In Matthew 21:28-32, we have the Parable of the Two Sons. In this chapter, Jesus is teaching many things to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were rule followers. There is certainly nothing wrong with following rules, but God had made it clear in the Old Testament that the most important thing to Him was the heart. Amos 5:21-24 makes it clear that sacrifices, feasts and solemn assemblies mean nothing if the heart does not love God and your fellow man. The Pharisees weren't so much about love as they were following the letter of the law.
Parable Of The Two Sons
In the Parable of the Two Sons, Jesus tells us about two sons: one son says he will do what his father asks, but doesn't and another who says he won't do what his father asks, but later regrets it and obeys. Jesus then asks which of the two sons did the will of his father. The Pharisees rightly answer, the son who ultimately obeyed. Then Jesus delivers a hard truth. He tells them that "tax collectors and harlots" believed John the Baptist, who came in righteousness, while the Pharisees did not. The Pharisees, Jesus says, did not repent and obey like the son who did his father's will. They chose not to know or understand righteousness.
Tax Collectors And Harlots
There is a beautiful verse, one of my favorites, in Luke 7:47. The Lord has just had his feet washed by a woman "who was a sinner". Jesus tells the disciples,
"Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
In verse 50, Jesus goes on to say that her faith has saved her. Like the tax collectors and harlots in the Parable of the Two Sons, the one who comes in humility and obedience with love and faith is forgiven. Jesus even tells the Pharisees that the tax collectors and harlots will see Heaven before they do!
What Is Righteousness?
So what is righteousness? To be righteous is to have a relationship with God and others that is right or just. It means to trust Him, fear Him, and hope in His love (Psalm 33:18-22). Humans have no possibility, in themselves, to be truly righteous, but God has made a way for us according to 2 Corinthians 5:21. In this verse, Paul tells us that the One who never sinned became sin for us so that we could become the righteousness of God. As Tullian Tchividjian says, "Our assurance is anchored in the love and grace of God expressed in the glorious exchange: our sin for His righteousness."
Righteousness v Self-Righteousness
In the parable, the difference between the two sons was that one was righteous and one was self-righteous. One of them thought that just saying the right words was enough without being truly obedient while the other realized his mistake and turned to obedience. When we admit our failings, we won't be misled into thinking we are good. If we believe that we are inherently good and decent people, we need to read this parable. Just saying we are obedient to God, when we aren't truly obeying His will, isn't enough. Our hearts have to belong to God. Our own goodness can never be enough. Our righteousness can only come from God, and it is a righteousness freely given, bought with a price.
Don't Compare Yourself To Others
Human nature often leads us to compare ourselves to others. The Pharisees certainly saw the harlot and the tax collector as more sinful than themselves. They probably prided themselves on not sinning like those people did. 2 Corinthians 10:12 says that those who compare themselves to others are not wise. Galatians 6:4 reminds us to examine our own work. Philippians 2: 3 tells us to, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,".
Do we compare ourselves to others and come away feeling quite satisfied with our holiness? We have to be careful not to view "sinners" as somehow different from ourselves. We are all sinners; the only difference is that we have been "saved by grace" (Romans 4:16-17). Any righteousness we have is not ours, but God's. We do good works not so that we can be viewed as better than someone else, but because God's word says that if we love others, this is what we will do.
What Does It Mean To Be Self-Righteous
Believing that we can, within ourselves, create a righteousness that God would find acceptable is the definition of being self-righteous. In Matthew 23, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for practicing their religion just so they can look good. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14, was told by Jesus to those who trusted in their own self-righteousness while treating others contemptuously. The tax collector in this parable knew there was nothing good in him that would warrant God's approval. The Pharisee, however, believed that his own supposed goodness was all that was needed. He thought he was better than the tax collector.
Your Own Goodness Is Never Enough
In Galatians 2:21, Paul calls out people who believe their own goodness is enough. He says that if we could be righteous by being obedient to the law, then "Christ died for nothing." I hear this idea being discussed a lot these days. Many people believe in something called universalism. This religious philosophy says that everyone will be saved. This is simply the doctrine of the self-righteous—those who believe they can be good enough.
And Such Were Some Of You
1 Corinthians 6:9 reminds us that the unrighteous won't inherit the kingdom of God. Paul then lists many sinful behaviors. Then in 6:11 he says this,
"And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."
"And such were some of you. But....". How can we look down on others when everything we have has been given to us, not earned? In many ways all of this can be put in one word: humility.
Practice Righteousness Because We Love God
Jesus warns us in Matthew 6:1 not to practice righteousness before others to be seen. In other words, yes, practice righteousness, but do it for the right reasons. Not to look holy to others, but because we love God and we want His righteousness to show through us.
We always want to be the obedient son, just as our Lord was. We may say no at first, but ultimately, we want to do the will of God. We want to acknowledge our sin and realize that all that we have and all that we are comes from Him.
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