"A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go."
(Matthew 21.28-30
NRSV)
Jesus told the religious officials a parable. A farmer had two sons. The father went to his first son and said, "Go and work in the vineyard today." The son was somewhat rebellious. He replied, "I will not." The father was disappointed, but said nothing further.
The farmer then asked his second son if he would help out in the vineyard. "I go, sir!" he told his father. Any parent would be proud of such a child. With the assurance that the second son would help, the farmer went to work in another section of the vineyard.
Things didn't quite turn out the way the father expected. The first son, who answered, "I will not," changed his mind and spent the entire day working in his father's vineyard. The second son, the one who said, "I go, sir!" also had a change of mind. Maybe some of his friends came by and asked him to go with them. The second son, the one who promised to help his father, did not. Jesus asked the chief priests and the elders of the temple, "Which of the two did the will of his father?" "The first," they answered.
The parable puzzled them. They never dreamed it was about them. Their actions did not match their words. Do yours?
Loving God, help me to say what I mean and may my words and actions match. Amen.