But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, ‘The first.” Matthew 21:28-31
In the closing days of our Lord’s ministry, prior to His crucifixion, Matthew records this parable given to the Jewish religious establishment. The Savior follows the parable with the following application: “Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you. that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it. repented not afterward that ye might believe him”(1)
As you can see, the application centers on the response of the second son. He said he would obey his father. but did not. Was this son insincere, or was he lying? The word insincere means, “Not honest in the expression of actual feelings; hypocritical.’` Lying means, “Deliberately untruthful: deceptive: misleading.” Although a grammarian may want to distinguish between these meanings, in practice two they are synonyms. When you are insincere, you are lying; insincere people are deceptive. They mislead others regarding their intentions.
Jesus applied this to His generation. They had a history of pretending to follow God, while in practice they did what they wanted, ignoring His commandments. The first son represents the pagan, who refused to acknowledge the authority of the Father, and later repents, doing what the Father asked. These pagans are more readily acceptable to God than the insincere liars who pretend to follow the Father. but do not.
A cursory evaluation of the body of Christ today reveals that His followers are like the Jews of Jesus’ generation They follow God insincerely. The Old Testament prophets(2) talked about a remnant – those who were like the first son They began by defying God – “‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (3) – but repented and did as the Father asked.
Does the first or the second son represent you?
_______________________________
(1) Matthew 21:31-32
(2) Cf, e.g. Isaiah 1:9, 10.20
(3) Romans 3:23
Recent Comments