Bible Strands
Matthew 21:28
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.’
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the chief priests and elders immediately after they decline to answer his question about his authority. He poses a hypothetical scenario to them involving a father and his two sons.
The words — The opening phrase uses τί (ti) and δοκεῖ (dokei) to literally ask “What do you think?” This phrasing directly engages the listeners’ judgment before introducing the narrative.
The thread — The vineyard imagery echoes the landowner hiring workers in Matthew 20:1, while the call to steadfast labor aligns with the exhortation in 1 Corinthians 15:58. The appeal to personal reasoning mirrors the instruction in 1 Corinthians 10:15 to judge for themselves.
Why it lands — The text demands a concrete assessment of immediate obedience versus later compliance. It requires the reader to examine whether their actions align with their spoken commitments.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Matthew 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 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, 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.
- 1 Corinthians 10:15 I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say.
- Mark 13:34 It 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 15:11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons.
- Matthew 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?”
- Matthew 21:33 Listen 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.
- Luke 13:4 Or 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?
- Matthew 20:5 So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
- Matthew 22:17 So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”