227. The Parable Of The Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-32

Key Verse: Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God ahead of you."

Matthew 21:31B

As with the parable of The Prodigal Son, (Luke 15:11-31) we once again are given a story of a Father with two sons. Jesus uses this story to once again contrast the religious with the sinners. He also takes the opportunity to continue His support of John the Baptist and the authority given to him by God.

Let's reverse the parable a bit and examine the second son first. He told his father to his father's face that he would be obedient. He would do what the father had asked of him. The religious leaders had promised to uphold the law of God and guide the people in the paths of righteousness, but in reality, they were obeying only as well as the second son who said he would go but didn’t. Just as the second son's obedience was in word only, an act to possibly avoid conflict, the religious leaders concern for the people was also only an act. That's why Jesus was constantly calling them hypocrites, or actors, as we learned earlier.

The first son was obviously defiant. It's easy to tell who the sinners are! When the father asked him to go work in the vineyard, the first son replied, "I will not!" which is just what we would expect a sinner to say. But then Jesus says about this boy, "but later he changed his mind and went." (Matthew 21:29) To put it in modern terms, he repented. To repent means to change direction or turn around. The first son turned from his rebellious attitude and submitted to his father's wishes and obeyed his father's will. Both sons probably had no intention of obeying at the beginning, but one repented and it wasn't the one representing the religious person, it was the one representing the sinner.

Jesus is still not done with this second son, however. He has more to say to the one who rebelled. Yesterday, we said that Jesus knew that the Pharisees didn't really believe in John, but they didn't want the crowds to know that. Now Jesus says to them: "John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes (the first son) did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." (Matthew 21:32) 

Jesus is saying that the leaders, the second sons, saw the change that was brought about by the repentance of the sinners, the first son, and yet they still wouldn't acknowledge that John's ministry was from God and under God's authority. It was too important for them to be right in their own eyes and that self-righteousness kept them from repenting themselves and submitting to God's will and recognizing the Good that only God could do.

We need to be careful. Pride can hold us back too. We can easily think that we are better than the obvious sinners in our community and families. Those people know what we know, that they are bad and in need of change. Sometimes, our pride and our religious practices can blind us to our own false piety. "Lord, of course I love you, but I'm not going to obey You, your way, at least, not quite yet." Be careful that you yourself are not the second son toward your heavenly Father and your earthly brother.

Hymn: "How Blessed are They Who Hear God's Word"