The two sons

Allan Bartlam | Matthew 21:28-32 

[Jesus said,] 'What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, "Son, go and work today in the vineyard." "I will not," he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.'

'Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, "I will, sir," but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?'

It's a simple story and the crowd have no difficulty in coming up with the right answer. But when Jesus goes on to identify who each of the sons might represent, things get a lot more uncomfortable. This is the first of a series in which we look at some of Jesus' parables and how they apply, not just to Jesus' hearers but also to us today. Which "son" is each of us more like?

The recording is an edited version of our Sunday service. It is introduced by John Lanchbury, with a reading by Dave Lucking and prayers from Margaret Tucker.

For copyright reasons we can't include the music in the recording, but the songs used in the service were "Loved before the dawn of time" and "Hear the call of the kingdom".