"Intrinsic Value" - September 25, 2011 Sermon

Scripture: Matthew 21: 23-32

The Sermon:
I remember an incident that happened in 1969. I was a college Freshman and I was living in the dormitory with a roommate. His name was Steve and he was an 18 yr. old Freshman… I was 22. I had just gotten out of the Army only 5 days before entering college. I had been back from Viet-Nam only a few months. We had nothing in common…except that we were both Freshman.

He was a "follower"…in fact, he followed me everywhere I went. I was more of a "leave-me-aloner"…I was still trying to adjust to society. One day, as we were walking to town from the college, we came upon an elderly man, about______’s age. He was reaching in the trunk of his car and pulling out a jack that he could barely lift. His wife was standing on the sidewalk. I looked down and saw that he had a flat tire. We had walked about 4 or 5 steps past his car and I stopped and told Steve that we should help that man change his tire. Steve did not want to help. I went to the man and said, "sir, let me do that for you." He gave me the jack and tire tool…I changed his tire. When I was finished, he offered me some money. He had several dollar bills in his hand. Steve started to reach for the money. I stopped him. . I said, "no thank you, although I do appreciate the offer.

As we walked away, Steve said, "You’re crazy, man. We could have had some extra money. Why didn’t you take it?" I said, "Steve, sometimes in life you do things just because it’s the right thing to do."

Here it is, 42 years later, and I am using an incident that happened to me as an illustration in a sermon. The Lord works in mysterious ways in our lives!

The point of this illustration is similar to the one Jesus was making in today’s Scripture passage. One son is asked to go to the vineyard to work…the son says he will go and do as his father asks. Anyone observing would say that the son made the correct choice, and would assume that the son will do what he says.

Another son, when given the same instruction says "no, I will not go." His refusal to do what his father asks would certainly seem to be the wrong response. From the beginning of the story, one son would clearly be labeled in the right and the other in the wrong.

As we all know, however, appearances are often deceiving. What is said today and what happens tomorrow are often contradictory. The son who appears to be right, because of what he says, actually does what is wrong. He fails to go to the vineyard. The son, whose initial refusal makes him seem in the wrong, in the end, does what is right.

So, the act of doing what is right speaks much more loudly than mere words. Jesus tells the chief priests and elders that they exemplify the behavior of the son who said "Yes" but did not do as he said he would. As spiritual leaders, they have all the appearances of righteousness. They say the right things and even act in strict conformity to the Law, but they ridicule tax collectors and prostitutes and all those labeled as outcasts in society.

Yet, it is those very people, those looked down upon by decent society, who are open to the Lord’s call. They are the ones who have the courage to place their faith in Jesus. Those who appear to be "wrong" , in the end do what is right. They are not looking for status in society, or compliments or the best seat in the house. They are simply following the Lord and listening to his words because it is the right thing to do.! In this story, Jesus tells us that it is these people who will enter eternal life before any who perceive themselves to be righteous.

We live in a world where status, name, achievement and perception of ’good and righteousness’ are greatly rewarded. We are told over and over again that we need to finish first and in the process make certain that what we say and do appears to be correct, positive and profitable. We don’t want people to perceive in us anything that is not perfectly acceptable with the contemporary mindset. To hold unpopular views or to stand up for one’s convictions in the face of opposition is not the image we have been trained to portray… yet, it is often the right thing to do. It is of intrinsic value, that is, doing what is right, simply because it is right…without expecting any reward.

Humility is essential when doing things that are intrinsically right. John the Baptist was humble enough to "decrease" as he knew Jesus would "increase"…Jesus was humble enough to wash His disciples’ feet, giving them an example of how they were to become Servant Leaders. Humble enough to perform the duties of a slave, yet confident enough to be obedient to God. Jesus was humble enough to be obedient unto death on a Cross.

We, like the son in the parable and Jesus, must do what is right BECAUSE it is right! Most of the time we want a reward or a compliment or some benefit. Now I recognize that we all need some positive feedback to nourish us and keep us going, but that must not be the reason we do what we do. I know it is not always easy to "do the right thing", but we must realize that the Christian life is not always easy. Doing what is right may cause us problems, even with our friends or co-workers or those with whom we share a pew.

Actually, to be a follower of Jesus, we have no right to expect in better treatment than He received. We should not be concerned about status, or perks of a position or even individual accomplishment. We can only do that which is right…BECAUSE it is right and be satisfied with that.

AMEN