For those who hear the Father’s Word of forgiving love in Christ, the “I will not” changes to an, “I will.”
The audience has changed. In the Gospel readings for the last four weeks, Jesus has been speaking to His disciples. He has been re-minding them about life and what it means to find it. This week, the lectionary skips ahead and brings us into Holy Week. At the beginning of Matthew 21, Jesus rides triumphantly into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. There, He enters confrontation mode; first with the money changers and pigeon sellers (21:12-13), then with physical ailments and diseases (21:14), and, finally, with the chief priests and scribes (21:15-17). Not even the fig tree gets through unscathed (21:18-19).
As the reading for today picks up, Jesus has returned to the Temple. The temperature immediately rises as the chief priests and elders interrupt His teaching to challenge His authority. Jesus sidesteps their trap and turns His instruction to them. The lesson consists of three short parables in a row: The parable of the two sons, the parable of the wicked tenants, and the parable of the wedding feast. Since the lectionary has assigned one of them for each of the next three weeks, you might consider a three-part series of sermons that explores the three stories Jesus tells the religious leaders just a few days before His death.
The parable this week begins with a father sending his two sons to work in his vineyard. Unsurprising to anyone who has multiple children, the two sons respond differently. The first agrees to do the work but fails to follow through. The second announces his refusal to obey but ends up doing the job in the end. Jesus concludes the story by inviting the religious leaders to come to their own conclusion: “Which of the two sons did the will of the father?” The answer was obvious.
Before we get to what Jesus does with this story, it is worth pausing for a moment to notice His choice of comparison. Jesus describes the reign of God (τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ; 21:31) in terms of a relationship that a father has with his two sons. We are familiar with father/son stories. They abound in the Scriptures; Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, and the lost son(s) in Luke 15. They also appear in literature and film. Stories like “A River Runs Through It” and “Legends of the Fall” come to mind. In each of these cases, the relationship between the father and his sons breaks down. The result is tragedy. We all feel it, even those who have never been a father or a son. We all know how these stories are supposed to go. Fathers are supposed to love and provide for their sons. Sons are supposed to honor and respect their fathers. Brothers are supposed to get along and work together.
The tragedy in this story was the son who said the right thing but did not follow through. He failed to do the will of his father. This, Jesus says, is what the chief priests and scribes are doing. They are the ones who claimed to be faithful, who imagined themselves to be the obedient ones, who looked down on the “sinners” for being far from God. But their lack of faith in John the Baptist’s message revealed their unrighteous hearts.
Many who had been alienated from God in their sin turned to Jesus in belief when they heard His message of repentance.
With this parable, Jesus summarizes His entire ministry. Many who had been alienated from God in their sin turned to Jesus in belief when they heard His message of repentance. Those who were supposedly following God faithfully rejected His prophets and eventually His Son. This story would play itself out in just a few days when Jesus would be put to death by the religious leaders. But God would finally answer the question they asked Jesus about authority (Matthew 21:23) by raising Him from the dead on the third day. What is more, the risen Lord Jesus would then welcome more sinners into His family, more sons and more daughters, no matter how far they may have fallen.
What does this parable have to do with your congregation? We should be clear, first of all, how this parable was not spoken directly to them. We should be careful not to identify present-day Christians who gather for worship as one and the same with the chief priests and elders who orchestrated Jesus’ crucifixion. If members of your congregation resemble anyone in the parable, it would be the tax collectors and prostitutes who heard the Word of Jesus and believed.
But the story of the father and his sons still has legs, which suggest a sermon that emphasizes two important ideas in this story that apply to baptized and believing followers of Jesus.
- God is our Father. He dearly loves His sons and His daughters. This should not be taken for granted, especially in a time when many fathers fall short. Perhaps, here you might draw on another father/son story, either from the Scriptures or from literature or film, to help your hearers imagine the patient and forgiving love of God in Christ. No matter which type of son your members have been in the past, their Father still forgives and renews and leads them.
- God calls His children to work in His Kingdom. In various ways, we have all said, “I will not,” to His commands. Maybe the “I will not” for some of your hearers has been a refusal to forgive someone. Maybe it has been unwillingness to give up a sinful behavior. Maybe it is a reluctance to get involved in some sort of ministry or service to others. For those who hear the Father’s Word of forgiving love in Christ, the “I will not” changes to an, “I will.” Even better, it becomes, “Your will.” As Luther put it in his explanation of the Lord’s Prayer, we pray that the will of God, which is always done even without our prayers, would also be done by us.
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Matthew 21:23-27 (28-32).
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Matthew 21:23-27 (28-32).
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
