moral lesson of the parable of the two sons

185 Heber J. [29] Doing the Father’s will (thelēma—which is the noun cognate to the verb thelō) is a central theme in the Gospel of Matthew leading up to Christ’s teaching in this parable and immediately beyond (see Matthew 6:10; 7:21; 12:50; 18:14; 26:42). For Latter-day Saints, this calls to mind the familiar scene in the Council in Heaven in which Jesus was given his commission and authority from the Father. 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. (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1972), 80–81. . Moses has two sons (Exodus 18:3), one negatively named Gershom (from ger, alien), the other favorably named Eliezer (from Eli, my God, and ezer, help). Stop comparing yourself. [2] See, generally, Ruben Zimmermann and Gabi Kern, eds., Hermeneutik der Gleichnisse Jesu (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008); Stefan Nordgaard Svendsen, Allegory Transformed: The Appropriation of Philonic Hermeneutics in the Letter of the Hebrews (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2009). Anagogically involved here is no ordinary father, no ordinary vineyard, and no ordinary pair of sons. Jesus asks His audience to answer which of the two sons does the will of the father in the parable. In approaching this or any other parable of Jesus, as Bob has elegantly and cogently written, one needs to be alert to the fact that every communication may contain several symbols that convey, intentionally or unintentionally, multiple levels of meaning: “Some of the messages are crystal clear, while others are intentionally veiled,” depending on “the openness and spiritual receptivity of the listeners.” Furthermore, “a parable can have many applications.”[1] Each element in the parables of Jesus works as an analog, as one thing representing, or “re-presenting,” something else. In so doing, this story calls to mind events in the Council in Heaven, where a Father indeed had two very different sons and where Jesus received his commission and authority from the Father. These four modes of reading may be seen as basic elements of the world of traditional scriptural interpretation. I disagree that “this is little more than an expanded proverb” employed as a “parable of judgment.”[16]. [27] I first suggested this reading in “‘Thy Mind, O Man, Must Stretch,’” BYU Studies 50, no. Timing was important for the coming of Christ. This made the Pharisaical teachers of religious law complain that Jesus was associating with such despicable people – even eating with them.” He had two sons whom he loved more than anything else. The allegorical. At the end of that momentous day, after spending the night with friends in the nearby village of Bethany, he returned the next morning to the temple (21:17, 23). These two responses typify the contrast between the course of self-interested unrighteousness and the way of submissive righteousness in answering a call from God. This animated Bible story for kids is based on Matthew 21:28-32. 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. The literal, factual, historical, or cultural. [19] “The vineyard is here, as elsewhere (Isaiah 5:1–7; Matthew 21:33–43), a metaphor for Israel.” Arland J. Hultgren, The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000), 221. People who do not know the Lord are believing and turning from the … No wonder even that first son might need to think things over a bit. In addition, at the moral level, the parable might also be understood as simply teaching the general point that “it is never too late to make a decision and to act upon it.”[17] And indeed, this parable may well have been originally used by Jesus in this context, or it was eventually placed in this setting in Matthew 21, for the purpose of suggesting that Jesus wanted to persuade the chief priests and the Pharisees that it was still not too late for them to change their opinions and behavior toward him. Visually a yes and no can be easily expressed through a thumbs up or thumbs down and that’s what this craft captures. In the parable of the Two Sons, another parable unique to Matthew's Gospel, the father calls one son first to go work in the vineyard. For a long time, I thought the theme of the … At a deep level, this parable calls to mind a particular dichotomy of enduring eternal character and consequence. The moral lesson of the Two Brothers is that blood is thicker than water. The parable of the prodigal son begins by introducing three characters: a father and his two sons. 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). 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. Indeed, it always helps to read the parables of Jesus not only historically and practically but also symbolically and sublimely. Cursing the fig tree. J. Spencer Fluhman and Brent L. Top (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: 2016), 97–116. [13] Commentators often assert that this parable has been taken out of its original context in some Galilean village setting and inserted here, where it does not really belong. 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. A strong reading is grounded in close attention to details. ; surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1; emphasis added). In the parable of the Vineyard owner’s Two Sons the key idea is changing your mind. Viewed objectively or ethically, a son might need to change his mind and decide to obey his father’s command. ?” “I have been chosen! 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. See John W. Welch, “The Calling of a Prophet,” in The Book of Mormon: First Nephi, the Doctrinal Foundation, ed. From these straightforward facts, the message speaks in everyday terms: In such a case, Galilean society would have expected sons to drop whatever they were planning to do that day and go and help their dear, perhaps somewhat elderly, father in his time of need. 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. 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. Which of the two did what his father wanted?" It Is A Thought Provoking Parable That Teaches The Meaning Of True Obedience and What It Means To Do God’s Will. It might mean that the Jewish leaders, who were chronologically asked first, but did not do the will of the father, were seen as coming first in the parable, whereas the tax collectors and harlots were asked second, and then went, were transposed into second position. Each of these parables is told to the Jewish religious leaders, each illustrates their rejection of Jesus, and each pronounces judgment on Israel for their rejection of their Messiah. [24] The sons were thus called to serve by and with authority directly from the divine principal whom they would serve. Indeed, most potently, this parable takes the question of authority into divine realms. They can either respond with a yes or a no, but they cannot modify the father’s request. According to the King James Version, Jesus said: “But what think ye? [30] These words in Matthew 21:29 take on an elevated meaning when the “first son” is taken as referring to Jesus himself. To my mind, all of Jesus’ parables are to be read at multiple levels. (In the Court of the Temple. At the literal, factual level, this is a story of a man. Let’s consider the three sons found in this parable. authority of that man” (D&C 121:37). Lord.” “I will gladly go?” “OK, I will [grudgingly] go?” or “I get to go! In fact, the Father’s command to his first son, “go down” (hypage), which says more than just “go,” as in the KJV, and thus invites the listener to understand this dialogue as having transpired somewhere above. 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. Indeed, Jesus was remembered as having purposefully intended his parables to be seen at least at two levels. . 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. Tuesday, April 4, A. D. Provo, UT 84602 Amplifying and extending these two levels of reading, Christian interpreters, especially in the Middle Ages, saw in all biblical texts four levels of meaning: 1. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. “I what? [39] See generally Jeffrey M. Bradshaw and Ronan James Head, “Mormonism’s Satan and the Tree of Life,” Element: The Journal of the Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology 4, no. 30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. Parable of Two Sons (Matthew 21:23-32) Sunday School Lesson for Kids. Gives him hidden meanings of all the parables were “ plainly elucidated ” by way of submissive righteousness answering. Enrich and magnify these extraordinary texts, what does this word egō?! Obey God, like the first son, will go in before those who God! Spencer Fluhman and Brent L. Top ( Provo, UT 84602 801-422-6975, the first son identifiable... Took himself out of the world of traditional scriptural interpretation, ’ but not... Sons to go work in the “ vineyard ” but does not do what he was allowed. Parable calls to mind a particular dichotomy of enduring eternal character and consequence yes '' did not go 2 but. 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