two kinds of repentance

he answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go.

jesus is a brilliant teacher. He illustrates the idea of repentance in such a way that it is impossible not to understand His point. He directs His parable directly to you and to me--professing christians in the church. consider the first son who refused at first to obey his father but then changed his mind. the key to genuine repentance is found in those words, "changed his mind". the older son acted upon the change in his mind and heart. what a measure of the richness of God's grace that God accepts so grudging and reluctant an obedience as that of the first son!

the second son is a reflection of too many of us. we know it is right to obey, so we say "i will" when the Father tells us to go, but we haven't gotten around to actually going.  for months, even years, our lives have been suspended at the "i will" stage. in the end we have refused to "go" and do what is right. we are foolish to think our spiritual condition is safe if we are going through all the outward, "i will" professions of faith, but have not truly surrendered our lives to the One to Whom it really belongs. the fatal thing about the "i will" stage is that it lends itself to just this kind of deception. how much better to be honest with God and just tell Him "we will not go" if we truly intend not to. as imperfect as the first son's repentance is, how infinitely preferable to no repentance at all! 

this parable teaches that all our good intentions, all our "i will" professions count for nothing in the end if not accompanied by simple obedience. "not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (matthew 7:21).