The parable of the two sons immediately follows the events surrounding the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. His entrance into the Holy City, the act of cleansing the Temple raise questions in the minds of those who safeguard the privilege of those who take part in the covenant with David and Israel. What is important in these covenants however is obedience to God; the spirit of the religion of the fathers is fidelity to God expressed in obedience to His will. John the Baptist called everyone to repentance as preparation for the coming of God's reign. The chief priests and the elders refused to heed that voice. Jesus makes them aware of it.
The Context of the Parable
Matthew 21:28-32 is easily divided into two main parts, the parable itself and the answer to the opening question (28-31a) and the parable's lesson as drawn by Jesus from the answer of his interlocutors (31b-32). The opening line in 28 and the mention of John (the Baptist) in v. 32 draws our attention to the immediate context of the parable, in v. 23. This same verse identifies for us the interlocutors of Jesus: the chief priests and elders. Matthew 21:32 begins a new parable that ends in Matthew 21:46, the reaction of the Pharisees and the chief priests to the parables. Upon realizing that the parable was about them, they wanted to arrest him; only their fear of the crowd who regarded Jesus as a prophet prevented them. This reaction is similar to the way they regarded the question about John the Baptist. They would not answer the question to play safe: they were afraid of the crowds who regarded the Baptist as a prophet (v. 26). Matthew 21:28-32 then should be understood within a context where the resistance of the chief priests, elders and Pharisees towards Jesus leads to a result that is prophesied in a parable as murderous. The following parable in Matthew 22:1ff is separated from the preceding one with the phrase "once more", and the different theme of the parable itself.
The Parable of the Two Sons
The parable itself is about obedience to the God. The case is presented of two sons who were approached one after the other by their father and commanded to work in the fields. The first one said "No" but changed his mind. The other son said "yes" but did not go to the vineyard. When asked who of the two obeyed the father, the chief priests and elders answered that it was the first one. From this Jesus draws the lesson: the tax collectors and prostitutes -- two groups of people who by their work are considered unsaveable by the official religion -- are going into the kingdom of God because they changed their minds at the preaching of John the Baptist; the chief priests and elders are like the second son who said "yes" but did not do the will of the Father.
The keyword in the parable is "change the mind" (29.32b). The word used here is the Greek metamelomai which is a rare word for "repent, regret". The idea is that the son in the parable after saying "no" to the father did later on regret what he said and went on to fulfill the father's desire. Jesus compares them to the tax collectors and prostitutes who upon hearing John the Baptist , changed their ways in contrast to the attitude of those who stayed the same before and after John.
The mention of John the Baptist brings us back to the earlier section where the chief priests and elders confront Jesus on the issue of this latter's actions in the temple (v. 23, cf. Matthew 21:12-17). Then, Jesus refused to give a direct answer, making his interlocutors instead face their own duplicity and lack of faith. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus regards John the Baptist as the one who prepares the way for his own ministry (Matthew 10:10) , the Elijah who opens the door to the last days which Jesus, Son of Man, inaugurates. The refusal of the chief priests and elders to believe in John the Baptist puts them among those unprepared for the reign of God which Jesus is bringing about. The following parable on The Tenants in the Vineyard show Jesus' understanding of their situation: their resistance to John will become a murderous resistance to him.
Jesus tells his interlocutors that the tax collectors and prostitutes will be going into the kingdom of God before the chief priests and elders. The use of the verb "proago" (to go ahead)here recalls the "first-and-last" language used by Jesus in an earlier parable (19:30.20:16a). We have shown that in that parable, human labels of "first" and "last" explode before God's Divine Justice and Mercy. "First" and "last", like "great" and "lowly" or "wise" and "ignorant" are labels that those who see themselves as privileged impose on themselves and others. Jerusalem's power groups had a definite concept of themselves and their place vis-a-vis God's kingdom. They were the guardians of righteousness. John the Baptist met them along that way. The Vulgate translates verse 31 thus: " venit enim ad vos Iohannes in via iustitiae". Literally, "John came towards you on the way of righteousness". The Baptist met them on the way of righteouness inviting them to repent (Matthew 3:1), calling them to prepare for the coming of the Lord (3:2). But the chief priests and elders refused to believe him. This first refusal was followed by another, more serious one however. When the tax collectors and prostitutes repented at the preaching of the Baptist, they "the righteous" should have taken a hint. But they did not. It is for this reason that those who believed John -- the "unsaveables" -- will be preceding them into the kingdom of God.
Conclusion
The parable of the two sons is just the first of two parables about the way Jerusalem's power groups will be refusing to do the will of God 1 and work against it. They have done so in their attitude to the Baptist; they will do it again in the case of Jesus once they get the opportunity. The parable of the two sons gives Jesus the opportunity to tell his interlocutors that their judgment has come, and that they should have seen it coming when the Baptist came to meet them along the way of righteousness.
Note on the Liturgy of the 26th Sunday of OT A
The present selection from Matthew is combined with Ezekiel 18:25-28, itself a milestone in the history of Israel's moral consciousness. In this oracle, personal responsibility in matters of doing right and wrong and the possibility of repentance are underlined. This combination puts the emphasis on repentance which is exemplified in the son who at first refused but then changed his mind. The responsorial psalm is recited here in the spirit of one who is ready to repent. The petition to "teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me" anticipates the mention in the Gospel of the Baptist -- the prophet -- who meets those in the way of righteousness, inviting them to repent.
- 1. the third parable, the one on the banquet (Matthew 22:1-14) will be about those who think they have entered the kingdom because of the preaching of John and Jesus.
