I was looking over Mt 21:28-32 this morning. What an interesting story that relates to anyone who has ever been asked to do something for God. Whether that was by God directly or by someone who felt the Lord was laying you on their heart, it places one in a position of having to discern what God wants one to do. You may not remember the story of the 2 sons who were both asked by their father to go work in the vineyard one day. The first son said “I will not” but later decided he would and went to work. The second son said “I will” but never did. I don’t know if he got busy, had no intention of going to work in the vineyard or just forgot? But Jesus’ question is simple. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” Not asked, not suggested – did what his father wanted.

The religious leaders knew the answer and said “The first.” Jesus then pointed out that those people the religious leaders most despised – in their day the tax collectors and the prostitutes were entering the Kingdom of God ahead of the religious leaders because John the baptizer came to show them the way of righteousness, and the religious leaders didn’t believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him, and even after seeing this, the religious leaders still didn’t believe.

Hmm, doing what the father wanted is more important than doing what I want, what my family wants, what my employer may want – sounds a lot like our Jesus doesn’t it? In a day when people hold family in such high regard in the church, how we often use them to justify not doing what our Father wants? And not doing what the father wanted, that son was compared to those who should have known better. While those who the religious leaders looked down on for not being righteous in their eyes, were believing the message of the one sent by God. I’m giving some thought these days to how we as Christians look down on those who don’t believe like we do, be it inside the Church – any church, or outside the church because they “don’t know Jesus”. Maybe what Jesus meant when He told the Pharisees to “go and learn what this means: I desire mercy not sacrifice” is still true for us, His Church today? Just a thought . . .