Summary
JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. continues his conflict with the TempleThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged... authorities by telling a parableA parable is a brief story with a setting, an action, and a result. A prominent aspect of Jesus' teaching was telling parables to illustrate something about the kingdom, or reign, of God. that accuses them of hypocrisy.
Analysis
The parable of the two sons is one of the parables of Jesus that can be interpreted as an allegory. In an allegory, the characters in the parable stand for characters in real life, and their behavior says something about the nature of those characters. In this parable, the father stands for God and the command to “work in the vineyard” (21:28) is a stand-in for the duties of TorahThe Torah is the law of Moses, also known as the first five books of the Bible. To many the Torah is a combination of history, theology, and a legal or ritual guide.. The first son represents the “tax collectors and prostitutes” (21:31) who at first appear to reject the will of God, but whose response to John the BaptistJohn the Baptizer was the forerunner of Jesus the Messiah, preaching a gospel of repentance and preparing the way of the Lord. is revealed as true obedience. The second son stands for the Pharisees and the chief priests who claim allegiance to Torah but reveal their disobedience through their rejection of John.
