• The parable of the two sons

    2 cool "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go 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.
    32) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For 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.

    The point of this parable is clear: what matters is living for God, not lip service; the religious leaders were good at talking a good walk, but their stubbornly unrepentant hearts show that repentant sinners will enter the kingdom before them.

    These proud religionists should have repented all the more when they saw the notorious sinners repenting; but they did not.