Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not, ‘ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.
Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
(Matthew 21:28–32)
Have you noticed there are basically two types of people – the types that get all enthusiastic and really feel they have to help, take on responsibilities, sell the idea but then deflate and nothing really happens And then there are those faced with the same thing and sound doubtful and finally get on with the job
If we’re honest, more than a few of us have surely been guilty of that response ourselves. We all know the first son because we’ve all made promises or commitments that, for whatever reason, we fail to keep. And to be honest here I must confess I’m a bit like that.
In Jesus parable there is the other son. This is the son who gets most of Jesus’ attention. Unlike his brother, he initially says he won’t help out in the vineyard but winds up doing so in the end. Now, we can ask all sorts of questions about why the second son changed his mind.
The truth that this parable brings to bear has nothing to do with the second son’s hesitation and everything to do with the fact that in the end, he showed up.
There is a Second half to this parable: the pattern is that of our life with God. No matter what we’ve done, or what may have initially prevented us, God is always extending an invitation to us. We are constantly being drawn into a new place—to new depths of faith; to a new plane of divine discovery.
Why did Jesus give this parable?
Jesus has been brought before the Senior priests and scribes and the areshrewd politicians and they knew how to spring a trap.They didnt worry too much about the answer as long as it served their purpose. Typically, Jesus anwered with a Question and then told the parable.
But he does give an answer at the end when he said “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
The religious leaders questioning Jesus were full of pride and self-righteousness – they would have been really annoyed. They held to their own opinions and their opinions were wrong. Their pride kept them from discovering the simple truths that tax collectors and prostitutes were discovering.
For that reason, Jesus makes it clear that tax collectors and prostitutes were on the path to holiness whereas these religious leaders were not. This would have been hard for them to accept.
So how does the second part of the Gospel affect us?
The most important lesson we can take from this passage is to seek the humility, openness, and genuineness of the tax collectors and prostitutes.
They were praised by our Lord because they could see and accept the honest truth. Sure, they were sinners, but God can forgive sin when we are aware of our sin. If we are not willing to see our sin, then it’s impossible for God’s grace to enter in and heal.
How open are you to seeing the truth of God and, especially, to seeing your own fallen and sinful state.
Don’t be afraid to humble yourself before God, admitting your faults and failures. Embracing this level of humility will open the doors of God’s mercy toward you.