greatest of the commandments, that to honour father and mother,22 and that of the
least, about letting the mother-bird fly away23 - attaching to both precisely the same
reward.24
22. Ex. xx. 12.
23. Deut. xxii. 7.
24. Debar. R. 6 on Deut. xxii. 6.
To these, if need were, might be added other illustrations of that painful reckoning about
work, or else sufferings, and reward, which characterises Jewish theology, as it did
those labourers in the Parable.25
25. See, for example, Ber. 5 a and b, but especially 7 a.
2. The second Parable in this series - or perhaps rather illustration - was spoken within
the Temple. The Savior had been answering the question of the Pharisees as to His
authority by an appeal to the testimony of the Baptist. This led Him to refer to the
twofold reception of that testimony - on the one hand, by the Publicans and harlots, and,
on the other, by the Pharisees.
The Parable,26 which now follows, introduces a man who has two sons. He goes to the
first, and in language of affection (τεκνον) bids him go and work in his vineyard. The son
curtly and rudely refuses; but afterwards he changes his mind 27 and goes.28 Meantime
the father, when refused by the one, has gone to his other son on the same errand. The
contrast here is marked. The tone is most polite, and the answer of the son contains not
only a promise, be we almost see him going: 'I, sir! - and he did not go.' The application
was easy. The first son represented the Publicans and harlots, whose curt and rude
refusal of the Father's call was implied in their life of reckless sin. But afterwards they
changed their mind - and went into the Father's vineyard. The other Son, with his
politeness of tone and ready promise, but utter neglect of obligations undertaken,
represented the Pharisees with their hypocritical and empty professions. And Christ
obliged them to make application of the Parable. When challenged by the Lord, which of
the two had done the will of his father, they could not avoid the answer. Then it was
tha t, in language equally stern and true. He pointed the moral. The Baptist had come
preaching righteousness, and, while the self -righteous Pharisees had not believed him,
those sinners had. And yet, even when the Pharisees saw the effect on these former
sinners, they changed not their minds that they might believe. Therefore the Publicans
and harlots would and did go into the Kingdom before them.
26. St. Matt. xxi. 28-32.
27. The word is not the same as that for 'repent' in St. Matt. iii. 2. The latter refers to a
change of heart, and means something spiritual. The word used in the text means only a
change of mind and purpose. It occurs besides in St. Matt. xxvii. 3; 2 Cor. vii. 8; Heb. vii.
21.
28. Looking away from the very profane use made of the saying in the Talmud, we may
quote as a literary curiosity the following as the origin of the proverb: He that will not
when he may, when he will he shall have nay, tycr )l ytycr#k hcwr yny) hcwr ht)# wy#k(
Ber. 7 a, line 8 from bottom.