Matthew 20
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Matthew 20: The Last Shall Be First
Matthew 20: The Last Shall Be First
The Parable of the Vineyard Workers
The Parable of the Vineyard Workers
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.
Jesus often uses parables to describe the kingdom of heaven, using everyday experiences of the people to help them understand the coming of the kingdom. In first century Palestine, landowners would typically wake early in the morning, go to the marketplace, and select a few workers to tend his fields. Very similar to day laborers today.
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
You will often see the word used here for penny, translated denarius; and it is meant to describe a day’s wage.
And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
The Greek day was counted from 6am to 6pm putting this third hour as between 8am and 9am.
And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
So he hires a second group of workers that will start later in the day, and they probably assume they will be paid less because of starting later.
Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
So two more times the landowner goes and hires more workers, this time around noon and then around midafternoon. These two groups obviously working even less than the first two.
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?
So this would be somewhere around 5pm, and the landowner is still hiring more workers. Now perhaps this shows the urgency needed to complete the harvest, but it also shows the desperate state of this last group; they’ve been waiting for work all day and here it is 5pm and they are just now getting hired.
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.
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.
According to the law of the time, workers had to be paid at the end of the day. We see this in:
Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee.
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.
Notice that he begins with the last group hired first. This connects this parable back to:
But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
So the group that was hired last was paid a full day’s wage, which would be a shock to everyone.
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
The group that was hired first has watched those that worked a shorter day receive a full wage, so naturally they assumed they would be paid more. But they receive the exact same payment as those hired later in the day.
And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
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.
So the workers in the parable say they deserve more. The audience that Jesus is teaching this parable would probably agree as well; those that worked more should be paid more. Most of us would agree with that, right?
But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
By ignoring when the workers started, the landowner is showing grace, he is giving some more than they deserve. This is starting to sound familiar, right?
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
So the parable that Jesus teaches has multiple points. First He is teaching the disciples a lesson that goes back to their debate about who would be greatest in heaven. Jesus is teaching that there will be those that will come into the family of God later, but they will receive the same salvation and grace. He is also making the point that even though He came to first minister to the Jews/Israel, the Gentiles will also receive the same chance for salvation. We don’t receive salvation (the day’s wage in the parable) because it’s what’s we’ve earned. We receive it because of God’s mercy, and through the blood of Christ being paid as the wage for our sins.
Third Prediction of Death, Resurrection
Third Prediction of Death, Resurrection
Mark 10:32-34
And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
When it says Jesus was “going up to Jerusalem” it means exactly that. The journey began in Galilee, and this route would start uphill at Jericho and would continue to ascend for about 10 miles until reaching Jerusalem.
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
This is the third and final time that Jesus predicts His death and resurrection, and He includes additional details this time. He explains that it will be prominent priests who were involved with the Jewish religious government that would condemn Him.
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Gentiles in this verse is referring to Romans. So Jesus perfectly describes how He will be betrayed and delivered up by the Jews, mocked by the Romans, crucified, and then resurrected three days later.
A Mother's Request
A Mother's Request
Mark 10:35-45
Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
Being at the right and left hand would be positions of authority and honor, being first and second after Jesus himself. So she is asking for James and John (the sons of Zebedee) to be put into these positions. So it seems the disciples and their families are still having the ongoing debate of who will be greatest in heaven, despite what Jesus has taught them.
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Jesus is referring the the suffering and death that he is about to face. James and John say that they would be able to face this, probably because the didn’t understand exactly what Jesus is talking about and the extent of what He is about to face.
And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Both men ultimately will suffer and drink from that cup. James was executed as a martyr by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1–2).
Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
John was persecuted and banished to the island of Patmos (Rev 1:9), but it is not clear whether he was martyred. According to writers in the early church, John died as an old man in Ephesus.
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
We see Jesus speaking about the same role reversal that we read in chapter 19. A Godly leader should willingly become a servant of others. A pastor’s role isn’t to be the chief or the be the “great among you” as it’s stated here. The role is to be a humble servant, and the disciples are seeming to still have a little bit of trouble grasping this.
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Jesus doesn’t just tell the disciples that they should humble themselves and become servants, He models it, becoming the perfect example of what that truly means. God in the flesh, humbling himself and facing a terrible death, to pay the wage for sins He didn’t commit; showing that grace that we don’t deserve as was the example in the parable of the vineyard workers.
Two Blind Men Receive Sight
Two Blind Men Receive Sight
(Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43)
And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
Jericho is northwest of the Dead Sea, again it’s about 10 miles from Jerusalem.
And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
So these two blind men cry out and call Jesus the Son of David which is a title for the messiah. They are able to sense the divinity of the man walking by them. The Jews knew that the true Messiah would come from the lineage of David as we see in:
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
This verse has three promises, the permanence of David’s dynasty, kingdom, and throne; which summarize God’s promises to David that are also mentioned in Psalm 89. David’s throne would last forever because through his lineage would come the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.
And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Matthew 20: The Last Shall Be First
Matthew 20: The Last Shall Be First
