“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” (Matthew 21:28-32 NIV)
I want you to finish a sentence for me. Ready? “The Christian Church is full of ____________.” I hope you thought of something nice. “The Christian Church is full of wonderful people.” Or maybe, “The Christian Church is full of really great pastors.” That sounds nice. But I’m afraid that’s not how a lot of people would finish that sentence. A lot of people would say, “The Christian Church is full of hypocrites.” Have you heard that before? It’s one of the top reasons people who don’t go to church give for not going to church: “The church is full of hypocrites!”
What does that mean? A hypocrite is someone who says one thing but does another. When a politician claims to be concerned about the environment but then flies around in a private jet, she’s a hypocrite. When a dad tells his kids not to curse, but then he curses all the time, he’s a hypocrite. When a Christian claims to follow Jesus, but then is just as bitter or greedy or crude as everybody else, she’s a hypocrite. Let’s admit something right away: It is easy to be a hypocrite!
That’s a problem, because do you know who’s really concerned about hypocrisy? Jesus. Hypocrisy really bothers Jesus. Just in this gospel of Matthew, Jesus used the word “hypocrite” twelve times! Usually, he was talking about the most religious people of his day—the Pharisees and chief priests. Jesus can’t stand watching people put on an outward show of godliness while mistreating others. Jesus can’t stand people who claim to follow God but live the opposite. Jesus can’t stand people who make themselves look good on the outside but aren’t good on the inside. It’s especially easy for religious people to be hypocrites, and hypocrisy really bothers Jesus.
So Jesus told another parable. Another story to teach us about God’s kingdom. Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered.” Wow! Those are strong words, especially in Jesus’ day. In the ancient world, your family was everything. Honoring your father was absolutely necessary. For a son to tell his father, “I will not,” was the worst thing a son could possibly do. “But later he changed his mind and went.” Somehow, that “no” turned into a “yes,” and he did as he was told.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing.” Remember what that was? “Go and work today in the vineyard.” “He answered, ‘I will, sir,’” Sounds good! This second son knew the right thing to say. When your father commanded you to do something, what was always the right answer? “Yes, I will!” “But he did not go.” The second son said the right words, and I bet he even had a smile on his face. “Yes!” But he didn’t do anything. It’s a simple story, isn’t it? One son says, “No,” but then does it. The other son says, “Yes,” but then doesn’t do it.
Then Jesus turned to those chief priests and elders of the people and asked, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” They knew the answer: “The first.” True obedience isn’t just saying the right words. It’s saying and doing. It’s easy to see how this connects to our lives as Christians. If your spiritual life amounts to lip service to God, if your life doesn’t line up with what you say you believe, you’re not really obeying God. What are you? A hypocrite. What a stinging rebuke of lukewarm Christianity! Do we confess Christ with our mouths but deny him with our actions?
Jesus looked those chief priests and elders in the eye and said, “I’m talking about you! “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Who was like the first son? The “no, yes” son? The “tax collectors and the prostitutes.” In other words, the “sinners.” They had said “No!” to God again and again, but then they repented. They changed. When they heard John the Baptist preach, when they heard Jesus preach, the power of God’s Word changed their “No!” into a “Yes!” They were part of the kingdom of God.
But the chief priests and religious leaders? They were like the second son. Jesus said, “John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” Those religious leaders proudly said “Yes!” to God. But they refused to repent and believe in Jesus. They hid their sin and pretended they didn’t need saving. Their outward “Yes!” to God was really “No!” Their hypocrisy was a big problem: “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” They would miss out on heaven.
If you have kids, I think you can immediately relate to Jesus’ words. There have been times when you’ve asked your child to do something, and she has refused. But then, a little while later, you notice that she’s actually doing it. There have been other times when you’ve asked another child to do something, and he has said “Yes!” with a big smile on his face. But then a day later, nothing has been done. Which child has done which you wanted? The first one! Love isn’t a feeling. Love is an action. Love does things. Love obeys. Love puts what it says into practice.
So we should all be like that first son, right? No! Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that. Jesus doesn’t tell us to be like the first son. That would be missing the point. The truth is, which of the sons was good? Neither was. Both sinned, in big ways! To say, “No!” to your father’s will is wrong, right? To say, “Yes,” but then to not do anything is wrong too, right? Both of the sons sinned. Neither of the sons did everything his father wanted. It’s wrong to say “No” to God’s commands. And it’s wrong to say “Yes” to God’s commands, but then to not actually do them. Both sinned.
So which son was really the good son? The third Son. You say, “Wait a minute! There are only two sons.” No, there’s actually a third Son. The third Son is the One telling the story. Know who? Jesus. One son said “No!” to his father and dishonored him. The other son said “Yes!” but like a hypocrite didn’t keep his word. Which Son was the good son? The third Son: Jesus.
When God the Father asked Jesus to save us, what did Jesus say? “Yes!” He said, “Yes!” But then what did Jesus do? He actually did it. He came. While Jesus was here on earth, he fulfilled all his Father’s commands. In the parable, one son said, “No, yes!” The other son said, “Yes, no!” What did Jesus say? “Yes, yes!” He said “Yes!” to his Father’s will, and then he did it. All the time. Jesus is the perfect Son. The Bible promises that Jesus—that perfect Son—took all our “Nos!” to the cross and died for them. In return, he gave us the righteousness that he won—the righteousness of God. Jesus is God’s perfect Son, who said and did everything necessary to save us, and he offers the kingdom of God to everyone who repents and believes in him.
That’s what this parable is ultimately about. Notice what Jesus says about the tax collectors and prostitutes. He doesn’t say, “They did the right thing. So you do the right thing too!” Jesus says this, “John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did.” What did the tax collectors and prostitutes do that the chief priests and elders didn’t do? Believe. This is what set the tax collectors and prostitutes apart: They believed. They believed what John the Baptist preached. Well, what did John the Baptist preach? Jesus says that “John came to you to show you the way of righteousness.”
How did John the Baptist show people “the way of righteousness”? John pointed people to Jesus and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). In Jesus’ parable, both sons needed forgiveness. In real life, everybody needs forgiveness. The tax collectors and prostitutes needed forgiveness. The chief priests and elders needed forgiveness. What was the difference? When John pointed to Jesus, the chief priests and elders got angry. When John pointed to Jesus, the tax collectors and prostitutes repented and believed in him.
That’s God’s goal for every one of us. Jesus once said, “The work of God is this: To believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:29). God wants you to believe in Jesus. Maybe you’re more like that first son. Maybe in your life, you’ve been saying “No!” to God a lot. Maybe you’ve been hearing God’s commands and saying, “I don’t care. I’m not going to do that. No!” Jesus is calling you to repent and believe in him. Maybe you’re more like that second son. Maybe you’re an expert at saying the right things, but in real life you do all the wrong things. Jesus is calling you to repent and believe in him. For the times we’ve been a prostitute and tax collector, repent and believe in Jesus. For the times we’ve been a hypocrite and Pharisee, repent and believe in Jesus.
Because saying and doing the right thing comes from Christ. If you’ve gotten the impression that you need to start doing and saying the right things so that you can be closer to Jesus, you need to see it’s the other way around. You need to be closer to Jesus, so you can start doing and saying the right things. See the difference? For all the “nos” you’ve said to your heavenly Father, Jesus died on the cross for you. It’s Jesus’ “yes” that leads you to say “yes” to God’s commands. For the hypocrisy that’s filled your life, Jesus died on the cross for you. It’s Jesus’ “yes” that leads you to stop pretending. It’s Christ’s love that compels us to live for Christ. It’s Christ’s love that compels us to follow God’s commands. Jesus’ “yes” for us leads to our “yes” to him.
When God says, “Forgive,” and you see how Jesus forgave your sins, what does that lead you to do? Forgive. When God says, “Be faithful to your spouse,” and you see how faithful Jesus has been to us, regardless of what we’ve done, what does that lead you to do? Be faithful. When God says, “Be patient,” and you see God’s incredible patience with people like us, what does that lead you to do? Be patient. When God says, “Be generous,” and you see all the blessings that God has showered on us, what does that lead you to do? Be generous. When God says, “Do not lie,” and you see how God always keeps his promises, what does that lead you to do? Not lie. When God says, “Repent,” and you hear his promise of eternal life, what does that lead you to do? Repent.
So the Christian church is full of ___________. What should we say? What is a church filled with? Well, in every Christian church there are hypocrites and sinners and prostitutes and tax collectors… But that’s not the point. If people look at a church and say, “That church is full of hypocrites,” they are missing something. If people look at a church and say, “That church is full of really good people,” they are missing something too. Do you know what a true Christian Church is full of? Jesus. Come for Jesus. The more you believe in Jesus, the more you’ll do what Jesus says. Because Jesus changes your life. The Christian Church is full of Jesus.
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