the church geek

This sermon was preached on Sept 28, 2008. The text was Matthew 21: 23-32

Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus told lots of different stories and parables. As a kid who grew up in the church, the parable from today’s text is probably the one that stuck in my mind the most.

Back then, I may have heard the story something like this:

A dad with two sons went to the one of them and said, “Would you please go out and mow the lawn today?” The son responded, “Yeah right, dad, I ain’t got time to do that today, my friends and I are planning to go out later.”

Later in the day, the son changed his mind and went out and mowed the lawn.

The dad went to his other son and said the same thing. The son responded, “Sure Dad, I’ll go out and mow the lawn, as soon as I get done playing this game of Grand Theft Auto.”

The day came and went but he never went out to mow the lawn.

Well, come to think of it, we didn’t have a PS2 or 3 back then. So it was probably Asteroids or PacMan, on an old Atari set, that was distraction. But you get the point.

As I heard that parable, I would think about all the times I said I would do something - washing the dishes, mowing the lawn, or getting my homework done - and the number of times I either didn’t do it, or had to be asked over and over again before I finally did.

As a kid, this parable stuck with me. It gnawed on me, because I knew when I said I would do something and didn’t do it, I was not doing what my parents wanted. Instead, I was doing what I wanted.

I bet most kids have a pretty good idea about what Jesus is saying here. And, if you are a parent, I’m pretty sure you get it too.

There is more going on with this parable, however. When Jesus told it, he was talking about more than misbehaving kids who don’t do what their parents tell them to. He was talking about more than adults who say they will do one thing but then go off and do another.

Jesus tells this story after being confronted by the chief priests and elders when he is in the Temple at Jerusalem. They come to Jesus and ask where he gets his authority to teach the crowds and do the things he has done.

What prompts them to approach him is a scene earlier in this chapter where Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple. Needless to say, they weren’t very happy with that, nor with other things Jesus had done or taught.

So, they approach him hoping to trap him and to catch him saying something they will be able to use against him.

Jesus sidesteps the question and asks them one in return. Since they have asked about his authority, he turns and asks them where they think John the Baptist got his authority - was it from heaven or was it of human origin?

With his question, Jesus catches them in a trap:

* If they answer that John’s authority was of human origin then they have to contend with the crowds who believe otherwise,

* If they answer that it was from heaven then they will have to also have to agree that Jesus’ authority comes from heaven too.

Neither of those options are in their best interest, so to get out of the dilemma, they respond in the only way they can. They claim ignorance saying, “We do not know.”

Their response to Jesus shows not only that they do not care to answer the question, but that they just plain “don’t get it” at all. They show just how far they are from what God really intends.

The parable of the two sons follows this confrontation. It shows the chief priests and the elders who it is that really gets it. The story reveals who truly understood and responded to John the Baptist’s message.

To get what’s going here, we have to go all the way back to the first part of Matthew, to chapter three.

There we find John the Baptist in the wilderness of Judea, out on the shore of the Jordan River. Jesus has not yet begun his own ministry, but John is out there preaching and preparing the way for Jesus to come.

The crowds, along with various religious leaders, have traveled out to hear John’s message. And when they get out there they hear him say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Repentance is one of those words we don’t use a lot outside of the church. It simply means to have a change of mind. But more importantly it means to go in a different direction. It is not just agreeing to do something different, it is actually living life differently.

True repentance is displayed by a change in action and in behavior.

John the Baptist makes that point quite clear, in the gospel of Luke, where this scene by the river is given a little more detail. Many of those who come to John to be baptized ask him, “What should we do?” And he responds by giving them specific behaviors that must change:

To the religious leaders that come, John says they should “Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor.”

To the crowds John says, whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.

To the tax collectors John says, collect no more than the amount proscribed to you, and to the soldiers he says, Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations, and be satisfied with your wages.

John tells those who come to repent and be baptized that they must live new lives that reflect God’s values:

* Instead of relying on their ties to the temple, they are to be spiritually connected to God.

* Instead of hoarding their wealth and their treasures they are to use them to fulfill God’s purposes.

* Instead of using the power of position to make profit for themselves, they are to turn from their ways and further the good of others.

It’s quite clear. John expected those who heard his message and who came to be baptized to live their life differently. He expected them to change their ways. To put their faith into action.

In the same way, Jesus expects those who claim to have faith in God to live differently. To not just talk about it or just claim to believe it. Instead, he expects that their lives will really show it. Their faith must be put into action.

That’s the point of this parable.

On the outside the professional religious leaders - the chief priests and the elders - looked like the ones chosen by God, but they did not act as if it was so. They did not bear fruit worthy of repentance. They did not repent and change their ways.

They were just like the second son, the one who sat on the couch all day and said he would go out and would get to work as soon as he got done playing his video game, but who never actually got around to doing it.

Jesus says they didn’t “really get it.” They didn’t understand John’s message, and they aren’t getting his message either. If they did get it, their lives would look a whole lot different. They would behave and act much differently.

On the other hand, the crowds – along with the tax collectors and the prostitutes – they are just like the first son, the one who at first blew off his father and said he wouldn’t do the work but later got up off the couch and did the job.

They are the ones who “really get it.” At first it may not have looked like they were chosen of God. Yet, they heard John’s message, they got Jesus’ message, and it showed in the way they lived new and different lives.

The question this parable asks of us, “Do our lives show that we really get it?” Do they reflect the reality that in our baptisms we have been extended the incredible grace and mercy of God AND that we have been called to a life of radical discipleship to Jesus?

John the Baptist has already suggested some ways that our lives may have to change to reflect this call to discipleship:

* We will not just rely on our membership in the church, but will instead develop a thriving spiritual relationship with the living God.

* We will not accumulate money and possessions just for our selves but we will hold them loosely, giving freely to God as well as to others who are in need.

* We will not use our power to get what we want or to hurt others, instead we will use it promote the common welfare and the good of others.

These just begin to scratch the surface of all the ways that the gospel calls us to new and different lives. This is just the starting point for how we are to put our faith in action.

Do you really get it? Do you really understand the call of the gospel? If you truly get the grace and mercy of God and if you understand Jesus’ call to discipleship. Then, you will be like that first son, the one who gets up off the couch, who gets busy, and who gets the job done.

To the glory of God, now and forever, Amen.