There are two retellings of this story, and if you’ll forgive the simplification. The telling in Luke mostly sticks to the bare bones of the story, the idea that there was a banquet where everyone uninvited was welcomed. The Matthew one, by contrast, puts in some deep symbolism. It ‘ups’ the banquet to a wedding, talks about the servants being killed when they went to collect the guests, and ends with a puzzling passage about a man being thrown out for dressing incorrectly. All these are great to explore further with older groups, but I’ve stuck to the simple form for this retelling.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Luke 14 Additional Passage : Matthew 22
Some stories seem innocent enough until you get into them, this is such a parable. It wouldn’t have taken long for the listeners to start switching out ‘servant’ with ‘prophet’, to wonder if the vineyard was Eden’s glory or the promised holy kingdom of heaven on earth. The process was thinly veiled even by Jesus’ standard, there would be no explaining this one to the apostles later. For the religious leaders, clearly painted as the worst of tenants, it was a threat that couldn’t be more direct if it physically slapped them, but their hands were tied by the other ears that heard. As if adding insult to injury, Jesus then sets himself up as the cornerstone, the very foundation that the new kingdom would be built upon.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus was telling stories: again. Stories about vineyard owners: again. And annoying the religious leaders: again!
“There was a vineyard owner” said Jesus, a small smile playing on his lips. “This vineyard owner bought a plot of land and planted his vineyard, he built a press, he built a fence, it was a fine vineyard. But the owner was old, the long days in the vineyard made him tired, he missed the place he used to live before he bought the vineyard and made a plan to go back there.
“Some men would look after the vineyard, they would be his tenants and once all the grapes had been harvested he would send a servant to collect his share.
“So the vineyard owner left, and many months went past until the day came for him to send 3 servants. Some weeks later, one of the three servants arrived back at the master’s house. He was bruised and his clothes torn. He told the vineyard owner that the tenants had refused to give them anything, they had beaten him, thrown stones at the other servant and killed the third. He alone was strong enough to travel back home.
“Angry, the vineyard owner sent a bigger number of servants, but they returned with the same story. Unsure what to do to communicate with his tenants, he decided to send his son, his only son, who he loved. When the tenants saw the son coming, they made a plan. If they killed his son, there would be nobody to take over the vineyard, and they could keep it forever. So they took the vineyard owner’s son and killed him.
“What would the Vineyard owner do? Well, he threw out those tenants and had them punished, then he gave the vineyard to other men who would share the harvest.”
The crowd went quiet. They knew this wasn’t really a story about vineyards and servants, it was a story about God’s kingdom, about the prophets God sent to his people, how the people of God had treated God’s messengers so badly. The religious leaders knew it too.
“Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’” said Jesus, that smile back on his lips again. He was teasing them. Even if they rejected him, he was going to build a kingdom and right now, they wouldn’t be in it.
This little parable packs a punch, here we have the vineyard owner again, but instead of looking for hired workers he’s asking his sons to help out. The two sons both react very differently, one says no (or perhaps ‘I won’t’ or ‘I don’t want to’ dependent on your translation) but the other obeys. At that moment, the good son is obvious. But as we see, the words are empty, much like the religious leader’s faith in the encounters. The challenge of this parable goes two ways, to act on your convictions and to be willing to recognise your errors and put them right. If you have older kids, do delve into the question that the religious leaders hit pass on and why they may be afraid to stand behind John the Baptist.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Matthew 21:28-32
The religious leaders were trying to trap Jesus, but Jesus kept asking them questions they were too scared to answer. When they had hit pass on yet another question, Jesus decided to tell a story.
“There was a vineyard owner” said Jesus – Jesus liked to tell stories about vineyard owners, there were lots of vineyards about as lots of people drank wine!
“This vineyard owner had two sons, two sons who were sitting near the house, not doing anything to help!
“Oi” shouted their father as he spotted them. “The vines need tending, go help the workers!” He marched right over to where the elder son was sitting. “Will you go and help?” asked the father. The son looked down at the ground. He really didn’t want to help today, he was hoping his friend would call soon, and he would rather not lie to his father. “I’m sorry Father, but I don’t want to today” he said.
The father looked sad but decided to go ask his younger son “Will you go and help?” asked the father again “Yes sir” replied the younger son, knowing that was what his father wanted to hear. He thought that he would go and help as soon as he finished the game he was playing.
Hours later, the younger son was still playing. He knew he should be in the vineyard, but he was having too much fun, and his father didn’t seem too upset when his brother had said no. He didn’t move all day until the evening meal was called.
Meanwhile, the older brother felt terrible. When his friend arrived, he sent him away so he could do what his father had asked. He changed his clothes and went to work to make up for the time he’d sat at home.
Which of the two did what his father asked?” said Jesus.
It was an easy answer: the older son. Because the older son saw that his choice had been wrong and changed. The religious leaders didn’t want to change their minds, even when they realised they might be wrong. Jesus said that because of this, they would be the last to enter God’s kingdom.
Jesus was a storyteller, and this powerful small story goes against the grain of so much that is taught to kids. It doesn’t matter how many followers or likes you can score, Jesus will love you the same. Equally, it doesn’t matter how many bible verses you can recite or how much muck your sin has created, God’s going to take you in as his chosen child.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Matthew 20:1-16
Jesus was a storyteller, the crowd loved his stories and the Bible records many of them for us. One day, he was trying to explain the kingdom of heaven and told a story about a man who owned a vineyard, where they grow grapes.
It was picking season and the grapes were round and fat and juicy and needing to be collected, so the man went into the town to find some men to help pick them. It was morning, and soon he found the men waiting to be offered work. He agreed to pay them the standard daily wage and took them back to the vineyard.
The men started working, and soon the quiet vines were full of men chatting and singing and moving huge bunches of grapes into baskets to be collected. Their fingers were stained purple and their backs hot from the heat of the sun. There was too much work and not enough men.
In the middle of the day, the owner went back to the town to find more men. He found a crowd of men who had not been hired and brought them back to help. Then he went back to town at 3 in the afternoon and brought more men, and again at 5. When it reached 6, and evening started coming, the owner told the manager it was time for everyone to stop working.
The manager handed the men who had worked 1 hour the full daily wage, then he gave the exact same amount to those who had worked 3 hours, 6 hours and those who worked all day. The men who had worked all day were not pleased, why had they worked hard in the baking sun when those who came at the end got the same pay?
They confronted the owner, grumbling. The owner told them to take the wage they had agreed, it was his choice to pay the last men the same as the first. Were they really angry he was being generous?
Jesus’ story was telling the crowd an important message. Jesus put it this way: “The last will be first, and the first will be last.”
In God’s kingdom everyone is valued, there isn’t the best and the worst, everyone is loved. Not because of what they do, or how hard they work, but because God chose them and loves them. Those who think they should be first will end up at the back, and those who think they should be at the back will find themselves at the front.
This parable of Jesus is probably not the most popular with many, especially not bankers, but the kind of radical forgiveness it displays is sorely needed in today’s world. The idea of burning your last bridges, squandering your last chance, and ‘no way back’ are rife and yet, God never shuts that door to us and asks us to not shut that door to others. If you have older kids, it’s worth reminding them that forgive means not to hold it over someone’s head, but also not to necessarily forget. The king would have been wise to hesitate before lending the man more. Equally, forgiveness is granted when requested on our knees, acknowledging our shortcomings, not given automatically.
Tell this story or a similar one of your choice from a favourite bible translation or storybook. This version is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Matthew 18:21-35 Extra reference : Acts 1
There are two quite distinct teachings in this short 6 verse section from Matthew 18: the teaching on resolving arguments and the teaching on corporate prayer. To capture both, this retelling weaves a fictional story about one of the crowd of extra’s. We know from Acts 2 that many men were with Jesus throughout his time but not chosen to be one of his disciples, one called ‘Justus’ is mentioned and this is an imagined story of his. Which of the two elements you decide to stress is entirely up to you.
This retold version of the Bible passage is supplied for inspiration, feel free to omit or embellish to give it your personal voice.
Main Passage : Matthew 18 15-20 Extra reference : Acts 1
If you want the teachers page then please click on the image for the pdf.
Today’s heroes is Simon-Peter because he shows us the gift of a cross
Essential Teachers notes:
A huge part of understanding scripture comes from understanding the context that it’s played out in. In passages like this where Peter challenges Jesus’ planned schedule as absurd, we have to see the wider picture to understand the actions of the characters. This shift in Jesus’ teaching is totally incompatible with the expectations and teachings of a coming Messiah and Peter putting his foot in it is a very predictable response. It’s easy to make Peter look like a fool or a man of weak faith in this conversation but neither is true. By understanding why he had trouble grasping this concept we also shed light on why the religious leaders lead Jesus to his death.
Tell this story or a similar one of your choice from a favorite bible translation or story book.
If you want the teachers page then please click on the image for the pdf.
Today’s heroes is Simon-Peter because he shows us the gift of Foundation
Essential Teachers notes:
This short conversation with Jesus’ tired followers is a pivotal moment. For Peter to speak out with such assurance is surely a divine revelation but he probably wasn’t the only one thinking it. Peter’s boldness is richly rewarded, not only does he get a new name he is also given the keys to the kingdom. This passage lends itself well to being acted out and this retelling would work as a narrated script.
Tell this story or a similar one of your choice from a favorite bible translation or story book.
