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.
God has built the vineyard. God has established his people and He has given them a place in his kingdom. The concept is not limited to the descendants of Abraham and the land of Israel. When we are in the kingdom we are in the vineyard.
In the vineyard we have purpose.
In the vineyard works of service take place.
In the vineyard seek to listen to the will of God the Father and put that will into place.
The Father calls us to work in the vineyard. Just like what happens ot the two sons.
One of the sons when asked, “Go and work today in the vineyard” initially says that he won’t … but then he does.
This son is like the tax collectors who saw the way of righteousness and believed.
The other son, when asked to work in the vineyard, politely answers, “I will sir” but then he doesn’t work in the vineyard.
This son is like those who are watching tax collectors and prostitutes entering the kingdom of God ahead of them … and even when they see the belief of others they still do not repent and believe. This son is like the religious elite.
Notice how Jesus gets the religious elite to identify which son did the will of the Father, before he identifies which groups the sons represent.
By their own words they have admitted that those who act like the second son are not doing the will of God.
You can’t just say, “Yes I will work in the vineyard” – you have to show that you are in vineyard, by being in the vineyard.
But isn’t being a daily example of following the law – isn’t that an example being in the vineyard?
What about helping people know they have forgiveness even if it comes at a personal cost. Isn’t that being in the vineyard?
People who sit with smaller groups and families so they can understand Scripture. Surely such people are in the vineyard.
Being an experienced spiritual leader and giving spiritual leadership – that has to be vineyard based.
Protecting the practise of faith in the face of secular government. That sounds like vineyard activity.
Making sure that believers are only looking at the Word, not man-made rules and laws. Isn’t that what vineyard workers do?
What do you think?
The religious elite are thinking how dare Jesus equate us with the son who does not do the will of the father. Surely we are leading the nation in the right spiritual direction. Surely we are faithful. How dare Jesus even insinuate that tax-collectors and sinners and getting into the vineyard ahead of them?
There is so much going on in the lives of the religious elite that looks vineyard like. Even Jesus acknowledges this.
Matthew 23:1-3
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practise what they preach.
What Jesus is saying is this:- you can be a spiritual teacher, leader, influencer – you can be such a person who, by your teaching, leads others to a place of salvation – but because of your own actions you actually miss out. Your actions can very much look like vineyard activity – but it turns out that it may not be.
How can this be possible?
What do you think?
I think now is a good time to read John 15:1-5
1 ‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Why are the religious elite not doing the Father’s will?
They are working in the wrong vineyard. You can do all the religious vineyard activity you want – but if you are not in the right vineyard
… if you are not a branch of the true vine who is Jesus.
… if you are saying the right things but not practising what you preach.
… if you are one of those who says, “Lord Lord, didn’t we” … to whom Jesus says “I never knew you.”
… even if you are considered part of the religious elite.
If you are not in the right vineyard … the vineyard where you do the Father’s will
And it is the Father’s will that we confess with our moths that Jesus is Lord.
If we are not in that vineyard we are the son who is saying, “Yes I will” … but who does not.
What are you thinking?
Are we living a delusion because, as a religious elite, we have fallen into the trap of defining our place in the vineyard on the basis of our achievements.
Acts of service which help the community.
Sacrificially giving up our time, resources, and energy.
Knowing the Scriptures, and having the ability to teach the Scriptures.
Defending Christianity in a secular society.
If we are relying on our experience, wisdom, and expertise we need to repent of it now – use the words of Paul in Philippians 3:8
“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.”
What are you thinking?
Are we outwardly judging the lives of others on the basis of our standard of what it means to be in the vineyard.
They don’t do this …
They live this way …
Their actions are questionable …
Their works are not the same as mine …
Yes the Bible does tell us that, “if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently” (Galatians 6:1). Jesus even said, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you” (Matthew 18:15). However when we do this we need to sure that we are standing in the right vineyard. If the vineyard is not a branch of Jesus then our judgements are not a concern for a fallen sinner but acts of self-righteousness because we are not in the vineyard which is doing the will of the Father.
This parable, and the context where it is spoken, is confronting those who have fallen into religious elitism – Jesus is saying, “Open your eyes, you are not in the vineyard that is doing the Father’s will.
That reality is very much worth thinking about. But there is also something else to think about.
Remember that Jesus was in the temple teaching when he was interrupted by the religious elite. Jesus tells the parable to the religious elite, but there were plenty of others
… tax-collectors and sinners.
… who also heard the parable.
What do they think?
Jesus has just said that they … the tax-collectors and sinners … they were entering the kingdom of God ahead of the religious elite.
They weren’t seen as examples of following the law – indeed they were law breakers.
They didn’t have religious jobs like working at the temple, or writing scrolls, or teaching families. They were farmers, bakers, shepherds, labourers, public servants.
No-one looked to them for spiritual leadership, or to stand against a secular government.
All had done was listen to John the Baptist
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 3:2). When they heard the message they “confessed their sins and they were baptised by John in the River Jordan.” (Mark 1:5). Already back then John was calling out the Pharisees and Sadducees, “You brood of vipers! … Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8).
As the crowd enthusiastically listened what do they think?
They know that when they came to the vineyard – the Father was actually expecting a different son. The son who said “yes”, not the son who said “no”.
They know that when they pick up the clippers and bucket and started collecting grapes … they know the Father will not send them away because of the earlier rebellion.
They know that the Father rejoices … and is so glad that this son has come and joined him.
What do the crowd think?
They think “Wow Jesus has just said we are the first son … it took a bit, but we are in the vineyard where we are doing the will of the Father.”
Let’s take these words of Jesus home today and ask ourselves.
“What do you think?”
Jesus let us all have the enthusiastic assurance that we have not become religious elites. Looking all “vineyard” like – but standing in the wrong vineyard.
Jesus may our humble confession be one of repentance as we always look to you, the true vine.
Jesus keep drawing our attention to the temptation of putting religious accomplishments and man-made laws ahead of the only way to life – which is to trust fully in you Lord Jesus.
May we all say
In Jesus Name … Amen
