Matthew 20:1-16, Grace is given equally and undeservedly to all who are saved.

Grace is given equally and undeservedly to all who are saved.

Matthew 20:1–16 (ESV)

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

When it comes to parables, there is a great temptation and unfortunately a host of misinterpretations in recent history of the parables in the NT. Too many times parables are disconnected from their context and over evaluated for meaning that isn’t related to the actual purpose of the parable.

The parables were really told by Jesus, but they are not real stories. Parables are a tool used to communicate a primary point or illustrate a point that has already been made.

A Quick Reminder of the Rules of a parable:

1. Direct discourse between characters in a parable is always significant

2. The emphasis is almost always on the end of the parable.

3. The point of a parable is directly related to its context, and aimed at those who are hearing it.

“It is not right to search curiously and word by word, into all things in a parable; but when we have learned the object for which it was composed, we are to reap this, and not to busy ourselves about anything further.” -John Chrysostom

In other words, parables are not Dan Brown novels, there isn’t a separate meaning to each part of the story, the point of the parable is contained in the whole.

Like I mentioned earlier, this parable is in response to Peter’s question about what they will receive. This parable highlights the fact that God acts toward us in grace, and what we receive from His is according to His grace rather than our works.

The point of the parable is that salvation is the result of God’s grace, and His grace is equally and undeservedly give to all who have faith in Jesus Christ.

The point of a parable is directly related to its context… our context for this parable is Matthew 19, and specifically 19:23-30.

Context: Matthew 19:23–30 (ESV)

"23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

After the rich man walked away from Jesus sorry, the disciples grew concerned about the possibility of their salvation. As you see in verse 26 Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” With the possibility of salvation squarely in the hands of God, Peter says, “See we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”

Peter is concerned with what he and the other disciples would receive for their sacrifices and commitment to Jesus. But, Jesus answers in a way that reveals He is more concerned with the disciples knowing that everything, including their rewards for what they have done comes from God. Jesus reveals the truth that God’s saving work flows from grace to us.

Jesus answers Peter’s question, but He doesn’t stop with what Peter and the disciples will receive. Jesus tells them in Matthew 20:29-30, “And everyone who left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

The parable that Jesus tells us is book-ended by the statement in Matthew 19:30 and 20:16 referring to the first and the last.

A few notes about the parable:

A denarius is a day worth of wages

The Vinyard owner promises to pay what is right or fair, and it is assumed that he will follow through.

The ones standing in the marketplace each time the master comes to get more workers are not portrayed as lazy. They are portrayed as willing, but simply without work.

The first section of the parable references the hiring, the second section highlight the paying. Those who are hired last are payed first in the parable. And, presumably the payments will go up gradually based on the amount each group has worked.

Every group gets paid more than they anticipated until the last group. The first group that was hired gets what they agreed too when they agreed to work. However every group that went to work after them received more than they anticipated. The reason is because the first group received a full days pay for working a full day. The rest of the groups received a full days pay without working a full day.

There are a couple of things that this parable is not teaching us:

1. This parable does not mean that some earn their salvation while others do not.

2. This parable does not mean you should put off repenting of your sin and following Christ until a later time.

The assumption in this way of thinking is sinful and a massive misuse of God’s grace. As JC Ryle said, “the longer men refuse to obey Christ’s voice, the less likely they are to be saved.” According to 2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV), “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”

Living with the intention to call out to God for salvation later in life is a presumption that no man should make. This way of thinking assumes that what God offers comes at very little cost. But, the truth is that the grace that God extends costs the very life of His Son Jesus Christ.

According to the message of the gospel, or Bible, we owe it all to Christ. Through this parable we learn that:

Grace is given equally and undeservedly to all who are saved.

This means:

1. We owe our salvation completely to Christ.

God sent Christ, His Son, to redeem sinners by offering Him as a sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ is an atoning sacrifice, which means that His death was given in the place of all those who would be saved. The salvation that God offers is a gift, that the book of Romans says was the result of God’s grace, and it justifies those who receive Christ by faith before God.

Paul writes in Romans 3:23–26 (ESV), “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

According to Romans 6 God graciously saves without forfeiting His own justice. Because the sacrifice of Christ is an atoning sacrifice it means that Jesus receives in His own body the penalty that the sins of those who receive Him deserve.

We owe our salvation to Christ and through the cross of Christ God maintains His justice. But, not only that, God is also just in keeping His Word to all He saves. Every person who is saved by faith in Christ through the grace of God receives eternal life. This is true for Peter the apostle and the thief on the cross next to Jesus.

To make sure that you understand the nature of the crucifixion. Jesus paid the penalty that our sins deserve on the cross then. He does not feel the weight of them today, He took the weight of them then. Jesus Himself said, “It is finished”, referring to His sacrifice on the cross. And as the writer of Hebrews says,”11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” - Hebrews 10:11–14 (ESV)

We owe it all to Jesus because Jesus took it all for us on that fateful day outside of Jerusalem when He died on the cross. Today Jesus sits next to the Father on the throne waiting for the appointed time of His return.

Therefore, the only way that any man, woman, boy, or girl can be saved or right with God is through a full and complete submission to God as He is revealed in the Bible.

2. If we trust in the grace of God for ourselves, we must also accept the generosity of God toward others.

As Douglas Sean O’Donnell says, “God’s gift of salvation is equally gracious (every believer gets eternal life), so don’t begrudge God’s unequal generosity (that is, if he wants to give such life to someone who really, really, really, doesn’t deserve it).

One of the themes that runs throughout Matthew’s gospel is the truth that the gospel of Jesus is for everyone, including the politically, socially, and religiously unacceptable. Matthew displays this theme through the accounts of the wrong kind of people being called, healed, and esteemed. In this gospel Jesus affirms the faith of Gentiles, heals those who are unclean, refers to children as the example, and calls a tax collector (Matthew) to follow Him as a disciple. Matthew points out that the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders referred to those Jesus was spending time with as sinners and tax-collectors because they were outcast sinners from their culture.

The Pharisees had a difficult time accepting God’s generosity toward others. But, this problem is not unique to the Pharisees, it is an issue in the church still today.

The way of Jesus contradicted the way of the Pharisees and the culture of the Romans. This is also true today, the way of Jesus contradicts the way of the religious and the way of our American culture.

Jesus describes the truth of salvation and the nature of His kingdom when He says that, “The last will be first and the first last.”

“The last will be first, and the first last.”

Matthew 20:13-16 says, “13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

God gives the same grace to the worst of us as He does to the best of us.

In the parable the master asks those who had worked the longest if they begrudged his generosity? They were displeased by the generosity of the master t those who had worked less than they did.

This is not the way of the kingdom of God, but it is one of the ways that the kingdom of the world influences the church.

Even though we know the truth that every person on the planet is a sinner, we still categorize and label one another. We think more highly of one class of person than we do another.

Romans 12:3–5 (ESV) says, “3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

According to the Word of God we must measure one another according to Christ and by the grace that we have been given. This means that in the kingdom of God we are all members of His body and as He says individually members of one another.

This means that the kingdom of God, or the body of Christ, is marked by spiritual equality.

The kingdom of God is marked by spiritual equality

The post of the parable is to help us focus on the generosity of God rather than our efforts.

Peter asks what the efforts and sacrifices that he and others have made will receive… and Jesus tells Him they will receive the same eternal life that the rest of those who trust in Him by faith will receive.

Under this idea, we need to mention that equality in the kingdom translates to equality in the local church. Unlike the world we don’t live with classifications of value other than the ones that God gives us… and according to the Lord the cross has demonstrated the equal value of each person in the church.

Like Paul mentioned in Romans 12, we are all one body, and in 1 Corinthians 12 we see that each member has a part to play. According to 1 Corinthians 12:21–22 (ESV),”21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,”

Spiritual equality is demonstrated when each person in the church receives equal value, regardless of his or her role and gifting.

Don’t be preoccupied with fairness, instead focus on the faithfulness of God.

The disciples were looking for what was fair… Jesus reveals that we need to focus on God’s faithfulness. In the parable the master gave each person who worked at least what they deserved. This doesn’t mean that we can earn our salvation, that’s not the point of the parable. But, it does mean that our attention should be on the one who has graciously saved us and promised a reward to us. It’s easy to get distracted and focus on what we think is fair. But, like the master in the parable said, “15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” It is up to us to focus on the faithfulness of God and trust Him with the unfolding of His will and His plan.

There is no grumbling in the kingdom of God because grumbling means you don’t trust in the sovereignty of God.

Philippians 2:12–16 (ESV)

“12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

In the context of trusting and obeying God’s will for your life, Paul says that we are to all things without grumbling or disputing. One of the many marks of those who follow Christ is their submission to the will of God, even when it isn’t according to our own wants or wishes. Like Paul says in Philippians 2:15-16 “we shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” when we surrender and submit to the will and ways of God in our lives.

Grumbling is often referred to as the “understandable sin that is unacceptable before God.”

Scripture is filled with instances of grumbling, and each time is labeled as unacceptable. Even when our needs in the church aren’t being met we find that grumbling and complaining are never the answer. Grumbling and the bad attitudes that it produces can impact others and spread like a wild-fire or cancer within the church. Matthew 12:36 (ESV) says, “36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” This means that we will be held accountable for our grumbling and complaining against the Lord and His will.

When you are faced with a situation that could lead to grumbling do the following:

1. Take the issue to God in prayer

2. Take it to the right person (responsible)

3. Trust the Lord and stay faithful to Him by following His Word

Remember the point of the parable that Jesus tells here in Matthew 20:1-16.

Grace is given equally and undeservedly to all who are saved.

1. Be a champion of God’s generosity

2. You owe it all to Christ

3. Don’t put off surrendering your life to God, today is the day of your salvation

All to Jesus I surrender

All to Him I freely give

I will ever love and trust Him

In His Presence daily live

All to Jesus I surrender

Humbly at His feet I bow

Worldly pleasures all forsaken

Take me Jesus take me now

Singing

I surrender all

I surrender all

All to Thee my blessed Saviour

I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender

Make me Saviour wholly Thine

Let me feel the Holy Spirit

Truly know that Thou art mine.

I surrender all

I surrender all

All to Thee my blessed Saviour

I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender

All to Him I freely give

I will ever love and trust Him

In His Presence daily live

I surrender all

I surrender all

All to Thee

My blessed Saviour

I surrender all