Matthew 21:28-32 Go and Work in the Vineyard
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: July 10, 2019 Matthew 21:28-32
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
(Understanding the Text) The leaders of the temple had just challenged Jesus questioning His right to clear out the temple the day before. When asked by what authority He had done this, He asked them where John the Baptist got his authority. They refused to answer with a clear answer, so Jesus said that He refused to answer also. However, Jesus does not drop the subject of John. He tells a parable of a man with two sons, who he tells to go work in the vineyard. The vineyard is the people of God in scripture, so God is telling His children to work among their people for Him, to obey His will. The religious leaders would have understood that message. The first group refused to follow God’s will and rebelled but later repented of their rebellion and began obeying God. The second group mouthed the words of obedience, but did not actually obey God. They gave an appearance of obeying, but they totally ignored God’s orders. Jesus asked the leaders who were challenging Him which son had obeyed the father, and they responded that the second one had.
Jesus then applied His parable of the two sons to the leaders themselves and contrasted them to the dregs of Jewish society, the tax collectors and prostitutes. He brings the subject back to John the Baptist proving that He had never left that subject. He rightly accuses the leaders of not believing in John either from the beginning or after they saw how John’s message affected the worst sinners. Jesus says that the leaders missed out on their chance to enter into God’s kingdom, and the tax collectors and prostitutes would go in before them. This goes along with His saying in another place that the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
(Understanding the Text / Revelation of God) John the Baptist was an essential element of God’s plans. Jesus called him the greatest born among men. Jesus’ standard of greatness had to do with being the most humble and filled with service and love for others. I always think about John the Baptist as being harsh and condemnatory, but I don’t think he would have had as much effect as he had if he was not also full of love for those who repented and for God. John must have been a very loving person in his own Old Testament prophet way.
(Application) My application for myself is that I need to let the Holy Spirit keep my heart soft towards others and open to changing my thinking rather than getting obstinate and know-it-all. God’s ways are at variance with the world’s ways, and I feel out of step with the angry aggressive opinionated attitudes that I see all around me. I need to be like God.
(Prayer) Teach me to be like You and to be open to the messages that You send from Your representatives. Help me to repent when I am wrong and to be humble in serving You.