Grace

Series: Matthew

Title: Grace

Scripture: Matt 20:1-16

Subject: Grace

Central Theme:  Nature of Grace

Resource: Lifeway’s ETB Winter 25 Lesson #8

Objective Statement:

Every person can experience the nature of grace by understanding these three aspects of this parable.

Aspect #1 – The unconditional offer. (v. 1-7)

Aspect #2 – The undeserved payment. (v. 8-12)

Aspect #3 – The unnecessary comparison. (v. 13-16)

Introduction

FIRST THOUGHTS

Everybody wants to be treated fairly. We become resentful when we perceive we have not received equal treatment. “Unfair,” we cry as we demand justice. “He got a bigger piece of cake!” “Her bonus was larger than mine, and I did most of the work.” We always want what we think we deserve. Yet life often is unfair. Life never levels the playing field for all those participating. Some are treated better, others are pushed down, but all suffer under the inequalities of life.

Why do you think we perceive life as being continually unfair?

UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT (MATTHEW 20:1-34)

Matthew 20 is a continuation from chapter 19. Many scholars note that the Bible’s chapter divisions are not found in ancient manuscripts. Instead, they were introduced in the thirteenth century and, unfortunately, obscure the connection between the narrative in chapter 19 and the parable in chapter 20.

Bible students also propose different explanations for why Jesus told this parable. Some think He intended to contrast the religious who thought they had earned God’s favor with the tax collectors and sinners who didn’t “deserve” such grace. Others believe Jesus intended to contrast the Jewish people with Gentiles who were considered outsiders and unworthy of the kingdom. Still, others take the long view and suggest that Jesus was warning His contemporaries not to presume greater privileges than those who would believe in the centuries to come. And some think that Jesus was warning those who served Him faithfully not to despise those who either came to faith late in life or even on their deathbed.

However, since chapter 20 continues the episode of chapter 19, it is best to understand the main application of Jesus’s warning as being to His own apostles to whom He had just promised great rewards in the future kingdom (Matt. 19:28).

In chapter 19, a rich, young ruler had come to Jesus, asking about eternal life (19:16). Jesus gently led the man to see that his passion for possessions was stronger than His desire to follow Jesus. He challenged the man to sell his belongings so He could follow Jesus with his whole heart. But the man walked away (19:21-22).

Speaking for the other disciples, Peter pointed out their commitment to Jesus. They had left their old lives behind and wondered what it meant for their future (19:27). Jesus assured them that they would be rewarded in God’s eternal kingdom. In that renewed era, they would sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (19:28).

Jesus then shared that in God’s kingdom, the values of this life are reversed. Those who think they are first will be last, while those who seem stuck at the end will be first (19:30). To impress this lesson on His disciples, Jesus told a parable called “The Workers in the Vineyard” in Matthew 20:1-16. This story describing the kingdom of heaven and its rewards ends with a similar note as 19:30, except in reverse order.

Jesus’s parable is another way in which He stated, “the kingdom of heaven is like.” By one count, of the forty-three parables Jesus told, thirteen were about the kingdom. Twelve of those are in Matthew’s Gospel. Of the twelve that Matthew included, seven are in chapter 13 alone (13:11,24,31,33,44,45,47,52). This one is unique to Matthew’s Gospel.

Ask: Why do you think we perceive life as being continually unfair? 

Context: Share the following content from Understand the Context to highlight the events leading up to this study: 

The parable in Matthew 20:1-16 is the capstone of the larger section of teaching found in 19:16–20:16. This sequence of events and teachings began with the inquiry of the rich young ruler. It continued with a discussion between Jesus and the disciples concerning the rewards of following Jesus. To illustrate the truths concerning eternal life and eternal rewards, Jesus shared the parable that begins chapter 20. What is profound about this section is the reversal of all that might be expected from a human perspective. . . . The people of Jesus’s day expected the rich would be treated differently than the poor. The disciples were surprised at Jesus’s teaching about the impossibility of the rich entering the kingdom of heaven. Jesus turned all these expectations on their ear.

Transition: Last week, we learned that no one gets to heaven based on their position or possessions. Today’s passage emphasizes God’s goodness and grace as He offers salvation to all.

Every person can experience the nature of grace by understanding these three aspects of this parable.

Aspect #1 – The unconditional offer. (v. 1-7)

Matthew 20:1–7 KJV 1900

1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

(vv. 1-2) The term forcontinues Matthew’s look at Jesus’s teaching on rewards (Matt. 19:27-29). The kingdom of heaven is like is a formulaic simile that Jesus used to begin other kingdom parables (13:11,24,31,33,44,45,47,52). This parable concerns a householder who owned a vineyard.

On a symbolic level, the owner represents God, while vineyards often represented Israel in Scripture (Isa. 5:1-7; 27:2-6; Jer. 2:21; 12:10). However, viniculture was common in ancient Israel, especially in the fertile soil of Galilee. That the landowner needed to return to the marketplace so many times to hire more workers suggests that his vineyard was large.

The story is set at harvest. The ripe grapes needed to be picked before they rotted or were damaged by a storm. Grape harvest was labor-intensive as each cluster had to be cut by hand. So the landowner went out early in the morning to hire labourers. These were day laborers, who would gather in the local marketplace (v. 3) and wait to be hired. Going early suggests the landowner was looking for the best workers who were willing to give him a full day’s work.

Being there early, the landowner had no trouble finding workers. He negotiated with them for the normal rate of one penny (or a denarius) for the day (Matt. 18:28; 22:19). A denarius was a Roman silver coin. With their compensation set, he sent them into his vineyard.

(vv. 3-4) The landowner later returned to the marketplace. About the third hour means “about nine in the morning.” The Jews began their day at sunrise, approximately 6 a.m.

On returning to the marketplace, the landowner saw others standing idle (literally “without work”). The narrative does not record any negotiation for their pay. The landowner simply promised, whatsoever is right I will give you (that is, something “just” or “fair”). These workers needed to trust the landowner’s word that he would pay them, and they probably figured they would get less than a denarius since they already had lost three hours of the workday.

(vv. 5-7) Three more times the landowner returned to the marketplace looking for workers: about the sixth hour (about noon), the ninth hour (3 p.m.), and about the eleventh hour (around 5 p.m.). In none of these hirings did the landowner negotiate payment, but the words did likewise probably indicate that he told those workers he would pay them what was right, as he did with those he hired at 9 a.m.

When the landowner asked the last group of men why they were standing idle, they told him that no man hath hired us. While these men clearly wanted work, their response may hint that they were the most undesirable workers. Still, the landowner decided to give them a chance—Go ye also into the vineyard, the same words he used to those he hired in verse 4. Like the workers in verses 4 and 5, the landowner promised that they would receive what was right. (This text appears in v. 7 in the KJV, but not in translations such as the CSB, NIV, and ESV.)

Jesus placed special emphasis on this group by noting their direct discourse with the landowner. No other group of hired laborers had their words shared in the story. As it turned out, the landowner’s decision about their payment would serve as the crux of Jesus’s parable.

EXPLORE Matthew 20:1-7

Application Point: We can trust God to always do what is right.

Share:

Say: The Jews had been subject to many kingdoms in their history. In Jesus’s day, the Romans were in charge. But God’s kingdom would be nothing like those. 

Read: Invite a volunteer to read Matthew 20:1-7 aloud as the group considers the details of Jesus’s parable.

Discuss: Lead a brief discussion on how the principles in the article can be applied to this parable.

Ask: What is the significance of the detail about the landowner and workers agreeing on the amount of pay?

Enlighten: Walk through each of the times the landowner hired a new group of workers. Share this insight into the landowner’s actions and motives:

The landowner was filled with compassion for these laborers who desperately needed to work each day. It wasn’t so much that more workers were required. Instead, this was a benevolent landowner giving to these workers what they desperately needed. . . . He promised to give them whatsoever is right.

Highlight: Affirm that the landowner promised to give each group what was right. Share that since the landowner represents God, we can trust Him to always do what is right in every situation.

Group Activity Option

Bible Skill

Direct them to read articles on “vineyards” and “denarius” from a Bible dictionary and to record significant insights they find. Encourage them to talk to one another about what they find in light of this session’s focal passages. After a few minutes, discuss what made the setting of Jesus’s parable (hiring day-laborers to work in a vineyard) so effective for addressing Jesus’s audience.

Every person can experience the nature of grace by understanding these three aspects of this parable.

Aspect #2 – The undeserved payment. (v. 8-12)

Matthew 20:8–12 KJV 1900

8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

(v. 8) When even was come, the 12-hour workday ended. The lord of the vineyard can also mean “the master” (kurios). Highlighting kurios at this turning point in the parable reminded Jesus’s disciples that the owner represented God.

A stewardsupervised the property for the owner. At the end of the day, the owner told his steward to gather the laborers and to give them their hire. In the law, day workers were to be paid at the end of each day (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15) because their family’s daily existence depended on it. Further, the steward was instructed to distribute the wages beginning from the last unto the first. It is not clear if this practice was unusual or not, but it certainly aligns with the point of Jesus’s parable and with Jesus’s sayings in Matthew 19:30 and 20:16.

(vv. 9-10) The workers hired about the eleventh hour had worked only one hour, so they must have been incredibly surprised when they received every man a penny. They were given a whole day’s pay for a single hour’s labor!

The groups hired at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. are not essential to the story, but we can assume that they all received a denarius as well. When the time came to pay the workers hired at 6 a.m., they supposed that they should have received more than denarius for a full day’s work. However, they likewise received every man a penny.

(v. 11) If these workers had been paid first, they would have left and never known what the owner did for the others. But because they were paid last, their expectations began to build to the point of entitlement. As a result, they murmured about the man who had hired them.

The landowner became a target of their discontent. The Greek wording indicates that once they began to complain, they continued for a while. In fact, the Greek word for murmured is related to the Old Testament term that described the Israelites’ ongoing grumbling about God, Moses, and Aaron in the wilderness (Ex. 17:3; Num. 14:2-36).

(v. 12) The men hired earliest in the day felt they had been treated unfairly—even though they had agreed to work for a denarius in verse 2. Once they saw that those who had worked just one hourwere made . . . equal unto us, they felt the injustice of the situation. Their attitudes were heightened by the burden and heat of the day. These workers were resentful that those who had only done what they considered an insignificant amount of work received the same benefit as those who worked a full twelve-hour shift.

They considered equal treatment to be unequal! They also were resentful because the last group was not exposed to the elements. Borne carries the idea of “suffered” or “endured a difficulty,” while burden suggests carrying a heavy load. Metaphorically, it also can be used to describe hardships in general. The heat of the day refers not only to the blazing Middle Eastern sun, but also to the hot sirocco winds that swept in from the desert (Job 27:21; Jer. 18:17; Jonah 4:8).

These workers felt their work had been disrespected and discounted. And they were not hesitant about giving voice to their frustrations.

EXPLORE Matthew 20:8-12

Application Point: We should be thankful God gives us more than we deserve.

Read: Instruct adults to read Matthew 20:8-12 silently, considering the tone of the workers. 

Explain: Jesus’s parable reached a turning point in these verses. Everyone received a denarius, but those who had been out for twelve hours felt shortchanged by the landowner.

Ask: Do you think what each worker received was fair? Why or why not?

Engage: Summarize the following context to highlight the tensions felt by the other workers. 

“No mention was made by Jesus of those hired at three, noon, or nine o’clock. Instead, He skipped to the climactic portion of the story and spoke of the initial hired laborers. They supposed they would receive more. They were expecting ‘fair’ treatment, since they had worked more. . . . But they, too, received a denarius. Incensed, they demanded equality.”

Share: Remind adults that the landowner symbolizes God. So, the story reflects how some might complain about God’s fairness, even when it comes to including people into His kingdom.

Ask: How do people today question God’s fairness? How do some view His just nature? 

Reflect: Enlist a volunteer to read the Key Doctrine. Give adults a few moments of silence to reflect on areas where they might be tempted to think God is unfair—and how they should respond to those feelings.

Group Activity Option

Object Lesson: Money

Prior to the session, collect the amount of money that represents what you were paid per hour in your first job. Show this to the group. Allow others to share what they made in their first jobs. Note that the amount might seem paltry today, but most people are thrilled to receive those early paychecks. Briefly discuss how easy it can be for discontent and ingratitude to set in when it comes to being paid. Apply this principle to the workers described in Matthew 20:8-12.

Every person can experience the nature of grace by understanding these three aspects of this parable.

Aspect #3 – The unnecessary comparison. (v. 13-16)

Matthew 20:13–16 KJV 1900

13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

(v. 13) Verses 13-15, and possibly verse 16, provide the owner’s response to the workers’ complaints voiced in verses 11-12. Apparently, one grumbler acted as the spokesperson for the group, so the owner addressed his response to one of them.

The landowner called the man Friend, perhaps because he didn’t know the man’s name. However, the term is not a positive one in Matthew’s Gospel, where it is used elsewhere to distance individuals from those who are in the wrong (22:12; 26:50). In this case, the landowner did not argue or refute the man’s facts. There was no reason to dispute that the 6 a.m. group had worked longer hours under unpleasant conditions. Instead, the owner first addressed the issue from the legal side.

He pointed out, I do thee no wrong. That’s because he had paid these workers the amount they had agreed on in verse 2. The owner’s rhetorical question, Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? expected a “yes” answer. The workers had agreed to that amount, and the owner had paid that amount. There was no injustice. 

(vv. 14-15) Unfortunately, the workers associated equality (v. 12) with injustice. They felt like they were being treated unfairly, but they had no legal ground for complaint. With that, the owner simply said, Take that thine is, and go thy way. Thinereferred to the man’s pay, while go is a command to leave the property.

The owner also pointed out that this was a matter of generosity, not a matter of legal obligation. As the owner of the vineyard and the one who hired the workers, he could do as he pleased with his own money. The repetition of will in verses 14-15 emphasized his authority to use his resources as he desired.

Specifically, he chose to give unto this last, even as unto thee. The owner spoke of giving, not of paying. As noted, the early group was the only one to sign on for a specific payment. For the others, no compensation was set. Instead, the owner had promised to do what was right for each group. The first group agreed to a denarius, while the others agreed to whatever the landowner felt was right to give them.

Then the owner asked two more rhetorical questions. The first related to the legality of the owner doing what I will with mine own. The term lawful recalls what he said in verse 4. Again, the expected answer is “yes.” So, the workers could not question either the owner’s legal obligations or his moral rights. The owner thus was drawing a contrast between “thine” (v. 14) and “mine” (v. 15).

The second rhetorical question confronted the workers’ real problem. They were jealous because the owner was good. The phrase is thine eye evil includes resentment and stinginess. The 6 a.m. workers were angry about the good fortune of others. The Greek language highlights the contrast between the evil or bad inside the laborers and the goodness of the landowner. The landowner’s inherent goodness reflects back to Jesus’s statement that only God—the one represented by the landowner—is good (Matt. 19:17).

(v. 16) Some Bible students think the landowner also spoke the words of verse 16 contrasting the last and the first. However, since Jesus made the same statement in Matthew 19:30 (albeit in reverse order), it is reasonable to assume that He also spoke these words. The reversed order of the wording (compared to 19:30) fits the flow of the parable. The last workers hired were paid first, while those who were hired first received their compensation last.

These verses remind us that genuine grace costs us nothing, while the grace giver pays dearly. Yet, the ultimate Giver (God) always operates out of a generous heart. Second, God’s application of grace often offends a world that cries out for its own idea of “justice.”

EXPLORE Matthew 20:13-16

Application Point: We should never cease to be amazed by God’s grace.

Read: Invite a volunteer to read Matthew 20:13-16 aloud as adults focus on the landowner’s response to the angry workers.

Ask: Were the all-day workers justified in their complaints about their wages? Why or why not?

Recap: Highlight the legal and moral arguments as described in Matthew 20:13 and 20:14-15. Read this content to provide more background. 

The landowner wanted them to know that they were out of line with their grumbling. He had fulfilled his word to them. They worked the number of hours to which they agreed, and he had paid them accordingly. There was nothing unfair about this. The landowner was not in their debt because they worked longer and harder than others. . . . If the landowner chose to act out of compassion toward those last hired, that was his prerogative. The landowner had every right to do with his money and his vineyard as he chose. He was not acting unjustly; instead, the complainers were envious of the payment others received. Their complaints didn’t arise from some vaulted sense of justice but from sheer greed and jealousy based on their faulty expectations.

Ask: What does this parable teach us about comparing ourselves to others?

Explain: In sharing the parable, Jesus emphasized that the kingdom of God was not about human effort. Those who “work hardest” are not granted automatic admission, and they should not expect the biggest reward. Instead, entrance into the kingdom is an act of God’s mercy and grace. We cannot earn it, and we don’t deserve it. The Master provides freely for those who are willing to accept His offer. We have no right to take His grace for granted or to question who He demonstrates that mercy toward.

Reflect: Write the application statement for these verses on the board: We should never cease to be amazed by God’s grace. Encourage adults to spend a few moments silently reflecting on God’s grace in their lives and confessing ways they have lost their awe for what He has done for them.

CHALLENGE

Summarize:

· We can trust God to always do what is right.

· We should be thankful God gives us more than we deserve.

· We should never cease to be amazed by God’s grace.

Review: Read the statements aloud, stressing “can” and “should” in each one. At the end of each statement, encourage adults to suggest practical ways they can apply these principles to their lives each day. Urge adults to adopt some of these ideas for living out God’s grace and generosity before the world.

Discuss: Explain that adults need not answer aloud, but challenge them to think of a number that correlates with their honest response. Share a time in your own life when you felt like you needed to earn God’s love and how you came to understand that He offers it freely. Encourage the group to consider keeping a journal for recording God’s blessings so they will be more attentive to His grace.

Pray: Close in prayer, asking God to help adults contemplate God’s love and blessings in their lives. As adults leave, challenge them to share with at least one person this week how God has been gracious to them.

AFTER THE SESSION

During the week, send the group a text or email, sharing the lyrics of “Amazing Grace” with them. Urge them to reflect on God’s grace regularly. Remind them to share His grace with someone who needs to know about it this week. If you personally experience a moment when life seems unfair, reflect on the truths of this week’s focal passage. Be prepared to share that intentional mindset change with the group.

KEY DOCTRINE:

God

God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. (See Isaiah 40:25; Matthew 6:9.)

BIBLE SKILL:

Use Bible study resources to gain more insight into a passage.

Read articles on “vineyards” and “denarius” from a Bible dictionary. Record significant insights you gain as you consider what you read in light of this session’s focal passages. In addition, consider what made the setting of Jesus’s parable (hiring day-laborers to work in a vineyard) so effective for the audience He was addressing.