turns the tables on these temple leaders. He makes them a deal. If you answer my question,
I'll answer your question. His question seems odd at first. The baptism of John, where did
it come from? From heaven or man? Jesus brings up John the Baptist, who came preaching, calling
on the people to repent and be baptized. Jesus asked a question of authority. Who gave John
the right to carry out that ministry? Temple leadership gathers. They take a few minutes.
It's not because they don't know the answer. They do know the answer. They're just not
willing to say the answer out loud. They did not believe John was sent by heaven. They
did not repent. They were not baptized by John. But the crowds did. And they're afraid
to say so in front of the crowds out of fear of the crowds. They can't lie at this point
because Jesus will call them out and say, if you believed John was from God, why did
you not listen to him? And so they claim they don't know. To get out of this trap.
But of course, in claiming they don't know, they're admitting we are unqualified to be
the spiritual leaders of Israel. We can't say whether John the Baptist was from heaven
or not. And by implication, nor can we say. Is Jesus sent by God or not? Jesus isn't just
playing word games here to get out of their trap and to make them look silly. We know
this because he immediately tells a story that keeps the issue on the table. It's a
simple story of a father telling two sons to go clean the playroom, go work in the vineyard.
One son says, no, I won't do it. But then he changed his mind and he did. The second
son said, yes, father, I'll do it. But then he didn't do it. Jesus asked the temple leaders,
which of the two did the will of his father? And they said the first. The one who initially
said he would not, but eventually did do what he was told to do and went and worked
in the vineyard. What's the point of the story? Traditionally, we've understood the story
to be the two sons representing two groups of people. The first son who initially said
no and then yes, represents the tax collectors and prostitutes that Jesus will get to in
a moment, who initially had said no to God, but at the preaching of John the Baptist had
said yes. And the second son, the one that said yes, but then was a no, represents the
temple leaders. That they had taught the good game, saying yes to God, but by their actions
they were saying no.
That's consistent with what James will later say. You say you have faith, show me your
faith by your works. And we intuitively agree with that. We want people to back up their
words with actions. Now, neither son is particularly admirable. The first son did do the will of
his father, but showed his father great disrespect, probably would have taken as a far greater
offense in that culture to tell a father, no, I will not, but he changed his mind and
he did. And so, given the choice between the two, I would probably side with the temple
leaders in choosing the first son, because we have no use for the ones who tells us they'll
do something, but then doesn't follow through.
But that's not what Jesus focuses on. Jesus doesn't pick up that thread and call the temple
leadership to take action, to get busy doing God's will. He says the problem lies a little
closer to the heart. But first he wants to make sure they're paying attention. He says,
truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before
you. This would have been a shocking judgment to the temple leadership. How in the world
could you ever say those tax collectors, those unclean traders to our people, those prostitutes
so compromised and immoral, how could you ever say they would go into the kingdom before
us? Jesus explains. Again, he brings up John the Baptist. He says, John came to you in
the way of righteousness. Now, sometimes when when we read righteousness, it speaks to the
call for us to live righteously, to live holy lives. But there's a deeper and broader meaning
that is rooted in the Old Testament that speaks of the way of righteousness is not what we
do to live a holy life, but in fact, what God promises to do to bring righteousness
both to Israel and the whole world, that God promises that a day is coming in the end times
in which he will make all things right in Israel and the world. And so, Jesus says,
John came in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him. John came announcing
as a forerunner of the Messiah, the one God promised who is coming to make all things
right. He's on his way. You need to get ready. You need to make the way straight. You need
to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins because God is on the move and
he's going to make all things right. 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 in him. The temple leaders
heard John the Baptist, but they didn't believe. They saw the tax collectors and the prostitutes
change their minds and come and repent. And in their repentance, they did not see that
God was on the move making all things right. They did not believe. They did not at that
point change their mind. And now one greater than John has come, Jesus the Messiah. And
they continue to refuse to believe. You see, the temple leaders were not the second son
who say yes and talk a good game, but don't back it up with actions. They're certainly
not the first son who say no, but later, yes, do the Father's will. They are the ones who
have said no and no and no. And even now, in the last week of Jesus's earthly life,
as all things are coming to a climax, Jesus calls these temple leaders who have not believed
again and again, they have said no to God's messengers. Jesus once again calls them to
repent and believe, but we know the rest of the story. We know they will not. They
will miss out on entering the kingdom. But there's still time for you. There's still
time for you to repent and believe. The invitation stands. That word repent simply means to rethink.
Rethink everything in light of Jesus and his kingdom. What does it mean to change your
mind, to rethink everything and believe? It begins with asking, who has the authority
in your life? Who are you a disciple of? Who calls the shots in your life? If it's not
Jesus, who is it? If it's not Jesus, why isn't it Jesus? Jesus is the most wise, the
most good, the most loving person who has ever lived. Following his resurrection, it
was declared that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. If you
want to live forever, listen to the one who has overcome death and has been resurrected.
To change your mind and believe means to rethink everything in light of Jesus and his kingdom.
And Luther, in the first of his 95 theses, said the Christian life is one of daily repentance.
Daily rethinking our lives in light of who Jesus is and what he has done for us. We never
move beyond the need to rethink our lives in light of Jesus and to believe again in
what he has accomplished for our salvation. In his first coming, Jesus came and began
to set the world right. And he will come again soon to finish the way of righteousness.
You don't want to miss it. You don't want to be left out of his kingdom. And so the
message is simple. Rethink your life in light of Jesus and believe. Believe the good news
that the good son has come for you. There's only one good son in this story, and that
is Jesus. For Jesus is the one from the beginning who has said yes to his father's will. Jesus
is the one who actually does his father's will. He is the only yes, yes. And he goes
and works in his father's vineyard knowing that those responsible for the upkeep of the
vineyard will beat him and kill him and throw him out of the vineyard. Jesus chooses to
do the father's will, even though he knows his obedience to that will will end in death
on a cross. Why would the son of God say yes to do this will of his father? The writer
of Hebrews tells us, he says, for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross.
Joy at the cross. Yes, joy, joy at opening the doors of the kingdom to sons and daughters
who, though having failed to do the father's will, hear the word of God and change their
minds and repent. The door has been opened that they might enter in joy that death is
defeated. Sin is dethroned. The devil is doomed. Joy of what was lost has now been found. What
was bent has now been made straight. What was wrong is being made right. Jesus has come
as God's fulfillment of the way of righteousness. He's come to you to this day. His invitation
to you stands. Rethink your life. Rethink everything in light of Jesus and his kingdom.
Amen. Father, we give you thanks that you have shown mercy on us in the sending of your
son. Father, have mercy again and do not let us harden our hearts. Do not let us grow
stiff necked. Do not let us believe the foolishness that somehow we are smart enough and wise
enough and powerful enough to make all the shots in our own life. The father show us
the joy of the one who believes, who changes his mind and simply believes you are as good
as you say, who simply believes that the way of righteousness and the way of life and the
way into the kingdom is simply through faith in the son. Father, strengthen us in faith
that we may ever be found clinging to your promise to us. We pray in the name of Jesus.
Amen. I invite you to please rise.