“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.(Matthew 21:28–32 ESV).
I have been revisiting Matthew’s Gospel lately in consideration of some other Bible studies and what jumped out at me is how this parable, which is told to and applied to the chief priests and elders of the people, would have had further application only a few years later.
After Jesus ascended into heaven, many in Israel who had not heeded the Father’s call through Jesus Christ, reconsidered their stance. When Peter challenged them on the first Pentecost, 3000 realized the sinfulness and evil of their ways and repented. They changed their minds.
And even more thousands did so after that. In fact, after the church grows so big that the Apostles have to ordain seven from the Greek-speaking Jews just to manage the organization, we find even priests were becoming Christians.
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7 ESV)
So again, rather than being the ones who said they would go work in the field and then didn’t do it, at this point they resembled the son who refused at first and then decided to obey, to become “obedient to the faith.”
And, this definitely applies to Saul of Tarsus. He was on the side of those who crucified Christ, a collaborator in the murder of Stephen, and a persecutor of the Church beyond that. But even after Saul rejected the Gospel preached by Stephen, Jesus himself called him again and, late in the day so to speak, Saul responded obediently.
We like that story. It is a glorious story. But it involved Christians who suffered greatly up to the point of Saul’s calling. That’s the challenge of entrusting yourself to a merciful God. You sometimes have to endure a great deal while God is being mercifully patient with your evil persecutors. How awkward is it to have authority to correct people in the church when they were converted long before you, and you killed their friends?
This isn’t hypothetical. Peter laid hands on Stephen to install him into office. Then, as we discover in Saul/Pauls letter to Galatia, Peter had to endure a stinging rebuke from the man who helped kill Stephen because he saw Peter not walking according to the truth of the Gospel. At that moment, Peter was the son who said yes to his father but wasn’t doing what he had promised and Paul was the son who had emphatically said “No!” but who was now defending the Gospel!
Peter himself wrote to the Church had to suffer so that more people could be saved.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 ESV)
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation… (2 Peter 3:14–15a ESV).
Since the Christians are suffering persecution by unbelievers, that means God is expecting them to suffer patiently so he can save some of those unbelievers.
So while the parable was told to the leaders of Israel, the principle soon applied to the early Church.