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Morning Devotion for the Season of Lent
April 7, 2025
Tikhon
Reading: Matthew 21:28-32
‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which 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. For 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.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
It was Voltaire who commented that we ought to judge a person by his questions rather than his answers. There is wisdom in this, and, when considering this passage from the Gospel of Matthew there is revelation also.
Many varied people ask Jesus questions in Matthew’s Gospel. Both their questions and Jesus’ responses are striking. There are many different kinds of questions posed to Jesus. Both the Baptizer and Pilate ask questions about Jesus’ identity; John asks if he is in fact the one for whom they have been waiting. Pilate asks if he is the king of the Jews. The Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, chief priests and elders asked questions to try to trap Jesus; why the disciples break “the traditions of the elders”, for signs or proofs, about divorce, taxes, resurrection, and the role of the law, by whose authority do you do what you do. These are a few.
The chief priests and elders ask Jesus where his authority comes from. In return, Jesus asks them if John’s baptism came from heaven, or from the human mind? His question reverses the trap which the chief priests and elders are trying to set for Jesus. His accusers take the fifth, refusing to answer Jesus lest it incriminate them in the eyes of the crowds. So Jesus, in turn, doesn’t answer their question about his authority either. Instead, he tells them a parable.
The parable sets up a comparison of two sons: one says he will do what his father asks, but doesn’t, with one who says he won’t, but does. For everyone who hears this parable the comparison helps or forces them to ask the question, Which one am I? Do I present myself as obedient while creating disorder, or am I the daughter who, to all appearances, is the “black sheep” but does what is needed? Which am I? Which are you?
Note the reversal of expectations: those regarded as the antithesis of the “good” believer, will enter the kingdom first. Which are you?
Jesus in a tour de force reverses the accusations, noting that those who posed these questions did not believe John the Baptist’s messages, yet noted that the tax collectors did. Again, into which camp do you fall? Do I?
We may not be the chief priests and elders of Jesus’ day, raising these accusing questions. Still, the parable may speak volumes to us. What may emerge for each of us is the challenge that asks us how we will respond to the truth of the gospel — will we change our mind and believe, or not? Perhaps our response might be, “Yes, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.”
A Prayer for Guidance
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly. Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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