21:28-32. Those reasons include avoiding controversy, protecting himself from accusation, protecting the sacredness of certain revelations, softening the impact of his teachings, and allowing his listeners to discover the meaning of his messages as they might be ready to internalize and accept their implications and applications. Much less frequently, this word refers to repentance (Proverbs 5:11). God has told folks to go and work in the “vineyard” but we are reluctant. To summarize, the youngest of the two sons demands his share of his father’s estate which the father gives him. This animated Bible story for kids is based on Matthew 21:28-32. The Parable of the Two Sons is linked to the preceding verses about the question of authority (Matt 21:23-27), which established the importance of John the Baptist.John the Baptist spoke of the Good News of the kingdom of God which enabled sinners the means to enter and obligated them to ethical reforms with the imminent approach of the kingdom. Many things help make this early Christian understanding of the parable of the good Samaritan plausible, elegant, and instructive. It does not mean “I will not, or shall not.” Ou thelō is a present-tense verb, meaning “I don’t want to,” or “I don’t wish to,” or “I’d rather not,” or, idiomatically, “Not (ou) [what or as] I will (thelō).” In Elizabethan English, “I will not” could mean “I do not will it,” as does the Latin nolo, but this is not how modern readers hear this crucial word. And at the level of moral persuasion, this parable serves very well in this regard. In most manuscripts, at the end of the story in verse 31, he is called “the first” (ho prōtos). In Gethsemane, as the Savior reconciled and submitted himself to the will of the Father, he said, “not my will [mē to thelēma mou] but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). [27] I first suggested this reading in “‘Thy Mind, O Man, Must Stretch,’” BYU Studies 50, no. Lord.” “I will gladly go?” “OK, I will [grudgingly] go?” or “I get to go! Viewed objectively or ethically, a son might need to change his mind and decide to obey his father’s command. Fowler, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (London: Oxford University Press, 1926), 729. People who do not know the Lord are believing and turning from the … These four modes of reading may be seen as basic elements of the world of traditional scriptural interpretation. He had a loving father, a good home, provision, a future, and an inheritance, but he traded it all in for temporal pleasures. Consistent with this allegorical reading, it is clear that Jesus intended the chief priests and elders to see themselves and their own failure to do the will of the Father in this little parable, as Jesus concluded this part of his conversation with them by saying, “Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31), and by extension this point of judgment would fall upon anyone else who had rejected John. [24] The sons were thus called to serve by and with authority directly from the divine principal whom they would serve. The parable of the prodigal son begins by introducing three characters: a father and his two sons. But again, this is hardly the time for Jesus to offer an object lesson about filial duties. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 1988), 41, 46; Hugh W. Nibley, “Treasures in the Heavens: Some Early Christian Insights into the Organizing of Worlds,” Dialogue 8, no. The complete lesson plan below has everything you need to prepare for your Bible teaching. What is the difference between a moral and a lesson? [14] The male gender of these children becomes clear in the male adjectives, “the first” and “the other.”. [38] For whatever reason, that son did not go. . The authority of Jesus was traceable back to “the beginning” (John 1:1); his judgment was just because he sought “the will of the Father” who had sent him (John 5:30). Several significant factual or cultural points are embedded in this instructive story. The Greek word used here is not the ordinary verb used to mean “repent” (metanoeō),[32] but rather metamelomai, which does not primarily mean “to repent.” In the Septuagint and in Koine Greek, with rare exception, it always means to feel sad about something or to change one’s mind;[33] in Classical Greek it means to regret, or to change one’s purpose or line of conduct; or, as one might say, to reconcile oneself to the task of serving a difficult part in a larger plan. The point of the parable is clear. Let's take a look at 3 key points from this story of the Bible. The Parable of the Two Sons. . That’s the main idea in these Sunday School suggestions for the Parable of the Two Sons found in Matthew 21. Often, the telling of a story or the projection of a symbol is intentionally laden with moral overtones. Jesus makes clear to his audience what this parable means. The theme of the parable is grace toward the prodigal. A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’. In some other early manuscripts, he is called “the last” (ho eschatos), apparently because in the narrator’s mind that son is the farthest back in the story. Provo, UT 84602 Grant Building Significantly, when this other son answered, he did not actually say, “I go, Lord,” as the KJV reads, following the Vulgate, which uses the words “eō [I go], domine.” The word “go,” however, is italicized in the KJV because it is actually not present in the strongest Greek manuscripts. [38] Recalling to mind that not everyone who simply says, “Lord, Lord [kurie, kurie] shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The parable of the two sons is about a father who tells his first son to go work in the vineyard. For a long time, I thought the theme of the … Indeed, speaking prophetically of his death in the longer and immediately following parable of the vineyard and the wicked tenants at the end of Matthew 21, Jesus clearly referred to himself as the son of a landowner in a faraway country who planted a vineyard and sent his servants, whom the tenants beat and killed; and when he sent his own son, they cast him out and killed him too (see Matthew 21:33–41). As always, true authority can only be maintained by virtue of humility, long-suffering, kindness, and love unfeigned, exercised for the glory and honor of the Father, as exemplified by his First and eternally willing Son. Metzger calls this reading “probably the original,” 56. For some unstated reason, the father was either unable to hire other workers or did not want to entrust this work to slaves or dayworkers. Indeed, all art (whether visual or verbal) can be seen as analog, for without analogy, one has artifacts or artifice but not art. In addition, one further tool was given to the Church by the Prophet Joseph Smith. “I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me” (John 17:8). Thinking allegorically, this parable offers other interpretive outcomes. Indeed, it always helps to read the parables of Jesus not only historically and practically but also symbolically and sublimely. In what did you believe and trust? [28] Just as he was the Firstborn, this son was the first son that the Father approached. With these general thoughts as guiding principles, consider first the setting of this short parable, which comes at a crucial moment in Matthew’s Gospel narrative. It's amid this turmoil that Jesus offers the little-known Parable of the Two Sons. There he was accosted by the chief priests and the elders of the people, who challenged him, demanding to know, “By what authority doest thou these things?” and “Who gave thee this authority?” (21:23). The domain of this comparative approach is typically the “horizontal,” and it thrives on comparative and analogical reasoning. In response to favorable portrayals, readers or viewers should go and do likewise, whereas unfavorable conduct embedded in negative depictions is to be eschewed. 801-422-6975, The Setting of the Parable of the Willing and Unwilling Two Sons. I will redeem all mankind . While some … . (Matthew 21:28-31, NIV) In Jesus Parable of the Two Sons, who was represented by the first son? If the first son is identifiable as Jesus, the second son in this parable can be understood as Lucifer, his brother. Most manuscripts call him “the other” (ho heteros),[34] while some call him “the second (ho deuteros).”[35] This son stood in utter contrast to the first, as in the expression “on the one hand, or on the other hand.” He is more than numerically second; he also stands in contradistinction, being the “other,” being of another mind or having some other purpose. An attentive reader can see in Jesus’ answer a number of elevated doctrinal points about the nature of authority received from God in general and about Jesus’ authority in specific. Stop comparing yourself. The two sons are referred to as the father’s tekna, his own immediate offspring (not slaves or servants); although referred to with this term of endearment, which is often used in speaking of young children, these sons[14] must be old enough and mature enough to do this work. This story “expects that listeners should pronounce judgment upon the son who did not obey,” for children in this world were “expected to honour [their] parents.”[15] One son eventually does this; the other does not. [23] Herbert Weir Smyth, Greek Grammar (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1963), section 1121. “I what? [2] But at the same time, some readings will always be stronger than others. Speaking about the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son in Luke 15, on Sunday, January 23, 1843, Joseph taught: “I have a Key by which I understand the scriptures—I enquire what was the question which drew out the answer?”[12] As will be seen, these four modes of reading and especially Joseph’s key unlock the meaning of the parable of the certain man who had two sons in Matthew 21:28–31. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. From the words of this story, all one knows is that this man was a father of two sons, that he had a vineyard or orchard (ampelōn, the word may mean either), and that he needed someone to go down to work immediately in that vineyard. Whether or not the chief priests and elders had any knowledge from traditional sources about the heavenly council in which the eternal plan was established from the foundation of the world,[40] that primal event would have been well known to the Savior and perhaps to his disciples and others of his contemporaries. Furthermore, strong readings explain or ameliorate elements that otherwise appear as if they do not fit with the rest of the parable. Because Lucifer sought to usurp God’s own honor, glory, power, and authority, he was cast down (Moses 4:3) and, as in Jesus’ parable to the Jewish leaders, Lucifer did not go. ?” “I have been chosen! [28] Most manuscripts say that the father went first to the son who eventually goes and is referred to as “the first.” This reading is most widely supported in the early New Testament manuscripts, and I follow it here. The most widely supported Greek texts literally read as follows: “A man had two sons, and going to the first he said, ‘Go down this day to work in the vineyard.’ He answered, ‘Not as I will,’ but then reconciling himself to the task he went. . Many things had been put in place for the Son of God to appear in the flesh at the promised and prophesied time, and people in Jerusalem were counting down the days and years for the fulfillment of the prophecy given in the book of Daniel, to say nothing of the prophecies given in the Book of Mormon. J. Spencer Fluhman and Brent L. Top (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: 2016), 97–116. A Summary Of The Parable Of Two Sons Is Presented, Along with A Reflection On The Parable. Indeed, Jesus was remembered as having purposefully intended his parables to be seen at least at two levels. As mentioned above, to Jesus and his listeners, the vineyard was a potent symbol of the house of Israel (see Isaiah 5:1–7). One of Jesus’ most famous parables is found in Luke 15:11-32. Indeed, this two-level reading allows that Jesus marvelously answered both of the questions raised by his interlocutory lawyer—not only the more definitional question, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29), but also the lawyer’s more seminal initial inquiry, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Actions Speak Louder Than Words…God’s Speak Loudest of All …. The second son says “yes,” but does not do what he was asked. With the foregoing in mind, I suggest that readers might most meaningfully look at this parable through a spiritual or anagogical lens. 21:30 “The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. UT: Ashgate, 2009), The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2007), and “The Good Samaritan: A Type and Shadow of the Plan of Salvation” (1999) when this was written. Although some have discounted the allegorical nature of the parables of Jesus,[7] the roots of the allegorical mode of interpretation reach deeply into the earliest Hebrew and Christian literature; it was commonly used at least from the times of Jesus (who often spoke of such things as the brazen serpent[8] or the sign of Jonah[9] as analogies of himself) and Philo (20 BC–AD 50),[10] as well as in the writings of Irenaeus (c. AD 140–c. It’s a really easy craft and you get a nice prop that the kid can … [41] For example, Cain began as “a man from the Lord” (Genesis 4:1), but killed Abel (Genesis 4:10) and was cast out. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. [24] There is no grammatical doubt as to the referent of the possessive tou: it obviously refers to the father of the son, and if the willing son represents Jesus in this parable, then his father is, by extension, “the Father,” his Father in Heaven. He seems caught up with the fact that he had been called. Just as the two boys in my story, one son answered, "No," but went and worked. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." The domain of this elevating approach is the “vertical.” It is open to impressions that transcend the strict or obvious meaning of the text. This made the Pharisaical teachers of religious law complain that Jesus was associating with such despicable people – even eating with them.” Jesus begins clashing with religious authorities almost immediately by cleansing the temple of moneychangers (Matthew 21:12–17). "The first," they answered. He proved He is worthy of our trust and love, and we can live in joy because of that. 21:29 “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau; the one wrestled with God and received an eternal blessing, and the other sold his birthright. [22] Hultgren, “Interpreting the Parables of Jesus,” in The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary, 637: “It should go without saying that a father can represent God, and so it is.”. [21] On the importance of the two questions in Matthew 21:23 and 25 for the interpretation of this parable, see Wesley G. Olmstead, Matthew’s Trilogy of Parables: The Nation, the Nations and the Reader in Matthew 21:28–22:14 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 99, 108. IN REPLY TO THE QUESTIONS AS TO HIS AUTHORITY, JESUS GIVES THE THIRD GREAT GROUP OF PARABLES. Beyond these important points about the nature of authority and legal agency, this parable draws its listeners back to the heavenly realms where Jesus and all the holy apostles and prophets—including John the Baptist—were called and foreordained to hold the priesthood of God. These heavenly, primeval overtones are a bit more evident in the Greek text of Matthew than in the Latin Vulgate or in the English of the King James Version or other translations. But when he went on to tell the ensuing parable of the two sons, he answered in effect their second question: “Who gave thee this authority?” As mentioned above, Joseph Smith taught that readers should pay close attention to “the question which drew out the answer.”[20] In this case, that question was the source of Jesus’ authority, and ultimately that is the question the parable particularly answers.[21]. . And without a further point of reference in connection with the dual story, the chief priests and elders would well have been left puzzling when they had not done what they had specifically said they would do? In some situations we even surrendered on... 2. This word, along with the Father’s command, “go down” (hypage),[31] may call to mind the condescension or incarnation of Jesus leaving his Father’s presence. A strong reading is grounded in close attention to details. 202), Clement of Alexandria (death c. AD 215), and onwards. This approach focuses on explaining what happened in the story, either actually or fictively. Anagogically involved here is no ordinary father, no ordinary vineyard, and no ordinary pair of sons. . Lessons for the church about the parable of the two sons 1. The son who—even though he was openly rebellious and nasty— afterward he regretted it and changed his mind and did the will of the father. Those with specific authority do not have the option of selecting another time or place. Thus the use of the definite article in the question, “which did the will of the father” at least invites an anagogical reflection, seeing the father and willing son in this parable as representing Jesus and his Father in Heaven. Luke 15:1-2). Brigham Young University In fact, logically, the comparative failure of the Jewish leaders to do the will of God has nothing to do with Jesus’ authoritative empowerment to do or to say all the things he was teaching and doing. With a little further reflection, they may also have perceived that Jesus had spoken of himself as the first son in the immediately preceding parable of the willing and unwilling two sons. Moreover, strong readings make use of all the elements, not just a few selected elements, in the text or work being interpreted. The first son says “no,” but does the father’s will. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. When had they said they would follow John but then did not do so? ; surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1; emphasis added). In Acts 2:23, Peter’s text assumes that his audience on the day of Pentecost was familiar with the idea of God’s primordial council (boulēi) and foreknowledge (prognōsei) that sent Jesus to his fate. For Lehi, the dichotomy gave people the choice between liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator, or captivity and eternal death under the power of the devil (see 2 Nephi 2:27). See John W. Welch, “The Calling of a Prophet,” in The Book of Mormon: First Nephi, the Doctrinal Foundation, ed. He had two sons whom he loved more than anything else. In explicating this lesser-known of the two-sons parables, I hope to honor and recognize Robert L. Millet for his consummate willingness to do the will of the Father and to go down this day to work in his vineyard, wherever the needs may be found. (In the Court of the Temple. Let’s consider the three sons found in this parable. Jesus’ parable told the priests that they'd claimed to accept the message from God but they'd failed to live up to it by being obedient. 185 Heber J. 3. For this second son, it seems that it was all about ego. To carry out their assignment with authority they need to be in tune with the will of the one who has sent them. In hearing that parable, the chief priests and the Pharisees “perceived that [Jesus] spake of them” and their desire to kill him (21:45). Those having divine authority may need to repent or change their attitude in order to accommodate themselves to do what God wants, not what they might want. 30 And he went to the other son and said the same. [39] While not exactly the same as in this parable, certain similarities are unmistakable. The Parable of the Two Sons. In a small minority of manuscripts, another version of this parable likewise has the father approach the ultimately willing son first, but in the end he is called not “the first” but “the last” or “the least” (ho eschatos). John W. Welch was the Robert K. Thomas Professor of Law at Brigham Young University, editor in chief of BYU Studies Quarterly, and author of books and articles including The Sermon on the Mount in the Light of the Temple (Burlington. The anagogical. [29] H.W. The master of the vineyard was setting out to travel foreign lands for a number of years. Even people who have written much and taught profoundly about the parables of Jesus have rarely had much to say about this brief text, which is nevertheless freighted with significantly authoritative cargo. The younger one said to him, “Father, give me my share of … [33] Louw and Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, domains 25.270 (p. 318); 31.59 (p. 373). Cursing the fig tree. Indeed, multiple readings enrich and magnify these extraordinary texts. Nevertheless, the Greek reads, “Which of the two did the will of the father (epoiēsen to thelēma tou patros)?” (emphasis added). A man had two sons. Jesus had spent the better part of the last three years demonstrating with signs and wonders where His authority came from, but the religious establishment didn’t really want to know. Moreover, it is unclear which group was actually asked by John the Baptist first. Moreover, the second and only other word (kurie) in his reply to his father a bit stiffly calls his own father “Lord,” which may well convey an underlying sentiment that for that son this matter was not primarily about close personal love or filial devotion. So, it would not have been out of character or out of season if Jesus had taken his disciples aside as they returned to Bethany after that day in the temple, at the beginning of the Holy Week, to remind them of the source of his authority and explain this meaning of this parable of the willing and unwilling two sons. Going to the other, he [the Father] said the same. In the Septuagint, God does not bring Israel through the land of Canaan so that they will not change their minds (metamelēsēi, Exodus 13:17; but here the KJV reads “repent”). The Gospel for this Sunday, as we saw, speaks of two sons, but behind them, in a mysterious way, is a third son. Indeed, the first son initially answered the Father’s request by saying, “Ou thelō,” which the KJV translates as “I will not” (emphasis added). A few other manuscripts reverse the order of the appearance of the two sons, so that the father first asks the son who eventually does not go, even though he initially says yes, and in these texts the answer to Jesus’ final question about which of the two did the father’s will is accordingly either “the latter” (ho hysteros) or “the last” (ho eschatos). He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. [40] They may have known of the pattern of authoritative callings and the heavenly council from several passages, including 1 Kings 22:19–23; Psalms 82:1; 110:3; Isaiah 9:5 LXX; Jeremiah 23:18; Daniel 7:9–14; Amos 3:7; 1 Enoch 12:3–4. Here one finds a strong reading of this text, conceptually engaging all of its elements. And who gave you this authority?" Ruben Zimmermann (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011), 639–40. These two sons were both offered their commission to “go” by way of commandment from the Father. Which of the two did what his father wanted?" The phrase “I shall not” would have been the correct translation of expression of future intent in the first person, whereas “I will not” expressed desire “as far as one has the power” (Fowler). [4] Thus, for example, second-century Christian readers and exegetes linked “the man going down” and his “falling among robbers” with Adam and the Fall in Genesis; the robbers were seen as symbolizing the minions of Satan; and the Samaritan was interpreted as a reference by Jesus Christ to himself as the one who rescues. 2. He refuses, … [7] Notably C. H. Dodd, The Parables of the Kingdom (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1961), 4–5. [4] Kurt Erlemann, “Allegorie, Allegorese, Allegorisierung,” in Zimmerman and Kern, Hermeneutik der Gleichnisse Jesu, 482–93. 3–4 (1973), 76–98, reprinted in The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, 1:171–214 (see p. 174); see generally E. Theodore Mullen Jr., The Divine Council in Canaanite and Early Hebrew Literature (Chico, CA: Scholars, 1980). The Man With Two Sons is God, Our Father, and We Are God’s Sons. Mohr Siebeck, 2011 ), 80–81 Jones, Greek-English Lexicon, 1875 having challenged Jesus authority... See in a parable of the … this animated Bible story for Kids is based on Matthew moral lesson of the parable of the two sons challenged! Enduring eternal character and consequence and in their days the earth was “ divided ” ( 21:28–31... Jones, Greek-English Lexicon, 1875 gives him but did not go literal, factual, historical, or.... Not: but [ of ] the father went to the church by elevated! Reply to the questions as to his authority, the outcome was the Firstborn, this is little than. 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