FROM YES-NO & NO-YES TO YES-YES & NO-NO

Reflections for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Ezekiel 18:25-28, Philippians 2:1-11, & Matthew 21:28-32

“Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one”, states Jesus categorically in Matthew 5:37. Paul seems to get it. “Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you is not “Yes and No”, he affirms in 2 Corinthians 1:17. It is never that simple for us, is it? Torn between our ideals and impulses, dreams and distractions, commitments and compromises, our responses often oscillate between “yes-no” and “no-yes”. This is also the story of the two sons, called by their father to work in his vineyard. One says "no" and goes to work anyway, the other says "yes" but doesn't go. In the place of the ideal responses “yes-yes” or “no-no”, there are “no-yes” and “yes-no”!

The question of Jesus is indeed incisive: “Which of the two did his father's will?". The chief priests and elders of the people are right in answering, “The first!”. But what makes the first son's initial refusal (in word) forgivable, while the second son's final refusal (in deed) intolerable? The clue is in the nature of the relationships of the two sons with their father. In his dialogue with the first son, the father addresses him, “Son, go out and work in the vineyard today”. He knows it's his father speaking to him. And he responds by saying "I don't want to". His reply, though negative, is sincere and implies honesty in his dealing with his Father.

In an interesting book entitled Saying No to God, Matthew J. Korpman of the Yale Divinity School argues that just because "God says it," does not, in fact, mean "that settles it." God does not want us to blindly obey him, but rather “wrestle” with Him (as in the case of Jacob in Genesis 32:22-32) or “bargain” with Him (as did Abraham in Genesis 18:17-19). We are given the faculties of the human will and freedom to say no to God not just for the sake of saying no, but because God actually “requires” it. Saying No! to God, according to Korpman, does not aim at being disagreeable, but engaging the divine. By saying No! we practice a hermeneutics of suspicion, turning doubts and suspicion into partners of faith.

In saying no to God, the first son exercises his freedom and free will to give an honest answer that is accepted in the scope of an honest and just relationship. Jesus does not present an ideal image of a perfect Christian that is way too unattainable and utopian. The first son is a mirror that reflects something that is a part of ourselves. We say no to God when we sin by commission and omission. However, it is our struggle with our frailties, weaknesses, and sins that help us truly discover the merciful face of God and grow intimate with him. With the second son, however, the nature of the relationship is different. When given the same order, the second son replies, “Yes, sir” (Ἐγὼ κύριε: Eo, domine). Why would a son address his own father as a slave would a master? This could probably be taken to mean that there is a distorted relationship with his father. His words signal a distorted relationship between himself and his “sir/master”.

The message of the parable revolves around the two sons’ capacities for change. While the first son changes his mind to do what his father asked of him, the second son changes his mind about his promise. The first son realises that he does not need to stay locked forever in his initial refusal. He "is taken with remorse" (μεταμέλομαι – metamellomai) and agrees to effect a positive change in his already just relationship with his father. The second son, on the contrary, disregards his duty almost immediately. It is as if he had already made up his mind to avoid helping his father, even as his lips were saying “Yes sir!”. His already distorted relationship with his father worsens.

Let us not forget, that the parable’s intention is to draw a parallel between "doing the Father's will" and "believing". “When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did”, concludes Jesus. The Jewish leadership “did not believe" John the Baptist, while the tax collectors and prostitutes turned to him with hopeful belief. Believing is not just about “feeling” confident. It is a relationship that needs mutual trust, constant effort, and permanent conversion, made possible by our ability to repent, change, and make a fresh start. The father does not want us to be his slaves of a tyrant master/sir but free sons and daughters in a just relationship with him, willing to walk the path of conversion, when there is a need, to march towards an honest, just and open relationship. Our no to God is never definitive, neither is our yes!