Matthew 21:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

NIV: For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

NASB: For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even have second thoughts afterward so as to believe him.

CSB: For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn't believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn't even change your minds then and believe him.

NLT: For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

The contrast between Jesus Christ and His critics in this passage is striking. When they attempted to trap Jesus, He proved that they were too cowardly to tell the truth about their beliefs (Matthew 21:23–27). Jesus immediately follows that lesson with a parable that contrasts pretentious hypocrisy with eventual submission. Then, He boldly tells the most respected and powerful men in Israel that prostitutes and traitorous tax collectors will find heaven before they do. His ability to fearlessly speak hard truth comes as their cowardly answer to His challenge is still hanging in the air.

Jesus' parable (Matthew 21:28–30) contrasted two sons. The first defied his father at first, then obeyed. The second seemed to agree, at first, but never complied. Obviously, it was the first, and not the second, who was truly obedient. With this in mind, Jesus has pointed out that tax collectors and the prostitutes have heeded the message of John the Baptist. They repented from their sin and were baptized by John. They initially said no to the commands of God—evidenced by lives of sin and selfishness—and then turned and began to obey Him (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

The Jewish religious leaders did exactly the opposite. They publicly and repeatedly said yes to God in every way they could, but this was ultimately all for show (Matthew 23:27). When God sent John the Baptist to them as a prophet and called them to repent from their sinful actions, these religious men refused to do so. Even when the people dismissed by society as despicable sinners believed and repented, the elders, scribes, and Pharisees refused to do so. They would not believe and obey (John 5:39–40).

Jesus tells them that John came to them in the way of righteousness. This means that, unlike them, John truly lived righteously before God. He did not merely say the right words and look good standing in the temple. He did what God told Him to do, and he kept doing it. From that position of righteous living, John called the Israelites to repent and join Him. Again, the religious leaders refused to do so.

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.