The Parable of the Two Sons is found in Matthew 21:28-32. Jesus tells a story about a father who had two sons. He went to the first son and asked him to go work in the vineyard. The son refused at first but later changed his mind and went. The father went to the second son with the same request. This son readily agreed to go but did not actually end up going.
The meaning and message behind this parable is clear. It is about obedience to God. The first son represents the outcasts of society – tax collectors, prostitutes, and other sinners. When asked by God (represented by the father in the story) to repent and live righteously, they initially refused but later obeyed God’s call. The second son represents the religious leaders of the day – the priests, Pharisees, teachers of the law, etc. They readily claimed obedience to God with their words and outward actions, but did not truly obey God in their hearts.
Jesus often had confrontations with the religious leaders of his day. He rebuked them for their hypocrisy – looking holy on the outside but full of greed and self-indulgence on the inside. Despite claiming to be obedient to God, they plotted to kill Jesus and rejected him as Messiah. The religious leaders talked a big talk when it came to obedience and devotion to God. But their walk did not match their talk. They were disobedient when it really mattered.
In contrast, Jesus spent much of his time reaching out to the outcasts of society. Though looked down upon as sinners, tax collectors like Matthew responded to Jesus’ call to follow him. Prostitutes heard his message of repentance and believed. Though initially refusing obedience to God, the “sinners” turned and walked the righteous path.
At the end of the parable, Jesus makes the application explicit. The tax collectors and prostitutes who believed John the Baptist’s message were the first son – initially refusing obedience but later repenting. The religious leaders who rejected John and Jesus were the second son – claiming obedience with their words but disobedient in the heart. Jesus declares that the tax collectors and sinners who repented will enter the Kingdom ahead of the hypocritical religious leaders.
1. Context of the Parable
To fully understand this parable, we need to examine the context in Matthew’s gospel in which it was told. Matthew 21 opens with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday. Jesus receives a king’s welcome from the crowds who shout “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The religious leaders object to this praise of Jesus.
In the verses immediately before the parable, Jesus goes to the temple and drives out the money-changers and merchants who had set up shop there. He quotes Isaiah 56:7, declaring that the temple was meant to be a “house of prayer” but they had turned it into a den of thieves. When Jesus teaches at the temple after this, the chief priests and elders question his authority. They ask him, “By what authority are you doing these things?” (v.23). The parable of the two sons is part of Jesus’ response.
Jesus points out that John the Baptist had testified that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God. Though the religious leaders heard John’s message, they rejected it and did not repent and believe. However, the tax collectors and sinners did repent at John’s preaching. Jesus is claiming authority based on the testimony of John and the evidence of those who believed John’s message and followed Jesus.
So the Parable of the Two Sons serves to rebuke the Jewish religious leaders for their lack of true obedience to God. Though they claimed authority and obedience, they disobeyed God by rejecting his Son. Their actions did not match their words. Meanwhile, Jewish outcasts – despite an initial lack of obedience – repented and obeyed God’s call.
2. Details of the Parable
The father’s request
A father had two sons. He went to the first and requested that he go work in the vineyard that day. The father represented God. The vineyard represented Israel. So the father was asking the son to go and labor among God’s chosen people.
The father then went to the second son with the same request – to go work in the vineyard. So both sons were given the same invitation to participate in God’s work.
The first son’s initial refusal
The first son’s initial response was refusal. “I will not,” he replied to his father’s request. At first, he defiantly rejected his father’s will. This represented the “tax collectors and sinners” – those who lived irreverent lives in open rebellion against God.
Many of the religious elite looked down on these sinners with contempt. But Jesus showed compassion, arguing that “tax collectors and prostitutes enter the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Matthew 21:31) because they repented and obeyed.
The first son’s later repentance
Though initially refusing his father’s request, the first son later experienced regret and changed his mind. He repented of his rebellion and went to work in the vineyard after all.
This represented the dramatic transformations Jesus precipitated among the outcasts of Jewish society. Though initially living sinful lives in disobedience to God, many repented in response to Jesus’ preaching. Matthew the tax collector left all behind to follow Jesus immediately after being called (Matthew 9:9). Zacchaeus the tax collector repented of his greed and made amends after interacting with Jesus (Luke 19:1-10). Even the wicked city of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, Jesus said.
The second son’s false obedience
In contrast to the first son’s initial refusal, the second readily agreed to his father’s request, saying “I will, sir.” At face value, it appeared he would obediently fulfill his father’s will. But ultimately, he never went to work in the vineyard.
This represented the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. They appeared righteous, dressed in holy garments, and spoke piously of obeying and serving God. But they did not walk the walk. They sought prestige and control, not true obedience. They rejected God’s message through John the Baptist to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8), illustrating their disobedience.
The true meaning of obedience
This parable cuts through outward appearances. Obeying God means responding from the heart, not just making an empty show of religion. Mouthing spiritual platitudes while disobeying is not true obedience. What matters is contritely turning from disobedience to walk God’s path.
As Jesus stated in Matthew 21:31: “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” Though outwardly more righteous, the religious leaders were inwardly disobedient. Their hypocrisy barred them from the Kingdom.
3. Interpreting the Parable
Don’t judge by outward appearances
This parable is a warning not to judge others by outward appearances. Although the tax collectors and prostitutes appeared sinful and distant from God, they responded to John’s call for repentance and were obedient in their hearts.
Although the religious leaders appeared holy and close to God, they rejected God’s purposes. They spoke piously but did not act rightly. Jesus looked at the heart, not outward acts.
True righteousness involves sacrificial obedience
For the first son, obeying his father meant leaving behind his own plans to labor in the vineyard. True obedience requires sacrifice – giving up what we want to fulfill God’s purposes instead. The religious leaders were unwilling to do this. They clung to their positions of power and prestige.
Sincere obedience requires denying ourselves, giving to the needy, and suffering for Christ. The first son models this radical obedience that follows God’s call, not our own interests.
Words are meaningless without action
The second son said the right thing but failed to back it up with action. His verbal expression of obedience was hollow. Saying we will obey God means nothing unless we actually obey.
Obedience is not just an intellectual assent to God’s commands, but wholeheartedly living them out. Integrity means aligning words and deeds. Promising obedience without sacrificial action is phony religion.
It’s never too late to repent and obey
The dramatic turnaround of the first son shows that wallowing in past disobedience should not keep us from later pursuing righteousness. The tax collectors and prostitutes turned from rebellion to obedience.
The welcoming father overjoyed by the prodigal son’s return mirrors God’s reaction when sinners repent. It is never too late to obey our Father’s call. God rejoices when we turn from disobedience to follow Him.
4. Other Biblical Teachings
The message of this parable aligns with other biblical teachings about true obedience versus empty religion:
Obedience better than sacrifice
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)
Obey from the heart
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” (Romans 6:17)
Obeying God’s word
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
Beware false prophets
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-16a)
5. Application for Today
The Parable of the Two Sons remains very relevant today. Here are some modern applications:
Avoid hypocrisy
It’s easy to fake perfect church attendance, while harboring unrepentant sin in our hearts. We must confess hidden sins and obey sincerely, not just for show.
Obey promptly
Delayed obedience is disobedience. When we know God’s will but drag our feet, we are more like the second son. Obedience must be prompt, not delayed.
Focus on outward and inward transformation
To obey God fully, we need changed hearts and changed actions. Inner renewal and outward reformation go hand in hand. Obedience must be total – in spirit, mind, and body.
Beware modern Pharisees
Like the Pharisees, modern religious leaders can prioritize rules, rituals, and reputation over truly following God’s will. We must emphasize humble obedience over titles and prestige.
This parable still speaks powerfully today. It calls us to radical obedience from the heart, not just lip service. We must follow in the footsteps of the repentant first son, not the hypocritical second son.
6. Conclusion
The Parable of the Two Sons emphasizes that true righteousness requires obeying God with our whole hearts, not just making a show of external piety. Though the outcast “sinners” initially rebelled, they repented and obeyed when confronted with John and Jesus’ call to righteousness.
Conversely, the religious leaders clung to their positions and prestige. Despite their outward displays of obedience, they disobeyed God by rejecting Jesus. God judges our hearts and inner motivations, not just external actions.
This parable calls us to align our words and deeds in full obedience to God’s will. Repenting from past rebellion is far better than fake righteousness. God desires obedience from the depths of our hearts. This parable still rebukes religious hypocrisy and calls us to radical obedience today.