Answer

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Answer

Actions   Words

Honesty   Change   Obedience

And Believe In Him

Truth

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 21:32

One day Jesus was talking to the chief priests and the elders and shared a parable about two sons. Their father had asked them to do some work. One of the sons refused the father but did the work and the other son said yes but did not act on it. Jesus compares this to the response of some of the chief priests and the elders to John the Baptist and says to them:

"When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet when you observed that, you did not change your minds and believe him."

Reflection

Sometimes we get answers that are very helpful for us and bring change in our lives.

There are also times when we give answers and do not act on them.

We might also struggle to find an answer to a difficult situation we are facing.

Answers don't always come instantly.

When we get or give an answer, we then have to translate that answer from the words into concrete actions.

In our reading from Matthew the chief priests and elders with whom Jesus is speaking (we have to note that this encounter certainly does not represent all of the chief priests and elders!), received an answer from John the Baptist but were not able to accept it even as it was accepted by prostitutes and tax collectors.

This reflects our own attempts to accept an answer that we might find difficult to reconcile with what we believe. These particular chief priests and elders did not feel that they had to accept the answers that John the Baptist was giving.

There are times in all of our lives when we cannot accept an answer. In those moments we have to take an honest look at our lives and see if there are changes that we need to make.

The son in this parable of Jesus who initially gives a negative answer to his father changes his answer through his actions. There are times when all of us follow this path. We reconsider our initial answer and make a change. 

That change led this son to obedience. He did what the father wanted him to do. After his initial resistance, he truly listened to not only what the father wanted but what he felt he should do.

These particular chief priests and elders had listened to John the Baptist but could not accept the answers that he was giving at that point in their lives. 

Of course we do not know if their response changed later on as the son changed his response. So many times we reflect on the words some one has shared with us later on after our initial encounter. We start to see the wisdom of those words and that can lead us to change.

Those changes can lead us to a deeper belief. The son changed and believed in his father. He realized that it was more beneficial for him in the long run to do what his father asked him to do. 

The other son answered in the affirmative but did not answer with his actions. He did not follow through. He said what he thought his father wanted to hear; but he did not really believe it was right for him to do what the father had asked. He excused himself from his answer.

It comes down to our embrace of the truth. 

Do we believe in our answer?

Do we feel that it is the right thing to do?

Are we willing to change from our preconceived notions of what we feel is the right path?

Do we want to take an easier path or one that will not demand as much from us?

The prostitutes and the tax collectors were open to the message from John the Baptist. They were willing to change and embrace the truth that God loved them in spite of their failings. They answered by saying yes to God's invitation.

What is your answer?

1. Have you ever been given an answer that you found difficult to accept?

2. Can you think of a time in your life when you reconsidered an initial answer and made a change?

3. Do you sometimes answer with what you think the other person wants to hear from you?

4. Can you relate to the prostitutes and the tax collectors in this story?

5. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo of the Peace Pole?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John McNamara)