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. (Matt 21:28-32)
This sounds like
Jesus is really coming down hard on the scribes and Pharisees, but there’s a
little thing there that Jesus says that shows He still holds out hope for
them: “the publicans and the
harlots go into the kingdom of God before
you.”
Jesus held out hope
that the Pharisees would ultimately choose to repent, even if others responded
faster than them. It was as though
He said, “You think you’re there, but you’re not yet, and there is still a
chance for you.” Of course, if
they ever got there, it would be contingent upon their belief in Christ, and
realization of their sinful state and need for Christ. That was their sticky point.
Today let’s choose to seek
the Lord early and repent early and rely on Christ for strength early. Let’s not procrastinate our repentance
or exercising our faith.
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