Month: April 2022

The Parables of Jesus

April 2, 2022

“It’s the Heart that Counts”

Matthew 21:28-32

About 15 years ago, I presented a children’s message based on today’s Parable. I did my best to update it so that kids could relate to it.

“Today, I want to tell you the story of two boys. I want you to listen carefully to figure out which one listened to his Father.

Now the Father in this story had a big job for his sons. He wanted them to pick up and clean their rooms.

First, the Father asked Jim to pick up and clean his room. Here’s what Jim said, “No! I won’t! I don’t want to!” And off Jim went to play.

Then the dad called Mike over, “Hey Mike, come here for a minute; I want you to do something.”

“Okay, dad!”

“I need you to pick up and clean your room!”

“Okay, Dad,” Mike said, but he didn’t clean up his room. He went out to play instead.

Well, about that time, Jim felt pretty bad; he thought about what his dad had asked him to do and felt sorry for saying no to his dad. So, he went inside and began to clean up his room. (He listened to his heart)

But Mike kept right on playing. “I conned dad,” he thought to himself. “He thinks I’m cleaning up, but it’s more fun to play outside.”

HMMMMMMMMMM!

Which of the two boys did what their dad wanted them to?

That’s right, Jim did.

It didn’t make his Father happy when Jim said no, but it did make him happy when Jim was sorry and did the work later.

Sometimes we do the same thing. We say, “I don’t want to,” when we learn what God wants us to do.

But later, we realize – or change our hearts, say we’re sorry, and do what He asks.“

This brings us to today’s Parable.

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The Parable of the Two Sons

 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later, he changed his mind and went.

 “Then the Father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For, John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” Matthew 21:28-32

You’ll notice that I didn’t change much from the actual Parable in my children’s message. Instead, I gave the sons names to make them a little more real and changed the work to something most kids hate. They were supposed to clean their rooms.

Jesus uses the two sons as an analogy for two groups of people in Israel. The first group is the tax collectors and prostitutes, and I would dare to include the homeless, widows, and poor. For this group of people, John’s words burned within their hearts. So they listened to John the Baptist, repented of their sins, and were baptized.

The second group was the Pharisees, chief priests, and church elders. They had no use for John the Baptist and his teachings, and now they felt the same way about Jesus.

So therein is the answer to the question of the two sons. Which of the sons or groups did the will of the Father? It’s self-evident at this point, isn’t it? The first son and the first group. The tax collectors, prostitutes, and economically challenged heard the call of John the Baptist to repentance.

That’s why it’s so crucial for us to spread the Gospel. It’s our job to expose people to the Grace of God and the redemption offered through Christ’s death on the cross. B.G.T.F. (By Grace through Faith)

Dear Jesus. There have been many times when we have declined your call. Let us always listen for your voice as we spread the Good News of the Gospel to the World. May your Holy Spirit guide us to those who have ears and hear. Amen.

The Parables of Jesus

April 1, 2022

“That’s Not Fair!”

Matthew 20:1-16

Did you ever split a candy bar with a sibling or friend? One of you would take the candy and snap it in half. Generally, you would look at the two halves, and if you were like most kids, you’d hand the small piece to your sibling or friend. Then there was the inevitable cry of, “No Fair,” because you had kept the large portion of the candy bar for yourself.

Someone at work gets a promotion when you’ve worked there longer. No Fair! The men in your office get paid more than the females do for the same job. No Fair! (That one is ridiculously not fair.)

There are plenty of things that happen in our lives that we can say are unfair. Sometimes they are, while other times, perhaps we’re just jealous.

This brings us to our Parable for today.

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The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius (20:2 A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer.) for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

 “About nine in the morning, he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So, they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon, he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came, and each received a denarius. So, when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

 “So, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:1-16

On the surface, this story does seem a bit unfair, doesn’t it? Some men worked all day, others half a day, while others only worked an hour. Yet, they all were paid the same. Unfair?

Actually, it isn’t unfair at all. The vineyard owner told the early workers what the pay was, and they accepted. It was only after everyone got paid the same did they complain.

But the owner of the vineyard is just that. He’s the boss, and he can payout as much as he wants to whoever he wants, no matter how long or hard they work.

In the Parable, “Jesus points out that God deals with us on the basis of His Grace and love instead of on the basis of what we think is fair and just. If we complain about His generosity to others, we despise Grace.”

(Peoples Commentary Bible, Matthew. G.J. Albrecht and M.J. Albrecht. Copyright 1996, C.P.H. Pp. 284)

Sometimes it’s difficult for us to let go of our human values and egos. We can’t compare ourselves to others. God has a big heart and offers His Grace to everyone.

Who’s, is everyone? I mean everyone. It’s the guy on death row who ask for forgiveness and repents. The person didn’t believe in God’s Grace, repent and know Jesus as his Lord and Savior until he was an adult. (Lee Strobel, the writer of “The Case for Christ,” comes to mind.) And it’s the 80-year-old on their death bed in hospice care, visited by a minister asking for forgiveness and repents of their sins.

God’s Grace is all-encompassing. Whether you’ve been a believer all your life or not until the end, God’s Grace still is there for you.

No Fair? I think not. In God’s eternal Kingdom, His Grace is available and fair for all.

Dear Jesus. So many times, we get caught up in thinking we’re better than others. We look at life through a lens of favorites and reviled. Help us remember we are all the same in Your Father’s eyes, and His Grace is available to each of us, no matter where we are in our lives. Amen.