The Parable of the Two Sons

A Written Report

The Text

The Parable of the Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-32
28
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said,
‘Son, and work today in the vineyard.’
29
“ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will,
sir,’ but he did not go.
31
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering
the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For 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.

Christian Justice

It has been established that Divine Law is supreme over Human Positive Law, since the
former is ordained by the Supreme Being. Thus, Divine Law carries with it the
characteristics of the Supreme Being – eternal, omnipotent, and omniscient.

Christian Justice has been manifested through the Scriptures and Tradition. Old
Testament concept of Christian Justice started since the Creation of the world and during
that time, the same was equivalent to Stewardship. Then, there came the Divine
Revelation through the Covenant that God had with Abraham. From him to his
descendants, Christian Justice was made equivalent to Faithfulness in the Covenant.
Blessings come to those who remain faithful, while curses fall upon those who break the
Covenant. After a long time, faithfulness to the Covenant ceased to be the central there
of Christian Justice. The descendants of Abraham were forced by a famine to transfer to
another place. There, they were introduced to new and different religious beliefs. They
learned that there were certain groups of people who have other gods who they
worship. During that period, Moses was born. Through him, God delivered His people
from the oppression they suffered in Egypt. At Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten
Commandments, which served as the Law by which the Israelites should live by. In this
regard, Christian Justice was made equivalent to Obedience. Disobedience amounted to
sin, which gave rise to prophetic intervention – a call to conversion. Those who
responded favourably to what the prophets told them were led to conversion and
reconciliation with God which led them to blessings. On the other hand, when people
chose not to listen to the prophets, they would end up suffering from retribution, mostly
in the form of disaster, famine, defeat, and pestilence. This would lead them to
conversion, and only then would they experience the blessings of God.

When the days of the New Testament came, the concept of Christian Justice was mainly
about the teachings of Jesus. Jesus himself said that he did not come to abolish the Law
but to fulfil the same. The New Testament concept of Christian Justice was, therefore,
not contrary to the Old Testament concept.

Analysis and Conclusion

In the parable quoted earlier, Jesus used the two sons to illustrate how people respond
to God’s commands. Both the sons were directed by their father to go and work in their
vineyard. The older son, at first, turned his father’s order down. But later on, he changed
his mind and obeyed his father. On the other hand, the younger son, right away,
manifested his intention to obey his father. However, he soon changed his mind as well
and did not obey. Clearly, the former was the one who did what their father wanted.

Jesus compared the older son to the sinners, such as the tax collectors and prostitutes,
who turned from their sinful ways and obeyed the Lord’s teachings. Jesus said that those
people would enter the kingdom of God ahead of those who did not believe the warnings
of the prophets and the teachings of Jesus. Despite all these, those people did not repent
and turn to God.

From here, one can see that the concept of Christian Justice deals with a person’s
response to Jesus’ call to repentance and obedience to God’s Law or command. Unlike
the Old Testament concept, Christian Justice is somehow no longer very strict and exact.
As the parable goes, the older son was hesitant at first to obey his father, but he soon
decided to do so. Jesus gives people the time and opportunity to think things over and do
not force them to accept him or his teachings right away. He gently knocks in the hearts
of the people. What is important for him is that people would eventually realize what is
best and decide to accept him in their lives and obey his teachings. Jesus is more pleased
with that kind of person, as compared to one who says that he would obey Jesus, but
would end up not being true to his words.

Salvation and blessings come to those who obey the Law and the teachings of Jesus. The
Lord is not pleased with the people who will make promises only to break them.