Jesus told a 'Tale of Two Sons' through a parable as recorded in the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 21 and verses 28-32. He started the parable by asking a question to the Pharisees and Sadducees who questioned His authority of teaching and healing. Many times, when asked a question, Jesus would either respond with another question or with a story. When the the chief priest and the religious elders ask him a question “by what authority you do these things” he responds both with a question and with a story and asked them about John the Baptist - "where did his authority come from?" The elders know the implications of both possible answers - If they say from human beings, the common people will be upset because they loved John and believed that he was from God. There might even be a riot. But if they say, “from God” then Jesus would ask them ‘Why then didn’t you believe him?’” They answered, "we don't know." Jesus then followed with the parable of two sons.
Those who have raised children would know how each one responds to some task or chore that you want them to do. Can you please clean up the bathroom? One would say, I will do it later. You know what that means, it is a NO. Another would say, I don't have time now but I will get it when I get back from school. But you will see that his room was cleaned up. You know which one would do it and which one would not.
I recently called around to get some painting works done. I know these contractors, some of them would agree to call back with an estimate, and never do. One of them said, yes, I will be there tomorrow around 9 am. Another one said, I am tied up for the next two weeks. The one who promised to come the next day, never showed up and he did not answer his phone when I called. But the one who said, he did not have time, actually called back the next day and said he can come on that same day. Which one would you hire?
This parable is the parable of the two (disrespectful) sons. v. 31 – “’Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.’” This was a very shocking statement to the religious leaders because they were considered to the be top in the religious world and they were also teachers of the law.
Jesus then teaches about the nature of man. Everyone is a sinner who disobeyed God and questioned the authority of God. He divides them into two groups, a group of sinners who would repent and obey God later like the tax collectors and the prostitutes. They will inherit the kingdom of God. The other group of sinners will be rebellious and reject the authority of God and they will not be part of the Kingdom of God.
Both sons were disrespectful and disobedient to the father.
The point of the parable is clear. Both sons were disrespectful to the father. We are all sinners and there are basically two types of sinners - the one who repents and the one who does not repent. Those who refuse God but later repent and obey, like the first son. Those who say yes, but don’t obey God, like the second son.
From this we see that the father represents God. The first son represents the tax collectors & prostitutes. They said no to God initially, but when they heard the message of the kingdom, they changed their minds and began to do God’s will. The second son represents the chief priests and the elders. They said yes to God, but when they heard the message, they did not act. And most likely the vineyard represents the life we live as part of the work of the Kingdom of God.
The Bible teaches that we are all sinners. No one is righteous. (Romans 3:23). This parable’s lesson supposes that doing God’s will is always the best course of action. Jesus is the perfect son who obeyed His father in every respect that we need to follow as an example.
2. Both sons had the same opportunity.
If God’s will is the best course of action, who is more worthy of praise – those who promise to fulfill it or those who really do fulfill it? Jesus despised hypocrisy. He called those who preach the truth but live falsely “whitewashed tombs, serpents, brood of vipers, blind guides” (Matthew 23). “It is not those who say to me, Lord, Lord, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). St James put it quite bluntly, “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).
Neither son in the parable treated his father with due respect and obedience, just as neither hypocrisy nor greed and lust (the sins associated with tax collectors and prostitutes) please God, but clearly the one who “changed his mind” and went into the fields cheered his father’s heart more than the other. Even if we tend to grumble at God’s will when first we discover it, we can make his heart rejoice if we obey.
3. One of the sons did better than he said, proved better than he promised.
His answer was bad, but his actions were good. The other son said better than he did, promised better than he proved; his answer was good but his actions bad. There are many that give good words, and make fair promises, in religion, and those from some good motions for the present, and go no further, and so come to nothing. Saying and doing are two things; and many there are that say, and do not; it is particularly charged upon the elders. In Matthew 23 Jesus warns the crowds to do as the Pharisees say, but not to imitate their actions (23:1-3). "So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them."
We see this type of division in the world all through history. Both Adam and Eve were given the opportunity to obey God and have a blessed life. Both of them became disrespectful and disobedient.
4. Jesus is the perfect Son who was obedient to His Father’s will
God sent His son to reconcile mankind to God's presence. Jesus came to this world and was obedient to the Father. He took on the disobedience of Adam and Eve and became obedient in every sense. (Hebrews 5:8-11) " Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." We also read Philippians 2: Jesus, "in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
On the mount of Calvary, Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One of them acknowledged who Jesus was and prayed for mercy and forgiveness. The other one was rebellious and chose to reject Him and was destined for eternal loss. Both were thieves, they were sinners who need repentance. But the choices they made differences in eternity. Jesus said, to the one that accepted him, "You will be with me today in paradise." The world is made of two groups of people. One group that accepts and honor God as the creator and redeemer. The other group that rejects God's authority. One group wants to be obedient to their creator and the other group wants to rebel and be free from the authority of God. All of us are given a life to live. The choices we make all the difference. Our life is a gift of a limited number of days in this world.
Life is a limited time offer. We hear limited time offers quite frequently for selling products or services. If you don't buy before a deadline, you lose your opportunity. Someone has started a clock and the customers are drawn into a sense of urgency. All good deals have a finality to their offers. Life is a limited time offer with a closing day ahead approaching faster than you would like. A bumper sticker said, “Caution: the days in calendar are closer than they look.” This is a reminder for today rather than a threat about tomorrow. The good news is that we are alive, and still have opportunities. God has extended the offer another day. An opportunity missed means it is lost. We still have time to make priorities straight.
There is an exhibit of relics from the infamous Titanic voyage. Visitors are given a replica ticket with the name of an actual passenger or crew member who was on that wrecked ship. After you walk through the exhibit viewing all those items used by the original passengers, you come to an exit where a large board listed the names of all the original passengers. If you take the replica of ticket that was given to you and look for the name, you will notice a line across the board dividing the names. Above the line were the names of those who were “saved” and below the line all those who were “lost.” The only thing that ultimately matters is whether you are “saved” or “lost.”
A small boy in church with his parents listened to the minister describe his visit to a poor home. The minister described the bare rooms, the ragged clothing, the empty dishes on the table, and the pale, hungry children. When he had finished his story, he announced the closing hymn. But the little boy, with tears in his eyes, cried out, "But, Pastor, aren't we going to do anything about it?"
We claim ourselves to be Christians and have been for a lot of years. At its most basic level, Christianity is about realizing that God is here calling you as a son, to do the work God has given us. When we accept the membership of the church, we are asked a question, “As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness?” to which we all answer “YES”
Christianity is about saying YES to God, not only with our mouths, but with our hands, our feet, our hearts, our checkbooks, our priorities, our passions, our relationships, our occupations, and our witness.
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