Matthew 20-21– October 31

In Matthew 21:28-32 Jesus told a parable to two sons. One said he would heed his father’s command to work, but did not. The other said he would not, but later regretted it and did go to work. Jesus used this parable to compare the religious people to the sinners who were repenting. It would be wise for people not to put confidence in a “Christian label” they have given themselves, but to actually examine their lives and see if they are in the faith. When we read ahead to verse 43, Jesus says to the religious, “The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” Whoever falls on the stone (which is Christ Jesus) will be broken, but the only other alternative is to resist His leadership and one day be crushed to powder (Matt 21:44). Jesus said in Matthew 13:41 that at the end of the age His angels gather out of His kingdom “all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness.”