Matthew 21:31

Who of the twain did the father’s will? They say to him, The first. Jesus saith to them, Truly I say to you, for publicans and whores shall go before you into the kingdom of God. (Which of the two did the father’s will? They said to him, The first one. Then Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, tax collectors and prostitutes now go ahead of you into the Kingdom of God.)

Wycliffe Modern Spelling

In The King James Version

Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

In Context

30But he came to the other, and said in like manner. And he answered, and said, Lord, I go; and he went not (or but he did not go).

32For John came to you in the way of rightwiseness, and ye believed not to him; but publicans and whores believed to him. But ye saw, and had no forthinking after, that ye believed to him, [or But ye seeing, had not penance afterward, that ye should believe to him]. (For John came to you by the way of righteousness, and ye did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. Yes, ye saw this, but ye had no repenting later, so that ye believed him.)

Read all of Matthew 21

Cross References

Job 15:6Thy tongue [or Thy mouth], and not I, shall condemn thee, and thy lips shall answer (against) thee.

Matthew 5:18Forsooth I say to you, till heaven and earth pass (away), one letter, [or one i, that is, the least letter], or one tittle shall not pass (away) from the law, till all things be done.

Matthew 7:21Not every man that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heavens; but he that doeth the will of my Father that is in heavens, he shall enter into the kingdom of heavens.

Matthew 12:50for whoever doeth the will of my Father that is in heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Matthew 20:16So the last shall be the first, and the first shall be the last; for many be called, but few be chosen.

Luke 7:37And lo! a sinful woman, that was in the city, as she knew, that Jesus sat at [the] meat (or sat down for a meal) in the house of the Pharisee, she brought an alabaster box of ointment;

Matthew Henry on Matthew 21:29-33

The Parable of the Two Sons. 28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. 29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. 30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. 31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Matthew 21:31