Matthew 21:28-32

Matthew 21:28-32 The parable of the two sons

What does the first son say and then do?

What does the second son say and then do?

Let’s look at this parable first on the surface level – the ordinary human level.

How would you describe the difference between the two sons?

Notice how the second son respectfully calls his father “sir” or “lord” (kyrie in Greek).  He is all lip service, no action.  Pious words don’t substitute for obedience in doing what God wants. 

Given that neither son is totally without blame, Jesus’s question is interesting.  Which seems to be more important to him: what the sons said or what they did?

Neither son fully reflects what the father hopes his children would be, since the father would have liked his sons to both respond to the initial request and carry it out.  We also sometimes don’t want to do what God asks us to do.  How does God want us to deal with that?

God doesn’t mind if we express how we feel.  But he hopes we will do what he asks.

God would like u to embrace his goals both in word and in deed.  But why do the actions count for more than the words?

Now let’s look at the metaphorical meaning of the parable.  A vineyard is a symbol of Israel.  We see this, for example, in Isaiah 5:1-30 and Jeremiah 12:10.

If the vineyard is Israel, who do the two sons represent?

Jesus does not leave any ambiguity as to which son represents the chief priests and elders.  He turns the story directly against them.  He says that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before them.  What does this mean?

This passage relates to the previous one.  Jesus asked the Jewish leaders about John the Baptist.  The Jewish leaders did not embrace John’s message of repentance, but many of the ordinary people did, including tax collectors and prostitutes.  They same pattern reoccurred in people’s reactions to Jesus.  The leaders professed to honor God, but they did not respond with the appropriate actions.  They were like the son who did not do his father’s will: all lip service, no action.

What have the tax collectors and prostitutes done that leads Jesus to praise them?

How does their approach to John (and presumably to Jesus) differ from that of the chief priests and elders?

The tax collectors and prostitutes Jesus is talking about are those who have amended their lives to follow Jesus, so that they are showing fruit for God.

In verse 32, Jesus says to the leaders: “even when you saw” that the tax collectors and prostitutes were responding to the call of God “you did not change your minds.”  It is possible that this made them even less inclined to believe, but Jesus says it should have made them more inclined to believe.  Why should we be encouraged in our faith when people who are not part of the faith come to faith?

What does this parable tell us?

How valid do you think the following conclusions are?

• God cares what we do, not just what we say.

• In God’s eyes, what we do counts for a lot more than what we say.

• God is willing to put up with a lot if we come around in the end.  He gives us time to turn around and do what he wants.

Now think about the father’s feelings toward the son who treated him respectfully but did not do what the father asked.  How do you think God feels about people who say they do God’s will but don’t actually follow through with action?

In our lives, God’s directions are not always as simple as “God work in my vineyard today” – but sometimes they are.  How would you describe the “work in God’s vineyard” that God wants you and me to be doing right now in our lives?

Which of the following might be examples of “working in God’s vineyard” today?

• Living a holy life that follows God’s moral laws.

• Looking for opportunities to tell others the good news about Jesus that we have received – and then actually telling it.

• Putting God’s love into action by caring for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the stranger, etc.

• Standing up for justice and the proper treatment of all the people created by God.

There are many Christians who live out their faith in word and deed.  There are also some who seem to talk the talk but don’t seem to show much concern for loving those who struggle and seeking their well-being.  There are also people who don’t talk the talk of faith at all but try to live by a strong moral code and care for the needy.  What do you think God thinks about these groups of people?

Is there an area in your life where you might be saying the right things but not doing what your Father wants?  What might you do in response to this parable?

In this parable, Jesus draws a clear line, challenging the chief priests and elders to choose a side – His side – and stop opposing him.  In the next parable, he makes this even more explicit.

Take a step back and consider this:

The Washington, DC, news station WTOP presented a story by Kyle Cooper about the claim that most people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the second Friday in January.  This phenomenon even has a name: Quitter’s Day.  But if you consider Jesus’s parable about the two sons, it raises a question: Is the second Friday of January the right time to decide that you are not going to put into action what you said you would do?  Or is it just another day when you can turn your lack of action into action? 

If we have not done something at the first opportunity – whether it is to follow through on a resolution or something else – we can still start now.

Start it at the first opportunity: It would be wonderful if we could catch God’s vision for what he is trying to do in our world, embrace the vision, and follow through with steady, consistent action from the beginning.  We don’t want to excuse a “No,” even if it eventually becomes a “Yes,” or to excuse a “Yes” that isn’t  followed by action.  Neither of those is God’s ideal for us; he desires our words and our deeds.

But it’s a fact of life that sometimes we don’t follow through.  That’s not necessarily the end of the story, however.  Often, we still have an opportunity to start now.

Start now: Every moment is another moment when we can say “Yes” to God in place of a previous “I will not,” or to follow through on a “Yes” we have not yet delivered on.  God is always ready to welcome us into the vineyard, and he always receives us with joy.

Is there something that God has been asking you to do, and perhaps you said “No” or perhaps you just haven’t followed through?  If so, what can you do now to get to work on it?

What can you do to cultivate the attitudes and habits of mind that will help you be the kind of person who, when God says, “Go and do this today,” you say “Yes” and do it?

It is a privilege and a gift from God that we are invited to participate in the work of his vineyard, working with him as he transforms us into a fuller image of himself and transforms the world so that it is a fitting place for his kingdom.  Let us welcome the opportunities and embrace the work he gives to us!