The Parable of the Two Sons

In Matthew 21, Jesus tells a parable that goes something like this:

There was a father who had two sons. The father went to the first and told him, “Son, I’ve got a job for you to do.” The son didn’t respond well. He cursed his father and refused to have anything to do with him. Later that day, though, the son had a change of heart and did what his father asked.

Meanwhile, the father went to the second son. “Son, I’ve got a job for you to do.” The second son said, “Certainly, father, whatever you wish,” but when the time comes to do what the father asked, he decides he’d rather not.

Which of the sons did the will of the father?

In the Gospels, Jesus is constantly running into religious people who talk a good game. They know all of the right words to say; they know when to bow; they know when to say “Amen.” However, when the time comes to do the will of their Father in heaven, they are conspicuously absent. Instead, when Jesus comes preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” those who repent are the ones who are well aware of their rebellion. It’s tax collectors and Roman collaborators who end up doing what God wants them to do.

The point isn’t that the Good News only comes to the rebellious but that the rebellious are the first to admit that they’ve sinned and need forgiveness! The Good News of Jesus is for everyone – those who know all of the religious words and those who don’t! Remember:



“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke 19:10, NIV

May God give us soft hearts today to carry out what we say we believe.