He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.
When the Father asks something of us do we spend time reflecting, counting the cost, so that we can give an honest answer?
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (see Luke 14:28).
Quick obedience is desirable in a disciple. But a quick answer is not quick obedience, and may in fact turn out to be its opposite, as was the case for second son. When our 'yes' comes more from a sense of obligation, or from a desire to act consistently with our self-image as religious people, such a 'yes' may not end up being convertible into actual action when the time comes. Worse, in our 'yes' we sometimes imagine the whole work of obedience is already done. We barely notice that we never actually make it to the vineyard.
‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
God would rather work with an honest 'no' than a prideful 'yes'. If we say that we will not go because we recognize our lack of desire to do so, or because we recognize how hard the task will be, or because we don't think that we have within ourselves the strength to complete it, all of these are good starting points. With them the possibility and the need for conversion is still left open and apparent, and not hidden over with the mere pretense of obedience. After all, what is it that Jesus calls us to if not repentance (see Matthew 3:2), metanoia, the changing of our minds?
But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:
the remnant of Israel.
Only the humble and the lowly can discover the possibility of repentance leading to genuine transformation. The prideful may first discount it entirely, and then, when that fails, imagine that they have done it merely by saying they've done it. 'Wasn't that easy?' they think. And their pride is left more or less unchallenged.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.
When we see genuine transformation that changes someone inside out from top to bottom it is meant to inspire us and show us what is possible. The grace God pours out in others is meant to be a call to wake us from our complacency. It shows that more is possible than our half-hearted and mostly imagined 'yes' has yet claimed for ourselves. This is not a cause for grief on our parts. The beauty of this parable is that it is not too late. The vineyard awaits. The Father is patient and merciful. It is not too late to find his will for our lives.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
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