Holy Week; Part VI: "Which of the two did what his father wanted?"

"But give me your opinion: a man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' He answered, 'I dont want to'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to his other son and said the same thing. This one answered "i will, sir'; but he didn't go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?" 
"The first," they replied.
"Thats right!" Yeshua said to them. "I tell you that the tax-collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of G-d ahead of you! For Yochanan came to you showing the path of righteousness, and you wouldn't trust him. The tax collectors and prostitutes trusted him; but you, even after you saw this, didn't change your minds later and trust him.

We remember that Yeshua has just finished challenging the Cohanim about their hypocrisy. He just pointed out to them and to everyone that they were focusing on the wrong things, on their own image, rather than transforming others and being transformed by the word. Instead of going into an issue of authority, Yeshua looks deeper into a real problem the cohanim are facing.
The parable was a common way for Yeshua to teach, particularly when he was facing a tough crowd. He draws listeners into a story, and they become interested in how things play out. The out of new where comes a hard hitting point, and the point is usually uncomfortable for the listeners because if convicts. Yeshua does this here, either to make a point to the cohanim that they missed, or to reinforce the message he just gave them
The basic theme Yehsua has been using up till now continues through this parable, and the two that follow. That theme is that G-d rejects the hypocrites who worship religion, and asks for true transforming repentance. This is one of the first images we have of the full gospel story.
Obviously the two sons in the parable represent the sinner and the hypocrite. The first son, as Yeshua explains, represents the sinner. This person is the christian. They are asked to do something by the Father, and don't want to. What makes them important, is that, like the believer, they see that they should be doing something different, i.e. they should be doing the will of the father. They are the ones who repent and turn away from their past desicions.
The second son is the religious church goer. They responded to the call of the father, but they never follow thru on it. Ironically, this is the person who is unrepentant. They say, "Yes, I am following G-d, but make no effort to change their life, to walk away from the way they had been living.
The two sons start in the same place. Though the first son rejects his father at the start (as we all have) he turns around. The second son accepts the fathers instructions, but never turns around. The first son is saved; second son is a damned hypocrite, litterally.
It is not enough to claim salvation and to claim the blood of Yeshua. If that blood is really claimed, if that message is really heard, there must be repentance. To believe yourself to be saved, and never repent from ALL sin, makes you the damned first son.