"For John came 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."

            John called the people to come to him and repent of their sins and be baptized, in preparation for the coming Messiah. Now it is three years later. Jesus is in Jerusalem, disputing with the leaders there about his authority. He will not answer their question about where he gets his authority, nor are they able to answer the same question about John. So he tells them three parables.

            In the first, a man has two sons, and they all work in the family business. He sends them to work in the vineyard. That is what sons do. But one says "no." Klyne Snodgrass reminds us that in Jesus time fathers had absolute authority in their families. The son's blatant refusal to obey is shocking, scandalous and foolhardy. We wonder what the father will do to him. But then later, that son goes to the vineyard and joins in the work. He acts like he belongs in the family after all.

            Jesus compares this first son to "tax collectors and prostitutes," who because of their blatant moral sin and scandalous behavior have no place in respectable Jewish society or in the Kingdom of God. Yet, when John came, many of them went out to him, repented, and were baptized. They acted like they belonged in the family after all. Now, three years later, it seems Jesus is saying that these repentant sinners are still living righteous lives. They did not go back to their old ways. They are still in the vineyard.

            The word "prostitute" was a very harsh and offensive word in Jesus' time. It is only used twice in the Gospels: here and in the story of the Prodigal Son, when the elder brother accuses the young son of wasting the family inheritance on prostitutes. To hear Jesus even mention the word must have stung the ears of his audience.

            Today we might enlarge the term to include all parts of the sex industry: prostitution carried on by boys, girls, men and women; pornography; Internet chat rooms; extramarital affairs. The Greek word is "porne," and many behaviors fall in that category. These behaviors easily become habitual and addictive and lead to broken relationships, loss of trust, corruption of character, disease, and a weakened ability to know and obey God. John received such people in his baptism line.

            Jesus agrees. Those who say "no" to God's will and law, those who rebel and act sinfully, are welcomed into a process of repentance and recovery. This is serious. These are stubborn and habitual behaviors and they become addictions. They are not easy to overcome. It is not just a matter of feeling sorry and asking for forgiveness. This requires a process of repentance, and then faith in Jesus Christ. Paul says that righteousness is given through faith to all who believe. If you are caught in a habit or addiction to sexual behavior, Jesus says that there is room for you in a process of repentance or recovery leading to faith.

            The next group that came to John were tax collectors. It was commonly understood that tax collectors got rich by cheating people. They were by and large involved in financial fraud, deception and dishonesty for personal gain. This is very common today. It is in all the newspapers. The governor is being tried in the state Senate on charges of asking for and accepting bribes, and many financial institutions and individuals are being exposed for their fraudulent dealings. This type of sin usually stays hidden and secret for a time, but then gets exposed, brought to light. The result is a loss of trust, a breaking of community, and for many individuals a loss of life savings, loss of jobs, and loss of a sense of fairness in life.

            Jesus says that some of those were in line when John called people to a baptism of repentance. Again, this financial sin is stubborn, it is greed that clings very closely to ones soul, it is habitual and not easily corrected. It is typical for those who get caught to deny or minimize their involvement, to excuse themselves, or to make a partial confession. There is a lot of ego wrapped up in these behaviors of greed and often a blindness to what these actions do to others. Paul says that through the law we become conscious of our sin. That is the first and necessary step for those caught in financial dishonesty. But Paul also says we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

            Again, both John and Jesus say that there is a thoroughgoing process of repentance and restitution that sets people free from the sins of greed. We think of the tax collector Zacchaeus, who found a new life and joy in following Jesus. So, some of these were in line for the baptism of John, and Jesus says that they ended up going to work in the vineyard. There is hope for tax collectors.

            Then there is the second son. This son immediately says "yes" to the command of the father. He is the obedient son, the compliant son. He says all the right things. He seems to live without major moral flaws. There is no scandal going on in his life. You would not be offended by him. But he just never seems to get to the vineyard. Our question is whether this son was deliberately disobedient. Was he a charmer, a con man, a lazy fellow who could talk his way out of anything?

            The other option is that he saw his words as his obedience. He truly did not think doing the actual work was important, because his life and his position and success told him that he was righteous. Jesus equates this son to the temple leaders. They were not immoral people. They had given their lives to learning the Word of God, practicing the traditions of the elders and meticulously keeping the rituals of the temple. It would never occur to them that they had neglected doing God's will. But the truth is that when John was baptizing, they watched from a distance, and did not get in line. These same ones watched Jesus do miracles and did not give glory to God, they heard his words and call to discipleship and yet they questioned his authority. They do not repent because they feel they have no need of it.

            But repentance is more than confessing obvious moral sins. Repentance is a change of mind and heart that allows us to know God, to love what God loves, to do what God commands us to do. Klyne Snodgrass says that :to work in God's vineyard is to be engaged in God's purposes." Jesus does not spell those purposes out here, but elsewhere he says that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.

            Maybe you do not struggle with an obvious moral sin. Maybe you live a good life and are respected by others for your good example. But there may be some questions for you to consider as well, and there may be a place for you in the line of repentance. You may need a change of heart and mind to love God and become actively engaged in God's purposes.

            I remember when Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed. I was in college at the time at North Park. It was spring, and there were riots in Chicago, and many buildings burned in certain neighborhoods, and there was looting. So a citywide curfew was imposed. Everyone was to be inside after a certain time, about dusk. And so the whole school had to be in the dorms, and it was very quiet. There was a heaviness in the crisis, an anxiety and uneasiness about what kind of future we were entering. And in the heavy quietness, there was time to think about questions that normally stay beneath the surface. For me, the questions went something like this:

            Where is your life headed?

            Are you being obedient to God, not just on your terms, but on God's terms?

            Do you love what God loves?

            Are you growing in your relationship with Christ?

            Can you live for a greater purpose than your own desires?

            Maybe this is also a time in our nation to ask those questions. Now is the time to hear Gods' call and obey. Now is the time to listen to God's commands, and put them into practice.

            Amen.