Matthew 21:32, commentary and pictures

John came preaching the way of righteousness, calling people to turn from sin, repent, confess, and be baptized, both teaching and living that righteousness as God's sent preparer of the Messiah's way. The priests, rulers and leading men knew that truth yet deliberately refused to believe and obey him, and even after seeing publicans and harlots convicted, converted and reformed under his preaching they still would not repent afterward and believe. The publicans and harlots who at first refused did repent and obey, and by that faith and its fruits they enter God's kingdom before the self-righteous leaders who had greater light. In the parable of the two sons the first son who refused but afterward went represents those believing sinners, and the second son who said I go but went not represents the professing leaders, proving that obedience is judged by fruit and not by profession. There is more hope for an open sinner than for a hypocritical professor who knows God's word but bears no fruit, for pride of opinion and self-sufficiency blind the heart, block cleansing and growth, and make Christ's rebuke to the Pharisees apply to all who occupy high trust today yet will not humble themselves to learn and labor for souls.

John's Call to Righteousness

John came teaching and preaching the way of righteousness, calling people to live righteously, to turn from sin, to repent, to confess sins, and to be baptized. His call was a call to obedience, and the failure to change after seeing others respond exposed refusal of that call. Those who had openly refused but later repented were in a more favorable position before God than haughty, self-righteous leaders who professed obedience yet rejected the message.

He both preached and lived in the way of righteousness as a prophet sent from God to prepare the way of the Lord. At the appointed time his work was to warn people to turn from sin to righteousness, to call them to repent and confess their sins, and to clear obstacles to the Messiah's work. His teaching exposed the defects in religious experience, which is why those claiming great piety yet not living in close connection with God could not discern sacred things and refused to accept him.

His preaching taught truth and brought conviction, showing the sinfulness of sin and calling to repentance. By it ignorant, grossly immoral, unthankful and unholy transgressors were convicted and converted, trusted the message and received baptism. That testimony condemned the very sins of which its hearers were guilty, and it condemned the leaders' course of action. They knew the way of truth yet refused to trust, to walk in the path to Paradise, and to obey God's commandments, resisting the conviction of the Spirit of God so that truth that should have given life brought death.

The saying belongs to Christ's journey to Jerusalem at the triumphal entry and to His final warning to an unbelieving people in the parable of the two sons, requiring careful study and warning against failing to respond, repent, and believe after seeing others believe. After the leaders answered that the first son did his father's will they pronounced sentence against themselves, and Christ denounced them and laid bare their hypocrisy by stripping away their robe of apparent righteousness. Even though their corruption and hardened hearts made efforts to reform them fruitless, He still gave evidence of His divine mission.

God approved John's mission, and the sinners' acceptance of it confirmed that approval. Yet the leaders criticized his self-denial and strict habits, would not acknowledge that he came from God, and treated his warnings and denunciations with disdain without amending their ways. By refusing to be baptized they rejected God's counsel against themselves, proving that hearing the call and seeing others respond do not themselves bring a person to belief.

Leaders' Unbelief and Impenitence

The priests and rulers and scribes and Pharisees and leading men of the Jewish nation knew the way of truth and righteousness that John preached, yet they refused to believe him, to trust his message, to obey him, and to walk in the path that leads to the Paradise of God. Though they claimed great piety, they did not live in close connection with God and so could not discern sacred things, and because his teaching exposed the defects in their religious experience and condemned their course of action and the very sins of which they were guilty, they would not accept him. Their knowledge and religious standing did not lead them to repentance, for their insincere hearts resisted the Spirit's conviction and became obstacles to receiving truth and entering the kingdom of heaven.

Their unbelief was deliberate and cherished, not a passing impulse, for they held to doubt and unbelief and chose to pretend ignorance rather than yield to conviction and confess they were wrong. Even when the work was more fully developed and they saw demonstrations of the power of God giving overwhelming evidence, they still clung to their doubt. Hearing the call to repentance and seeing others respond do not themselves bring a person to belief.

Even after seeing the publicans and harlots and sinners believe, seeing their reformations and conversion, the leaders did not afterward repent, change course, or believe, though that response should have led them to repentance. They saw sinners convicted and converted, trusting the message and receiving baptism, yet remained unrepentant. Their stubborn hearts were the obstacle, for they resisted the conviction of the Spirit of God and refused obedience to God's commandments, so the truth that should have given them life brought them death.

Sinners' Faith and Precedence

The publicans and harlots at first made no profession of obedience and gave a contemptuous refusal to work, yet when John came in the way of righteousness they believed his message, received his testimony, saw their error, repented of their neglect, and obeyed. Their response proved who did the Father's will, for they who had openly refused but afterward repented stood in a better position before God than haughty, self-righteous leaders who professed obedience yet rejected God's Son. The first son in the parable represents these publicans and harlots, while the second son who said I go, sir, but went not represents the Jews, priests, rulers, and leading men who rejected Christ.

They were ignorant, grossly immoral, unthankful and unholy transgressors of God's law, yet by John's preaching of truth and righteousness they were convicted and converted. They trusted his message, received his baptism, turned toward God, and as true penitents embraced the salvation offered, even though his testimony condemned the very sins of which they were guilty.

By that faith and works they are entering God's kingdom and will enter it before the self-righteous leaders who had received greater light. Christ gives the kingdom to outcasts, publicans, sinners, and the despised of the nations before those first bidden who reject light, and their acceptance confirmed John's ministry while exposing the rulers' failure. Those who first refused but later repented were thus in a more favorable position before God than leaders who professed obedience but did not do the Father's will.

There is more hope for an open sinner than for a hypocritical professor who knows God's word but refuses to obey it. An openly sinful person is more favorably placed before God than a professed Christian whose worship is formal and whose life bears no fruit to God's glory, for Christ denounces those who profess faith but bear no fruit. Those who cling to self-righteousness, which is not true righteousness, claim to obey God's commandments without His love flowing forth to others, say I go but do not go, and will be left to the consequences of a fatal deception. By contrast, he who sees himself a sinner with no cloak for his sin, who knows he is corrupting soul, body, and spirit before God, becomes alarmed lest he be eternally separated from heaven, realizes his diseased condition, and seeks healing from the great Physician who will in no wise cast out him that comes, and these souls the Lord can use as workers in His vineyard.

Christ never spurns true repentance however great the guilt, so publicans and harlots who believed are received, while He hurls burning denunciations against Pharisees and hypocrites who believed not and repented not. Those who received the call to righteousness could begin a new life, for no sinner willing to receive heaven's truth is beyond the reach of His grace, while those who clung to evil and refused the gospel would not be changed by it. True repentance is not rejected, but hypocritical godliness brings denunciation and heavier retribution than open sin.

Parable's Test of Obedience

The verse belongs to the parable of the two sons, which teaches the importance of obedience and that God gives every person work in His vineyard. The call to go and work requires both obedience in action and continual use of mind and heart, with each person faithfully using the knowledge given in the work entrusted to him, for sincerity is shown by deeds and not by words alone. The first son who at first refused but later repented and went represents the publicans, harlots, and sinners who heard John's call to righteousness, to turn from sin, repent, confess, and be baptized, and who obeyed him. The second son who said I go, sir, but went not represents the Jews, priests, rulers, scribes, Pharisees, leading men and professing leaders who rejected Christ, refused to believe John, and would not acknowledge that he came from God.

The response to John proved who did the Father's will, judged by fruit and not by appearance. The leaders' profession of obedience was false because their actions and works did not match it, for they failed to show the fruits of repentance and righteousness, treated his warnings with disdain, rejected God's counsel by refusing baptism, and did not accept Jesus as Messiah. By contrast the despised people, who at first made no profession of obedience and gave a contemptuous refusal to work, saw their error when they heard John's words, repented of their neglect, believed and were baptized, and by that faith and works showed true obedience and were entering God's kingdom before the self-righteous leaders who had received greater light.

A profession of obedience is false when it is not followed by action. Saying I go while refusing God's work makes a person unfaithful, an idler making false promises, claiming in profession to be sons of God while in life and character denying the relationship, living a lie, and not surrendering the will to God. Genuine obedience means surrendering the will and serving even when self-denial and sacrifice are required, bearing burdens, doing God's work, and cooperating with those doing God's service. It is shown with continual use of mind and heart, faithfully using the knowledge given in the work entrusted, for sincerity is shown by deeds, not words alone.

He who sees himself a sinner with no cloak for his sin, who knows he is corrupting soul, body, and spirit before God, becomes alarmed lest he be eternally separated from heaven. He realizes his diseased condition and seeks healing from the great Physician who will in no wise cast out him that comes. These souls the Lord can use as workers in His vineyard.

Warning and Mission Today

The rebuke Christ spoke to the Pharisees applies to many in the present day who occupy the highest positions of trust in connection with God's work. To them clear gospel light and a heaven-sent message have been given, but they have not received it. Having taken the place of instructors, they are not willing to humble themselves and take the place of learners.

Too many are merely human moralists, and a new element needs to be brought into their work. God's people must receive the warning, listen to His commands, and go and labor for souls right where they are, for people do not realize their peril and great need of help. Ministers entrusted with the oracles of God should have intense interest and travail of soul to see the Master's table filled.

The verse warns people to walk in the light while it is available, because refusing light can leave them in darkness. It belongs to lessons requiring careful study about failing to respond to God's message and to repent, as the leaders did despite seeing others believe. God expects those who have received the light of truth to respond faithfully to His instruction and bear fruit through their work. Hearing the call to righteousness is not enough, for those who see others believe but do not afterward repent and believe remain in a worse condition.

Religious standing does not replace humble acceptance of God's message, and those regarded as outcasts can respond to it while respected leaders refuse it. Outward profession without obedience and fruit does not amount to faith, and professing willingness to serve God without bearing burdens or doing His work leaves a person less responsive than an open sinner.

Hypocrisy and religious pretense without repentance and faith are hateful to Christ. He denounces those who profess faith but bear no fruit to His glory. He hurls burning denunciations against Pharisees and hypocrites who believed not and repented not, leaving more hope for the open sinner than for them. The heaviest retribution falls on practicing iniquity under a cloak of godliness, heavier than on open sin, while licentiousness itself brings unhappiness and degradation beyond estimate, defiles the world, and nearly fills up the measure of iniquity.

Pride of opinion and self-conceit is the most hopeless and incurable sin, leaving leaders so full of self-sufficiency that they could not see their defects of character. They thought their ways were perfect and thought they needed no Saviour, so their cherished sins remained unrepented of, unforsaken and unforgiven, and cleansing from sin and all advancement and growth were blocked. Those who cling to self-righteousness, which is not true righteousness, will be left to take the consequences of a fatal deception. Many claim to obey the commandments of God but have not the love of God in their hearts to flow forth to others, and though called to unite in saving the world they content themselves with saying I go but do not go.

Open unbelievers make no pretense of obeying God, while the greater danger is from those who disobey yet regard their disobedience as obedience. Those who in thought, word, or deed belittle or disparage the gospel ministry because it does not sustain them in erratic movements are on perilous ground and in danger of denying present truth. They are called to learn humility, unselfishness, and order under God instead of exalting their own wisdom and way.

The verse requires ministers and churches not to overlook publicans, harlots, outcasts, and those sunken in the lowest depths of sin, including the heathen near and far, as unworthy of effort. Christ gives the kingdom to outcasts, publicans and sinners, the despised of the nations, before those first bidden who reject light, and His followers must call that class and by loving-kindness compel them to come in. He would never countenance those who stand apart in self-esteem and look down upon others. Through the kindness and long-suffering of His messengers the Saviour's invitation becomes a compelling power to uplift and elevate those without God and without hope in the world.

The parables in which Christ represented the world as a vineyard are to be studied. Faithful cultivation of school land and disinterested care of school buildings puts that vineyard lesson into practice. Doing so would cause the love of sports and amusements that perplexes school work to pass away.