The Parable of the Two sons

1. The Parable of the Two Sons - 4th September 2016
“Whichofthe two did whathis father wanted?” (Matthew21:31).
The Parable of the TwoSons can be foundin Matthew 21:28-32. The Parable isof a manwithtwo sons
whotoldthemto go work inthe vineyard.The firstsonrefused,butlaterobeyed the fatherandwentto
the field.The secondsoninitiallyexpressedobedience,butactuallydisobeyedandrefusedtoworkin
the vineyard.The sonwhoultimatelydidthe will of hisfatherwasthe firstsonbecause he eventually
obeyed. WhenJesustoldthisParable He posedaquestionaswe readthis inMatthew 21:28-31, “What
do youthink? There was a manwho hadtwo sons.He went to the first andsaid,‘Son, goand work
today inthe vineyard.’ 29
“‘Iwill not,’he answered, but later he changedhis mindand went. 30
“Then
the father went to the other son andsaid the same thing.He answered,‘I will,sir,’ but he didnot
go.31
“Whichofthetwo did whathis father wanted?”
The keyinterpretivepointinunderstanding the Parable of the TwoSonscomesindefining astowhom
Jesusisspeaking.Forthatwe needto lookat the overall contextof thispassage.Matthew chapter21
beginswithJesus’triumphal entryintoJerusalem.The wholepointof Matthew’sgospelistoshowJesus
as the long-awaitedMessiah.The crowdrespondsbyshoutingHosannasandpraisestothe King.
Jesus’ firstact uponenteringJerusalem wastocleanse the temple aswe canlearnfrom Matthew21:12-
17. We can readan excerptfromsame:“It iswritten,” he saidto them, “‘Myhouse will be called a
house ofprayer, but you are makingit ‘a den of robbers.” (Matthew21:13). The religiousauthorities—
the chief priestsandelders—questionJesus’authority.WhoisthisJesuswhocomesintoJerusalem
receivingthe praisesof the massesanddrivesthe moneychangersoutof the temple?We canlearnof
the whole incidentin Matthew21:23-27, “Jesusentered the temple courts, and,while he was
teaching,the chief priests andthe elders ofthe peoplecame to him. “By whatauthority are you doing
these things?” they asked. “Andwhogave you thisauthority?” 24
Jesusreplied, “I will alsoask you one
question.If youanswer me, I will tell youby what authorityI am doingthese things. 25
John’s
baptism—wheredidit come from?Wasit from heaven, or of humanorigin?”Theydiscusseditamong
themselves andsaid,“Ifwe say,‘From heaven,’he will ask, ‘Then why didn’tyou believe him?’ 26
But if
we say, ‘Of humanorigin’—weareafraidof the people, forthey all holdthat Johnwas a
prophet.”27
Sotheyanswered Jesus, “Wedon’tknow.” Then he said, “Neitherwill I tell you by what
authorityI am doing these things”.
The stage issetfor the showdown.Itisinthiscontextthat Jesustellsthree parables—theTwoSons,the
Tenants,andthe WeddingFeast.Eachof these parablesistoldtothe Jewishreligiousleaders,each
illustratestheirrejectionof Jesus,andeachpronouncesjudgmentonIsrael fortheirrejectionof their
Messiah.Inthe Parable of the TwoSons,the leadersof Israel are the secondson whoclaimed
obedience,butdidnotdo the will of the father.
Afterwards,we see Jesuscursingafig tree inMatthew 21:19, “ Seeinga fig tree by the road, he went
up to it but foundnothingonit except leaves.Then he saidto it, “Mayyou never bear fruitagain!”
Immediatelythe tree withered’. The Parable of the TwoSons may seemanisolatedstory,butJesuswas
makinga strong symbolicpoint.The figtree isoftensymbolicof Israel.The figtree hadleavesbutno
fruitissymbolicof Israel’sreligiousactivity—i.e.,all the trappingsof spirituality,but withoutsubstance.
Israel mayhave had the leavesof activity,butnotthe fruitof repentance andobedience toGod.Thisis

2. whyJesustellsthemthe prostitutesandtax collectorswill enterthe kingdomaheadof them aswe read
fromMatthew 21: 31,“Whichofthe two did what hisfather wanted?”“Thefirst,” they answered. Jesus
saidto them, “Truly I tell you,the taxcollectors andthe prostitutesare entering the kingdomofGod
aheadof you...”.Why didJesussaythat?
We can learnfurtherwhenJesusexplains: “ForJohncameto you to show youthe way of
righteousness,andyou didnot believe him,but the tax collectorsand the prostitutes did.And even
after you saw this,you didnot repent and believe him”(Matthew21: 32). Throughthe Parable of the
Two Sons,Jesusshowsthe deference betweenthe Jewsandthe Gentiles. The secondsonwhoclaimed
obedience,butdidnotdo the will of the fatherisIsrael whofailedtobelieveinthe Messiah.Onthe
otherhand the firstsonrefusedatfirstbut complied withthe fatherswill subsequentlyaswe learnfrom
Matthew 21: 29,‘I will not,’he answered,but later he changed hismindand went”. This reprintsthe
GentilesornonJews attitude atthat time.We know that although the gentileswhorefusedatfirst
eventuallyfoundGod.