The Parable of the Two Sons What is the meaning of The Parable Of The Two Sons?

This parable teaches and reminds us what true obedience is, and what it means to do the will of God. In this parable (see Bible verses above), A father has two sons. He asks them both to go out and work in the vineyard. One son said very respectfully (paraphrasing) Sure sir, no problem Ill go work in the vineyard! but for whatever reason, ended up not doing what his father had asked him to do. The other son said (paraphrasing) Sorry Dad, I dont plan on going out to work in the vineyard. But later on, he regretted what he had said to his father, and goes out and works in the vineyard. Who talked the talk? Who said all the right things? Who looked right? Who actually got the job done? Who ultimately pleased his father? The religious leaders of Jesus day could be compared to the initially seemingly obedient son. On paper, they looked just per fect. They appeared to be obedient to God, do Gods will and to always put God first, and in fact this is what they taught others to do. So they talked the talk. But in reality, they were disobedient to God, their hearts were far away from God, their motivations were all wrong, they rejected the message of God, and no, they did not live lives that were obedient or pleasing to God. While what the ultimately obedient son did was much better than what the ultimately disobedient son did, neither situation was ideal. The ideal situation would be a son that would say Yes Dad, Ill do it! and then would cheerfully, without complaining, obey his father completely. This kind of son will no doubt bring immense joy to his father. The Parable Of The Two Sons really makes you think. How many times have we gone to church on Sunday, singing all these worship and praise songs with such beautiful and heartfelt words of worship and adoration? But are we worshiping God with our lives on Monday through Saturday? For those that have heard God speak to you about something, have you obeyed? Time is flying by and you are still thinking about it. Yes, you plan on doing it, but somehow time keeps passing by, and you still have not obeyed. Is it enough to agree that what God told you to do is a good idea? Does that get our Fathers job done? Even if you have never heard God speak to you concerning something very specific like in this parable, what about the things you do know, beyond a doubt, that God wants us all to do? How do we treat others Christians and Non Christians alike? Are we obeying Gods basic commandments like Love Your Neighbor As Yourself? Are we being kind and considerate to others? Are we allowing the love of money and the love of the world to control us and determine what we do and who we are? Do we make empty promises to God and to others? Are we putting God first in all that we do? Are we being obedient to our Heavenly Father as we go through the journey of life? Are we acting like God is indeed Our God whether we are among other Christians or not? The Parable Of Two Sons provokes us to determine What kind of Christian are we? And What kind of Christian do we want to be? The Parable Of The Two Sons Prayer Dear Lord, Thank you for your Word. Thank you for teaching us, again and again, how to live a life that is pleasing to you. We pray that you continue to reveal yourself to us. Help us to honor you not only with our words but also in our deeds. We pray that we will obey you whether it is convenient or not. We pray that we will serve you, honor you, glorify you, and show you respect by doing what we know pleases you. We pray that our lives will reflect who you are. We pray that our lives will glorify you and continually attract and lead others to you. We pray that we will be children that you can count on. Help us to be wise, not foolish, and to be aware that we are ineffective Christians when we talk the talk but do not walk the walk. Help us remember that in obeying you, we really are doing ourselves a fav or because you will bless those who obey you. Thank you Lord, for being so patient with us, for forgiving us, for giving us chance after chance after chance. We pray Lord, that we will never take your sweet grace for granted. We pray that our lives will be a sweet smelling aroma to you. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.