Matthew 21:28–31

Plainly it was conscience they needed, and the Lord has in turn a question for them. A man had two sons. To his command, "Son, go and work in the vineyard today," the one answers openly and defiantly, "I will not"; the other says at once that he is ready to obey. In the end the first repented and went; the second never did go. Which, then, did the will of his father? The Lord puts the answer in their own mouths: they could only say, The first.

One use of the word teknon (child) is worth noting. It is used, just as with us, in an affectionate way, "My child, go and do so-and-so" (see Matt. 9:2; Matt. 21:28).

Delayed obedience is often disobedience in one of its worst forms. It shows both a refusal to submit and a will of one's own. The moment the command is given, the duty to obey is binding... Here the son most likely meant to obey when he replied, "I go, sir." But he put off doing what he was told, and in that he was disobedient. He kept delaying, and in the end he never obeyed his father at all.

Two kinds of people stood before the Lord that day. There were the rough and immoral, the careless and irreverent, who made no claim to religion and chased worldly profit and open sin. And there were the respectable and well-behaved, who prided themselves on keeping the rites of religion and on their own decent character... The one class puts shameless insult on God, and glories in lawlessness. But then a call comes that convinces the bold sinner of his terrible evil. He breaks down and judges himself. He turns to God and serves the very One he had treated as nothing. The other kind, by contrast, takes credit for its proper ways. Nothing has touched the conscience, so they are pleased with themselves, and God stays unknown to them.

The rebellious son, who at first refused to do his father's will, represents the tax collectors and the prostitutes. These people were deep in wrongdoing. They listened to the stern warnings of John the Baptist and bowed their hearts in true sorrow before God. When the Saviour's message of grace reached them, they welcomed it, and so became true heirs of the Kingdom. The son who promised obedience but did not give it represents the priests and Pharisees. These men were steeped in religion and full of scorn for "tax collectors and sinners." In fact they were the worst of hypocrites.

Neither of the two sons gave full obedience. One made a fine profession in words but disobeyed completely. The other refused outright at first, but then was brought to repentance, and obedience grew out of that... In verse 32 the Lord ties the matter to John's ministry. He came at the close of the age of law, calling those who had failed under it to repentance.

All around us are those who "profess and call themselves Christians," with leaders and shepherds not a few. From all these God demands reality. Deeds, not words, are His holy requirement. A pious "Lord, Lord" can never deceive Him... However startling it may seem, it is still true that a religious person may be lost for ever. But it is just as true that huge numbers of the world's worst people will be found in the joy of the Father's house when the gathering moment comes.

Plainly it was conscience they needed, and the Lord has a question for them in return. In the end the first repented and went; the second never did go. Which, then, did the will of his father? The question puts the answer in their own mouths: they could only say, The first.

The other son openly declares that he will not obey. That is exactly the picture of the thorough wilfulness of the human heart. With "I will not," he takes pleasure in breaking through everything that a son owes his father. Yet he knows all along what he is doing, and afterwards he admits it with repentance.

There was the consciousness of it, and the owning afterwards that it had been broken through — not merely that he had done a wrong thing, but that he had disobeyed the father — and repentance because of it.

They saw more than a few particular faults, more than wrong actions. They saw sin against God — that they had failed to give God what was due to Him. So the only repentance God accepts is the repentance that recognises sin, and recognises Him as the One we have sinned against.

The rebellious son, who at first refused to do his father's will, represents the tax collectors and prostitutes. These people were sunk in wrongdoing. They listened to the stern warnings of John the Baptist, and bowed their hearts in true sorrow before God. When the Saviour's ministry of grace reached them, they welcomed it. So they became true heirs of the Kingdom.

Neither of the two sons gave full obedience. One made a fair profession in words but totally disobeyed. The other refused openly and outrageously at first. But then he was brought to repentance, and to obedience as its fruit. In the same way the chief priests and elders were deceiving themselves with their show of religion. Meanwhile tax collectors and prostitutes repented and entered the kingdom.

Then an appeal comes, and it convinces the daring sinner of his outrageous evil. He breaks down and judges himself. He turns to God and serves the One he had treated as nothing. The other class takes credit for its proper ways instead. Nothing touches the conscience, so they are pleased with themselves, and God remains unknown.

The son who promised obedience but did not render it represents the priests and Pharisees. They were steeped in religion and looked down on "tax collectors and sinners." In fact they were the worst hypocrites of all. On another occasion the Saviour said something about them that could not be more cutting: "so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice."

In the second son we have what describes the general character of "decent" people. They go on quietly and in outward order. They profess to own the will of God and to serve God. They say, "I go, sir." But from morning to night and from night to morning, they do their own will and nothing else.

Decent lip-homage — "I go, sir," and he did not go — that was the religion of those who stood highest in the world's opinion of that day… The resolutions of nature begin and end in "I go, sir." The Spirit of God produces a deep conviction of sin against Him. There is no room for excuse, and no wish for one.

Postponed obedience is often disobedience in one of its worst forms. It certainly shows both a refusal to submit and self-will, because the obligation binds as soon as the command comes… In this case the son very likely meant to obey when he replied, "I go, sir." But he put off carrying out the command, and in that he was disobedient. He kept delaying, and in the end he did not obey his father at all… The habit of neglecting to obey may soon form. Then the next step may soon be an unwillingness to obey.

The one class puts shameless insult on God and glories in lawlessness. But an appeal comes that convinces the daring sinner of his outrageous evil. He breaks down in self-judgment. He turns to God and serves Him whom he had treated as nothing. The other class, in contrast, claims credit for its proper ways. Nothing has touched their conscience, so they are self-satisfied, and God remains unknown. How exactly such souls match the man who says, "I go, sir" — and does not go! Are there not many like him now?

He was not content with just touching conscience in a way painful enough to the flesh. They found that, despite authority or anything else, those who professed most, if disobedient, counted as worse than the most depraved, who repented and did the will of God.

Mere lip profession is worthless to God and to man. What use is it to say, "I go, sir," if we do not go? Oh, for reality!… We live in a day of widespread profession. People take up the doctrines of the gospel too much in the intellect, without any true exercise of soul before God. The result is only a worldly profession.

Plainly it was conscience they needed, and the Lord has a question for them in turn. A man had two sons. To his father's order, "Son, go and work in the vineyard today," the first answers openly and defiantly, "I will not." The other says at once that he is ready to obey. In the end the first repented and went; the second never did go. Which, then, did the will of his father? The answer is put into their mouths: they could only say, The first. Then He applies it to them: the tax collectors and prostitutes would go into the kingdom of God before them.

Two classes were then before the Lord's eye. One was the rough and immoral, the careless and irreligious. They made no claim to religion, and they chased worldly profit and open sin. The other was the respectable and well-behaved. They prided themselves on keeping the rites of religion and on their own decent character... One class insults God shamelessly and glories in lawlessness. But an appeal comes, and it convinces the bold sinner of his outrageous evil. He breaks down in self-judgment. He turns to God and serves the One he had treated as nothing. The other class claims credit for its proper ways. Nothing touches their conscience, so they stay self-satisfied, and God remains unknown.

In the parable of the two sons He convicts these religious leaders of being further from God than the most despised classes in the land... Polite lip-service and outward forms — "I go, sir," but did not go — that was the religion of those who stood highest in the world's esteem in that day. Hypocrisy was there. It covered self-will and pride with the cloak of religiousness. That made them harder than people who disgraced the decencies of society in wild or otherwise disreputable ways.

These people sinned against God openly and outrageously, but they "repented and went." Their repentance was the kind God owns. It was not only admitting acts of sin. It was recognising Him as the One they had sinned against, so it reached the root of all sin. Their condition forced this conclusion: if God spoke, there was nothing they could say and nothing they could do. They could only take up Job's confession in the older wording, "I am vile," and then lay their hand on their mouth.

As a rule, the Lord here shows that John did not baptise the people who justified themselves before others. They thought it beneath them to enter the kingdom by the same narrow gate and hard road that stood open to the tax collector and the prostitute. But there can be no other way to God for the sinner. The grace of the gospel condemns sins and insists on repentance. It presses this even harder than John did when he came in the way of righteousness.

From everyone who professes the Christian name, God demands reality. Deeds, not words, are His holy requirement. A pious "Lord, Lord," can never deceive Him... However startling it may seem, it is still true that a religious person may be lost for ever. It is just as true that huge numbers of the worst people on earth will be in the blessedness of the Father's house when the gathering moment comes. Their very vileness makes them ready to seek the Saviour's face and to take up His great salvation.