When religion refuses to repent, it becomes a hollow pursuit of outward righteousness—more concerned with keeping appearances than walking in truth. Jesus exposed the hearts of the chief priests and elders, showing they were uninterested in truth, feared man more than God, and used religion to avoid repentance. Like the second son in the parable, they said the right things but failed to do the Father’s will. But even the tax collectors and prostitutes enter the kingdom ahead of them—not because of their past, but because they repented and believed.
