Trusting the System

Have you noticed that people don't always do what they say they will do?

“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. - Matthew 21:28-31

We live and work in a system based on trust.  When we venture out onto the streets, we expect people will follow the rules of the road.  We put our lives on the line when we do that, but for the most part it works.  People follow the rules and do what they were trained to do.

And when we contract with someone to do a job, we expect them to do what they say they will do. 

So, what happens when the trust breaks down?  What do we do when more and more people say they will do something and then they don't do it, like the son in the parable?

Jesus doesn't tell us they won't get to the kingdom, but he does say they will move to the back of the line, behind the folks we start out defiant but change their minds and do the work.

Our democratic system is built on trust.  We choose which voices we want to speak for us and we trust them to do what we send them to the field to do, just like the father in the parable.

So, when they fail to do what they said they would do, we lose trust in them, and then the whole system is in jeopardy.

Maybe we need a strategy like the one Jesus had.  Send the ones who don't want to go, the ones who don't want to do the work, and perhaps more of them will actually get the job done.

That would be a real trust exercise, wouldn't it?

It would be so much easier if people could be trusted to do what they say.

More to come...