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Mat_21:28-32. Peculiar to Matthew, and doubtless taken from the collection of the sayings of the Lord.
Jesus now assumes the offensive in order to convince His adversaries of their own baseness.
τέκνα and τέκνον suggest the father’s love.
Mat_21:30. ἐγώ ] is to be taken elliptically, and that with due regard at the same time to its emphatic character, in virtue of which it forms a contrast to the negative answer of the other son: I, sir, will go and work in the vineyard this very day. The κύριε expresses the hypocritical submission of the man.
The publicans and harlots are represented by the first mentioned son; for previous to the days of John they refused to obey the divine call (in answer to the command to serve Him, which God addressed to them through the law and the prophets, they practically said: οὐ θέλω ), but when John appeared they accorded him the faith of their hearts, so that, in conformity with his preaching, they were now amending their ways, and devoting themselves to the service of God. The members of the Sanhedrim are represented by the second son; for, while pretending to yield obedience to the law of God revealed in the Scriptures (by the submissive airs which they assumed, they practically uttered the insincere ἐγὼ , κύριε ), they in reality disregarded it, and, unlike the publicans and the harlots, they would not allow themselves to be influenced by the movement that followed the preaching of the Baptist, so that neither the efforts of John nor the example of the publicans and harlots had any effect upon them in the way of producing conversion. To understand by the two sons the Gentiles and the Jews, is entirely against the context.
προάγουσιν ὑμᾶς ] as though the future entering into the Messianic kingdom were now taking place. The going before, however, does not necessarily imply that others are following. Comp. Mat_18:14.
ἐν ὁδῷ δικαιοσύνης ] in the way of righteousness, i.e. as one whose walk and conversation are characterized by moral integrity, ἐν ἀμέμπτῳ βίῳ (Theophylact), ἵνα καὶ ἀξιόπιστος φανῇ (Euthymius Zigabenus). Comp. 2Pe_2:21; 2Pe_2:2; Pro_8:20; Pro_12:28; Pro_17:23. The preaching of righteousness (de Wette, Bleek, Keim) would have been expressed by some such terms as ὁδὸν δικαιος . διδάσκων (Mat_22:16).
ἰδόντες ] the fact, namely, that the publicans and harlots believed Him.
οὐδὲ μετεμελ . ὕστ .] did not even feel penitent afterwards (Mat_21:29), far less did you get the length of actual conversion. The example of those others produced so little impression upon you. The emphasis is not on ὕστερ ., but on μετεμ .
τοῦ πιστεῦσαι ] Object of μετεμ . ὕστ ., so as to believe Him.