Peace to you from God our Father in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
When my boys were relatively young they would play together in the playroom and and move on
and leave it quite the wreck. One day Karen my wife saw the playroom was in need of some
attention and so the next child she saw was the youngest son Trent and she told Trent
go and get your brothers and y'all need to clean up the playroom.
She went about her business and not too much later she passed through the playroom again
and she saw the older boys Reed and Drew cleaning up the playroom and she said well where is Trent
and they said we don't know he just told us we had to come up and clean up the playroom.
Not entirely untrue but perhaps Reed and Drew should have questioned the authority of Trent
and his power to actually assign chores for that day.
That's what's going on in our gospel lesson today there's a question
of authority. As Jesus enters Jerusalem in the last week of his life he's going to be challenged
and what an entrance it's been into Jerusalem. He's entered Jerusalem with the crowd singing
Hosanna to the son of David. He entered into the temple into the marketplace that had sprung up in
the temple. He turned over their tables and drove out those trying to make money off the temple's
operation and then he healed a man in the temple and this all sets 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 from a high priestly family one of the few families these elite positions were filled
from. He isn't an elder meaning he's not one of the nobility typically the landowners that were
closely associated with with the temple. He doesn't have the right degree from the right
school he's not been ordained by the right people. What right does he have to come to our temple
to disrupt the marketplace to heal to teach who says he can do this.
They certainly had not authorized Jesus. They were sure they had him trapped.
Jesus makes a deal he says you answer my question I'll answer yours. His question is this the
baptism of John from where did it come from from heaven or from man. It's a question of authority
who gave John the Baptist the authority to call for repentance and to baptize in the wilderness.
The temple leadership is trapped. Their honest answer is they don't believe John was sent by God.
They didn't believe his message they did not repent.
But they're afraid to say that out loud because the crowds did believe and they're afraid of the
crowds. They know they can't even lie and say yeah we do believe John was from God because
Jesus will call them out and say then why did you not believe.
So they choose to claim they do not know.
And in doing so they put themselves in another trap here the religious leaders of Israel admit
they do not have the wisdom or discernment to know was John the Baptist from God.
Was Jesus from God. They're failing as the spiritual leaders of the people.
But of course Jesus isn't just playing word games to get out of the temple leaders attempt to trap
him. We know this because Jesus keeps the issue alive. He tells a story of a father and two sons
to further expose the temple leadership. It's one of Jesus' shorter stories. A father has two sons.
He tells each of them to go to the vineyard to work. The first son tells him no but later changes
his mind and he goes and the second son says yes I'll go. But he actually does not go.
Jesus asked the temple leaders again which of the two did the will of his father.
They said the first. The one who initially said no but changed his mind and actually went.
So what's the point of the story. Traditionally we say the first son represents the tax collectors
and prostitutes that Jesus gets to hear in a moment who who initially lived lives and said
no to God but changed their minds and said yes at the preaching of John the Baptist.
And the second son represents the the temple leadership.
Who in words say yes to God but but who in their actions say no.
If that's the interpretation then the temple leaders need to
pick up their game not just talk about God but actually live.
Align their lives with what it means to believe God.
Similar what James will later say show me your faith by your works.
So we intuitively agree with that. Though neither son is admirable. The first son is
very disrespectful to his father even more so in that culture. But if I have to choose between the
two I'd give the same verdict as the temple leaders. I'd choose the disrespectful doer
over the second son who says he'll go but then doesn't go.
But that's not what Jesus focuses on as he wraps up this story.
Look at what he says the point of it all means. Before Jesus gets there first he wants to make
sure they're paying attention. He says truly I say to you speaking to the temple leadership
the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.
This would have been a shocking judgment for the temple leaders to hear offensive
that Jesus would suggest tax collectors those traders those unclean those compromised and
prostitutes would enter the kingdom of heaven before them. He has their attention.
And Jesus explains why this is so. He says John came to you in the way of righteousness.
Now that phrase in the way of righteousness. We often and sometimes it does mean we walk
in the way of righteousness. We walk in a morally upright life. But going back to the
Old Testament it actually had a much deeper and fuller meaning. It wasn't talking about
our righteousness but it was God's acts of righteousness in which in the end times he
promised he would put Israel and the world right. He would come and fix the mess that we've made
of everything. So John came as the forerunner to announce that the time had come.
God was beginning to put the world right. John's call was to make straight the way of the Lord
for God's Messiah is coming. He's coming in the way of righteousness.
And then Jesus states the temple leaders real problem. It's not just that their actions don't
match their words. He says this John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not
believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes they believed him.
And even when you saw it you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
They did not believe John was sent by God to announce the coming of the kingdom.
They said no to John the Baptist. But then the tax collectors and the prostitutes
they repented. They turned. They listened to John's words. They were baptized in the
baptism of repentance. And the temple leaders saw this. But they did not change their mind.
They did not believe. And now one greater than John has come. Jesus the Messiah.
And still they will not believe.
You see the temple leaders were not the second son who who first said yes. But then said no.
They're not even the first son who said no. But then yes.
They were a no and a no and a no. They said no to John the Baptist. They said no when the
tax collectors and prostitutes repented. And they said no to Jesus.
And even now in the last week of Jesus's earthly life he's calling them to rethink
who has the authority in your life to call you to repent and believe.
But even now at this late hour we know the rest of the story. They will not.
And they will miss entering the kingdom of God.
But there's still time for you. The good news for you is that the door to the kingdom remains open.
That through Jesus's life, death, and resurrection he has opened the kingdom to all.
To tax collectors and prostitutes. To gamblers and lawyers. To addicts and people pleasers.
To you and to me.
The invitation stands. Repent. Rethink everything in light of Jesus and his kingdom.
What does it mean to repent? To change your mind and believe?
It begins with asking who has the authority in your life?
Who are you a disciple of? Someone 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 to ever live.
All authority in heaven on earth has been given to him.
There's no one better to listen to. There's no one better to follow.
To change your mind and believe means to rethink everything in light of Jesus and his kingdom.
Martin Luther in the first of his 95 theses said the Christian life is one of daily repentance.
We never move beyond the need to rethink our lives in light of Jesus and what we learn from him.
We never move beyond the need to believe.
To change your mind and believe is to do the father's will by following the son that he has sent.
In his first coming, Jesus began the work of setting the world right.
He's coming again soon to finish the way of righteousness.
You don't want to miss it. Repent and believe. You don't want to be left outside his kingdom.
Repent and believe the good son. There's only one good son in this story, and that's Jesus.
And that's Jesus. Jesus is the son who from the beginning said yes to his father's will.
And Jesus is the one who perfectly does his father's will. He's the only one that's a yes
and a yes. He works his father's vineyard knowing that those entrusted with the care of the vineyard
will beat him, kill him, and throw him out.
He chooses his father's will even though his obedience will mean death on a cross.
Why would the son of God say yes to the father and to do this will that will involve so much
suffering? The writer of Hebrews tells us, the writer of Hebrews says, for the joy that was set
before him, he endured the cross. Joy at the cross? Joy at the opening of the kingdom to sons
and daughters who, though having failed to do the father's will, change their minds and seek first
the kingdom of God. Joy at the defeat of sin. Joy at the defeat of death. Joy at the defeat of the devil.
Joy that what was lost has been found. What has been bent is being made right.
The way of righteousness has come to you this day.
Rethink your life in light of the king, the good son, and believe.
Father, we come to this simple story.
Father, give us ears to hear the simple point that you have sent the king of kings and the
lord of lords and he has come not for our judgment, for our salvation. He has done your will and by
doing your will has opened the way that we too might enter your kingdom. Father, what a good
and glorious and gracious will it is. Will you by your holy spirit give us the grace
to rethink our lives in light of such a glorious gift?
Would you save us from thinking that we are an authority in ourselves that we ought to trust?
Lord, lead us to true freedom that we might serve in your vineyard alongside your son
for it is for the sake of your son that you have forgiven and adopted and saved.
We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. I invite you to please rise.