Can we change our minds about God?
Matthew 21:23-32
It is quite hard to see a connection between the two stories
The first is about a question of authority. Jesus has just turned out the money changers from the temple. The elders and chief priests ask Jesus about his authority, and he turns it into a question about the authority of John the Baptist.
The second is about two sons. The first says No to his father, but then does what his father asks. The second says Yes, but doesn’t do it.
And the thing that these two stories have in common – is that in both Jesus refers to John the Baptist.
I was utterly hopeless at chemistry at school. But I did seem to be able to manage the litmus test. You put a piece of litmus paper into a test-tube with some liquid and if it came out red it said one thing or blue another. A bit like those COVID tests we had to do.
John the Baptist is the litmus paper.
Jesus challenges his listeners and says to them: what you think of John the Baptist reveals your attitude to God.
John the Baptist came declaring the Kingdom of God. He announced that the the rule of God, the standards and justice and peace of God, was very close.
And he called people to repent. To turn from being God haters or God ignorers to become God lovers and God servers. He brings to people an invitation to turn round: to cease living for themselves, or living for the day, or living for happiness – and to live for God, his way and his kingdom.
And John offered to people the possibility of forgiveness, of a new life
When he was born, his father prophesied over him:
‘And you child shall be called the prophet of the most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his way; to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins’.
And John offered to the people the gift of baptism.
The gift of the possibility of being washed clean, of having sins forgiven, and of a new life with hope.
It was grace. John did not demand that they change before they were baptised. He did not ask them to be good or give money or sign up to an email list. He simply offered the new life of God to everyone who was willing to recognise their need, repent of the old, turn to the new and receive it.
And there were two things that made John the Baptist so outstanding.
First, he lived what he preached. He lived for the Kingdom even though it meant that he did not aspire to a comfortable secure life and even though it meant that he challenged the ruler, face to face, knowing that there would be serious consequences. He was beheaded.
And second, John was astonishingly effective. People came to him in their tens and hundreds.
Through him, sinners turned to God.
People who had said No to God, started to do what he asked them to do.
They are the first son in the second story. The tax collectors and prostitutes had said no to God, but they listened to John, believed him and changed their mind.
And Jesus says to the elders and the chief priests. You know John. You have listened to John. You have seen what he has done. You have seen how people responded to him? What do you make of him?
Was his authority from God, or was if of human origin?
It was a good question
It reveals where their authority came from.
The chief priests and elders are fearful of the crowd. They think, ‘If we say that John’s authority was not from God, then the people won’t like us.’ They played for the likes and the ticks and the smiley faces. They played for the reviews and the status and the popularity. They really were people pleasers. The crowd’s approval had become more important to them than the truth.
Of course we are never like that!
But it also revealed their heart
If they could not see God at work in John the Baptist, then they were never going to see God at work in and through Jesus Christ.
John pointed to Jesus.
He told people that he was the forerunner, but Jesus was the real thing
He told people he was not worthy to even lace Jesus’ sandals.
I like that. He was not worthy to lace the sandals of the one who kneels and washes peoples’ feet.
He told people that he baptised with water, but Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit.
And if they could not accept the authority of John, then they were never – whatever Jesus said – going to be able to accept or receive his authority.
They had already decided. They had made up their mind.
The question they ask, ‘Where does your authority come from’ is not a search for knowledge. It is probably an attempt catch Jesus out. That is why he refuses to tell them where his authority comes from, but asks them about John the Baptist and his authority.
John was the litmus test.
As a student I went with some non-believing friends to a rally he was speaking at in Sunderland football stadium. He preached, and at the end he invited people forward to receive the grace of God, the gift of forgiveness and new life. And in my arrogance, I thought, ‘Well that wasn’t very good. I could have preached better’.
But people went forward, in their hundreds, including some of my friends. And I have kept in touch with one of them, who is still a follower of Jesus Christ today, 40 plus years later.
Where does someone like Billy Graham’s authority come from?
Or perhaps we look at someone who – like the tax collectors and sinners – has received the grace, the love, the gift of God and their life has changed.
Someone who doesn’t worship here, and who has changed quite dramatically, was telling me that last week he was talking to a friend, who asked him, ‘what was the source of your change’. And he hummed and hawed, not wanting to be seen to preach, and in fact it was his friend who prompted him and said, ‘Was it your faith in Jesus Christ?’
What do we make of people like that? Is God at work through them, or is it of human origin? And is that really a genuine question, or have we already made up our mind?
It is these people who can be our litmus test
If we dismiss the possibility that God is at work in them, we will also dismiss the Jesus to whom they point. We may read about Jesus and his life; we may hear people preach about him. We may say that he was a great teacher, a wonderful man, but we have already made up our mind. He cannot have divine authority. We will not be persuaded by any arguments. We have made our decision.
And for us here, the challenge is to ask whether we are the first or second son. The second son who says ‘I go, Sir’ to God, but who – for whatever reason - has really made up our mind that we will not do what God wants and so refuses to see the authority of Jesus. Or perhaps we could be the first son who said ‘No’ to God, but we are listening to our John the Baptists, with an open mind, and we are changing our minds, bowing to the authority of Jesus and are beginning to seek to do what God calls us to do.
Two stories, two sons and a choice.
It is quite hard to see a connection between the two stories
The first is about a question of authority. Jesus has just turned out the money changers from the temple. The elders and chief priests ask Jesus about his authority, and he turns it into a question about the authority of John the Baptist.
The second is about two sons. The first says No to his father, but then does what his father asks. The second says Yes, but doesn’t do it.
 |
| Jesus disputing in the temple with the Pharisees who ask him to prove his authority. Cristoforo De Predis (1440-1486) in 'The History of the New Testament'. |
And the thing that these two stories have in common – is that in both Jesus refers to John the Baptist.
I was utterly hopeless at chemistry at school. But I did seem to be able to manage the litmus test. You put a piece of litmus paper into a test-tube with some liquid and if it came out red it said one thing or blue another. A bit like those COVID tests we had to do.
John the Baptist is the litmus paper.
Jesus challenges his listeners and says to them: what you think of John the Baptist reveals your attitude to God.
John the Baptist came declaring the Kingdom of God. He announced that the the rule of God, the standards and justice and peace of God, was very close.
And he called people to repent. To turn from being God haters or God ignorers to become God lovers and God servers. He brings to people an invitation to turn round: to cease living for themselves, or living for the day, or living for happiness – and to live for God, his way and his kingdom.
And John offered to people the possibility of forgiveness, of a new life
When he was born, his father prophesied over him:
‘And you child shall be called the prophet of the most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his way; to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins’.
And John offered to the people the gift of baptism.
The gift of the possibility of being washed clean, of having sins forgiven, and of a new life with hope.
It was grace. John did not demand that they change before they were baptised. He did not ask them to be good or give money or sign up to an email list. He simply offered the new life of God to everyone who was willing to recognise their need, repent of the old, turn to the new and receive it.
And there were two things that made John the Baptist so outstanding.
First, he lived what he preached. He lived for the Kingdom even though it meant that he did not aspire to a comfortable secure life and even though it meant that he challenged the ruler, face to face, knowing that there would be serious consequences. He was beheaded.
And second, John was astonishingly effective. People came to him in their tens and hundreds.
Through him, sinners turned to God.
People who had said No to God, started to do what he asked them to do.
They are the first son in the second story. The tax collectors and prostitutes had said no to God, but they listened to John, believed him and changed their mind.
And Jesus says to the elders and the chief priests. You know John. You have listened to John. You have seen what he has done. You have seen how people responded to him? What do you make of him?
Was his authority from God, or was if of human origin?
It was a good question
It reveals where their authority came from.
The chief priests and elders are fearful of the crowd. They think, ‘If we say that John’s authority was not from God, then the people won’t like us.’ They played for the likes and the ticks and the smiley faces. They played for the reviews and the status and the popularity. They really were people pleasers. The crowd’s approval had become more important to them than the truth.
Of course we are never like that!
But it also revealed their heart
If they could not see God at work in John the Baptist, then they were never going to see God at work in and through Jesus Christ.
John pointed to Jesus.
He told people that he was the forerunner, but Jesus was the real thing
He told people he was not worthy to even lace Jesus’ sandals.
I like that. He was not worthy to lace the sandals of the one who kneels and washes peoples’ feet.
He told people that he baptised with water, but Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit.
And if they could not accept the authority of John, then they were never – whatever Jesus said – going to be able to accept or receive his authority.
They had already decided. They had made up their mind.
The question they ask, ‘Where does your authority come from’ is not a search for knowledge. It is probably an attempt catch Jesus out. That is why he refuses to tell them where his authority comes from, but asks them about John the Baptist and his authority.
John was the litmus test.
He revealed whether people were red or blue. He opened their hearts.
And the response of the elders and chief priests to him, reveals that they were like the second son. They had said yes to God, but they did not do what he asked them to do.
So what then is our litmus test?
It might be a person.
Perhaps someone who is quite abrasive, different, a bit like John – but someone who lives and preaches grace and love and gift of God; someone who offers the gift of forgiveness and a new life. Where does their authority come from?
Perhaps it is someone who has exercised an astonishing ministry. Most of us here are old enough to remember or know of Billy Graham.
And the response of the elders and chief priests to him, reveals that they were like the second son. They had said yes to God, but they did not do what he asked them to do.
So what then is our litmus test?
It might be a person.
Perhaps someone who is quite abrasive, different, a bit like John – but someone who lives and preaches grace and love and gift of God; someone who offers the gift of forgiveness and a new life. Where does their authority come from?
Perhaps it is someone who has exercised an astonishing ministry. Most of us here are old enough to remember or know of Billy Graham.
As a student I went with some non-believing friends to a rally he was speaking at in Sunderland football stadium. He preached, and at the end he invited people forward to receive the grace of God, the gift of forgiveness and new life. And in my arrogance, I thought, ‘Well that wasn’t very good. I could have preached better’.
But people went forward, in their hundreds, including some of my friends. And I have kept in touch with one of them, who is still a follower of Jesus Christ today, 40 plus years later.
Where does someone like Billy Graham’s authority come from?
Or perhaps we look at someone who – like the tax collectors and sinners – has received the grace, the love, the gift of God and their life has changed.
Someone who doesn’t worship here, and who has changed quite dramatically, was telling me that last week he was talking to a friend, who asked him, ‘what was the source of your change’. And he hummed and hawed, not wanting to be seen to preach, and in fact it was his friend who prompted him and said, ‘Was it your faith in Jesus Christ?’
What do we make of people like that? Is God at work through them, or is it of human origin? And is that really a genuine question, or have we already made up our mind?
It is these people who can be our litmus test
If we dismiss the possibility that God is at work in them, we will also dismiss the Jesus to whom they point. We may read about Jesus and his life; we may hear people preach about him. We may say that he was a great teacher, a wonderful man, but we have already made up our mind. He cannot have divine authority. We will not be persuaded by any arguments. We have made our decision.
And for us here, the challenge is to ask whether we are the first or second son. The second son who says ‘I go, Sir’ to God, but who – for whatever reason - has really made up our mind that we will not do what God wants and so refuses to see the authority of Jesus. Or perhaps we could be the first son who said ‘No’ to God, but we are listening to our John the Baptists, with an open mind, and we are changing our minds, bowing to the authority of Jesus and are beginning to seek to do what God calls us to do.
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