Matthew 21:23-32 - by Don Neuendorf
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...
Wow, that's a familiar scenario. Actually, I suppose the 2nd child is more familiar, the one who says that he will but then he doesn't. Jesus tells this little tale to make the point that those who come late to obedience are still more obedient than those who only pay lip service. The Jewish religious leaders paid lip service to obedience to God, but it was the outcasts who were coming to Jesus in repentance.
But how can we apply this text today...
At least here in the U.S. we aren't experiencing what the Jews experienced - a large number of formerly-peripheral people suddenly seeming to take over the church. Actually, I think that we're more likely to see ourselves in BOTH roles - the obedient and the disobedient - the verbally compliant but secretly resistant and the verbally rebellious but in-our-hearts longing for relationship.
And which one is best? Jesus tells us - the priority is not on our surface reaction, our lip service. What he desires is our heart - obedience in the case of the story he told, but the core of this obedience is our real attitude toward our Lord.