Matthew 21:28-32 The Parable of the Two Sons
“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
They said to Him, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.”
If the Scribes and Pharisees are already angry at Jesus, this story will simply make them even angrier. Obviously, the second son who promises but then reneges on his promise represents the religious authorities while the first son who eventually obeys represents those “sinners” whom the religious authorities have despised for all these years. To make matters even worse, Jesus is telling this story before a crowd of those same sinners, who are obviously chortling over the discomfort of these religious stuffed shirts. And to add insult to injury, Jesus proceeds to tell yet another story at the expense of his accusers.
The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers
Matthew 21:33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.”
In one well-told story, Jesus has turned the religious pride of centuries on its head! When the Jews wound up captives in Babylon, they could at least pride themselves on the fact that THEY were God’s chosen people. Of course, there was the tiny fact that the Jews had been captured and Jerusalem destroyed because of their disobedience, perversion, and idolatry. While God had chosen Israel, Israel had abandoned God. But once the Jews returned to Israel, they immediately began despising the mongrel people whose ancestors had been imported by the Babylonians so that the land would not lie fallow. Religious leaders whose ancestors had committed apostasy by allowing evil practices and idols in God’s temple were now snubbing those whom they called sinners. Now Jesus is reproaching these men for their self-righteousness and spiritual blindness.
Purporting to be on the lookout for the reincarnation of Elijah who proceeds the advent of the Messiah, the religious authorities have refused to comprehend the divine nature of John the Baptist’s ministry. Malachi 4:5-6 tells us, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Jesus tells his followers that John has fulfilled this prophecy. Matthew 11:13-15 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Entire books have been written discussing these two stories. For us as disciples, the important point is the fashion in which Jesus confronts the lies held by the religious leaders. These men are absolutely certain that if God sends a prophet, they will recognize that prophet, and yet, John has come and they have refused to acknowledge the validity of his ministry. In addition, these same men who claim to have been longing for the Messiah are anything but pleased when the Messiah appears in a form they don’t expect.
Jesus does not come out and call these men liars or fools for believing their own prejudices. Instead, Jesus employs stories to make his points while thoroughly refuting the lies on the basis of Scripture. What Jesus does not do is to ignore the lies in hopes that they will go away. Jesus is fully aware that the religious leaders will take umbrage at the stories; in fact, that is exactly the point. You see, Jesus has not just come to save those who are obviously sinners like the tax collectors and prostitutes, but Jesus has also come to save these men who are sneering at him. Only direct confrontation may get these men’s attention. Jesus is also employing the time-honored technique of telling stories to make a point, something these religious teachers do daily. Jesus loves these men who are trying to give him a hard time, loves them so much that he is telling stories with barbs in them, hoping that even after he has been crucified and has risen from the dead, these men will abandon their prejudices and come to true faith in God.
If we fail to understand the love of Jesus for these religious leaders, then we are missing a very important point. Jesus is not viewing these confrontations in an “Us versus them” fashion, even though the disciples probably are. Jesus wants these men to enter freely into the Kingdom of God, rather than hovering just outside the door, discouraging others from entering.
As disciples, we must know how to confront lies and therefore what Scripture teaches. We must learn enough about the beliefs of those promoting lies to understand why they believe such things. But we also must never lose sight of the love Jesus has for those who are attacking us, for Jesus has died for those people just as he has died for us. May God guide us as we confront lies lovingly and encourage those assailing us to find true faith in Jesus Christ!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives and to be able to defend Your Word in a loving fashion, realizing that arguments without love may alienate those who need You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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