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Matthew 21:28-32 NIV
The Parable of the Two Sons
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. 32 For 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.
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The saying "time reveals a person's heart" means that true intentions can withstand trials, and it also suggests that true intentions cannot be hidden for long. However, the all-knowing Lord Jesus sees directly into a person's heart; He doesn't need time to reveal it. He can see through it instantly. After the Pharisees failed, or rather didn't dare, to answer Jesus' question (Matthew 21:25), they faced another challenge from Jesus (verses 28-31). Jesus asked them: Which person pleases God more—the one who verbally agrees to obey but then disobeys, or the one who initially refuses but later repents and obeys?
The question was so simple that the scribes and priests quickly answered, hoping to gain Jesus' approval. Unfortunately for them, Jesus not only told them that it was the person who resembled the second son but also said that the scribes and priests were worse than tax collectors and prostitutes. They were hypocritical, saying one thing and doing another. Their words were deceptive, and their hearts were led astray and hardened by selfish desires, continuously marching toward eternal death in their self-righteousness. Jesus' severe rebuke was intended to wake them up, to help them see their true condition and turn back to the one true God.
The heart of the Pharisees represents the heart of all people. The prophet Jeremiah said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Those who are saved have had their terrible hearts of stone replaced with hearts of flesh by God (Ezekiel 36:26). The evidence of a person with this new heart will be like the second son, who repented and followed the Father’s commands. Behind this harsh rebuke was an opportunity for these self-righteous Pharisees to repent and be saved, just as Nicodemus, a former member of the Sanhedrin, recognized that Jesus must have come from God and sought Him out (John 3:1-21, 19:39). Zacchaeus, a tax collector hated by all, turned to Jesus and was saved because he recognized his own condition (Luke 19:2-10).
The Apostle James said, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26). Is our heart a heart of stone or a heart of flesh? Do we recognize that Jesus is God and has all authority? Have we followed Him? How do we follow Him? How do we stand face to face with Him?
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