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I’m sure this never happens to you, but sometimes I read a passage from the Bible and just end up thinking…what the heck?! Check it out:

‘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 changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son 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 prostitutes 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 prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.’ (Matthew 21:28-32)

Don’t go changing your mind!

The message behind the parable is clear and simple enough: don’t try to lie to God. He knows who is doing His will, so simply saying you are is not enough. If you are reading this and have put up your hand at a church service, have committed your life to Christ, have prayed the prayer, or whatever else your experience is, Jesus would ask the question: are you living that way? Or were you caught up in the moment, declared, ‘Yes, me Jesus! I want to follow you!’ but have now become perhaps a bit disinterested, bored in Christianity, maybe even cynical about the whole ‘organised religion’ thing? I think that Jesus would suggest here that what matters is not whether you’ve had a moment of saying ‘yes’, but whether the fruit of that are evident in your life. Let’s ask some provoking questions:

• Do you read your Bible every day?
• Are you constantly in a state of readiness to pray?
• Do you attend a local church every week?
• Do you actively serve in your local church?
• Have you spoken to an unbeliever about your faith in the last month?

If the answer to any of those questions is ‘no’, then I would suggest you need to return to Jesus and repent; currently you look like the son who said, ‘I go, sir,’ but is lounging around at home rather than working in the vineyard.

Saints and sinners

Jesus reminds us here of the true message of the gospel, and it really ought to shock us as much now as it did at the time. Some churches have watered down the delivery of Jesus’ message, turning it into a message of social action, but the reality is shocking. He points out here that John (the Baptist) was preaching the truth, and that the only ones who believed him were the tax collectors and the prostitutes. He then says that the Pharisees (those he was talking to) should have changed their minds.

In modern-day terms, I think we could see Jesus talking about traffic wardens giving out parking tickets for ridiculous reasons to make their quota, bank managers charging incredible interest on loans and rewarding themselves with big bonuses, members of parliament claiming expenses on moats and porn movies, self-inflicted drug addicts, paedophiles, and terrorists. And he would say, ‘they’re the ones who believe the truth, not you guys who go to church every week, who bring up your kids to be perfect, who have worked hard in your career, who buy expensive gifts for your wives. You should change to become more like them.’ And we think: NO THANK YOU! I’m quite happy how I am.

Jesus wants to shock us so we realise that it’s not about what we do! Salvation comes from one place, and that’s in knowing who Jesus is: God. As we approach Christmas, we remember Jesus, our Emmanuel: God with us. He lived the life we couldn’t live, was unjustly tried for a crime only he couldn’t be guilty of. He died the death we should have died, thereby taking all God’s wrath in our place as our substitute. He rose again from death, ascended into heaven and has given us another helper just like him: the Holy Spirit. And he’s coming back again. And we are in such desperate need of him, yet somehow justify in our minds how much better we are than the people in the list I mentioned above are. Stop thinking you’re good enough; you’re not. Stop thinking Jesus helps you in your life; he doesn’t, he saves you from the eternal punishment that you deserve. Stop thinking that you’re alright with God because He loves you; you have earned his wrath, and are only saved because of His love as shown through Jesus’ undeserved death on the cross.

This Christmas, don’t fall into Satan’s trap. Look at the baby in the manger and realise that he was there for only one reason: to suffer and die. As we deserve. Look only to God’s grace this Christmas.

"Word from Scotland" from Sandy Shaw

"Lord God, You Have a Funny Way of Working at Times"