In Matthew 21:28-30 Jesus told a parable. It went like this:
But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. “Which of the two obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.”
Coming up with the answer to Jesus’ parable wasn’t rocket science was it? It’s not always hard to figure out what the Lord wants us to do. Obeying Him is the challenge. If you were forced to spend a day alone in quiet place and figure out how God really wanted you to structure your day and the days of your week—adding the things you know are missing and stripping all the things you know keep you from obeying God—you could figure them out. You could write them down. You could build a new plan.
Then on the side of that plan, add the types of unscheduled things God might want you to do as they come up in your day; for example: sharing His good news or doing something kind for someone at work. You could do that, so why don’t you? Maybe it’s because you don’t want to change? Maybe you don’t want to be held accountable? Maybe you don’t think you can do it. Maybe you don’t want to do it. Now you understand why the first son said yes but didn’t go into the vineyard to work. As Jesus said to His disciples, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
There are so many parts of Easter that we could reflect on as we appreciate Jesus’ love and what He did for us. But for me, I have a tendency to focus on how do I appreciate and bring what Jesus did for me into the now. As we saw in the parable, Jesus isn’t impressed by what you say but by what you do.
In Isaiah 53 we read the most sobering and—if you really meditate on it—horrific scriptures prophesied by Isaiah about Jesus and His life and death.
Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
(Isa. 53:1-5)
What Isaiah prophesied then could never be pictured or imagined in the mind of a man—with the exception of Jesus. When He read those verses as a child He knew those were the words describing His life and death. He knew they were the destiny He would face. So how could he possibly find the strength to obey? He was not walking as God in this earth, but as a man living by faith like you and I. Where did He find the strength?
These sobering verses described His ordinariness in appearance. They describe the rejection He would face most likely because of His commitment to live such a separated life for the Lord. He was probably looked at as oddly. He was beaten to a pulp only because He allowed it so that He could take our punishment upon Himself and so we could be forgiven and healed.
How does anyone achieve this level of strength to obey the things God wants of us—even the simple things like work a day in the vineyard? Jesus gave the answer—the only answer to the strength we need to be obedient. Again He said, “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” (Matt. 26:41)
Easter represents many stories and truths God wants us to learn, but if there is one relevant truth that stands out to me for today that I may walk out, it’s this: If we want to be like Jesus and be more obedient to His voice and leading in our life, it will not happen without our lives invested in prayer. And in all likelihood, for most, more praying won’t happen unless you pray to ask God to help you pray more.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Timothy Burt is a pastor, author, and writer. He is best known as the author of Fresh Manna, a daily devotional and online Bible study.
Pastor Tim became a part of the leadership team at Living Word Christian Center in 1984 and was an Associate Pastor from 1989 until May 31st, 2017. He and His wife Renee, also a Pastor at Living Word, resigned after being a part of Living Word for 33 years on May 31, 2017. They felt impressed by God to pursue the tremendous growth of their ministry "Fresh Manna," as well as teaching conferences and seminars and increasing their involvement in the mission field through Tim and Renee Burt Ministries. Tim has a Bachelor of Theology degree and is a Christian blogger who has been writing a daily inspirational and teaching devotion three days a week called "Fresh Manna" for the past 22 years. It has been read in over 227 countries (official countries and territories). Tim was named one of the top 55 blogging Pastors. He is one of the top Social Media influencers in Minnesota with a strong presence on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TimBurt with over 187,000 followers. Between Tim's Fresh Manna Devotional and Twitter influence, he virally averages reaching over 4 million people daily with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God.
Prior to working at LWCC, he worked at Northwest Airlines for 13 years. In 1985 he founded and was President of American Infant Care Products which marketed his patented invention, the first fold-down commercial infant changing table now used worldwide in public restrooms.
In their tenure at Living Word, Timothy Burt and his wife Renee created a Small Group Ministry when the church was about 800 people in size. Under the leadership of Sr. Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond, the church grew to over 10,000 people. Pastor Tim and Renee led a diverse Small Group Ministry of over 200 groups. Tim also led weekly men's groups and a monthly Men's Breakfast of 250 plus men called Manhood for 27 years. Tim's responsibilities also included oversight over the Visitor and Member Relations Department, Leadership and Volunteer Development, and the Pastoral Care Department. Pastor Tim was also the Minnesota State Director of Christians United for Israel from 2006 thru 2017.
Tim and Renee are the parents of four children and have seven grandchildren. Tim loves to write, golf, run, and walk, and is a master gardener. He is a five-time marathon finisher. He is also a three-time award-winning gardener winning the Grand Prize in his city for his beautiful home garden and is a Master Gardener for the University of Minnesota's Master Gardener Extension Program.