From the Pulpit...

The religious leaders would not say who authorized John’s baptism— heaven or men. They feared people, did not fear God, and would not answer Jesus’s question. John’s call for repentance was clear, and at least some in their number knew they needed that repentance (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, John 19:38-39). But these hard-hearted ones who were trying to trap Jesus in His words had no interest in repenting of anything. So, the Lord told a story to illustrate an important point. What a rich parable. The Lord used it to invite the religious leaders to think (v. 28). We should think as well. In just a few lines, we are brought into a very deep theological matter of talk versus walk, of profession versus possession, of no repentance versus real repentance, of the Father’s patience and of the way of righteousness.