Joel M Bradshaw

28“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29“ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.–Matthew 21

1. Using the language of the parable, Jesus was speaking to a crowd of “second sons” who all despised the “first sons.”
2. They were the religious elite who claimed to follow God, but were rejecting Jesus, the Messiah.
3. The hypocrite tax collectors and prostitutes completely rejected God, but later repented from their evil ways and turned back to God!
4. In terms of the parable, only one son actually worked in the vineyard. Only one son did what the Father wanted. The same logic works in the realm of faith and responding to Jesus.
5. The end of verse 31 would have hit hard. The Pharisees thought they were ahead of everyone else. And these repentant sinners were now ahead of them!
6. No matter your past. No matter what the self-righteous religious elite think, today is the day to repent and follow Jesus. Jesus welcomes you even when others have despised you.
7. The first son once said NO, but eventually said YES. That is my story. I am that son. Be the first son!–JMB