Faith That Blossoms (Matthew 21:23–32)

Does what we do with our faith matter as much as what we say we believe? Explore this week’s Gospel reading through a Dolly Parton masterpiece, a meditation on pleasure by poet Li-Young Lee, and insights from a New Testament scholar.

Each week, we post a passage from Sunday’s Scriptures; share links to resources that give context and inspire new ideas; and offer a few questions to get you thinking about what we’ll read together in church.

The Gospel for September 27, 2026

Matthew 21:23–32

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even ater you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”

Read all of Sunday’s Scriptures

Step Into the Story

3 Ways to Go Deeper

Commentary

New Testament scholar Stanley Saunders uncovers layers of meaning in this week’s parable and highlights this central message: What we do with our faith matters as much as what we say we believe. He writes that Jesus’s authority “is affirmed by the integrity of his words and actions, as well as by its outcomes.”

Music

In “Travelin’ Thru,” Dolly Parton speaks of how journeys of faith transform us from the inside out. “Questions I have many, answers but a few. We’re here to learn, the spirit burns, to know the greater truth,” she sings. “We’ve all been crucified … and when I’m born again, you’re gonna see a change in me.”

Poetry

Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus describes the outward movement of faith, from thought to action, as bearing fruit. In “From Blossoms,” Li-Young Lee meditates on the circular nature of things that grow: What begins as a seed becomes new life that’s savored and devoured. “O, to take what we love inside, / to carry within us an orchard, to eat / not only the skin, but the shade,” he writes.