Matthew 21:28-32

Ver 28. "But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 31. Whether of them twain did the will of his father?" They say unto him, "The first." Jesus saith unto them, "Verily I say unto you, That the Publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. 32. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the Publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."

Jerome: Thus much prefaced, the Lord brings forward a parable, to convict them of their irreligion, and shew them that the kingdom of God should be transferred to the Gentiles.

Pseudo-Chrys.: Those who are to be judged in this cause, He applies to as judges, that condemning themselves they might be shewn to be unworthy to be acquitted by any other. It is high confidence of the justness of a cause, that will entrust it to the decision of an adversary. But He veils the allusion to them in a parable, that they might not perceive that they were passing sentence upon themselves; "A certain man had two sons." Who is he but God, who created all men, who being by nature Lord of all, yet would rather be loved as a father, than feared as a Lord. The elder son was the Gentile people, the younger the Jews, since from the time of Noah there had been Gentiles. And he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. To day," i.e. during this age. He spoke with him, not face to face as man, but to his heart as God, instilling understanding through the senses. To work in the vineyard is to do righteousness; for to cultivate the whole thereof, I know not that any one man is sufficient.

Jerome: He speaks to the Gentile people first, through their knowledge of the law of nature; "Go and work in my vineyard;" i.e. "What you would not have done to you, that do not you to others." [Tobit 4:16] He answers haughtily, "I will not."

Pseudo-Chrys.: For the Gentiles from the beginning leaving God and his righteousness, and going over to idols and sins, seem to make answer in their thoughts, We will not do the righteousness of God.

Jerome: But when, at the coming of the Saviour, the Gentile people, having done penitence, laboured in God's vineyard, and atoned by their labour for the obstinacy of their refusal, this is what is said, "But afterward he repented, and went." The second son is the Jewish people who made answer to Moses, "All that the Lord hath said unto us we will do." [Exodus 24:3]

Pseudo-Chrys.: But afterwards turning their backs, they lied unto God, according to that in the Psalms, "The sons of the strangers have lied unto me." [Psalms 18:44] This is what is said, "But he went not." The Lord accordingly asks "which of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first." See how they have first sentence upon themselves, saying, that the elder son, that is, the Gentile people, did the will of his father. For it is better not to promise righteousness before God, and to do it, than to promise, and to fail.

Origen: Whence we may gather, that in this parable the Lord spoke to such as promise little or nothing, but in their works shine forth; and against those who promise great things but do none of these things that they have promised.

Jerome: It should be known that in the correct copies it is read not "The last," but The first," that they might be condemned by their own sentence. But should we prefer to read, as some have it, "The last," the explanation is obvious, to say that the Jews understood the truth, but dissembled, and would not say what they thought; just as though they knew that the baptism of John was from heaven, they would not say so.

Pseudo-Chrys.: The Lord abundantly confirms their decision, whence it follows, "Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto yon, that the publicans and harlots shall go before you in the kingdom of God;" as much as to say, Not only the Gentiles are before you, but even the publicans and the harlots.

Raban.: Yet the kingdom of God may be understood of the Gentiles, or of the present Church, in which the Gentiles go before the Jews, because they were more ready to believe.

Origen: Notwithstanding, the Jews are not shut out that they should never enter into the kingdom of God; but, "when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have entered in, then all Israel shall be saved."

Pseudo-Chrys.: I suppose that the "publicans" here are to represent all sinful men, and "the harlots" all sinful women; because avarice is found the most prevailing vice among men, and fornication among women. For a woman's life is passed in idleness and seclusion, which are great temptations to that sin, while a man, constantly occupied in various active duties, falls readily into the snare of covetousness, and not so commonly into fornication, as the anxieties of manly cares preclude thoughts of pleasure, which engage rather the young and idle.

Then follows the reason of what He had said, "For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed Him not."

Raban.: John came preaching the way of righteousness, because he pointed to Christ, who is the fulfilling of the Law.

Pseudo-Chrys.: Or, because his venerable conversation smote the hearts of sinners, as it follows, "But the Publicans and harlots believed on him." Mark how the good life of the preacher gives its force to his preaching, so as to subdue unsubdued hearts. "And ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him;" as much as to say, They have done that which is more by believing on Him, ye have not even repented, which is less.

But in this exposition which we have set forth according to the mind of many interpreters, there seems to me something inconsistent. For if by the two sons are to be understood the Jews and Gentiles, as soon as the Priests had answered that it was the first son that did his father's will, then Christ should have concluded His parable with these words, Verily I say unto you, that the Gentiles shall go into the kingdom of God before you. But He says, "The Publicans and harlots," a class rather of Jews than of Gentiles. Unless this is to be taken as was said above; So much rather the Gentile people please God than you, that even the Publicans and harlots are more acceptable to Him than you.

Jerome: Whence others think that the parable does not relate to Gentiles and Jews, but simply to the righteous and to sinners. These by their evil deeds had rejected God's service, but after received from John the baptism of repentance; while the Pharisees who made a shew of righteousness, and boasted that they did the law of God, despising John's baptism, did not follow his precepts.

Pseudo-Chrys.: This He brings in because the Priests had asked not in order to learn, but to tempt Him. But of the common folk many had believed; and for that reason He brings forward the parable of the two sons, shewing them therein that the common sort, who from the first professed secular lives, were better than the Priests who from the first professed the service of God, inasmuch as the people at length turned repentant to God, but the Priests impenitent, never left off to sin against God. And the elder son represents the people; because the people is not for the sake of the Priests, but the Priests are for the sake of the people.