Title: THE YEASAYER
Focus: Serve the Lord with gladness and guard against a rebellious heart.
Function: To encourage the people to serve the Lord with a willing and glad heart.
Text: Matthew 21:28-32
My father was a grower; he grew tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce in greenhouses, and he grew all kinds of other vegetables on a large tract of open land. Growing up, then, in my family meant that the kids had to work in the greenhouses. We had to get our hands dirty in the soil. My brother loved to till the soil. I hated it—so much so that I often made myself disappear, playing with my friends, rather than working with my dad in the greenhouses. My dad would say sometimes, “Jack, when you come home from school, I want you to take the hoe and weed the bean field.” I would say in the morning “Yes, dad. I’ll do it.” But I was a “no show” later that afternoon.
Looking back on that time of growing up, I regret my rebellious attitude. For today I realize that my parents taught me discipline and hard work; they also taught me to appreciate the small things in life. Today, I wish that I had brought more joy to my parents by saying, “Yes” and by following through with action.
Our heavenly Father calls each one of us to work in his vineyard. What are we saying to Him? There are four possible answers and responses:
In Jesus’ parable of the father and his two sons, we notice that the first son says, “No!” but then changes his mind and goes to the vineyard. And the second son says, “Yes! I’ll go.” But he stays away all together. The first one is a Naysayer; the second is a Yeasayer. What do you say? What have I been saying lately?
In light of Jesus’ parable, I say to all of us today: serve the Lord with gladness and guard against a rebellious heart.
The last time we focused on the Naysayer in this story. Today we shall place the spotlight of attention on the Yeasayer. The Yeasayer is the son who says to his father: “I, sir, yes, I will go and work in the vineyard.” But he is a no show. He did not do what his father wanted him to do.
It is clear from the context of the story that Jesus has in mind the chief priests and Pharisees in Israel. Jesus holds before these religious leaders a mirror. And the Yeasayer in the mirror is a self-portrait of the chief priests and the Pharisees.
Outwardly, there are no more devout, religious people than the Pharisees and spiritual leaders of Israel. They pay enormous attention to legalistic forms and regulations: they fast—and do so publicly; they tithe—and do so rigidly; they perform the prescribed duties of the Law of Moses; and they manage to keep another 800 rules and regulations concocted over the centuries. You can’t find more religious people than the Pharisees and elders of Israel. They all say “Yes” to Israel’s God. Who can doubt their integrity?
But they are not tending the vineyard of their heavenly Father; rather, they are cultivating their own little garden of self-righteousness. Outwardly, their religion seems to be all about God. But inwardly, it’s all about themselves. That’s why Jesus applies the story of the father and his two rebellious sons, saying to the Pharisees and chief priests: “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you 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.”
The Pharisees and chief priests of Israel refused to respond to the message of John the Baptist: to repent and to believe in the One who is to come. They refuse to believe that God has sent his Son, Jesus. And they refuse to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. And thus they refuse to do the bidding of God, for it’s God’s will that we respond to Jesus in faith and bear fruit in our heavenly Father’s vineyard--that is, this world.
They are Yeasayers—outwardly, they say “Yes, Lord, we are with you and we serve you!” But inwardly, they plough their own field of self-service. They are actors. The Greek word for “actor” is “hypocritos,” which literally means hypocrite. A hypocrite is an actor. In the case of this Yeasayer in Jesus’ story, that son appears to be on the side of his father, but in reality, he only has in mind his own vineyard of selfish interests. Behind his mask of yeasaying is pretense. Behind his seeming compliance or willingness, there is a rebellious heart.
Hypocrites do great damage in the Father’s vineyard. They not only neglect to serve the Father as sons and daughters who do his bidding; they also turn other people away from the Father.
In the Reformed tradition of the Christian church, we recognize that hypocrites are part of the church. You find them in any and every church community anywhere in the world. Hypocrites in the household of our heavenly Father make up an entire “company.” Note the Belgic Confession, Article 29, for example, where Reformed Christians refer to “the company of hypocrites who are mixed among the good in the church and who nonetheless are not part of it, even though they are physically there.” Do I, do you, belong to this company? Are we Yeasayers who, nevertheless, do our own thing and serve our own interests at the expense of our heavenly Father’s interests?
Dennis Rader was a church elder, known in his community as an outstanding servant leader, who seemed to care much about his neighbors. Earlier this year, however, Mr. Rader was caught as the notorious BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) serial murderer from Witchita, Kansas. He may be an extreme example, to be sure, but he nevertheless belonged to the company of hypocrites. This past week, three young men, members of a Christian church, nice boys, were implicated and charged with murdering a father and mother. They, too, are extreme examples of Yeasayers in the household of God; nevertheless, their horrific acts revealed a dark rebellion in their hearts.
Hypocrites in the church miss the boat when it comes to their relationship with their heavenly Father: they do not serve as sons but as slaves; they think of their heavenly Father as a tyrant, in stead of a King. They think of responding to the King’s love and provision and will as duties rather than privileges. They are interested in appearance on Sundays, but do their own thing throughout the rest of the week.
Hypocrites among God’s people turn service of Christ, the King, into obligations and duties and chores. They are legalists at heart. And they prefer to toot their own horn, rather than the praises of God. I say,
“Do not be a Yeasayer! Do not be a hypocrite; rather, serve the Lord with gladness and guard against a rebellious heart.”
Jesus’
story about the father and his two rebellious sons function as a mirror for the
hypocrites of his day to look into—and to come to repentance. Jesus is not
interested in condemning them, or stepping on their toes for the sake of
aggrevating and insulting them. No, Jesus wants to prick their conscience.
Jesus demonstrates his love for them—and you and me—as he holds before us that
mirror of naked truth. Sometimes, the naked truth leads to self-examination and
repentance and true faith. Sometimes, it leads to further rebellion. In the
case of the Pharisees and chief priests the result is frightening. Matthew
tells us in vs. 45 and 46: “When the chief priests and the Pharisees
heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a
way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held
that he was a prophet.”
Let me say it once more: Serve
the Lord with gladness and guard against a rebellious heart.
Earlier I suggested that the household of this father consists of more children. It’s true: there are the Naysayers—they rebel and say “No,” but thank God they repent and end up doing the Fathers’ will; There are the Yeasayers—they pretend to be on the Father’s side, but in the end they are a “now show.” Jesus does not mention them, but there are others, who are so rebellious that they say “NO” to the Father and “NO” to the Father’s word or will.
They don’t want anything to do with God and his will for them. There are lots of them in our communities and world.
And then there are these other children in the Father’s household. They go about their Father’s business as if it is their own. They say “Yes!” to the Father, and they say “Yes!” to the Father’s will by serving him with their lives. And they are not even self-conscious about their relationship with God and in their service of him. Speaking of
them in the context of the final Judgment Day, Jesus said to them:
“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” And Jesus commended them for their service. Surprised, however, these sons and daughters in the Father’s household respond saying, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” (Matthew 25:34ff). These are the children in the Father’s household who serve him with gladness and guard against a rebellious heart. I want to be one of those children.
Jesus’ story of the father and his
two rebellious sons is a solid reminder to search our hearts and—when necessary—turn away from any rebellion and self-interest that goes against the will of our heavenly Father. Rebels who go against the Father and refuse to do his bidding walk the road of hypocrisy. When unrepentant rebels keep walking that road, they end up on the wrong side—they will be judged and found wanting. Let this story prick your conscience. Let the story drive you on your knees, praying for mercy and grace and gladness to enter your heart—and in the hearts of our sons and daughters and friends and neighbors, and in the hearts of all Yeasayers and Naysayers.
In fact, we do well if we do these two things:
Rebellion against our heavenly Father comes in many forms; often it remains largely hidden; sometimes, like a knock-out punch, that rebellion comes from seemingly nowhere. Don’t be fooled. The rebellion is in our hearts. Therefore, face the reality of sin and pray for spiritual heart surgery. Pray that the Spirit of Jesus may make us “wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on” to serve the living God, to do our Father’s bidding (Cf. L.D.1). Serve the Lord with gladness and guard against a rebellious heart.
The vineyard is our Father’s world. His desire is that his rule or bidding will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And he calls you and me to serve him with a glad heart—NOT as slaves who belong to a tyrant, but as sons and daughters who belong to a merciful, gracious Lord and King. This is the big picture. You and I—and anyone who comes to faith in Jesus Christ, may serve in freedom and in joy.
It’s true: now we serve him with imperfect hearts and gifts; but there will come a day when our service will be in glory and perfection. Now we still serve and sow in tears. But then we shall serve and live with gladness forever more.
Serve the Lord with gladness and guard against a rebellious heart!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.