Joel M Bradshaw

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.’ 29And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.30And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.31Which 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. 32For 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 21 (with emphasis)

One son first rejected God, but later repented and changed. These were the ‘sinners’ of that culture. The ones that the religious elite thought had no chance to please God. The other son took great pains to say the right things, but ultimately rejected God. In the case of the Pharisees, they proclaimed themselves on God’s team but then rejected Jesus. The ‘sinners’ lived lives that once rejected God, but changed and followed Jesus.

This parable hits home in my life. I grew up in a good, Christian home with loving parents who prioritized my faith. But when given the first opportunity to live by myself, I chose to live as a hypocrite. That path led me to addiction, selfishness, sin, depression, and shame. I was that son who originally said yes, but then didn’t follow through.

The next season of my life was one of brokenness and humility before God. It was during this season that I changed and turned back to Jesus. I became intentional about repentance, got accountability for my addiction journey, pursued sobriety, and submitted my life fully to Jesus. I was once the hypocrite son, but starting living my life as the son who once said no but later said yes.

I have lived as both of these sons. And I journey with people now who proclaim themselves too messy for God, too broken to save. I stand as living proof that this is absolutely not true. It takes intentionality and repentance, but God can turn the hypocrite son into the faithful son. My broken, messy story is therefore used by God for his eternal glory. I cannot describe to you the joy this gives me. Nobody is too messy for God. If so, that would have been a former hypocrite like me. There’s hope in Jesus for you too, my friend.–JMB