Pharisee or Priest



Matthew 21:28-32 
28“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
29And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.
30And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.
31Which 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.
32For 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.

While the Pharisees continued their dogged pursuit of Jesus, seeking to trap Him into some poorly chosen words or an action from which there would be no recovery, He continues to try and help them see the error in their thinking. He continues to reach out to them with instruction. Jesus gives opportunity after opportunity to these guys and they refuse to hear.

As I read through this parable it occurs to me that both of the sons were blatant sinners. The first son flat out refuses to obey the command of the Father. The second son agrees verbally but fails to act upon his promise to go to work. Both sons fail at one point or another. In seeing the sin in both of them it is easy to follow that path to the fact that we are all sinners no matter what our situation. At some point along the way we all refuse the commands of God. We are all in need of a Savior.

The Pharisees are of course the first son – they look good. The appearance of a pious life is important to them. But they are not obedient and in the end refuse to believe. The second son represents those who recognize their need for a Savior and turn to Jesus, even if at first they denied Him. Figuring out the parable isn’t tough. Jesus’ illustration here isn’t meant to keep the truth hidden. When kept in context, it is clear this teaching is meant for the Pharisees as Jesus gives them yet another chance to repent and turn to Him. And history holds that there were indeed a few Pharisees who did become followers of Christ not the least of which was the Apostle Paul.

If we’re going to be honest we probably all fall into line with both of these sons at different points in our lives. We can never point a finger at another and declare “Pharisee” without first examining our own lives.  I have a pastor friend who has two Hebrew words tattooed on his shoulders. On one side it says “Priest” and on the other it says “Pharisee”.  I love that. It is a physical reminder that we are both.

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