The son who for a time refused obedience to his father's command was not condemned by Christ; and neither was he commended. The class who act the part of the first 281 son in refusing obedience deserve no credit for holding this position. Their frankness is not to be regarded as a virtue. Sanctified by truth and holiness, it would make men bold witnesses for Christ; but used as it is by the sinner, it is insulting and defiant, and approaches to blasphemy. The fact that a man is not a hypocrite does not make him any the less really a sinner. When the appeals of the Holy Spirit come to the heart, our only safety lies in responding to them without delay. When the call comes, "Go work today in My vineyard," do not refuse the invitation. "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." Heb. 4:7. It is unsafe to delay obedience. You may never hear the invitation again.

Den søn, der en tid ikke ville lyde sin faders befaling, blev ikke fordømt af Kristus, men han blev heller ikke rost. De, der handler ligesom den anden søn ved at nægte at adlyde, fortjener ingen ros for at indtage et sådant standpunkt. Deres frimodighed må ikke regnes for en dyd. Når mennesker helliges ved sandheden, vil de frimodigt vidne for Kristus; men når synderen står frimodigt frem, er det forhånende og udfordrende og grænser til gudsbespottelse. Det, at et menneske ikke er hykler gør ham ikke til en mindre synder af den grund. Når Helligånden taler til hjertet, er det vor eneste redning at adlyde uden at tøve. Når kaldet kommer: "Gå hen, min søn, og arbejd i vingården i dag," må vi ikke undlade at tage imod indbydelsen. "I dag, når I hører hans røst, så forhærd ikke jeres hjerter" Det er farligt at vente med at adlyde. Måske vil du aldrig mere høre kaldet.