Rebels
What does it mean to do the Father's will?
When Jesus 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?” Jesus 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. Did 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?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So 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. “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. - Matthew 21:23-32
When I was young, I would argue with my father. His idea of what I should spend my time doing was quite different from mine. He felt working in the yard was more important than riding my bike or playing ball with my friends.
My sister, on the other hand, never argued with him. She would agree to help and then go about her business. She would only get away with that because he was so preoccupied with me.
So, I would give in and work in the yard, feeling guilty and hurt.
Doing the will of your father is not always easy, nor is it fun. It is work.
I on't think he ever appreciated the fact that I did do as he wished, be it reluctantly and after an argument. And of course, I never felt good about it at all.
The parable points out something I did not realize as an argumentative young lad. The father pays attention to the one who rebels and then repents, more than the one who agrees and walks away.
It is why Jesus came in the first place, to call the rebellious home.
Perhaps the father knows that the rebel feels bad and wants to help ease the guilt and shame of the one who argues and resists. That should be good news for all of us.
Who wants to live with that?
So, we should all know that God is waiting for us to head to the field to help. It doesn't matter what we have said before or what we have done. If we come, we will be accepted.
We are already loved.
More to come...