Matthew 21:31 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

NIV: "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

NASB: Which of the two did the will of his father?' They *said, 'The first.' Jesus *said to them, 'Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.

CSB: Which of the two did his father’s will?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

NLT: Which of the two obeyed his father?' They replied, 'The first.' Then Jesus explained his meaning: 'I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.

After defusing their attempted trap (Matthew 21:23–27), Jesus has asked some chief priests and elders another question, this time about a parable (Matthew 21:28–30). He has described two sons whose father separately instructs them to go work in the vineyard.

The first son is openly defiant, telling his father he won't obey. Later, however, he changes his mind and does exactly as he was told. The second son gives the polite, seemingly obedient answer, but never actually does what his father commanded.

Here Jesus asks these religious leaders His question: Which son did his father's will? They answer the only way they can: The son who did the work, even though he first said no, is the one who did the father's will. The father wanted action, not just words. The one who acted obeyed. Despite the first son's initial rudeness, his change of heart meant he came to obey and honor his father. The second son, on the other hand, never really honored his father, as proven by the fact that he only talked about obedience—he did not actually obey (John 14:15).

Now Jesus lowers the boom. His statement would have landed like a slap in the face. The examples of prostitutes and Jewish men who collected taxes for the Romans were not random choices by Jesus. Combined, these stereotypes summed up the worst of the worst in Israel's sense of religious purity: wretched, wicked, traitorous, dirty, and despicable. In fact, they were considered outsiders to Israel's religious community. They were lower than nobodies.

And yet, Jesus is claiming those very people would enter God's kingdom ahead of the most religious and powerful men in Israel. The parable just given, further explained in the next verse (Matthew 21:32), shows Jesus is still talking about belief in the message of John the Baptist. Many prostitutes and tax collectors believed and repented—moving from defiance of God to submission (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). The Jewish religious leaders would merely pretend to submit, but never really obey (John 5:39–40; Matthew 23:27).

Matthew 21:28–32 continues Jesus' interaction with priests and elders in the temple, after He defuses a challenge. He delivers a parable about a man with two sons who tells them both to go work in a vineyard. The first says no, but then does it. The second says yes and then disobeys. Jesus, comparing the religious leaders to the second son, says that even the tax collectors and prostitutes who believed John the Baptist and repented will enter the kingdom of God before these important and powerful religious men.

Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.

Matthew 21 finds Jesus arriving near Jerusalem after leaving Jericho in the previous chapter. His triumphal entry is accomplished riding a donkey, and to raucous praise, fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. Jesus cleanses the marketplace from the temple, heals, and presents lessons about faith and Israel's failed leadership. This leads into further conversations which Matthew compiles from Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.