This is the reply of Jesus to the chief priests who were asking Him questions, trying to trick Him.
But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto Him, the first, Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God
Jesus makes a pretty bold statement here, saying that the commonly despised tax collectors (publicans) and the prostitutes will go to heaven, because they believed in Jesus when John the Baptist told them. I’m glad God is no respecter of status, but I’m concerned about the second brother who is a “Dragging Your Feet Christian.”
When his father asks him, he spouts off (paraphrased), “Sure, I’ll help you, Dad,” but he never did what he promised to do. Actually, that seems worse than being honest and saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t do it right now,” because at least people can plan accordingly and not depend on that person to accomplish the task. I do this when I read how we’re supposed to share our love for Jesus with those who might not know Him. I say, “Sure I will, God. I really love You and I want to do whatever it is that You want.” Do I do it? Nope. I just plan to share my faith with others, but I’m still dragging my feet.
Well, the father in this parable forgave the son who said he wouldn’t do it but changed his mind and did it after all, but that wasn’t the case for the other son. I don’t want God saying, “Debbie said she’d share her faith, but did she? Yeah, she wrote this book, but she never went out of her comfort zone and really took any risks. What would have happened if Jesus never took the risks to be humiliated, crucified and rise from the grave? He went through all of that for her and she thinks she can fool Me. She says that she’s only too glad to help out, but doesn’t do a single thing. I’ve got her number!”
Because this is an example of how I’ve applied this Bible passage to my life, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the whole meaning of the passage.
This is a connection I've made from this Bible passage. Please
share your connections.
