MORE THAN WORDS
Matthew 21:28-32 NKJV
28 "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' 29 He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?"
They said to Him, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.
I am a big believer in the power of our words. I often reference Proverbs 18:21, which says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. I know that our words make a difference. And Jesus places a strong emphasis on the words we speak. He said we would have to take account of every idle or nonproductive word that comes out of our mouths. But Jesus also indicated that it's not just our words that matter; it's our actions.
The verses we are looking at today concern Jesus talking with the chief priests and elders of the nation. Jesus gave two parables, and both of them were pointed at these religious people who said one thing and did another.
Jesus used parables to paint pictures for the people. These word pictures illustrated His theme. The parable of the two sons had one of the boys telling his father that he would not go work the fields as his father requested. The boy told his father no, then regretted it and went anyway. The word regretted is also translated repented and has the meaning of changing one's mind or purpose after having done something regrettable. The first son said no, then repented for not doing the will of his father and went into the field.
The second son, when asked by his father to go into the field and work, responded positively. I go, sir. I am on it. Consider it done. But he never went. His words were good, but his actions did not comply. When Jesus asked the religious leaders which son did the will of his father, they answered correctly. The first son had a rough start but repented, changed, and did the right thing. All that seems simple enough until Jesus dropped the bomb on the chief priests and Pharisees.
Jesus told these religious elite of that day that the tax collectors and prostitutes would enter the Kingdom of God before them. These people, considered the worst of the worst, heard John the Baptist preach, believed him, repented, and were baptized. These tax collectors and prostitutes, who the religious people had completely written off, may have initially rejected God and His ways, but when they heard John, they believed him and repented.
However, the chief priests and Pharisees looked good on the outside. Their words were good. They were telling God, I go sir, but never went. When they heard John preach, they did not believe him and never repented, and they never changed. And because of their actions that did not line up with their words, they did not do the will of their Father God.
We have to understand what courage this took for Jesus to tell the top religious leaders of His day that they were not as justified before God as tax collectors and prostitutes. I don't know that He could have said anything more offensive to these men. But Jesus spoke truth to help, not to hurt. He wanted these leaders to put their heart where their mouth was. To not just talk the talk but walk the walk.
APPLICATION
Our application is simple. It's not just our words but our actions that count. We all know people who smile at us but will then turn around and speak unkind things about us when we are out of earshot. Do you trust people like that? I hope not. Their words and actions do not agree.
Our objective is to have our words and actions agree in all areas of our life. This is becoming a person of true integrity.