Matthew 21:28-32 - A Man and His Two Sons (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 28, 2014)

Gospel:

Jesus said to the chief priests and 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.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards 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.” 

Gospel Trivia:

A usual clue to understanding the gospel is determining the audience and characters involved.  In this case, Jesus was telling the parable to the "chief priests and elders" and likely included the Pharisees.  These were the authorities at that time, who were educated in the intricacies and nuances of the laws of Moses.  They followed the laws strictly (e.g. rules of the Sabbath, prayers, giving alms, fasting, etc.) and could thus claim to be "holy" and "righteous" before God. 

The rest of the population were poor, uneducated, could not read, and could therefore not know the details of the law.  They were often criticized for breaking the laws and were considered sinners. 

The "tax collector" and "prostitutes" were often singled out as the most despicable sinners.  The tax collector were hated because: one, they worked for the Romans and considered traitors; and two, they oppressed the people with their excessive tax collections.  Prostitutes were not just sexual sinners; they also damaged the family and therefore jeopardized the Jewish social unit.

In the parable, the first son refers to the sinners who outwardly may not be following the law, but were faithful to the spirit of the law of love.  The second son refers to the authorities who outwardly followed the law, but took advantage of the ignorance of the people and performed their actions to impress others and for self glorification.

This parable is about the contrast between faithless leaders and faithful sinners.  In Jesus' hierarchy of priorities, sinners come first.  Let us be careful, therefore, when we judge.

Reference:

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, Parables for Today (Manila: St. Paul's Publications, 1987), pp. 85-87.

- Raymond E. Brown et al.  The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, pp. 664-665.