How about ‘Yes-then-yes’?
by Pastor Matt Bishop
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Which of the two did what his father wanted? (Matthew 21:31a)
Read Matthew 21:23–32
We find ourselves back in Holy Week today. Jesus has just entered Jerusalem. By God’s authority, he has cleansed his house from greed and self-interest, clearing the way for divine prayer and connection. ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ The question comes from jealous, sceptic, threatened religious elites.
Jesus isn’t stalling for time when he demands they answer his question first: ‘John’s baptism – where did it come from? Was it heaven or from men?’ It’s a not-too-subtle demonstration of his authority; ‘authority’ being his innate and sole right as God’s Son to do everything he has been doing, not least forgiving sin. His refusal to answer their question when they won’t answer him confirms his authority. So is his parable that follows.
In the parable, an initially disobedient son ends up doing his father’s will. A case of ‘no-then-yes’! The other son is obedient to his face but skives off. ‘Yes-then-no’! The first is a picture of ‘sinners’ initially rejecting the Lord, then believing and repenting. And the opposite is a picture for the religious types who have all the right words but don’t do the Father’s will.
Jesus rounds out his words with the hard-hitting verse 32 (ESV), ‘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’. Three times, Jesus mentions belief. Clearly, believing God’s message is what turns things around!
And us? We hate the duplicitousness of the religious elites. We identify more with the ‘no-then-yes’ of the repentant. In fact, it’s a tight summary of the Christian life. Disobedience, but the gift of belief turning things around. Yet it’s also a good time with this reminder of Holy Week to honestly examine our tendency to be the religious elite. We are ‘yes-then-no’ more often than we’d admit. ‘No-then-no’ too! And rather than settling on ‘no-then-yes’ as good a model of our reality and ongoing rescue by Christ that it is, couldn’t we be a little more ‘yes-then-yes’? Thank God Jesus was! ‘Yes’ to the Father’s plan and ‘yes’ to following through with it. A ‘yes-then-yes’ life is what he has won for us and calls us to.
Dear Lord Jesus, keep me living in your Holy Week grace so that I continue to know my need for you and live out of your work on the cross. Lead me to repent and believe – then to be a ‘yes-then-yes’ as I serve you in your vineyard. Through your Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.
Pastor Matt Bishop serves the St Paul Lutheran Church and co-located primary school at Blair Athol in Adelaide. He delights in his wife Mel, three young adult daughters and, soon, a son-in-law. He would like to spend more time fishing but loves being a pastor and sharing the gospel with everyone God puts in his path, not least the nomads, prodigals, exiles and sceptics of the Christian faith.
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