This passage follows immediately after a discussion between Jesus and some Pharisees. It is a parable about two sons, both of whom are asked to go and work in their father's vineyard. One of them said he was on his way, but in fact he never went. The second son refused to go but later repented and did go. Jesus then asks: Which of the two did his father's will?

It is clear that Jesus is contrasting the behaviour of people like the Scribes and Pharisees and that of people who were regarded as sinners and outcasts. The Scribes and Pharisees though they knew all about God's will from the Law, but when they came face to face with Jesus they rejected him. Sinful people, on the other hand, who had frequently disobeyed or ignored the Law, repented when they met Jesus. So Jesus says to the Pharisees, "Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you." When John the Baptist preached, it was these who repented of their sins but the Pharisees would have nothing to do with him. With Jesus they acted in the same way.

It is important for us to realise that what we say is less important than what we do. And what we are here and now in our relationship with God and Christ is what counts most - not what we were in the past or may be in the future. Still less do external credentials or labels count for anything.