Watch Your Feet
"A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not.' But later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go sir." But he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" Matthew 21: 28-31
Saint Jerome described the person of faith as the one in whom the heart, the feet and the mouth all agree. Or, to use an expression that is common in some church circles, "You can't just talk the talk, you've also got to walk the walk." We expect words and actions to be consistent.
In the parable, however, Jesus imagines two sons who are both inconsistent. One doesn't say all the right things, but does what he is supposed to do. The other son says all the right things, but does nothing. Jesus is clear about which is preferable: he praises the one who walks the walk, even when he doesn't talk the talk.
Here Jesus is telling us something we may know already, but we still need to be reminded of on a regular basis. Words alone--even when they are all the right words--are not enough. In the end, it is actions that matter. After all, it is not a complement to say to someone, "He is all talk and no action." But it is a high complement, indeed, when it is said of someone, "She is a person of action and very few words."
As novelist and preacher Frederick Buechner observed, "If you want to know who you relly are as distinct from who you like to think you are, keep an eye on where your feet take you."
Where are your feet taking you today?
Dear God, guide my feet today to where I need to be or to where I am needed. Amen
Matin B. Copenhaver is Senior Pastor, Wellesley Congregational Church, UCC, Wellesley, Massachusetts.
To say that "God exists" is the greatest understatement ever made across space and time.
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