Saturday, Dec 12: Parable of Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-22

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31 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. 32 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.

Written by Allen Grothe

Allen is a member of Samuel Church and a Choir Member. He is a retired minister who frequently serves as a Guest Preacher and Sabbatical Pastor in the conference.

The little girl watched in bewilderment as her mother pulled out the old nativity set she used every year.  One of the shepherds had an arm broken off.  One of the sheep had a leg broken off.  One of the wise men had his nose broken off.  Even old Joseph and Mary were the worse for wear.  “Why do you keep using that old nativity set?” the little girl asked.  “Why don’t you just buy a new one?”  The mother smiled and gently replied, “Because it reminds me God comes to us in our brokenness, so the gift and power of God’s love can help us become whole.” (Source Unknown)

The mother in that story is an inspiration to me.  To begin with, she is honest enough to acknowledge her own human imperfection (her “brokenness,” if you will).  She is also brave enough to confess her need of God’s help in becoming whole.  And she is wise enough to understand we are not given the gift of Jesus as a reward for being good but rather because we are loved by God and in need of help.  She is wise enough to know we likewise give each other gifts not because we have somehow “earned” them but because we seek to share God’s love.  In continuing to use the old nativity set, she challenges her daughter and all of us to give up any illusions of perfection and self-sufficiency.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus challenges the chief priests and elders to do the same.  He tells them a parable where a father asks his two sons to go work in the vineyard.  The first son says no but later changes his mind.  The second son says yes but never goes.  And Jesus ends the parable by telling the chief priests and elders that the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the reign of God’s love ahead of them since, despite any past mistakes, they have responded to John the Baptist and to him, while the chief priests and elders have not.  Along with the mother in the story, the tax collectors and prostitutes have acknowledged their imperfection, their brokenness, and their need of God.  Yet the chief priests and elders keep stubbornly clinging to their self-centered illusions.

As is often noted, this is not a “we versus them” parable.  On the contrary, it is a parable of inclusiveness.  The two sons are members of one family, and Jesus does not say anyone is excluded from the reign of God’s love.  He simply says that those who can acknowledge their imperfection and need of God are closer to that reign than those who do not.  And the songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen echoes this affirmation when he tells us, “Ring the bells that still can ring.  Forget your perfect offering.  There is a crack in everything.  That is how the light gets in.” (from the song “Anthem”)

Prayer:

O God Who comes to us in our brokenness, let the light of Your love shine into the cracks in our lives and our society that it may shine forth from us.  Amen.