There is an element of human tenderness in this parable. And so they didn't really remember that He said He was going to rise the third day, until after the resurrection. It is a question, then, of internal evidence, what that particular order is which God has employed in each different gospel. The Gospels A man who wanted to work came there first thing in the morning, carrying his tools, and waited until someone hired him. At the great day, though the dead in Christ shall rise first, yet they which are alive and remain, on whom the ends of the world (the eleventh hour of its day) comes, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds; no preference shall be given to seniority, but every man shall stand in his own lot at the end of the days. Neither giveth he an account of any of his matters; nor is it fit he should. (E) They will condemn him to death 19and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged(F) and crucified. This, then, I apprehend to be the reason why we End two demoniacs mentioned; whereas, in Mark or Luke for other purposes, the Spirit of God only draws attention to one of the two. Higher proportionate rewards shall be given to them than to others. This is applied to the Jews (Matthew 22:14; Matthew 22:14); it was so then, it is too true still; many are called with a common call, that are not chosen with a saving choice. And about the eleventh hour, [five in the evening] he went out, and found others standing idle, and said unto them, Why do you stand here idle all day? When He reaches the house, minstrels were there, and people, making a noise: the expression, if of woe, certainly of impotent despair. First, it sheds a light on the disciples. They put upon Him a scarlet robe, and they begin to say unto Him, "Hail king of the Jews," and they mocked Him. It may indeed have had a comparatively limited application when it was spoken for the first time; but it contains truth which goes to the very heart of the Christian religion. We have here not only our Lord's ministry in the first parable, but in the second parable that which He does by His servants. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. The man that was not called promises to go anywhere, in his own strength; but the man that was called feels the difficulty, and pleads a natural duty before following Jesus. Men were in the grip of a power of evil which they could not break; their sins dragged them down; their sins separated them from God; their sins wrecked life for themselves and for the world and for God himself. a. And Jesus tells him, "Look no one has left anything, but what in this life he get a hundredfold, and in the life to come, eternal life"( Matthew 19:29 ). The time of life is the day, in which we must work the works of him that sent us into the world. 4. When a person's ministry gets so great, and they become so prominent that they lose touch with people, and they can no longer minister to people's individual needs, their ministry has become greater than their Lord. In verse 13 our Lord "goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. Had Peter confessed who the Son of man really is? Here is the account with the labourers. Let those who have so little experience of what man is, even in the regenerate, beware lest they impute to the Baptist such an acting of a part as shocks us, when Jerome imputed it to Peter and Paul in the censure of Galatians 2:1-21. If I assume from the words "set forth in order," in the beginning of Luke's gospel, that therefore his is the chronological account, it will only lead me into confusion, both as to Luke and the other gospels; for proofs abound that the order of Luke, most methodical as he is, is by no means absolutely that of time. Here we see the worldly ambition of the disciples in action. For less than $5/mo. The people whose hearts are yielded to him will be recognized as his children no matter their rank or riches by worldly standards. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? In Matthew 16:1-28 we advance a great step, spite (yea, because) of unbelief, deep and manifest, now on every side. c. For many are called, but few chosen: This was said in the context of this illustration of grace. This sets forth not at all the way in which the Christian stands related to Christ; for even though we had known Him after the flesh, henceforth know we Him no more. [1.] What the account was; and in that observe. Further, in strict justice the fewer hours a man worked, the less pay he should have received. To me it is evident, from a careful comparison of them all, as I think it is capable of clear and adequate proof to an unprejudiced Christian mind, that neither Matthew nor Luke confines himself to such an order of events. Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son. A daily devotional about God's power for our battles. 'These last,' they said, 'have only worked for one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have home the burden and the hot wind of the day.' GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. (i) It is in one sense a warning to the disciples. (Matthew 20:11-15) The complaint of the early workers. It is best understood as a parable about grace and reward. It should also encourage us in reference to the hardships and difficulties of our work, that it is but for a day; the approaching shadow, which the servant earnestly desireth, will bring with it both rest, and the reward of our work,Job 7:2. Whereas, on the contrary, there are other kinds of order that call for more profound thought and enlarged views, if we may speak now after the manner of men; and, indeed, I deny not that these the Holy Ghost employed in His own wisdom, though it is hardly needful to say He could, if He pleased, demonstrate His superiority to any means or qualifications whatsoever. A reaction might especially be expected when Jesus said He would be betrayed. For him the cup was martyrdom. Prophets It was necessary to complete the picture. 2. No request is too great to bring to Jesus. 5. Still further, here is demonstrated the unshakable loyalty of the disciples. In heaven, every vessel will be full, brimful, though every vessel is not alike large and capacious. There is such tremendous reward just in being able to minister to people, the feedback that comes from it is so rewarding. 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.(A). Matthew chapter twenty opens with the parable of the laborers going out into the vineyard.And Jesus said. Even at such a time that was not the end of his words, for he finished with the confident assertion of the Resurrection. A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage. A man that is a householder. Finally, we have all wound up, after the going forth of a testimony which was truly universal in its scope, by the judicial severance at the close, when it is not only the good put into vessels, but the bad dealt with by the due instruments of the power of God. The first is, as it has been said, "All service ranks the same with God." He takes accordingly the title of the "Son of man" for the first time in this gospel. & Sanhedrim, fol. In this he had laboured, as he said, from his youth up: "What lack I yet?" There is hope for old sinners; for if, in sincerity, they turn to God, they shall doubtless be accepted; true repentance is never too late. This attitude threatened to be carried forward into the Christian Church. and who are my brethren?" Here he asserts his own justice; Friend, I do thee no wrong. Possibly the first felt their vanity wounded by being paid after the others. In spite of their lack of merit, the good householder required them to pick it up, thus giving it to them in spite of their forfeiture. In the distribution of future joys, as it was in the gathering of the manna, he that shall gather much, will have nothing over, and he that shall gather little, will have no lack, Exodus 16:18. At the close of this chapter 9, in His deep compassion He bids the disciples pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into His harvest. . The reason I consider to be plain; and the same principle applies to various other parts of our gospel where we have two cases mentioned, where in the other gospels we have only one. Reviewing, then, these closing incidents of the chapter (ver. But they in turn will deliver Him to the Gentiles, who will first of all mock Him. Yet it shall not be so among you: Their desire for position and status showed they did not yet know the nature of Jesus in respect to leadership and power. The failure of this greatest of women-born only gives Him the just occasion to show the total change at hand, when it should not be a question of man, but of God, yea, of the kingdom of heaven, the least in which new state should be greater than John. There were many who died right there as the result of the scourging itself. God's generosity will not succumb to human jealousy. He who gave the law maintained its authority, and used it as an occasion for testifying His own power and presence. "Then," said the Lord, "are the children free. He promises, First, A penny,Matthew 20:2; Matthew 20:2. Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding. I will obey to the end.. So little old Jewish mama coming to Jesus with her two sons. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem: This was not a surprise to the disciples. But they were so desperate, they weren't discouraged, they even cried louder, "Jesus, thou son of David have mercy on us. The order of payment was important. Thereon, coming into the ship, the wind ceases, and the Lord exercises His gracious power in beneficent effects around. Third, this passage sheds a light on Jesus. vi. But Luke saith, they understood none of these things; that is, surely they believed none of them, the saying was hid from them. (Poole), v. When our Lord told the twelve that he would die, they imagined that it was a parable, concealing some deep mystery. It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai (d). Now notice, the mother is the one doing the speaking, but the boys are right there behind her. That's one of the two. He welcomed his bed-fellow. It was just because of this that the orthodox religious people of his time could not understand him. Gregory the Great said that Jesus was like a baited hook meant to catch Satan, and Peter the Lombard said the cross was like a mousetrap to catch the devil, baited with the blood of Christ. 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. Major Prophets 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. 1. The question fairly arises, Why it is that the Holy Ghost has been pleased so remarkably to leave time out of the question in this chapter, as well as in the next? "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." Notice is taken of the several hours of the day, at which the labourers were hired. Sometimes a man dies full of years and full of honour, with his day's work ended and his task completed. It was a grave step this, and in view of His rejection now. Laborers in the Vineyard. To mock and to scourge: Jesus predicted these specific aspects of His coming agony which on a human level He could not arrange. Gregory of Nyssa saw the glaring fault in that theory. If the gospel dies in England, write on its tomb, Betrayed. If our churches lose their holy influence among men, write on them, Betrayed. What care we for infidels? There will be differences at the close. The strange thing is that instinctively the world itself has accepted these standards. The Jewish day began at sunrise, 6 a.m., and the hours were counted from then until 6 p.m., when officially the next day began. Both Mark and Luke add their own touches to the story, to show that on this occasion there was in the atmosphere of the apostolic band a certain tenseness and a certain foreboding of tragedy to come. All rights reserved worldwide. It is more particularly sin, viewed as guilt, and consequently as that which absolutely breaks and destroys all power in the soul towards both God and man. a. Nor was the unbelief confined to these religionists of letter and form; for next (verse 14) the question comes from John's disciples: "Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?" . The Gentiles, who are newly called in, have as much of the privileges of the kingdom of the Messiah as the Jews have, who have so long been labouring in the vineyard of the Old-Testament church, under the yoke of the ceremonial law, in expectation of that kingdom. I have endowed them with apostolic gifts or with superior talents, and suited them for wider usefulness. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. And thus as Isaiah predicts the scourging, the stripes, he declares, "by His stripes ye are healed"( Isaiah 53:5 ). We are put to our choice; for hired we must be (Joshua 24:15); Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. If they had let him pass, their chance would have gone by for ever; but when the chance came they seized it. [1.] Shall we turn to Matthew's gospel chapter twenty, and continue our book-by-book study through the Word of God? b. It is the paradox of the Christian life that he who aims at reward loses it, and he who forgets reward finds it. If we turn toMark 1:1-45; Mark 1:1-45, the proof of what I have said will appear as to the leper. To him who compares this with Luke 6:1-49, there need not remain a question as to the identity of the scene. Thus the point that meets us in the conclusion of the chapter is, that while every character, every measure of giving up for His name's sake, will meet with the most worthy recompence and result, man can as little judge of this as he can accomplish salvation. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? It is not an accident that Jesus was scourged. 97. They forgot His glory in their own anxiety and selfishness. "Upon this rock," says He, "I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Pentateuch Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! The apostle startles at the thought of it; God forbid!Romans 3:5; Romans 3:6. There is no one cup for the Christian to drink. So our goal as disciples is to value things now as God does. When it came time to pay the workers, the men hired last were paid first and paid for a full day of work! He does not now compare the Jews to the Gentiles, (as in another passages) nor the reprobate, who swerve from the faith, to the elect who persevere; and therefore the sentence which is introduced by some interpreters, many are called, but few are chosen, does not apply to that point. And Jesus stood still, and he called them, and said, What do you want me to do for you? last will be on the same footing as the first, and the first as the last, those who esteem themselves last shall be first, and those who esteem themselves first shall be last, . Inattention to this has perplexed many. He was never too busy to minister to individual needs. The bodily presence of the Messiah was not needed. Grace should be especially manifested in our service; it is of grace, not works. So it was here. Thus, in the scene of the leper, we have Jesus presented as "Jehovah that healeth Israel," as man here below, and in Jewish relationships, still maintaining the law. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with what is my own? "This man blasphemeth." ], "Any union leader worth their salt would protest at such employment practices. Email / username or password was incorrect! And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. It is clear that the unclean spirit, returning, brings idolatry back again. Here is demonstrated the new glory and the new greatness of suffering love and sacrificial service. But I see no sufficient reason to refuse the impression that John found it hard to reconcile his continued imprisonment with a present Messiah; nor do I discern a sound judgment of the case, or a profound knowledge of the heart, in those who thus raise doubts as to John's sincerity, any more than they appear to me to exalt the character of this honoured man of God, by supposing him to play a part which really belonged to others. In him there was a spiritual force far beyond that found in the leper, to whom the hand that touched, as well as cleansed, him proclaimed Israel's need and state as truly as Emmanuel's grace. It was His meat to do the will of God. It brings me to the real crisis; that is, the final presentation of our lord to Jerusalem. And they went. "If you really want to be great in the kingdom of God, learn to be the servant of all. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. What does it mean? Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." A hook is cast into the sea, and the fish that takes it produces the required money for Peter as for his gracious Master and Lord. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money. The system of grace is foreign to us: God deals with us according to who He is, not according to who we are. The parable may also be applied more generally, and . They did not see why they should be allowed to stake their claims to preeminence. He is first of all betrayed by Judas to the chief priests, because Judas made a bargain with the priests to turn Jesus over to them. 111. It was true that He was made of woman, and made under the law; but He was Jehovah Himself, that lowly Nazarene. For many be called, but few chosen.The warning is repeated after the parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:14), and as it stands there in closer relation with the context, that will be the fitting place for dwelling on it. b. It puts the Devil on a level with God; it means that the Devil could dictate his terms to God, before he would let men go. So, when more is added, He says, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. He evinces, that at the very time when Peter forgot the vision and the Father's voice, virtually reducing Him to mere man, He was God manifest in the flesh. Can I not do what I like with my own money? Being in the right state of mind to do the Lords work is a gift of grace. Never heard of them before. Note, First, The church is God's vineyard; it is of his planting, watering, and fencing; and the fruits of it must be to his honour and praise. Gregory the Great took the picture to even more grotesque, almost revolting, lengths. 1. The faithful and true witness, it was His to display that power in goodness which shall be put forth fully in the world to come, the great day when the Lord will manifest Himself to every eye as Son of David, and Son of man too. They are beautiful people. The delivered demoniacs are, to my mind, clearly the foreshadow of the Lord's grace in the latter days, separating a remnant to Himself, and banishing the power of Satan from this small but sufficient witness of His salvation. To teach this it was spoken. Many that, in the order of time, are brought last into the kingdom, shall be first in the rewards. Wisdom Literature Next is the one pearl of great price, the unity and beauty of that which was so dear to the merchantman. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed The parable of the workers in the vineyard 20:1-16. Poetical Books Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Now what did Jesus mean when He broke the bread and said, "This is my body, broken for you"? And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them." Little faith leaves us as fearful for ourselves as dim witnesses of His glory whom the most unruly elements obey. b. Second, this passage sheds a light upon the Christian life. Matthew 20:16. b. "And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us." "So the last will be first, and the first last. Very early men began to say, "Jesus gave his life a ransom for many. Chapter 20. she cried; but what had she to do with the Son of David? And I pray to God that we will never lose this concept of the ministry, that we are the servants of all.It is so important that we maintain, because Jesus said. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to Him, We are able. So He said to them, You will indeed drink 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 is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.. That the complainant had no reason at all to say he had any wrong done to him, Matthew 20:13; Matthew 20:14. He sits on the dust heap among the prison convicts. of their own children, or of strangers?" THE CHRISTIAN REVOLUTION ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). Of course, the facts of the cross were necessary to give it an evident and literal fulfilment; but we have it first apparent in His life, and it is blessed to see it thus accomplished, as it were, in what passed with Himself; fully realized in His own spirit, and the results exposed before the external facts gave the fullest expression to Jewish unbelief. This utter, growing rejection of Jesus was coming out now rejection, at first allowed and whispered in the heart, soon to be pronounced in words like drawn swords. Nor is this all. Bishop PEARCE thinks it is an interpolation from Matthew 22:14. It is as if Jesus was going to gather in upon himself every possible kind of physical and emotional and mental suffering that the world could inflict. "Lord, save us; we perish," cried they, as they awoke Him; and He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. i. And if those who in the last moment come into the kingdom of God, God rewards them, and they receive the reward for their place in the kingdom. What special mercy and tenderness, not only in the end, but also in the way the Lord deals with Israel! We can be assured that God will never, ever be unfair to us, though He may for His own purpose and pleasure bestow greater blessing on someone else who seems less deserving. But I am convinced that there are others who will receive either as great or even greater honor than will Billy Graham who you have never heard of. But Christ does not explode at their obtuseness, or blaze at their blindness, or despair at their unteachableness. 33), it is added, "And with many such parables spake He the word unto them . "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. Matthew 20:1-16 is a true-to-life parable. Whence they are hired? They don't understand all of the provision that the Lord has made for them. The Lord increase thy earnestness and faith! (Clarke), 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission, The Whole Bible These blind men received their sight from Jesus, and then they gave to him their grateful loyalty. So in this case there was brought to Him a paralytic man, lying upon a bed, "and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." Secondly, In all the dispensations of his grace, God gives or withholds the means of grace, and the Spirit of grace, as he pleases. Thus He points out the utter moral incongruity of fasting at that moment, and intimates that it was not merely the fact that He was going to be rejected, but that to conciliate His teaching and His will with the old thing was hopeless. For many are called, but few chosen.. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. This tested their thoughts of the glory of Jesus. That scourging was for you. Thus He sets forth both the past, the present, and the awful future of Israel, before the day of His own coming from heaven, when there will be not only the return of idolatry, solemn to say, but the full power of Satan associated with it, as we see in Daniel 11:36-39; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Revelation 13:11-15. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. THE LORDSHIP OF THE CROSS ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). a. Hold out, faith, and patience, yet a little while. "Verily, I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." It was cruel, cutting, cursed scorn. (Spurgeon), v. And to crucify: Crucifixion was not the only way criminals were executed under the Romans, yet Jesus knew that this was how He would be put to death. Some think this parable speaks of the way that people come to God at different stages of their life. God hires labourers, not because he needs them or their services (for, if we be righteous, what do we unto him? Historical Books The better MSS., indeed, omit it here. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!. At the beginning of Matthew 10:1-42 He Himself sends forth themselves as labourers. The promise of Matthew 19:28 forms the background to this request; the thrones are already assured, leaving only the question of precedence. (France). Many of them bleed to death. Many a man, who, as the world counts it, is a poor man, will be great in the Kingdom, because he never thought in terms of reward but worked for the thrill of working and for the joy of serving. When they heard that Jesus was passing by: They knew this might be their last time to meet Jesus. Oh, for grace so to bow and bless God, even when our little travail seems in vain! Matthew 20:16-20 New International Version 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time 17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. They shall enter heaven, as was promised. It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai d, "I have seen the children of the world to come (elsewhere e it is, of the chamber), , "and they are few".''. I do not pretend to say this was the only purpose served; far be it from me to think of restraining the Spirit of God within the narrow bounds of our vision. But in the case of those who were engaged later, there is no word of contract; all they wanted was the chance to work and they willingly left the reward to the master. The crowd rebuked them, so that they might be silent. Jesus recognized that they didnt really understand, but they would. I have endowed them with apostolic gifts or with superior talents, and suited them for wider usefulness. He sets forth the sign of the prophet Jonah, the repentance of the men of Nineveh, the preaching of Jonah, and the earnest zeal of the queen of the South in Solomon's day, when an incomparably greater was there despised. They never did make front page or even back page. After this, in the chapter we have the positive hindrance asserted of what man counts good. God's delight is to pick out the hindmost for the first place, to the disparagement of the foremost in their own strength. It says simply, "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." Who could touch the leper save Emmanuel? It is not only the fact that God slighted matters of prescriptive ordinance because of the ruined state of Israel, who rejected His true anointed King, but there was this principle also, that certainly God was not going to bind Himself not to do good where abject need was. And so they were actually thinking evil, because of His good. Second, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard is about the first and the last. (iii) These two blind men had an imperfect faith but they were determined to act on the faith they had. They may come at the beginning of their life, in their youth, in adulthood, in old age, or at the very end.