Sunday 31 August, 2014

28 “What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ the son answered. But later he changed his mind and went. 30 “Then the father went to the other son. He said the same thing. The son answered, ‘I will, sir.’ But he did not go. 31 “Which of the two sons did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 John came to show you the right way to live. And you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. You saw this. But even then you did not turn away from your sins and believe him.

I have read this parable a number of times before and it has particularly dawned on me during this reading that the Kingdom of God is being compared to WORKING in a Vineyard, here as it is compared to working in other sections of scripture, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20 comes to mind. The notion of working for the kingdom is tied to obedience and faith here in the explanation that Jesus gives to the parable in Verse 32, but the intrinsic implication is that there will also be work involved!

Lord God, help us to understand the work that you have called us to do and to do it to the best of our ability

Written by Justin Ware