MEDITATIONS FROM THE PARABLES OF JESUS
THE TWO SONS
Read Matthew 21:28-32
Which of the two sons in this parable did the will of his father? the one who at first refused to obey, but then repented and obeyed? or the one who promised to obey, but did not? With the chief priests and elders of the Jews, we too must answer and say that the son who repented and then obeyed did the will of his father. The son who said that he would obey but did not actually do as he said, did not obey his father's will.
Jesus used the illustration in this parable to show to the chief priests and elders that many tax-collectors and harlots would enter the kingdom of God before them; for they, though they at first refused to do God's will, repented upon hearing the preaching of John the Baptist and trusted in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. The chief priests and elders, on the other hand, did not believe the Word of God which John proclaimed; nor did they later repent and believe.
It is God's will that we turn from our sins and trust in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation (II Peter 3:9; I Tim. 2:3-4). To just pay lip-service to the will of the heavenly Father will do us no good. God wants us to truly repent--to have godly sorrow over our sins and to know what punishment we deserve, to trust in Jesus Christ and His redemptive work for forgiveness and life, and to then, with God's help, amend our sinful lives and live for Him. No matter how great our sins have been, if we, by the gracious working of the Holy Ghost, truly repent, we have forgiveness in Christ Jesus and a place in God's eternal kingdom!
I, a sinner, come to Thee with a penitent
confession; Savior, mercy show to me; grant for all my sins remission. Let
these words my soul relieve: Jesus sinners doth receive. Amen. (TLH, Hymn #324, Verse 5)