Matthew 21:28-32
“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.”
This is another parable that is tempting to read in isolation. After all, it’s a short story that seems to have a clear moral: actions speak louder than words. But in light of the last exchange between Jesus and the chief priests about authority, we might think about it – and authority itself – differently.
First, we should note that authority is not the same as power. Whereas power is the sheer capacity to do or make something, authority is power that has been given, limited, and directed to accomplish a particular end. This is the link between various words with a similar root: One has authority to do things because one has been authorized to do them by the author, the one with the actual power. Authority is always and only something given.
Second, we usually tend to think about authority as being given “from above,” and certainly that makes sense. School teachers, police officers, doctors and other authority figures have been invested with authority by some group or person with power – a school board, the government, a board of medical examiners, whatever. But authority is also given “from below.” Students who ignore a teacher, a population who ignores laws en masse, patients who disregard all medical advice undermine any serious notion of authority existing on its own. Authority, therefore, is inherently relational.
With all this in mind, the parable can be read about the power of these two sons to see and recognize authority. One pays lip service to his father’s authority, while the other would seem to rebel but ultimately grants authority. So also with the elders and chief priests – they have been invested with authority but ultimately do not grant Jesus, God’s Son, true authority by following him, whereas the tax-collectors and prostitutes – two classes of people who seemed beyond the pale of decent, let alone pious, society – actually grant Jesus authority by listening to him and following his teaching. They, therefore, are the true citizens of God’s kingdom.
All well and good…and maybe even interesting. But none of this comes home until we ask ourselves a similar question: to whom have we given authority? Sometimes, like the first son, we may testify to our faith in God and yet give authority via our actions and practices to so many other things: a culture that glorifies accumulating possessions, our own safety and security, our particular ideological commitments, whatever. Each day we declare through our decisions about how we spend our time, energy, and money to whom we have given authority and thereby our allegiance.
So as you go about your daily life, perhaps a moment or two of reflection when you pull out your credit card, or plan your day, or consider how to invest your time would help you align your actions with your values. At least I know it will for me.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to see in your Son authority that deserves to be recognized because it is power made manifest in weakness to testify to us to your love for us and all the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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