Matthew 21:28-32 Parable of the Two Sons: When God calls, We Must Respond

 
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"What is your opinion?
A man had two sons.
He came to the first and said,
'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.'
The son said in reply, 'I will not,'
but afterwards he changed his mind and went.
The man came to the other son and gave the same order.
He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go.
Which of the two did his father's will?"
They answered, "The first."
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him."

In today's passage we are reminded that we are called to be holy and righteous at all times. So often we say we pray for the poor and that we pray for those who have nothing but how often do we do something about it? Christ calls us to be holy both on the inside and outside. We cannot say one thing and do another. Like the first son, we must respond to God fully and answer God's call with an open heart even if we don't like the direction we are sent. We must be very careful not to be like the second son and only paying lip service to our Lord.