The Two Sons Series

Message

Matthew 21:28-32

“The Two Sons”

Our parable today is spoken in the last week before Jesus was put to death.

Only days before He had ridden into Jerusalem on a colt – the crowds had enthusiastically welcomed and escorted Him into the city. Surely this was a fulfilment of the promises in Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The Messiah, the conqueror of all the nations – and especially the Romans – was here.

What a stir He was causing!

Only yesterday He had gone into the temple, overturning the tables of the money-changers, and driving out all who were buying and selling there. “My house is a house of prayer, not a den of robbers.” Again the crowds enthusiastically gave praise to God.

But look over there – at the Pharisees, chief priests, elders, Herodians, Sadducees, and teachers of the law. They are the religious establishment … the elite.

They aren’t enthusiastic.

They aren’t praising God.

They need to put a stop to Jesus. So they initiate a confrontation.

They question Jesus’ legitimacy.

They test Jesus with theological questions.

They try and trick Him.

If you read Matthew 21-23 you will see how this confrontation unfolds.

Spoiler alert.

The religious establishment doesn’t succeed, and they end up being revealed for the hypocrites they are.

That is the context. Now the parable. It is called the parable of the two sons and it is found in Matthew 21:28-32

28 ‘What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, “Son, go and work today in the vineyard.”

29 ‘“I will not,” he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 ‘Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, “I will, sir,” but he did not go.

31 ‘Which of the two did what his father wanted?’

‘The first,’ they answered.

Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

It is a very pointed parable directed to people with a very specific world-view. “What do you think”, says Jesus.

You Pharisees, chief priests, elders of the people, Herodians, Sadducees, and the teachers of the law. You of the religious elite.

What do you think?

They think they are spiritually alive and active. They think they are serving God faithfully.

The Pharisees have been the religious backbone of the nation of Israel for centuries. They are the ones who stood against Roman oppression. They are the ones who were daily examples of following the law.

The chief priests had ensured that the temple continued to function and that the daily sacrificial activities would bring forgiveness to individuals and the nation. The cost and organisation involved was enormous

The teachers of the law were the ones who sat with smaller groups and families, making sure the nation understood what the Scriptures meant. Some of them dedicated their whole lives to meticulously making copies of the Scripture.

The elders of the people, also known as the Sanhedrin, were a ruling body of experienced spiritual leaders who used their combined wisdom and experience to give spiritual leadership to the nation.

The Herodians were trying to protect the independence of Israel by working closely with the Romans. They believed that political processes would open the way to allowing the Jews to continue practising their spiritual lives.

The Sadducees where the ultra-orthodox whose religious beliefs were fully directed by the Torah – the first five books of the Bible. They didn’t follow man made laws, only what God said.

What do they think?

We think we are faithful servants of God who are fulfilling His call in our lives. We are very actively involved in the religious community and we are sacrificing ourselves for His sake. We are committed, hardworking, good people who are dedicated to the Scriptures.

That is what they think. That is not what God the Father thinks.

There is a man with a vineyard. A family business where the children are expected to help care for the crop. In the parables, and whenever the idea of a vineyard is used in a story or a non-literal way … working in a vineyard or being in a vineyard is a way of saying, “be a part of the kingdom of God”.

Psalm 80:7-9

7 Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. 8 You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. 9 You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.