The Two Sons

The series at a glance

What does it actually mean to belong to God’s Kingdom?

These three parables should be understood as one developing response from Jesus. The chief priests and elders challenge Jesus’ authority in Matthew 21, and Jesus responds through three parables:

1. The Two Sons — Will you actually obey the Father? (Matthew 21:28–32)
2. The Wicked Tenants — Will you produce the fruit that belongs to the Owner? (Matthew 21:33–46)
3. The Wedding Feast — Whom do you ultimately belong to? (Matthew 22:1–14)

The confrontation moves from obedience, to fruit, and finally to allegiance.

The Confrontation Begins

Matthew 22 cannot ultimately be understood without beginning here.

Jesus enters Jerusalem and comes into direct conflict with the religious authorities.

Read Matthew 21:23–27 (ESV) (opens in a new tab)

The chief priests and elders ask Jesus:

“By what authority are you doing these things?”

Jesus responds by asking about the baptism of John.

Was John’s authority:

from heaven

or

from man?

The leaders refuse to answer.

Their refusal matters because John had already called Israel to repentance.

The question is therefore not merely whether these leaders possess religious knowledge.

The question is whether they actually respond when God speaks.

The Parable of the Two Sons

Read Matthew 21:28–30 (ESV) (opens in a new tab)

A father tells two sons to work in his vineyard.

The first initially refuses.

Later, he changes his mind and goes.

The second answers:

“I go, sir.”

But he never goes.

Jesus asks:

“Which of the two did the will of his father?”

The answer is obvious:

The first.

Profession Is Not the Same as Obedience

The second son says the correct thing.

His words sound respectful.

He acknowledges the father verbally.

But he does not actually obey him.

The first son initially looks rebellious.

Yet he changes his mind and does what the father asked.

This exposes the difference between:

saying that we belong to God

and

actually responding to Him.

Jesus Applies the Parable

Read Matthew 21:31–32 (ESV) (opens in a new tab)

Jesus tells the religious leaders that tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom ahead of them.

Why?

Not because their previous lives were righteous.

They had initially been like the first son:

“I will not.”

But when John came preaching righteousness and repentance, they believed him.

They changed direction.

The religious leaders saw this happen.

Yet even after seeing it:

they still did not repent and believe.

The First Kingdom Test

The first parable therefore establishes something that will continue throughout all three studies:

God is not impressed by religious profession that produces no obedience.

Someone can outwardly say:

“Yes, Father.”

while living:

“No, Father.”

And someone whose previous life said:

“No”

can repent and begin walking in obedience.

What matters is the response.

The Vineyard

Notice the setting Jesus chooses.

The father sends his sons into:

his vineyard.

That setting will continue immediately into the next parable.

Jesus is not beginning a completely unrelated story.

He is developing the argument.

The question changes from:

Will the sons work in the vineyard?

to:

What will the tenants do with the vineyard entrusted to them?

Personal Application

Ask

Where are the areas in our lives where we know the right Christian answer but our actions say something different?

Are there places where we have said:

“Yes, Lord”

without actually going where He told us to go?

What matters more before God:

our original failure,

or whether we ultimately repent and obey?

Closing Thought

The chief priests and elders possessed religious position, knowledge, and authority.

But Jesus does not ask whether they can talk about God.

He asks whether they actually respond when God speaks.

The first son looked rebellious but repented.

The second looked obedient but never obeyed.

The first warning of these three parables is therefore simple:

Do not confuse saying yes to God with actually obeying Him.

Transition to Study Two

Next time, Jesus does not leave the vineyard.

He tells another story about the same kind of place.

But now the issue becomes even more serious.

The vineyard has been entrusted to servants.

The Owner expects fruit.

And when He sends messengers to collect what belongs to Him, the tenants begin acting as though the vineyard belongs to them.

The question will move from:

Will you obey the Father?

to:

What are you doing with what belongs to God?