Have you noticed how often, and how many ways the Bible assures us that it’s ok to be a late bloomer? Paul was definitely a late bloomer. I’d say that all the disciples were as well. Without question, Jonah took extra encouragement to go to Nineveh.
When I read today’s scripture* about where authority comes from and who is obedient to God’s word, I see myself in all the roles. There is a version of me that says yes easily and then somehow fails to show up when there’s work to be done. And there is a version of me that resists first, that says no out of self-interest or distraction, and only later finds the way to the actual work. I am full of internal contradictions that can muffle God’s call to the vineyard.
Jesus tells the religious leaders that the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom ahead of them. Not because they had better theological preparation. But because when John called them to turn around, they turned around. Their yes came late, but when it came, it changed the direction of their lives. The religious leaders knew the right answer to Jesus’ question. But knowing the right answer is not the same as doing God’s will. It is never whether I can muster the right words about discipleship. It’s whether I am working in the vineyard.
I find today’s scriptures encouraging – it’s never too late to begin (or begin again) and I’m never too wrong to turn around and walk in the other direction. The inward yes means nothing until it becomes an outward yes with hands in the dirt, doing the actual, unglamorous work God asks of us.
