Children’s Sermon

Matthew 21:23-32

Which One Pleased Jesus?

Every Saturday, Kyle and Kelly had chores to do. One Saturday, their dad asked Kyle to mow the lawn right after breakfast. Kyle hated mowing the lawn. He said, “No, I don’t want to do that. It makes me sneeze.” Later that morning, though, he felt bad about his disobedience so Kyle went outside and started up the mower and got the job done before lunch. When he came back from work that day, Dad thanked Kyle for mowing the lawn after all.

The next Saturday, their dad told Kelly to mow the lawn. Kelly said, “Sure, Dad. I’ll mow it as soon as I put my breakfast dishes away.” But Kelly had a lot of other things she wanted to do that day so she never did get around to mowing the lawn. It was late when their dad got back from work and saw the un-mowed lawn. Do you think their dad was disappointed to see that the grass hadn’t been cut? (Allow the children to respond.)

Which of the twins actually did what their father asked? (Allow the children to respond.) Yes, Kyle was obedient.

The following Saturday was Dad’s day off. Kyle and Kelly knew that Dad planned to take them to the park for the morning. However, because the grass had grown up so tall, he mowed the lawn instead. Afterwards, he joined the twins and their mom for a glass of lemonade. He told them this story from the Bible.

One day when some people were questioning him Jesus said, “A man had two sons, and he came to the first, and said, ‘Son, go work today in my vineyard.’ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind, and went. He came to the second, and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he didn’t go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” (verses 28-31)

Does Jesus’ story of the two sons sound a lot like the twins? (Allow the children time to respond.) Yes, it does. Kyle refused to mow the lawn, but changed his mind and did it. Kelly, agreed to mow the lawn, but just blew it off. Dad went on to explain that it was important to be willing and obedient when either of their parents asked them to do a certain task.

Both twins spoke up. Kyle said he was sorry for complaining about mowing the lawn, and Kelly said she was sorry for not mowing. When their mom asked the twins if they could help her make sandwiches for lunch, they both jumped right up and headed for the kitchen. No more disobedience for them!

PRAYER

God, we are so thankful for parents who give us good instruction. Jesus’ story of the two sons helps us understand how important it is to be obedient and not grumble. Help us to be cheerful in our chores and always do what we say we will do. Amen.

Scripture quotations from the World English Bible