Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Conrad Jones
Vestry Member, Welcome Ministry Leader, and Men’s Group Ministry Leader

Listen to this Devotional.

Matthew 21:23-32

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

23 When he 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?’ 24Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” 26But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ 27So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

28 ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” 29He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. 30The father* went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

Devotional

Parables told by Jesus are always interesting to study and try to decipher. To fully understand the Parable of the Two Sons, we may need to begin reading at the beginning of Mathew 21, in order to define whom he is really “talking about”. It begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. His first act is to cleanse the temple of moneychangers and marketeers. Afterwards, we see Jesus condemning a fig tree for having no fruit. These may seem to be isolated events, but Jesus was making a strong symbolic point. The fig tree is often symbolic of Israel, and the fact that the fig tree had leaves but no fruit is symbolic of Israel’s religious activity; all the outward appearances of spirituality, but no substance. Israel may have had the leaves of activity, but not the fruit of repentance and obedience to God. So when the religious authorities—the chief priests and elders—question Jesus’ authority the stage is set for the showdown. It is in this context that Jesus tells three parables beginning with the parable of the Two Sons. It illustrates their rejection of Jesus, and pronounces judgment on Israel for their rejection of their Messiah. In the Parable of the Two Sons, the question is presented: Is it better to have initially rejected or ignored God’s word and then come to repent, or to have professed the Spirit but have no substance?

That’s not too hard to decipher!

Additional Readings

Amos 3:12-4:5; Psalm 119:1-24; 2 Pet. 3:1-10