Hi friends,
This Tuesday, I shared a devotional with a men’s ministry in the Atlanta area. Given the context, the devotional focused on how Jesus engaged with the questions of the marketplace — even in his last week before the crucifixion.
I’ve slightly updated the talk for our community.
Introduction
As you know, this is Holy Week. So each day, we’re going to look at how either Jesus or business leaders engaged with questions about work and money in the final week of Jesus’ life.
To get us ready for the passage, let me ask you a question:
When you were a kid, did you ever promise your parents you’d do chores but then not follow through?
I definitely did—I’d say I’d clean my room, then immediately return to playing Nintendo.
And as parents, we’ve seen the same pattern with our kids—like when one of our children tried to persuade a babysitter to skip bath time by saying, 'Let’s not but say we did.”
Let me ask a harder question: has your wife ever asked you to do something around the house, and you told her yes, but you haven’t done it?
To get our taxes done this year, my wife probably asked me ten times.
I kept saying yes, I’ll do it, and then forgetting to do it.
I’m not talking about doing the taxes myself. I mean emailing documents to our accountant.
But still, I kept saying yes and not following through.
Well, how about at work?
Has your boss ever asked you to do something, you told him yes, but didn’t do it?
Every day when we go to work, we’re faced with the question of integrity.
Are we men and women who keep our word?
Do we do what we say we’ll do - or do we make promises and break them?
The Parable
Well, I told you this is one of those things that never changes. And I meant it! Jesus asked the same kind of question on Tuesday, March 31, A.D. 33 — just three days before he was crucified.
If you’ve got a Bible with you, open it up to Matthew 21:28.
Jesus shares a story about a father who tells his two sons to get to work in the vineyard.
One of them says he won’t, but he does.
The other says he will work in the vineyard, but he doesn’t.
Jesus asks the religious leaders, which one did what the father wanted?
They know the answer: it’s the one who worked in the vineyard!
I mean, it’s an easy question.
Which one do you care about more: the employee who TALKS about working or the one who GETS THE WORK DONE?
Which one would you hire? Which one would you fire?
Jesus understood families and work. He knew how to talk about these subjects in ways that everyone could understand.
But you might be wondering… how does this apply to our walk with God?
Well, Jesus made that pretty simple, too.
He said that it was the tax collectors and prostitutes - the people who initially said ‘no’ to God - who were starting to actually obey God.
They knew what it meant to be in the wrong, but they didn’t know how to make things right.
And Jesus comes along and tells them he loves them, he wants to be their friend, he can forgive them for their sins, and that he has a much better plan for their lives.
So they repented! They became friends with Jesus. And they started doing what was right.
They are just like the son who started out by saying no, but turned their lives around and started doing what God said.
But what about the religious leaders? They knew how to talk about God. They had the clothes. They knew how to look good in the Temple.
But did they love God?
No. Just three days later, they would put Jesus to death so they could keep their power, their wealth, and their status.
The message couldn’t be clearer or more pointed: they are like the son who mouthed a ‘yes’ to his father but never went into his vineyard.
Application for Business Leaders
Look, Jesus isn’t saying sin doesn’t matter.
He’s saying, just like any business leader would say, that dirty clothes and a job well done is more valuable than an unqualified, lazy guy who happens to be wearing a nice suit.
Or, in terms of our souls, he’s saying that authentic repentance matters more than religious performance.
In business, you value the team members who deliver — not those who talk smoke.
Even if a new hire starts off badly, and you have to talk to them about the problem, then they turn it around and become a good performer… they can earn your respect.
Jesus is saying it’s the same with God.
- Are you acting like a good Christian in public, but ignoring what God says in private?
- Do you pray to God and promise to do what he says, and then live however you want?
- Do you read the Bible in the morning, but it doesn’t affect how you treat people at work?
The good news is that God cares more about the direction we’re moving than where we started.
In Jesus’ parable, the son who worked in the vineyard changed his mind. He repented. He regretted telling his father no, and he decided to obey him, and he went to the vineyard. It was hot. He got tired. He was thirsty. But his father told him to get to work, and he did what his father asked.
That’s true repentance - not just feeling bad, but changing direction.
The good news is that God is less interested in your past ‘no’ or your empty ‘yes’ than in your willingness to show up now. Will you be a man or a woman whose actions align with your faith?
Let’s pray:
God, we love that you know the language of business, and you can use examples from our work to change our hearts. We’re sorry for pretending to say ‘yes’ even when our lives say ‘no.’ Give us the courage to be honest with you and with ourselves. Help us to be men of integrity whose actions match our faith. Thank you that through Jesus, we can experience forgiveness when we fail and strength to change. In Christ’s name, Amen.
One sentence summary:
"Because I am God’s beloved son, I will obey my Heavenly Father.”