Lovers of God

The parable of the two sons

Mt 21:28-32 28 "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ 29 "And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 "The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir ‘; but he did not go. 31 "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 "For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.

The son who initially didn’t obey the father but then regretted his decision and later changed his mind and obeyed the father represents the tax collectors and the prostitutes. The other son represents the Pharisees.

Jesus’ point was that you have to obey always, even when the command has changed. The tax collectors and the prostitutes didn’t obey the law. But when Jesus came, they were willing to receive salvation through Him. But the Pharisees, who had regard for the law, didn’t receive Jesus. God changed the rules, and that caused them to stumble. Unfortunately for them, they were inflexible.

What about you? Perhaps you were raised in one denomination, and you wholeheartedly received that denomination’s theology. But later, you were exposed to more truth. Will you receive it, or will you be inflexible? Others, who weren’t raised in a Christian home, will find it easier to accept new Christian truth, but will it be a stumbling block to you?

Don’t make the same mistake as the Pharisees. There are countless inflexible people who are making this very mistake today, but please don’t let yourself be in that category too.

Alternatively, perhaps you have messed up your life so far, saying, "I will not" to your Father in heaven, but there is always another chance as long as you are alive. If you say, "I will" from now on then you will still end up doing the will of your Father in heaven.