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SearchPractical Application is Evidence of Faith
And the people spoke with one accord, saying, "The first son." And then said Jesus: "Even so;
and now do I declare that the publicans and harlots, even though they appear to refuse the call to
repentance, shall see the error of their way and go on into the kingdom of God before you, who
make great pretensions of serving the Father in heaven while you refuse to do the works of the
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Father. It was not you, the Pharisees and scribes, who believed John, but rather the publicans and
sinners; neither do you believe my teaching, but the common people hear my words gladly."
Jesus did not despise the Pharisees and Sadducees personally. It was their systems of teaching
and practice which he sought to discredit. He was hostile to no man, but here was occurring the
inevitable clash between a new and living religion of the spirit and the older religion of
ceremony, tradition, and authority.
All this time the twelve apostles stood near the Master, but they did not in any manner participate
in these transactions. Each one of the twelve was reacting in his own peculiar way to the events
of these closing days of Jesus' ministry in the flesh, and each one likewise remained obedient to
the Master's injunction to refrain from all public teaching and preaching during this Passover
week.