[Note: This sermon expounds Matthew 21:28–32. Delivered 22 February 1981, Montreal.]
We look today at the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21:28–32. "What do you think? A man had two sons; and he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he repented and went. And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; and even when you saw it, you did not afterward repent and believe him."
Last week we spoke about commitment to the truth, and I deliberately did not give a definition of truth. I did this because truth, as Scripture understands it, is not primarily a philosophical category to be defined but an experience to be entered. The Oxford Dictionary definition is actually helpful here: truth is the quality of being true, honest, sincere, loyal. Notice that these qualities describe what a person is, not merely what a person believes. Truth is what you are, not just what you say. A portrait is true when it accurately conforms to its subject; a copy is true when it faithfully represents the original. "I am the truth," says the Lord — meaning that all spiritual reality must conform to him. To know the truth, in the deepest sense, is not to have mastered a set of propositions but to be conformed to the One who is truth itself.
God's call comes whenever his word addresses you. It is not limited to what we sometimes call a "call to full-time service" or a dramatic, once-in-a-lifetime summons. Every time God's word comes to you — in a sermon, in Scripture, in prayer, in the prompting of the Holy Spirit — that is his call. In the Old Testament, the prophets responded to the word of God by saying: "The word of the Lord came to me." It came as an event, an address, a personal encounter. And it always required a response. The call in this parable is simple and direct: "Go and work in the vineyard today." No explanation given, no reward promised at this point, no consultation — just the call to go and work.
This is the nature of God's call: it is always a call to serve. And what matters above everything else is the nature of our response. The two sons in the parable give opposite initial answers, but their actual actions are the reverse of their words. The first said "I will not" — a flat refusal. But he repented. The Greek word used here for repented is μεταμέλομαι, which is the same word used of Judas in Matthew 27:3 — it denotes a strong, visceral regret, a genuine disgust with oneself. This first son was not merely mildly sorry; he turned around completely and went. The second said "I go, sir" — note that the word "sir" is κύριε, the same Greek word that is elsewhere translated "Lord." He addressed his father with the language of submission and respect. And then he did not go.
The Lord's application is stark: the tax collectors and harlots — people of the lowest social and moral standing in Jewish society — are going into the kingdom before the religious leaders. Why? Because John came in righteousness and they believed him. They gave the first son's response: the initial resistance, but then genuine turning. The most promising candidates for the kingdom are not always the most religious people. John Wesley was eventually driven out of the established church and had to preach in the open fields — and a revival swept the country. The tax collectors of Jesus' day may often have been wealthy; we should not romanticise them as pitiable poor men. They were often collaborators with the Roman occupiers who had enriched themselves at their own people's expense. And yet their need was evident to them, and when the truth came they responded. Do not be too quick to write off people on the basis of their past.
There are several reasons why a yes that was genuinely meant can become a no in practice.
[Continues in Part B]
# Answering Yes to God's Call — Matthew 21:28–32 (Part B) — Five Reasons Yes Becomes No; "Come" and "Depart"
[Note: This is Part B of the sermon on Matthew 21:28–32, continuing directly from Part A. Delivered 22 February 1981, Montreal.]
The fourth reason why yes becomes no is what we might call "doing it my way." There are people who say yes to God — genuinely, emotionally, at some point of spiritual openness — but who have already decided, perhaps without fully admitting it to themselves, that they will serve God on their own terms and in their own time. They intend their yes, but only in the sense that they will get to it in their spare time, around the edges of everything else, when it is convenient. Frank Sinatra's famous anthem is their unofficial motto: I did it my way. This is not the yes of a son going to work in the vineyard; it is the yes of a second son who has already formed his own plans for the day.
The fifth reason is perhaps the most common: "I meant yes, but I found I couldn't do it." The person genuinely intended to change, genuinely tried to follow through, but found that the old patterns reasserted themselves and the will was too weak. To this person the answer is not sympathy but a reminder: this is precisely why God gave the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The promise of Pentecost was not that the disciples would feel better, or that the church would grow, or that they would speak in other languages — though all of these things happened. The promise was power: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." Power to do what they could not do in their own strength. If you have said yes to God and found that you cannot keep it in your own willpower, that is not the end of the story — it is the exact point at which you should be throwing yourself on the power of God rather than blaming yourself, blaming your circumstances, or blaming the church.
A word of personal testimony is necessary here, especially for young people who are struggling with sexual temptation. I came very near to making a serious and irreversible mistake in my own student days. I know what that pressure is. I am not speaking as someone who has been sheltered from it. The cycle of genuine repentance followed by failure followed by further repentance followed by further failure is one that many people know. But I want to be clear: this cycle, if it goes on indefinitely, is not the full repentance the Lord calls us to. True repentance, as we have seen, means grasping hold of God's power — not just feeling sorry and trying again in the same strength that failed before. The Holy Spirit was given so that what is impossible in human strength can become possible through God's.
The consequences of allowing your yes to become a no are shown starkly in verse 43: "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits." What God offered, he withdraws. This is not arbitrary — it is the consistent pattern we have seen throughout this series. The unforgiving servant received forgiveness; he did not use it; it was withdrawn. The nation of Israel received blessing after blessing; it produced nothing; the fig tree was cursed. The second son said "yes, sir" and did not go. Matthew 25 sets the two final words of the Lord side by side: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father" and "Depart from me, you cursed." The word "come" is God's first word to every person he calls. The word "depart" is his final word to those who heard the "come" and refused it. Luke 6:46 presses the point home: "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?" The same word, κύριε — the same respectful title the second son used — on the lips of people who have not gone to work in the vineyard.
The parable is not about two categories of people — those who eventually respond and those who never respond. It is about the choice that lies before every person who has heard the call. Both sons heard the same call from the same father. One refused and then went; one agreed and then stayed. Which are you?
Let us be quiet before God in prayer.