Parable of the Two Sons

Day: 13

Topic: The Parable of the Two Sons

Text:  Matt 21:28-32 (NIV)

Introduction-

The Bible passage we just read started with a question—What do you think? And I want to ask you the same question today: What do you think? About what? You may ask, it’s about everything. Your thought is your drive; it is who you are. What you think about a situation, a topic, or an ideology is who you are. So, I ask you again, what do you think about yourself, the Bible, and your world?

Life Lessons–

1. Why do we have to work? The man said to his son (verse 28) “Go and work in the yard” Why? The answer is in the bible –  Genesis 2:15. This passage suggests that we were made and wired to work. Even when work seems difficult, we are still supposed to work. This means there’s no place for a lazy person. Nobody not even God is on your side when you are lazy because you were made to work. Ecclesiastes 9:10 supports and encourages

 hard work on earth. Many people do not like what they do, but they continue doing it while they look for opportunities to get to where they want to be. Man must not be idle, that bible verse says, “whatever your hand finds to do,” whatever is in your care that needs to be done must be done, we should not find excuses for not doing them, we are in the world for a limited time anyway, I don’t think we have any job to do when we get to heaven but to praise God.

There are other bible verses pointing out the need for us to work, but I will stop here. In your free time, you might want to read Colossians 3:23-24, Prov 14: 23, Prov 21: 25

2. Why do we designate people to work? In every place of work there is what we call an organogram; it is a chart that shows how a company is structured. Every department has a head, a subhead, and the other staff. In the same vein, in the home, we have a structure, the father, mother, and the children, even among the children we designate responsibilities usually to the oldest. If one person can do the work, then we do not need to have other people. Even God who made the heaven and the earth needed help – Isaiah 6:8.

 A portion of the work of the supervisor is to send others on errands or designate them to do certain things. So, when we are being sent to do certain things, the supervisor is merely doing his job. But you, who is being sent, are you doing your job?

3. What is the work? Everyone needs to answer this question individually. What is your purpose in life? What is your career? What is your purpose as a Christian? What is your duty to the people around you? What is the purpose of your existence? How are you utilizing your known gift and talent? We deprive ourselves of blessings when we shy away from what our responsibilities are.

Life applications

1. Attitude to work. The first son said, “no,” then he thought about it and went ahead to perform the task. This is an example of people who realize they were wrong, and they eventually make things right. Why do you think he did not want to perform the task in the first place? Could it be because he did not like the nature of the work? Or had he been overworked? Maybe the people around him never wanted to do anything and he was always the one covering for them and he got tired and just said, “I’m not doing it this time!” Or did he feel like the task was beneath him? Or could he have thought his father was always authoritarian and at some point, he should let him realize that being his son does not translate to being his slave? Did he have other more important tasks, or was he just overwhelmed? What do you think?

 Maybe you are like him. You are overwhelmed or you’re just being rebellious for no reason. “Why does Mommy call on me and not my brother? Why will Daddy always blame me when the task is not done? Or why is my boss always giving me tedious work? Does he hate me, or does he want me to fail? There are a thousand and one reasons why you may choose not to do the work assigned to you by your leader, but if you have enough time to think otherwise, please follow directions and complete the task, your leader has performed his by dishing out the order, yours is to follow through by completing the task. Change your attitude to work. Remember, Ecclesiastes 9:10. We will not do this kind of work in the grave or in heaven, we are meant to do it on earth.

The second son’s attitude is that of eye service. These are the people who want to please the leaders. They want their leaders to think they are the best meanwhile; they have nothing to offer. So, they say things that make people hail them, make people think they work hard and get things done but never do anything. They are the kind of people that will make the first son say, “No I will not,” because if it was a group work, son number 2 would not do anything and would want to take the glory for the work the first son did and the leader would believe he did the work because he had early said he would. Guess what, the human leader may believe you if you were son two, but God who sees all things will dish out what you deserve to you one day someday. And you may say, “No, sometimes you really wanted to do something, and you promised to do it but just couldn’t.” Well, God sees it all, and “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”

2. Repentance. The first son had a change of heart, and he got the job done. That makes him wise –  Acts 3:19; Matthew 3:2.
3. Believe in God. At the end of the parable, Jesus asked His audience, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” And they said it was the first son. Yes, it was the first son but what did Jesus say after their response? Let’s read it together, Matt 21: 31 & 32. 

Let’s talk to ourselves as christians, we have the promises of God right in our faces, yet we doubt, we do not absolutely believe in what God can do therefore we fall into sin. Sometimes we face challenges, and we backslide and those we call sinners see us and shake their heads in shame. Those who refused to accept Jesus as their Lord and savior later repent and enter into the kingdom of God and what happens to us who sow the seed by preaching to them? “That is why the Bible says the first shall be the last and the last shall be the first.” May we not fall in the way, may we all receive the grace to win the race. “For it is not by power nor by might but by my spirit says the Lord.” Let us believe in God and what he can do. Let us believe that the work we do is for Him. Let us forget about man and work for God because that is why He made us and only He can reward us, not man. Believe in God, whether you are already a Christian or not, every day you need to believe in Him for every new situation or circumstance.

The lesson of the Day

Let us take with us today the spirit of servitude. Servitude is the state of being completely subject to someone more powerful. At some point, both sons were foolish, because they lacked the spirit of servitude. Whatever our work is in life we should know that we have a leader and if that person is our leader, he is more powerful, and we should submit to that authority. Even if we are the number one at that organization as Christians, we know who the boss is, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We should subject ourselves to Him. Not only in the church but anywhere we find ourselves we should be diligent, submissive, and ever ready to commit to the work placed in our hands.

Complied by: Adeola Oyekola