Pentecost 19                                        Matthew 21:28-32                                  September 21, 2008

THE FATHER’S THREE SONS

I.  One of faithless words

II.  One of faith-filled deeds

III.  One who did his Father’s will

What do you think?  There was a man who had two sons.  He went to the first and said, “Son, go and work today in the vineyard.”  “I will not,” he answered, but later changed his mind and went.  Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing.  He answered, “I will, sir,” but he did not go.  Which of the two did what his father wanted?  “The first,” they answered.  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did.  And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

Isn’t it fascinating how siblings, cut from the same cloth, can be so totally different?  It can be looks (“one looks like dad, the other like mom”), or temperament (one only needs a stern look while the other needs a good spanking), or interests (one likes music, the other likes sports).  With Isaac and Rebekah of old, whose sons were as different as night and say, you wonder how they could have come from the same parents. 

It’s Tuesday of Holy Week.  Hatred for Jesus among the religious leaders of the Jews was at a fever pitch.  They had decided it was time to kill him; they just weren’t sure how they were going to pull it off. 

As their hatred escalated, so did Jesus’ stern call to repentance intensify toward them.  During his ministry, Jesus told many parables about these unbelieving religious leaders.  Unfortunately, they  went right over their heads.  They were too proud to believe that anyone could say that they were sinners.  But on this Tuesday, there was no mincing words.  And there was no question about whom Jesus spoke his parables.  Jesus knew it, and they knew it too.

Jesus begins this debate with a question that we must answer ourselves: What do you think?  Not only to the question, Which of the two did what his father wanted, but also the more personal one I must ask of myself: Which of the two sons am I?

I

Let’s look at the second son first.  He was one of faithless words.  He seemed to be the perfect son.  He called his father “sir” and said he would do his father’s bidding.  A real Eddie Haskel type.  But his words were empty.  He failed to follow through.

There’s no doubt that these words were an arrow fired right at the religious leaders of God’s people.  They gave the appearance of faithfulness.  They worshiped regularly.  They tithed not only their money but all their possessions as well.  They gave the appearance of faithfulness, but when Jesus looked into their hearts, all he could say was, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” 

The Jewish people, led by their priests and ruling clans, always had an air of superiority about themselves, and claimed to be the son who said, “I will do your will.”  A tradition of the rabbis had it that on the 15^th day after Israel left Egypt, God offered his covenant at Sinai to all the nations on earth.  Moabites said “no” because God forbade adultery.  The Edomites refused because stealing was such a part of their lifestyle.  And Esau’s descendants wouldn’t submit to a law against killing.  Only Israel (the tradition says) chose to follow God.  And the choosing was their own doing!

What do you think?  I don’t think I am looking out at a sea of Pharisees and teachers of the Law who have nothing but hatred against Jesus Christ.  But starting right here at the pulpit I do see the dangerous sin of pride lurking in the hearts of every one of us by nature.  How can you detect this sin in yourself?  By your resistance to change.  A person who is resistant to change is one who is in danger of losing their soul.  If you are unwilling to do anything different for God, then beware of the state of your soul!  If you are unwilling to willingly and conscientiously improve your relationship with your spouse, if you are not regularly praying for your children or parents, if you are not bothered by poor offerings for the kingdom of God, if you are not striving to be more faithful at work or at school, if you are not repenting and changing your personal and secret sins, if you are not more concerned about improving your communication with God through prayer and worship and meditation, then you are like that second son.

Another sign of sinful pride and self-satisfaction is the way you look at others.  Jesus said to the church leaders: For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him.  They heard his message of repentance, but they though it was for others - the scum bag prostitutes and tax collectors that hung out at the Jordan to listen to him. 

A pastor accepted a new calling in a new church.  On his first Sunday, before he met a single parishioner, he dirtied himself up to look like a homeless man and sat on the steps of the church on Sunday morning.  One by one the parishioners passed by the scummy man and made their way into church.  When the bell rang, he made his way to the pulpit and said, “We have a lot of work to do in this congregation.”  Do you see people as worthy or unworthy of hearing about Jesus, or unworthy of eternal life?  If so, then the pride of the second son lives in you.  With such an attitude God is not pleased.  And there can be no peace with God when God is not pleased.  If we resist change or repentance, if we condemn people because we think them better or worse than ourselves, then we have damnable satisfaction.  Such attitudes condemn us and make us unworthy of the forgiveness of sins.  God is not pleased with those who say yes with the lips but not the heart.

II

The second son?  Well, you might think him the rebel son.  He marched to a different drum than his brother.  He was the one over whom the father pulled out his hair.  “I will not.”  Every parent can hear the snotty tone in that response, the mean-spirited “you’re-such-a-duffus” attitude toward his parent.  But something happens.  He decides to take his father’s invitation.  He is one of faith-filled deeds.

First he said, No!, but then changed his mind.  The enemies of Jesus may not have been satisfied with Jesus, yet Jesus makes it pretty clear that those scum of the earth - the tax collectors and prostitutes - are worthy of commendation.  Who are they?  They represent all those who have said no to God, but then found themselves with head hung low, saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”  They represent anyone who is not satisfied with himself/herself, and knows they cannot make God satisfied with them either.  They represent anyone who struggles with pride, or a lack of self-control, or who give in to their lusts of the flesh, or who burn bridges with their anger, or whose words hurt others and damage reputations.  They are those who realize by these actions they shut themselves off from the grace of God.  They represent all those who have felt the hard fall from that horse called Pride.    They are those who repent; that is, they change their mind about sin and change their mind about their need for a Savior from sin..

What do you think?  Which son are you?

III

The little secret of this parable is that there are really three sons involved.  Jesus is one who did his Father’s will.  Jesus fully understood that these unbelieving spiritual leaders were going to have their day in the sun.  They were going to take him away to a hill outside of Jerusalem to be executed.  And they were going to have the crowd on their side, as witnessed by their savage cry, “Crucify him!  Crucify him!”         

The two sons of the parable represent the ways of man; the Teacher, however, lived the way of God for mankind.  He lived the life perfectly devoid of pride and greed and worry and lust and hatred.  Think of it!  There are many today that want to think of Jesus who gave into temptation, but the Bible says, He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth - I Peter 2.  And even though he lived such a perfect life, he was the One who was punished on the crossed timbers!  He was the One who felt the horrible agony of God’s fury for our sins.  He was the One who withstood that fury and who earned the Father’s favor by all he did.  He was the One who took our sins away and gave us his perfection.

And where do you find Jesus in this lesson?.  It is not with those who claim some sort of special privilege with God because of their own good works.   He is with those who are caught up in pride or in sins of the flesh, those who see their righteous acts as nothing but filthy rags, and repent of those sins.  He says to us, “Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven.”  He is with those who are lost and hopeless and helpless, and he says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  He is with those who tremble at the thought of their morality, and says, “Though you walk through the valley of the shadow of  death, you have no reason to be afraid; I am with you!

What do you think?  Which son are you? 

Friends in Christ and friends of Shoreland, there is no greater joy than to teach children - on a daily basis - about the third son of this parable and what he has done for them.  There is no greater joy than to hear the responses of students in song, in prayer, in worship, and in testimonial, that they are redeemed and forgiven children of God.  There is no greater joy than to watch them grow in their life of works that are pleasing to God, motivated by God’s love for them. 

Shoreland Lutheran High School exists to educate, encourage and equip students for lives of Christian service.  Incorporated into all our teaching is the love of Christ, beginning with its call to repentance and flowing through to their active lives of Christian service.  Your support by means of prayers, volunteerism, and especially through your financial support make it all possible.  Your desire to offer a Christian education for our youth is evidence of a repentant and grateful heart.  For that we thank the Lord.

The two sons of our lesson today were different, just as our own children are so different.  But the Father and Son who watch over them do not play favorites.  He reaches out with grace and love to both.  What a comfort that is when my pride makes me say, “I’ll follow you” and I don’t.  What a comfort that is when my heart is weighed low by sin, and he reaches out with his forgiveness!

The Father still calls each of us to go out into his vineyard to work.  He wants us to plant the seeds of his gospel in the hearts of others.  We do that by the words we say in his behalf, whether they are words that call someone to repentance or works that bring comfort to a sin-sick soul.  We do that by the deeds of love and kindness we show others in our daily lives.  Go, then, into the vineyard of God.  Be a faithful son filled with faith-filled deeds.  Amen.

Rev. Thomas E. Bauer

Shoreland Lutheran High School

Somers, WI