VERSES: Matthew 21:28-32
MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 21:31 "Which of the two did the will of his father?..."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Proverbs. Write "Proverbs" on small slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class that they may memorize another Old Testament book at home.
PRAYER: Pray that we will always do the will of our Father in heaven.
SPECIAL SONG: Jesus Taught By Parable And Miracle (see March 2014 - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog. Click on orange circle to hear tune.)
VISUAL AID: Large Activity (see Activity below)
LESSON POINTS:
- In the last week that Jesus lived on the earth, He continued to teach by telling parables to the people. He had been talking to the chief priests and elders in the temple when Jesus asked them, "What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to his first son and said, "Son, go and work today in my vineyard." The son said, "I will not go," but after a while, he changed his mind and went. The man went to his second son and said the same thing, "Son, go and work in my vineyard today." But this son said, "I will go," but did not go.
- Jesus asked those who were standing around listening to Him, "Which of the two sons obeyed his father?" The chief priests and elders said, "The first son." Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and the wicked women will go into the kingdom of God before you. John came to show you the way of righteousness, but you did not believe him. The tax collectors and the wicked women believed John, and, you, even after you had seen this, did not repent or change your minds and believe John."
- The publicans or tax collectors and the wicked women were some of the people that the chief priests and Pharisees thought were lower, less honorable, and more sinful than they were. It was really the other way around. The Pharisees, chief priests, and elders were actually less honorable than the sinners that Jesus had mentioned. The Pharisees and others were hypocrites. They pretended to be holy and righteous, but inside they were eaten up with wickedness. They did not practice what they preached. They told other people what to do and how to live, but they did not do those things themselves. Jesus said that the Pharisees "say, but do not." (Matthew 23:3). Jesus knew their hearts. But the tax collectors and wicked women were better than the chief priests and elders because they had believed John and changed their way of living. The Pharisees, chief priests, and scribes had not. We will study more about the Pharisees at a later time.
- What is better--to say you are going to do something and don't do it or to say you are not going to do something and then change your mind and do it. That was Jesus' question. Discuss.
ACTIVITY: The Parable Of The Two Sons
Materials needed: three 2" x 12" strips of tan construction paper, crayons, markers, tape.
- Hand out all strips of paper.
- Fold all three papers in half.
- Fold all three papers' open ends up 1.5".
- Draw each man on both sides of paper, remembering not to draw below the fold.
- Open all three papers.
- Choose one man to be the father. Write "Matthew 21:28-32" on the bottom 1.5" edge.
- Write, "Son, go and work today in my vineyard" on both sides of paper.
- Choose one man to be the first son. Write "The First Son" on the bottom 1.5" edge.
- Write, "I will not go." on one side. Turn over. Write, "I will not go. He changed his mind and went" on the other side.
- On the second son's paper, write, "I will go." on one side. Turn over. Write, "I will go." But he did not go. Write "The Second Son" on the bottom 1.5" edge.
- Tape ends together to secure. They should stand.
- Using the father and two sons, rehearse the story.
