My landscaper / horticulturalist son has over the years planted a whole variety of unique plants around the flower beds of our house. Early in the year I’m never really sure what is growing, as there does not seem to be a whole lot of appearance difference between the flowers and the weeds. So I’m afraid to pull out something without knowing for sure if might not rather be some rare plant he found a way to grow.

This year there have been some tall, bright green plants growing along the back of the house. I did not know what they were and let them grow. After a while I asked Ben if he knew, and he said he did not but that it might be interesting to see what they turned into. Well, we finally determined they were simply tall weeds, and they are now in my substantial burn pile awaiting a fire.

Early in the growing season there can be difficulty in identifying plants, but over time and fruition, they reveal if they are something good or just a worthless weed.

In today’s parable we see a story of a crop of wheat growing, yet intermingled is also a crop of weeds that were sown by the landowner’s enemy. The question is how to get rid of the bad without hurting the good. Here is the story …

Matthew 13:24-30 — The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

The situation here is that the weeds growing concurrently with the good seed and crop of wheat is a type of grass plant called “darnel” that has a very similar appearance as the wheat. It is only at the end of the harvest cycle that the two are easily distinguishable.

So the landowner tells the workers to wait until the harvest. At that time the plants will be easily separated. The harvest will be preserved without large portions being uprooted, and the weeds can be gathered to have the positive benefit of being used as fuel.

Jesus actually gives the interpretation of the parable a bit later in the chapter in response to the questioning of the disciples …

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

It often seems odd to us that God allows evil to rage on and on without judgment. But he has a timetable for such a judgment, and this mercy he extends allows us to grow in him while also being his agents to reach out to those around.

It is nothing new for God’s people to wonder why God does not intervene more quickly and immediately into the affairs of man. Habakkuk (2:2-4) asked God in frustration, “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.” God ultimately did judge the Babylonians, but not as soon as the prophet wanted to see it happen.

Jeremiah (12:1-2) also called out to God with the verbiage of impatient perplexity … “You are always righteous, Lord, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.”

It is confusing and frustrating to see godless people thrive. But a certain promise is there in Scripture that a final day of judgment will come and God will bring about justice.

< For discussion: Why is it so difficult to wait for God’s justice to be revealed?  How is your faith challenged by this seemingly endless delay? >

Those of you who were at church yesterday and were in the main room heard me open with an illustration about my coaching years. Later in the day, a former runner on the team reminded me that I would often divide the team during practices into groups based upon their talent and level of fitness. One group would have higher expectations and demands. And she reminded me that I often referred to the groups as the sheep and the goats. I had forgotten that. And probably very few of my runners realized I was making a Scriptural inference in those titles.

The parable of the sheep and the goats is one that has been more debated than most parables as to what it is teaching and who are the characters in the groups. So, yes, there are sort of sheep and goats camps of biblical interpretation about who are the sheep and goats! And I did not want to get us too terribly deep into those weeds … because, well … there was another parable about weeds coming up later.

Simply stated, some believe the parable in its context of a discourse by Jesus is referencing God’s judgment upon Gentile nations relative to their treatment of Israel during the Great Tribulation and in advance of the 1000-year millennial kingdom. Others believe it is more general and is referencing the final judgment at the end of all time. I see the merits in the arguments of each, but along with the other two parables in this week’s study simply chose to draw the big ideas and timeless principles out of it.

And one of those timeless principles is the certain reality of God’s judgment. There is a time of accounting that will happen, and the reward or curse that follows is dependent upon one’s faith and execution of that faith in practical ways. Understand that the deeds being spoken of in these verses (and other such passages) are not prescriptions of things to be done in order to gain favor with God. Rather, having gained God’s favor and relationship through Christ, these deeds are the proof-positive outworking of that inner faith. There is a focus away from self to serving others — all men, but especially those of the household of faith.

So judgment is real and is not the overblown imagination of a televangelist in full stride. Not everyone agrees or believes that there will be a final judgment. Why do some people deny this teaching, found here and in many other passages? What might a denial of future and final judgment say about how a person has a wrong view of God? How do we reconcile seeing God as both the definition of love, yet also the dispenser of final justice and judgment?

Matthew 25:31-46 — The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

A sense of fairness or justice rises very early in our lives. I have seen this most recently when watching my grandchildren. They are constantly looking to see that they are being treated with fairness and equity about such pressing matters as to how much orange juice is in their cup as compared to that in their sibling’s glass.

I suppose you could logically argue that the children in the illustration are actually being self-oriented, making sure they are taking care of themselves and not getting short-changed in any way. Call it maybe “the survival of the fittest.” Being motivated from a sense of justice would cause one child to be equally upset if they got “more” than the other and called attention to that. And that does happen with children and with adults as they see the inevitable inequities that exist in a fallen and sinful world.

But in any event, we have some internal wiring that tells us there needs to be fairness and justice. We know in some intrinsic way that wrongdoing should not be tolerated and that action should be taken against those who harm others. And I would argue that this represents our creation in God’s image, and that the existence of the principle within argues for a good and just law-giver and omnipotent judge.

But as the years go by, the injustices about which we grieve have much greater gravity than the ounces of orange juice or the size of the apple pie slice of dessert. We are saddened when the powerful and entrenched people of society take advantage of people who do not have the resources to defend themselves. We boil over internally when we see evil people in a third world country abuse children or murder innocent people for having a different faith or being from a different tribal ethnicity. Human trafficking is a total outrage. Where is justice? How is this allowed to continue? Will these evil people have to pay for their actions in either this world or the next?

We may also feel the injustice of a life taken before its time, of a young life lost to the folly of a drunk driver, a child neglected or beaten by irresponsible bullies in their lives, or an illness that cuts someone down in the prime of life. Where is God when this happens? Why does injustice exist? Is there a time of accounting, and when will it be?

These are the types of questions we will be seeking to address a bit when we look at three different parables this Sunday and in our writings this next week. To be prepared, here are the three parables of interest in this study …

Matthew 25:31-46 — The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matthew 13:24-30 — The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

Matthew 13:47-50 — The Parable of the Net

47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I have a recurring dream.  Maybe you’ve had it, too.  I’m back in school; it’s finals week.  According to my schedule, I have a math final.  That’s bad enough on its own, but in my dream, I’d always forgotten that I ever even signed up for a math course.  What I’m left with is a looming final and a semester’s worth of equations left unsolved.  In a panic, I’m left to try and put the pieces together in the hopes of not failing out of the forgotten course.

I don’t know much about dream analysis, but in this case it’s usually safe to assume that such dreams stem from fears of inadequacy or unpreparedness.  And, in turn, those fears reveal a solemn fact: that there can be no quick-fix to cover for the absence of commitment.

Regarding life in the future, Jesus teaches:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Now, there are a number of ways to interpret the parable.  First, Jesus could be suggesting that the foolish virgins represent those who reject God’s grace and lose their salvation.  But nothing in the parable indicates that the flame has to mean salvation.  So—secondly—Jesus could be saying that the foolish virgins represent those who started out with enthusiasm toward God’s kingdom, but their emotion could not sustain them throughout their life.  Or, finally, the “then” of verse one could refer to the period known as the tribulation: the Church is “raptured” into heaven, and during the seven years that follow ethnic Jews would be given the chance to turn to Christ, and through them redeem a great multitude.  The foolish virgins, therefore, could refer to those who—during this seven-year period—refuse to turn.

Regardless of the exact nuance, Jesus’ message is clear: preparedness begets joy, a preparedness for which there can be no substitute.  In his book God in the Wasteland, David Wells highlights a disturbing fact about contemporary Christians.  Many of us might assume that Christianity’s problems stem-at least partially—from an overabundance of religious “fundamentalists.”  But no, says Wells; the problem isn’t that we have too many fundamentalists, but too few.  In the last several decades, American churches have become preoccupied with personal satisfaction and self-improvement.  Christian books on dieting (yes, dieting) became bestsellers in local Christian bookstores.

The tragic result of this culture of “therapy” is that Christianity becomes indistinguishable from any of the other voices out there in culture today.  If my goal is happiness, then why choose Christianity over any of the simpler options at my disposal?  But now that Christianity has chosen to market itself based on felt needs and personal satisfaction, the light of the gospel has been extinguished, and our hopes dashed.

This, friends is a tragedy.  But while we may analyze and pick apart the trends of our broader culture, we must also turn our gaze in on ourselves—or, better—to allow God’s Spirt to expose our backward motives.  If I look to Jesus to satisfy my immediate needs, then I have treated him as a means to an end.  And when his blessings dry up, or they no longer satisfy, the fire of my faith flickers dim and expires.  But if I look to Jesus as my ultimate source of my satisfaction and joy, then the fire of my faith burns brighter still.

Let’s return to the parable we introduced yesterday (and in Sunday’s message):

33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. (Matthew 21:33-46)

Indeed, we have a spirit of hostility toward religion in today’s climate.  Sure, it’s ok to have some religious beliefs.  Just keep them out of the office, the classroom, or—if you’re Tim Tebow—off the football field.  In the 1990’s, James Davidson Hunter of the University of Virginia identified a rift between what he called “the impulse toward orthodoxy” and “the impulse toward progressivism.”  In other words, what we’re facing is a rift between those who are conservative and those who are progressive—so much so that it’s become increasingly delicate to discuss such matters at all.  Hunter writes:

“But in the end, whether concerned with abortion, homosexuality, women’s rights, day care, or any other major moral or political issue of the day, the tools of logic and the evidence from science, history, and theology can do nothing to alter the opinions of their opposition.  Because each side interprets them differently, logic, history, and theology can only serve to enhance and legitimate particular ideological interests.  The willingness or unwillingness of opposing groups to have a ‘dialogue’ about their differences is largely irrelevant.  Even a spirit of compromise maintained by either side would be irrelevant.  In the final analysis, each side of the cultural divide can only talk past the other.” (James Davidson Hunter, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America, p. 130-1)

Hunter wrote these words in 1990—roughly 25 years ago.  Do you find them to be true today?  What have been some areas where it’s been challenging to speak on matters of faith and morality?

What it ultimately comes down to is how you see the relationship between faith and culture.  Do you see faith as shaping culture?  If so, you may be frustrated that our culture’s views don’t bend more readily to the character of God.  Or, do you see culture as shaping faith?  If so, you may be frustrated that conservatives are trying to use a 2,000 year old religious book to dictate society’s moral decisions.

But if we look at the parable again, we see something unique.  The Master’s servants –analogous to God’s prophets of the Old Testament—could be rejected, but there was something unique about the Master’s actual Son.  This, of course, refers to Jesus.

Every one of us is free to doubt the word of God.  Given the Bible’s peculiarities, you would hardly be alone in your doubts.  But even if you are skeptical of the words of the text, you remain confronted by the Word made flesh.  I can’t dispel your doubts about the Bible in a single blog post—nor will I try.  But the person of Jesus—who embodies God’s story—continually challenges our every assumption regarding faith and the world we inhabit.

If we follow his example, we will find ourselves pressed deeper into a hostile world.  We follow after a Savior who was despised and rejected by the very people he came to save.  His story becomes our own.  But what motivates us toward faithfulness and dialogue is not a desire to “change culture,” nor a desire to accommodate our message to our culture’s value system.  What motivates us instead is love—a love that prompts us toward moral purity and relational proximity in the same breath.

If ever there was an era of compromise and genuine tolerance, that age is long gone.  In a post-Christian world, we’re left with something of a rift between the religious conservative and the socially progressive—a rift that seems increasingly unbridgeable in an era of tribal politics and sound bites.

In such a world, it nearly goes without saying that the message of God’s kingdom becomes lost in a sea of confusion and concern over manmade empires.  As such, we can expect that reactions to the gospel can be just as polarized as the rest of contemporary society.

Toward the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus began to teach on what would happen in the future.  God would restore all of creation to perfection, though this would necessarily entail righteous judgment.  In several parables, Jesus tells of what this future might look like when man became more consumed with self-interest.

For our purposes, we might pull out two unique parables that highlight the extreme ways that we might respond to God’s kingdom:

RESPONSE ONE: HOSTILITY

Jesus tells a parable that essentially mirrors the story of the world:

33 “Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet. (Matthew 21:33-46)

You see the parallels?  Just as man once rejected God’s authority in Eden, so too does every man and woman reject God’s authority in exchange for a life of self-pleasure.

And because this is so deeply ingrained in each of us, the thought of anyone—or any religious system—imposing its morals on my life is utterly detestable.  As a result I respond to God’s kingdom with hostility—because I hate the idea of being placed under the control or authority of someone else.

RESPONSE TWO: APATHY

Jesus tells another story:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps[a]and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Now, there are a variety of ways of interpreting this parable, some of which we’ll touch on in the coming week.  Jesus’ larger point, however, is that regardless of initial enthusiasm, there would be some whose faith would not sustain them until the end.

American Christianity seems—sadly—built for this.  Hear me: the greatest threat to Christianity today is not persecution.  It’s boredom.  We are too easily satisfied with a Savior who meets our felt needs rather than a Savior who pushes us to toward personal forgiveness and transformation through the cross.  We rarely bat an eye over this, because this way of thinking leads to strong initial commitments, and pledges about being “on fire for the Lord.”  Tragically, time reveals this initial fervor to be only that—a faith rooted no deeper than emotion and experience.  The fire eventually burns out, and what’s left is apathy and faithlessness.

SOLUTION

The parable of the ten virgins hints at something simple: there can be no substitute for a lifetime of devotion and discipleship.  Salvation begins with forgiveness for sin, but it expands into a life of joy-filled wonder at the rule and reign of God.

To live in God’s kingdom, then, demands that we not merely settle for looking for “middle ground” between these two above extremes.  No; it’s as C.S. Lewis so famously said: “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance.  The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”  The gospel presses us to make God’s kingdom our greatest priority, our greatest treasure, our deepest joy.  When we do this, it allows us not to be shaped by the city of man, but to serve it, always hoping in the city to come.

Are you “spiritual” or are you “religious?”  On the one hand, no one would insist that these two terms are mutually exclusive.  On the other hand, we have to admit that it’s become far more fashionable to be “spiritual” than strictly “religious.

Most people in today’s world are very accepting of Jesus—it’s just his followers they’re a bit more leery about.  In a recent article for TODAY.com, a professor from the Methodist School of Ohio explains:

“Often, what they didn’t like [about religion were] some aspects of the theology…They felt that religion would require them to sign on the dotted line that would control their beliefs and their behavior.”

Similarly, Reverend Michael Beckwith explains the draw to his own “spiritual” community:

“There’s an old saying that religion is for people who don’t want to go to hell, and spirituality is for people who have already been there. So, often times, people are on a spiritual path because they’ve had some very, very hard times. Religion hasn’t provided an answer.” (Chris Serico, “Can You Be Spiritual Without Being Religious? ‘There Are Many Paths to Enlightenment,’ April 1, 2015, TODAY.com)

In today’s world, these aren’t just “outlier” positions; they’re increasingly becoming the norm as folks dismiss traditional religious labels.

And can you blame them?  After all, the greatest “sin” for the broader culture is to be too committed to any one thing.  It’s fine to have some religious beliefs—it may even be healthy.  But no one wants to be a fanatic about it.  It’s this attitude that rolled its eyes when Tim Tebow bowed in prayer on the field.  And it’s this same attitude that pushes us to see spirituality as something of a spectrum: we can dial it up or down as our circumstances demand.  Dial it up for church, dial it back for the workplace.  Right?

Toward the end of his ministry, Jesus began to teach on the coming fulfillment of God’s Kingdom—a fulfillment that would come at Jesus’ second coming and God’s final judgment and restoration of the earth.  Among his varied teachings, he tells a simple story:

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. 32 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 when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 23:28-32)

Actions speak louder than words.  In the case of both sons, their actions did not match their stated intentions.  But in the case of the first son, his actions pushed him toward sacrificial obedience; the second son’s actions pushed him toward self-satisfaction.

Here is the point: if Christianity is only a human invention, then I am liberated to adjust my spirituality in any way I desire.  My spirituality serves me; I adjust my beliefs accordingly.  But Jesus’ brief story reminds us that the gospel is not for the proud or the put-together.  It’s for those who see religion not as a human invention, but a divine necessity.  Only those who recognize their brokenness can find true restoration and healing.

This Sunday, join us as we look at two additional parables that highlight two ways of responding to the gospel: whether through hostility or through apathy.