Matthew 21:28-32.
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, "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.' The son said in reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go. Which 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. When 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."
Joe Wilkes, my first boss, head of maintenance in my father's plant. Whenever there was an emergency, spilled acid, a broken press, the call would go out to Joe, "Joe, there is an emergency, can you come right away to Building 3?" And Joe would always answer "No." As he explained to me, "Whenever anyone asks for your help, always say 'No,' for if you say 'No,' you can always say 'Yes' later, but if your say 'Yes,' then what can you say." The benefits of low expectations, the promise of less than your capabilities, for that leaves room for you to perform and to exceed.
This is a gospel of Matthew and Matthew was a tax collector.
Mary Magdalene, the herald to the Resurrection, was a prostitute.
This is the shortest parable in the Gospels.
It was directed at the chief priests and the elders who were likened to the second son, who verbally agreed to follow God's will but actively did not. Sinners, as symbolized by tax collectors and prostitutes, refused to do God's will at first and flouted His law by the lives they led, but many of them ultimately repented at the preaching of John the Baptist, changed their lives and turned to follow Jesus. Jesus thus indicates that God prefers the humble who realize their mistakes and seek to correct them to the proud of heart who will not accept God's initiative in their lives.
While God's love and support are always there for us and he always invites all sinners to repent, the passage is a reminder that we cannot rest on our laurels and assume that a good life in the past will save us. As children of God, we must continues o grow in the love of the Lord each and every day and keep that love relationship alive and strong.
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