the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why, then, did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not,' but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For 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 after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him." - Matthew 21:23-32 |
The Father and His Two Sons in the Vineyard Georg Pencz, 1534 When religious leaders ask Jesus who gave him authority, he asks whether John’s baptism came from heaven. They avoid answering because either answer would cost them something. Jesus then tells of two sons: one refuses to work in his father’s vineyard but later goes; the other promises to go but stays away. The leaders agree that the first son did his father’s will. Jesus says that tax collectors and prostitutes who believed John are entering God’s kingdom ahead of leaders who saw their response yet would not change their minds. The parable asks us to look at what a person does after being challenged. The first son’s refusal is real, but it does not fix who he must remain. He changes course and works. Likewise, the people Jesus names are not confined to the identities others assign them. Their willingness to respond matters more than their reputation. The leaders face a subtler obstacle. Their discussion of John turns on how each answer will affect their standing. From a Bodhisattva perspective, attachment to status can make it difficult to recognize truth, even when another person’s transformation is visible. Their answer, “We do not know,” protects them from having to act on what they have seen. This is a useful test for anyone who speaks about compassion. An aspiration to help others is precious, but it takes shape through conduct: listening when corrected, changing a harmful habit, and showing up where help is needed. |