Lesson #42

THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #42
THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS AND THE VINEYARD (MAT 21:28-32)

• MEMORY VERSE: MAT 12:50

• THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS AND THE VINEYARD (MAT 21:28-32)
• THE PREVIOUS PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE, THIS PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS AND THE VINEYARD, AND THE NEXT TWO PARABLES ARE ALL RELATED IN THAT THEY ALL REFER TO THE NATION OF ISRAEL.
• THIS PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS AND THE VINEYARD AND THE NEXT PARABLE OF THE HOUSEHOLDER AND THE HEIR ARE BASED ON ISA 5:1-7.
• READ ISA 5:1-7 THE SONG OF THE VINEYARD
• THE JEWS ALWAYS SANG THIS PASSAGE AT ANNUAL FESTIVALS.
• CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE:
• READ MAT 21:23-32.
• THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS SOUGHT TO TRAP JESUS WITH QUESTIONS. THEY ASKED HIM, “BY WHAT AUTHORITY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS?”
• HOWEVER, JESUS ALWAYS TURNED THINGS AROUND TO ENABLE THEM TO FALL INTO THEIR OWN TRAP. HE ASKED THEM ABOUT JOHN THE BAPTIST.
• THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS WERE TRAPPED BETWEEN A TRUTHFUL ANSWER AND PRESERVING THEIR OWN PRIDE.
• TO WHOM DID JESUS SPEAK THIS PARABLE?
• JESUS SPOKE THE PARABLE OF THE TWO SONS AND THE VINEYARD TO THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND THE ELDERS (23). THEREFORE, THE MESSAGE IS FOR UNBELIEVING JEWS.
• WHO IS THE “CERTAIN MAN” IN VERSE 28?
• THE “CERTAIN MAN” REPRESENTS GOD, THE FATHER.
• THE TWO SONS IN THE PARABLE:
• NOTICE THAT BOTH SONS ARE DISOBEDIENT.
• NEITHER OF THE TWO SONS DID HIS FATHER’S WILL AT THE BEGINNING WITHOUT QUESTION OR HESITATION.
• WHO DOES THE FIRST SON REPRESENT?
• THE FIRST SON SAID HE WOULD NOT OBEY, BUT FINALLY HE DID OBEY.
• THE FIRST SON REPRESENTS THE SINNERS (TAX COLLECTORS AND HARLOTS) (31)
• THESE PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE AN OUTWARD PRACTICE OF RELIGION, AND THEIR PROFESSION WAS NOT RELIGIOUS.
• THESE PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE AN INWARD FAITH AT THE BEGINNING.
• WHO DOES THE SECOND SON REPRESENT?
• THE SECOND SON SAID HE WOULD OBEY, BUT IN THE END HE DID NOT OBEY.
• THE SECOND SON REPRESENTS THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS (THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDERS). (31)
• THESE PEOPLE HAD AN OUTWARD PRACTICE OF RELIGION, AND RELIGION WAS THEIR PROFESSION.
• THESE PEOPLE DID NOT HAVE AN INWARD FAITH.
• DID THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS KNOW THAT JESUS WAS TALKING ABOUT THEM?
• THE ANSWER IS, YES ACCORDING TO MAT 21:45. IT IS BECAUSE OF THIS PARABLE THAT THEY BEGAN TO PLOT TO KILL HIM.
• IN THE PARABLE, GOD CALLS BOTH OF THEM “SONS”. WHY DOES HE DO THAT WHEN ONLY BELIEVERS ARE SONS OF GOD?
• ONLY BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT GOD IS THE CREATOR DO MANY PEOPLE REFER TO ALL HUMANS AS SONS OF GOD.
• THIS IS NOT A BIBLICAL CONCEPT.
• READ 1JOH 3:1-2
• READ ROM 8:14
• ONLY BY VIRTUE OF THE FACT THAT ALL HUMANS HAVE A POTENTIAL FOR BECOMING TRUE SONS OF GOD ARE THEY CALLED SONS IN THIS PARABLE.
• READ GAL 4:5-7
• READ 2PET 3:9
• IN OTHER WORDS, THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS THOUGHT THEY WERE SONS OF GOD WHEN IN FACT THEY WERE NOT.
• IN REALITY, THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP ASPECT OF A SON, THE BIBLE RESERVES ONLY FOR BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST.
• THE TERMS, FATHER AND SON, INDICATE A CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP. THERE IS, THEREFORE, NO SUCH THING AS THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD AND THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN IN THE BIBLE.
• WHY IS THIS POINT IMPORTANT?
• IF EVERYONE IN THE WORLD THINKS THAT GOD IS HIS FATHER AND HE IS A SON OF GOD, HE THINKS AUTOMATICALLY THAT HE IS SAVED BECAUSE A LOVING FATHER WILL SAVE HIS SON. IT IS BECAUSE OF THIS UNIVERSAL LIE THAT JESUS CONFRONTED THE RELIGIOUS JEWISH LEADERS IN MAT 7:21-23.
• READ MAT 7:21-23
• WHAT DOES THE VINEYARD REPRESENT IN THE PARABLE?
• ISA 5:1-7 GIVES US THE MEANING OF THE VINEYARD.
• IT REPRESENTS THE NATION OF ISRAEL, BLESSED BY GOD.
• THE MEANING OF THE SONG OF THE VINEYARD:
• GOD FENCED THE VINEYARD. (ISA 5:2)
• GOD SET APART A GEOGRAPHICAL PIECE OF LAND AND PROMISED IT TO ABRAHAM AND HIS DESCENDANTS. IT IS CALLED THE PROMISED LAND.
• GOD GATHERED OUT THE STONES. (ISA 5:2)
• GOD HELPED THE ISRAELITES REMOVE THE CANAANITES FROM THE PROMISED LAND.
• GOD PLANTED THE VINEYARD WITH THE CHOICEST VINE. (ISA 5:2)
• GOD BROUGHT THE ISRAELITES INTO THE PROMISED LAND. THEY WERE GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE. THE CHOICEST VINE WAS THOSE WHO WERE IN THE BLOODLINE OF CHRIST.
• GOD BUILT A TOWER IN THE MIDST OF THE VINEYARD (ISA 5:2)
• THE JEWS WERE TO BE THE GUARDIAN AND LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD SO THE WORD OF GOD WOULD SHINE TO ALL PEOPLE.
• GOD MADE A WINEPRESS IN THE VINEYARD (ISA 5:2)
• THE WINEPRESS REPRESENTS THE CROSS OF JESUS CHRIST WHERE SIN WAS JUDGED. (WINEPRESS IN THE BIBLE SYMBOLICALLY REFERS TO JUDGEMENT)
• GOD LOOKED FOR THE VINEYARD (ISRAEL) TO BRING FORTH SPIRITUAL FRUIT, BUT THERE WERE ONLY WILD GRAPES.
• WILD GRAPES ARE THE ACTS OF REBELLION AND DISOBEDIENCE.
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THIS PARABLE?
• GOD SET ASIDE A PEOPLE, THE JEWS, OF WHICH ALL WERE SINNERS. SOME DID THE WILL OF GOD BY REPENTING OF THEIR SINS, WHILE THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS DID NOT REPENT. THEREFORE, JESUS CHRIST CONDEMNED THE METHODS OF THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS.
• NOTICE THAT JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT THE SINNERS WOULD GO INTO THE KINGDOM INSTEAD OF THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS, BUT BEFORE THEM.
• THEREFORE, JESUS IS STILL OFFERING THEM SALVATION WHEN HE SPOKE THIS PARABLE.
• A FEW RELIGIOUS LEADERS DID REPENT AND WERE SAVED:
• NICODEMUS
• JOSEPH OF ARMIMETHEA
• SAUL OF TARSUS
• APPLICATION:
• AN EXTENSION OF THE APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE:
• NOTICE THAT ONE SON’S ACTIONS ARE NOT TO BE DESIRED OVER THE OTHER SONS’ ACTIONS.
• GOD IS STILL LOOKING FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL HAVE A SOFT HEART TOWARD HIM FROM THE BEGINNING. HE STILL DESIRES THOSE WHO WILL DO HIS WILL AND REPENT OF THEIR SINS IMMEDIATELY. HE STILL LOOKS FOR A READY AND A WILLING OBEDIENCE.
• READ ROM 2:8-9
• READ JOH 14:23
• READ JOH 15:1-8

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE HOUSEHOLDER AND THE HEIR (MAT 21:33-46)
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.