Mt 21:28-32
[Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people,] 28“What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. 30The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 31Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”
Reflection
Two sons: Two kinds of responses to the reign of God are exemplified here: by the vineyard owner’s first son who says no, then does as his father asked, and by the second son who says yes but does not act accordingly. Jesus tells the Jewish elders that they heard his precursor’s call to repent and change their ways in view of his coming in their midst, and they refused to obey him. In contrast, the tax collectors and prostitutes whom they consider as sinners and outcasts responded to John’s call. Having seen them repent, the elders still did not follow their example. To Jesus, this is a sign of their stubbornness.
To enter the kingdom of heaven is to let God rule in all things through Christ. It is possible to enter it despite an initial no, as shown by the first son. His no becomes a yes, authenticating the paradigm, “Actions speak louder than words.” But it is also possible to live outside God’s reign: as shown by the second son who personifies the Jewish elders. Their yes to God became a no when they rejected John’s message of the Coming One in the person of Jesus. Now they reject Jesus and the message he brings: God’s reign of love, mercy, justice, and peace is in their midst.