Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

— 28 ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of 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 after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells a simple yet powerful parable about two sons. One says ‘no’ to his father, but later changes his mind and goes to work. The other says ‘yes’ but never follows through.

Jesus’ message is clear. What matters is not appearances or empty promises but the willingness to respond, however imperfectly, to God’s call. We will not always get things right, but responding to God is about being honest and allowing our hearts to be changed.

This is where we are invited to rethink what ‘doing the will of the Father’ really means. Many of us were taught to think of doing God’s will as being without fault, never sinning, never failing; flawless performance. To do the will of the Father is not to be without flaws; it is to walk with God, to live in relationship, even in our weakness.

The first son in the parable is not perfect. He resists. He struggles. But he turns back. He walks toward the vineyard. He chooses God not because he’s flawless but because he’s sincere.

Jesus makes it clear that those who are humble enough to admit their need, those once on the margins, like tax collectors and sinners, are entering the kingdom of God first. Why? Because they are willing to change direction and walk with God.

Doing God’s will, then, is not never falling; it is trusting God enough to rise again. It is turning back when we’ve gone astray. It is living truthfully.

May we, like the first son, choose each day to say yes, not just with our words, but with our lives. And when we fail, may we keep walking with God, in grace and in hope.