It is so nice to be alive. This gives us the assurance that we can still be who He wants us to be, we are still able to go wherever He sends us, learn new things and start new things.
In a bid to wrap up the write-up ” having good intention is not obedience“, I will love that we spend sometime looking at this inspiring story of two sons of the same father, who were given the same instructions but responded to it differently.
Matthew 21:28-32
“But what do you think? A 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 regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.”
This story points at how having good intentions does not automatically place you in the category of the obedient. Obedience is simply in following through and doing what is required of you, despite your good intention because obedience goes beyond intending to do a thing. Let us dive into a brief study of the story in Matthew 21:28-32.
SAME RELATIONSHIP
The relationship between the father and his two sons in this parable is such that points at the fact that having the same connection does not mean responding on the same frequency. They were both sons, trained by the same father, grew up in the same environment, taught to have the same values, yet they individually decided to either obey or disobey their father’s instruction. This explains the reason not all who are sons will have equal access to the father’s blessings or reward.
SAME INSTRUCTION
God sometimes deals with us as individuals and as such He can choose to give us specific instructions personally. The father in this parable gave the same instructions to his two sons but he gave it to each of them personally. God does the same to His children. Does God speak to you personally? Does He get your attention only when you are in the midst of other believers? Having Him speak to you personally is however not enough. Avoiding every distracting voice that can prevent you for carrying out His instruction is also important. The same thing he requested of the first son is what he requested of the second one but their response was not the same. Matthew 21: 28-29, 30
THE VINEYARD
Although the vineyard belonged to their father and he was asking his sons to work in it, these two sons actually have their own responsibilities with regards to it. The same vineyard provides what is needed to meet their daily needs and as such they also have work to do to keep the vineyard going. This actually tells us that it is a family business and failure on the part of anyone will go a long way in affecting the harvest. As much as the vineyard belongs to the father, the request made by their father was not too much for him to make, considering that the vineyard will eventually be inherited by these sons. God has kept us here on earth to work on the earth and produce in abundance for His glory, the question is what are we doing to keep the vineyard? 1 Corinthians 3:9, Matthew 28: 19-20
THE URGENCY OF THE WORK
The request the father made to his two sons was in the “now”. It was not a request made for tomorrow or the nearest future. The expectation of the father was to see his sons act on the request in that moment and not to think about it or intend to do it. Look around you and sincerely tell yourself what you think about the need for people to come to repentance, knowing that He has called you to do the work of reconciliation. John 4:35-37, 2 Corinthians :18-21
DIFFERENT RESPONSE TO INTENTIONS
As much as the first son had outrightly told his father he was not going to work as requested by the father, it is recorded that he later changed his mind and went ahead to carry out his father’s instruction. This explains how having intentions does not mean disobedience or obedience. His at the time he turned down his fathers request was to have nothing to do with farm work at that time but he was able to move from intending not to be of help to been of help. The second son on the other hand gave a sharp and reassuring response to his father’s request. He did not just say ” I will go”, he actually added “Sir” to his response. This explains how words of honor can be deceiving and unreliable. Despite the fact that he honored his father while responding to his request, he truly did not honor his father from a sincere heart. It was simply a surface kind of honor. The second son probably intended to go as at the time he gave his father a positive response, but like we have previously learnt, “having good intentions does not equal obedience.”
The first son initially disobeyed his father by refusing to go and work in the vineyard, but he had a change of mind along the line and acted in obedience. He went from not intending to do the will of the father to doing the father’s will. His initial refusal was sin, but he repented and was able to do what is right.
The second son on the other hand failed to do the will of his father, though he had previously agreed to. His agreement was hypocritical and this proves that he never truly intended to obey his father’s instruction.
Jesus’s conclusion about this parable is that the second son represent the hypocritical Pharisees, who only keep intending to do God’s will but never get to the point of obeying His Word. He made it clear that the people considered to be undeserving , such as prostitutes, hardened criminals would reign eternally with a Him because they disobeyed Him by doing contrary to Hs will but later on repented and accepted him as Lord and Saviour even though that was not their initial intention.
It is time to move in the direction God intends for you. Stop living a lie by acting like you will obey Him, when all you are interested in is your self schemed plan and agenda for your life. Honor God by going beyond having good intentions to going ahead to obey Him.
Author Profile
- Temitope is the founder of thesoulmeal.com, an online platform that she shares with her God-given spiritual family and friends. She is a speaker, teacher and youth counselor. She is passionate about inspiring people to find their identity in Christ. Catch her interviewing inspiring leaders on Tongue of the Learned Podcast
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