Matthew 21:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.

NIV: 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

NASB: But he replied, ‘I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went.

CSB: "He answered, 'I don't want to,' but later he changed his mind and went.

NLT: The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway.

KJV: He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

NKJV: He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.

While teaching in the temple, Jesus was confronted by chief priests and elders who tried to trip Him up with a question. That did not go as His enemies planned, as Jesus' counter-question forced them into a cowardly attempt to hide their real motives (Matthew 21:23–27). Pressing the issue, Jesus begins a parable involving a man with two sons. The man tells the first son to go and work in the vineyard for the day.

The first son initially refuses to do what his father has asked. In that moment, the son is not just being disobedient—he is being defiant. He directly says he will not comply. However, that hard-headed response eventually gives way and the son winds up doing exactly what his father wanted all along. This parable is meant to contrast those who initially respond to God with defiance, but later come to faith, with those who make a show of obedience but never really obey (Matthew 21:30).

In the following verse, Jesus describes a second son who follows the second pattern, doing exactly the opposite of the first son.

Matthew 21:28–32 continues Jesus' interaction with priests and elders in the temple, after He defuses a challenge. He delivers a parable about a man with two sons who tells them both to go work in a vineyard. The first says no, but then does it. The second says yes and then disobeys. Jesus, comparing the religious leaders to the second son, says that even the tax collectors and prostitutes who believed John the Baptist and repented will enter the kingdom of God before these important and powerful religious men.

Jesus fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah about the coming of the king to Jerusalem by riding in on a donkey. The people celebrate and praise Him as the Messiah. Jesus drives the marketers and moneychangers out of the temple and heals some people. He curses a fig tree and tells the disciples nothing will be impossible for them with faith. Jesus forces cowardly and hypocritical religious leaders to back down with a question about John the Baptist. He then exposes their fraudulent spirituality with two parables about vineyards. Jesus applies to Himself a psalm about a rejected stone being made the cornerstone by the Lord.

Matthew 21 finds Jesus arriving near Jerusalem after leaving Jericho in the previous chapter. His triumphal entry is accomplished riding a donkey, and to raucous praise, fulfilling a prophecy about the Messiah. Jesus cleanses the marketplace from the temple, heals, and presents lessons about faith and Israel's failed leadership. This leads into further conversations which Matthew compiles from Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 5/7/2024 10:28:50 AM