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Matthew 21:28
ESV "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.’
NIV "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.’
NASB But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘ Son, go work today in the vineyard.’
CSB "What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’
NLT But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’
KJV 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.
NKJV “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’

What does Matthew 21:28 mean?

This continues a conversation between Jesus and a group of priests and elders. They attempted to goad Jesus into making a statement they could use against Him, and He replied by proving that they lacked sincere convictions (Matthew 21:23–27). Despite their attempt to avoid admitting disobedience, Jesus will now use a parable to illustrate why the least "religious" people in Israel would enter the kingdom of God before these self-important figures. These powerful men very likely wished at this point that they had not picked this fight with Jesus.

Jesus launches into this story directly from His prior comment by posing another scenario for them to answer. The theme of this parable will, again, bring up their rejection of John the Baptist. Jesus describes a man with two sons. The man tells both boys, first one and then the other, to go work in a vineyard for the day. The sons will answer and then do two different things.
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Context Summary
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.
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Chapter Summary
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.
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What is the Gospel?
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