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.
He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.
And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
And when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.
Joseph Smith Translations: v. 32 "For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, afterward, when ye had seen me, repented not, that ye might believe him. For he that believed not John concerning me, cannot believe me, except he first repent. And except ye repent, the preaching of John shall condemn you in the day of judgment."
v.33 "And again, hear another parable; for unto you that believe not, I speak in parables; that your unrighteousness may be rewarded unto you. Behold, there was a certain householder....."
JST Matt. 21:47-56 (appendix) (Compare Matthew 21:45-46) "And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
And they said among themselves, Shall this man think that he alone can spoil this great kingdom? And they were angry with him.
But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they learned that the multitude took him for a prophet.
And now his disciples came to him, and Jesus said unto them, Marvel ye at the words of the parable which I spake unto them?
Verily, I say unto you, I am the stone, and those wicked ones reject me.
I am the head of the corner. These Jews shall fall upon me, and shall be broken.
And the kingdom of God shall be taken from them, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof; (meaning the Gentiles.)
Wherefore, on whomsoever this stone shall fall, it shall grind him to powder.
And when the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, he will destroy those miserable, wicked men, and will let again his vineyard unto other husbandmen, even in the last days, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
And then understood they the parable which he spake unto them, that the Gentiles should destroy also, when the Lord should descend out of heaven to reign in his vineyard, which is the earth and the inhabitants thereof.
Classification: The Jewish Church and Nation, its History, and Causes of its Fall
Narrative: Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem for His Triumphal entry. He cleansed the temple and then healed the blind and lame, and took care of those who wanted to be with Him. When the chief priests saw all of this they became very angry. Jesus went away that night and stayed in Bethany but came back the next morning where the chief priests confronted him. They demanded to know by what authority he thought he could cleanse the temple. Jesus gave them these parables. The chief priests and Pharisees knew He was talking about them and they would have loved to have taken Him then and killed him but there was a big crowd watching and they didn't want to anger the crowd.
Interpretation: The certain man is God. The first son represents the sinners, the publicans and the harlots. They said absolutely not would they do the Lord's work. Eventually they repent and get to work. The second son represents the chief priests and Pharisees, those who wear the garments of righteousness and profess to be godly when in fact they are far from it.
In the second parable, the householder is God, the husbandmen are those who covenanted to do the Lord's work. The servants sent to receive the fruits are the prophets that were sent before Jesus came to earth. And the heir, of course is the Savior.
Application: In my last post I talked about the Laborers in the Vineyard and how we should be happy with those who work in the vineyard regardless of when they came in. Well.... this one pertains to those who have agreed to work in the vineyard, were shown the way inside, and then layed down to take a nap. I don't want to point any fingers, and at the end of the day I will be happy with what I get and not worry about what anyone else gets. So, here's the lesson with this one. If you agreed to work, then make sure you're working. I get frustrated with those who won't work and even look like they're trying to find the gate that lets them out. These are the words I imagine Nephi would say to them, "Wo be unto you!" So to those who are looking for the path back to the marketplace here's my message for you: You will not find a better job! You will not find a better employer! No matter what other prospective employers promise, you will never receive a better pay than from this master. This master will pay all that He has promised and more. The guy who says otherwise is a liar and will leave you high and dry at the end of the day. No other work will bring you as much peace, comfort and joy as this work. This is the vineyard where you will find love and acceptance. You will find this in no other vineyard, no other field. Come join us. Help us gather the fruit and taste how wonderful it is.
"A Pattern for All" by Merrill J. Bateman
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