But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
Parallel translations
- WEB But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’
- KJV But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.
- NKJV “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’
- NASB “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’
- NLT “But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus tells a parable of a father asking two sons to work in his vineyard. It will expose the difference between empty words and true obedience.
Overview
The vineyard is a familiar Old Testament image for Israel, and the father represents God calling His people to obedient service. This first of three vineyard-related parables addresses the leaders directly, contrasting professed religion with actual repentance. Jesus uses an everyday family scene to press home a searching question about who truly does God's will.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Cor 15:58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
- Matt 20:1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
- 1 Cor 10:15I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say.
- Luke 15:11–32Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.
- Mark 13:34It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch.
- Luke 13:4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?
- Matt 17:25“Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?”
- Matt 21:33Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
- Matt 20:5–7So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
- Matt 22:17So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 21:28 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.