Jesus used a parable to illustrate the wrong attitude of the Jewish elders and high priests. He talked about a father and his two sons.

"A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, Son, go, work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not, but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir, but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, The first" (Matthew 21:28-31).

Jesus did not mention a third son, but based on His comments elsewhere we can imagine him. This imaginary third son acted differently than his two brothers. When his father asked him to work in the vineyard, he said he would do it and did so immediately. But he didn't just do what he was told to do. Instead, he looked for ways to go beyond the "letter" of the request made by his father. He did not want to be just an "unprofitable" son (Luke 17:7-10).

Which son do we want to be as the people of God, the called out ones? Do we want to be one of the two sons Jesus mentions in His parable, or the unmentioned imaginary third son?

With these thoughts I wish us all a rewarding Sabbath!