Questions about God: What does God want from us?

Matthew 21:28-32 "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.' ²⁹ "'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. ³¹ "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² 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.”

Repent and turn away from all your rebellious acts, so that you will not set out a stumbling block that makes you guilty. (Ezekiel 18:30)

This is the time of the year when farmers begin harvesting their corn. One of the least fun jobs for my sisters and me growing up on the farm was going out to help our dad fix the corn picker in 40-degree weather. Inevitably, something on the corn picker would break while he was harvesting at night. Our dad would come in the house and say that he needed one of the three of us to come outside to hold the flashlight.

We agreed that one of us would go outside. Dad would leave to get started. Then we would start fighting. None of us wanted to leave the warmth of the house to freeze outside. But finally, one of us would feel guilty enough, put on a coat, hat, boots and gloves to head outside to freeze while holding a flashlight over that blasted two-row corn picker.

By the way, that’s why to this day I don’t know how to fix anything … although I’m really good at holding a flashlight.

So, which one of us was the good child? Not the ones who said they would help but stayed inside. It was the good child who still suffers the effects of frostbite.

Today we continue with our series on Questions about God. We ask, “What does God want from us?” That was really the question that Jesus himself was asking the Jewish religious leaders.

The setting of Matthew 21 is the temple courtyard on Tuesday of Holy Week. Jesus is on his way to the cross. But on his way, he still has time to call the religious leaders to repentance. “Repent and live,” Ezekiel preaches (Ezekiel 18:32)! The chief priests and elders are getting more vicious in their attacks against Jesus. They have seen Jesus ride triumphantly into Jerusalem on Sunday. They have witnessed him cleansing the temple. So they challenge Jesus’ authority, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who do you think you are” (Matthew 21:23)?

But Jesus doesn’t play their little games. Instead he tells them a parable directed at them. “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.”

Jesus asks the religious leaders, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” It’s so easy a child could get it. It is the first son. Not right away, of course, but he eventually feels remorse and does the right thing. He obeys. The second son only gives lips service and doesn’t follow through. He disobeys. He is the more obstinate son.

The chief priests and the elders get the right answer that it is the first son, but in their answer, they condemn themselves. Jesus then applies the parable directly to their lives. He says, "I tell you the truth, 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.”

The tax collectors and prostitutes rejected God in the beginning. They went their own ways satisfying their sinful nature with the pleasures of the world. They satisfied their greed with money and their lusts with sex. They had done horrible, despicable acts to gratify themselves.

Yet, the tax collectors and prostitutes also were the first to listen to the message of John the Baptist, take it to heart and believe. At first, they had told God with their lives, “I don’t want to do what you tell me.” But later they repented. They literally “changed their minds” about their sinful ways. They became the obedient son who in the end said, “Yes, sir.”

The Pharisees and other religious leaders, though, were the second son. They said, “Yes, sir” with their mouths, but not with their lives. They appeared righteous with their pious words and religious actions, but they had long ago renounced God’s Word about the Christ. They refused to listen to the preaching of John. They rejected the Son of God who was standing right in front of them. In fact, they were at that very moment plotting to kill Jesus. In a mere 72 hours, they would succeed. They were stubborn and obstinate in their refusal to repent and change their minds about the Christ.

What does God want from us? He does not want us to appear righteous – coming to church, praying, giving, looking and sounding the part of Christians. But then, when we leave church we are cursing at work, angry with our spouse, disrespectful to our parents and so on. That’s being hypocritical. That’s the life of the Pharisees. That’s being the second son.

We may say “Yes, sir” with our mouths, but fail to obey with our hearts and bodies. We won’t allow God’s Word to change our lives. We don’t change our minds about our sins. We just keep doing the same old, same old. We appear to be standing on the promises of God, but we are only sitting on the premises. Instead of responding to the words of absolution with a joyous song of praise, we go through the motions with an unenthused, “Whatever.” We pay lip service, but no service with our lives.

God doesn’t want that from us.

God knows that we are like the tax collectors and prostitutes. He knows we are going to be obstinate, rebellious and yell, “No!” at him. We will live our lives apart from God, gratifying our sinful nature. We will covet, gossip, lust and vent. We will cheat, steal, lie, deceive, commit adultery and seek revenge. We do whatever makes us feel good. We are the first son by nature.

But God doesn’t want that from us, either. By the grace of God, he calls us to repent, change our mind and change our direction.

This is what God wants from us.

God wants us to look to Jesus. Jesus is the Son who said, “Yes, Sir!” to everything his heavenly Father said and then obeyed him perfectly. His Father said, “You need to be human.” The Son said, “Yes, Sir!” and was born of the Virgin Mary. The Father said, “You need to humble yourself under the Law and keep the commandments.” The Son said, “Yes, Sir!” and lived a life that was perfectly free from sin. The Father said, “You need to exchange your perfection for the sin of the world.” The Son said, “Yes, Sir!” and identified with humanity at his baptism in the Jordan River. The Father said, “Now carry your cross.” The Son said, “Yes, Sir!” and prayed, “Not my will but yours be done.” The Father said, “You need to die for sinful humanity. The Son said, “Yes, Sir!” and prayed, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” The Father said, “Proclaim your victory to the world.” The Son said, “Yes, Sir!” and then he rose from the dead as he declared to all those who believe in him, “Because I live, you also will live.”

Because of Jesus Christ – the perfect Son of God – we can be like the first son. We can repent of our stubbornness and sin and change our mind. Then we can obey our heavenly Father and go to work in his vineyard.

Because of Jesus Christ the righteous Son of God, we can be prevented from becoming the second son. We are given the sanctified ability to believe and obey. Then we can go to work in the vineyard.

What does God want from us? He wants repentance. Repent is a word that we hear a lot about in church but nothing in the world. That’s why we forget what God expect from us. That’s why the whole idea of repentance is offensive to us. It presumes we are doing something wrong, something with consequences too dangerous not to be ignored.

God the Father knows the kind of sons and daughters you are. That’s why he invites, desires and expects you to repent.

Repent – you are a child of God by baptism and faith, and yet you find it hard to live like God’s son or daughter.

Repent – you know what is good and evil, and yet you seem to forget the difference.

Repent – you still wander in the darkness, instead of living in the Light of Christ.

Repent – you may not despise preaching and God’s Word, but you find reasons not to hear it.

Repent – you love hearing of forgiveness, but the call to be holy makes you cringe.

Repent – you have so much blessing, and yet you begrudge giving God even a little.

Repent – your voice cannot be silenced when speaking of your passions, your team or your political party, but you barely whisper a witness of Christ and his passion for you.

What does God want from you? God wants repentance.

Repent and return to the Lord, for he is compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in mercy and faithfulness (Psalm 86:15).

Repent, for in Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in keeping with the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).

Repent, so the God of hope may fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

Repent, for the result will be peace and righteousness that will bring lasting tranquility and security (Isaiah 32:17).

Following your repentance, then you can do what God wants of you. As forgiven sons and daughters you are new creations for the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). You hate every wrong path (Psalm 119:104) and are eager to do what is good (Titus 2:14). You are able to join with the psalmist and answer your Father, “I desire to do your will, O my God.”

You can think of times when God’s Word challenged you to take a certain direction or change. You resisted at first. But then God’s Word changed you and led you to go along with what the Lord wanted you to do. You have also experienced low times when you listened to what God’s Word said, but then never carried through with what you said you would do.

At various times in our lives we are going to be one of the two sons. That is why we are so grateful for God’s Son, Jesus Christ. We need to look at our sins, repent of them, change our minds about our lives, and then look to Jesus, God’s holy Son for his work, his righteousness, his perfection, and his forgiveness.

Then, because we are redeemed and forgiven, covered with the righteousness of Jesus, and the perfect work of the Son, God invites us to work in his vineyard of the Christian Church. And because of God’s only begotten Son, we gladly reply … and obey, “Yes, Sir!” Amen.

^“For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, declares the Lord God. So repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32)