When All Else Fails …

A right relationship with God grows and develops not merely by what we say or teach or promise. It’s what we do that matters most. And in today’s Gospel Lesson Jesus invites some of the religious authorities of His time to reflect on the matter of doing God’s Will. “What is your opinion?” He asks them:

A man had two sons. He says to one of them “Go and work in the vineyard today.” The son answers, “I will not go.” But later, he changes his mind about doing his father’s will and he does go to work in the vineyard.

Then the father asks the same thing of the second son. He answers, “Certainly!” But he does not go into the vineyard.

Jesus then asks, “Which of the two did the father’s will?” And they answer correctly, of course, “The first.”

Jesus doesn’t put on this little quiz to see how clever his listeners are. Rather, He is making a crucial point about their…