Matthew 20:16 in all English translations, NIV, Story of Jesus: Experience the Life of Jesus as One Seamless Story, NIV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, NIV, Beautiful Word Bible Journal, Revelation, Paperback, Comfort Print, NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture, NIV, The Woman's Study Bible, Full-Color, Red Letter: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation, NIV, The Story, Hardcover, Comfort Print: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People. He also gives Peter the keys of the kingdom, as we see afterwards. These men did not all do the same work; but they did receive the same pay. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried out all the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. In heaven, every vessel will be full, brimful, though every vessel is not alike large and capacious. b. To underscore this, Jesus will give a parable (20:1-16) that amplifies the principle: 'many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first'," (20:16; 16:25). She was a regular member of the disciple group who accompanied Jesus (Matthew 27:56), so her involvement in her sons ambitious ideas is hardly surprising. (France). ESV Text Edition: 2016. So the last shall be first, and the first last The GENTILES, who have been long without the true God, shall now enjoy all the privileges of the new covenant; and the Jews, who have enjoyed these from the beginning, shall now be dispossessed of them; for, because they here rejected the Lord, he also hath rejected them. All this is what happens when men take the poetry of love and try to turn it into man-made theories. They did not see why the two brothers should steal a march on them, even if they were the cousins of Jesus. I Will Build My Church (16:13-20) The . (iv) Here, also, is the infinite compassion of God. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. So they went. But this may be, and commonly is, applied to the several ages of life, in which souls are converted to Christ. It is an evil eye, which is displeased at the good of others, and desires their hurt. This parable taught him that God would give him a just reward for his sacrificial labor for Jesus. Jesus emphasized that both the calling and the choosing of God is based on His grace especially His choosing. Now He brings out not the kingdom merely, but His Church; and this not merely in view of hopeless unbelief in the mass, but of the confession of His own intrinsic glory as the Son of God by the chosen witness. Here is demonstrated the new glory and the new greatness of suffering love and sacrificial service. To take on the position of the minister is to take on the position of the servant to the flock of God. This as yet draws out wonder, at least from the witnessing multitudes, that God had given such power unto men. In immediate juxtaposition to this stands the Gentile centurion, who seeks healing for his servant. Succa, fol. Not only shall the Judge of all the earth do right, but what will not He do who gives all good? In the pagan world humility was regarded, not so much as a virtue, but as a vice. First of these comes the treasure hidden in the field, for which the man sells all he had, securing the field for the sake of the treasure. In this work we must not be slothful, not loiterers, but labourers, working, and working out our own salvation. It was as Son of David that they addressed Jesus. It is my will to give to this last man the same as to you. In Mark 10:35-45 it is James and John who come to Jesus with this request. 13. And it really was a heavy bondage trip. God proves what He is by the revelation of Jesus. What we have, is not our own, and therefore it is not lawful for us to do what we will with it; but what God has, is his own; and this will justify him, First, In all the disposals of his providence; when God takes from us that which was dear to us, and which we could ill spare, we must silence our discontents with this; May he not do what he will with his own? It was to James and John that Jesus spoke. This he said in the hearing of the disciple who would act the traitor: did no compunction visit his base heart? (Spurgeon), ii. Is it not most sweet to see, that He who proves His divine glory at once associates us with Himself? Used by permission. Then, alas! 2. Suffering from great humiliation and degradation. And now as they depart from Jericho. It is evident that the bodily presence of the Messiah is the very essence of the former scene, as it ought to be in dealing with the leper, who is a kind of type of what Israel should have been in seeking cleansing at His hands. As to any one else, even the most liberal gift that ever was given of God to fallen man on earth, to the golden head of the Gentiles, exempted the deep and its untamed inhabitants. In Matthew 12:1-50 we find not so much Jesus present and despised of men, as these men of Israel, the rejectors, in the presence of Jesus. They had heard of the miracles that He had wrought, up in the area of Galilee, around Capernaum. (2.) Johannine Writings In Matthew we have no distinction of their call from their mission. "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof" He had only to say in a word, and his servant should be healed. "According to your faith be it done unto you.". The market-place was the equivalent of the labour exchange. Oh, what a heart is ours! The landowner did exactly as promised, but their supposition of more pay than promised was disappointed. The axiom of this verse and of chapter nineteen, verse 30, sets the tone for Jesus entire ministry and the church. This place seems to refer to the ancient Roman custom of recruiting their armies. However suitable to the Jewish expectation that He should be found a man, undeniably there was that apparent which was infinitely above the Jew's thought; for the Jew showed his own degradation and unbelief in the low ideas he entertained of the Messiah. Not but that there is a counsel in every will of God, and what seems to us to be done arbitrarily, will appear at length to have been done wisely, and for holy ends. He said to them, "My cup you are to drink; but to sit on my right hand and my left is not mine to give, but that belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." Historical Books Those who recognize the grace they have received by being included in God's Kingdom will be given places of honor. The system of grace is foreign to us: God deals with us according to who He is, not according to who we are. A daily devotional about God's power for our battles. Luke, too, tells how Jesus took the disciples to himself alone that he might try to compel them to understand what lay ahead ( Luke 18:31-34). It means quite simply this. They had their mistaken ambitions; they had their blindness; they had their wrong ideas; but he never dreamed of writing them off as bad debts. It says simply, "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." They were beggars; but it was not money they asked for, it was nothing less than sight. It often happens that we are easily discouraged from seeking the presence of God. The indignation of the ten doubtless sprang less from humility than jealousy plus fear that they might lose out. (Carson). Hugh Martin reminds us that a great teacher used to say that the saddest words in all Shakespeare's plays are the words: "Othello's occupation's gone." In Mark 2:1-28 it says, "And again he entered into Capernaum." 4. There is an element of human tenderness in this parable. Still further, here is demonstrated the unshakable loyalty of the disciples. ". Last will be first, and the first last: This is the essence of Gods grace, when He rewards and blesses man according to His will and pleasure, not necessarily according to what men deserve. 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. You both must wear five pieces of clothing. And then Paul warned the Corinthians about the manner in which they did partake of the Lord's supper. But nothing turned aside the purpose of God, or the activity of His grace. Chapter 20. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. PREVIOUS Matthew 20:15 NEXT Matthew 20:17. 3. 1. It was just because of this that the orthodox religious people of his time could not understand him. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. on the spot or they will never be taken. Their state had long been that of a man whom the unclean spirit had left, after a former dwelling in him. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard ( Matthew 20:1-2 ). i. James had to be ready to be the first to die among the disciples; John had to be ready to live the longest Christian life and testimony among them. But none the less do we find His affections engaged for the help of the helpless. They were offended that the landowner gave the men who worked less equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. Prophets "Day laborers" would be readily available in the market place. In it there is the comfort of God. 13. The apostles were sent forth at the first and third hour of the gospel day; they had a first and a second mission, while Christ was on earth, and their business was to call in the Jews; after Christ's ascension, about the sixth and ninth hour, they went out again on the same errand, preaching the gospel to the Jews only, to them in Judea first, and afterward to them of the dispersion; but, at length, as it were about the eleventh hour, they called the Gentiles to the same work and privilege with the Jews, and told them that in Christ Jesus there should be no difference made between Jew and Greek. Pauline Epistles It is but a day's work that is here done. That which was the first in order chose the four citizens who were judged the most proper to serve in the war; and the six tribunes who commanded the first legion chose one of these four, whom they liked best. Now he started out at about six o'clock in the morning, and hired these men who were standing in the marketplace to go out and work in his vineyard. Now a penny was a denarius and it was just a day's wage, the average day's wage. No sooner had Peter pronounced to Jesus the truth of His person, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," than Jesus holds the secret no longer. It is a direct violation of both the two great commandments at once; both that of love to God, in whose will we should acquiesce, and love to our neighbour, in whose welfare we should rejoice. It adds to the reason for this interpretation, that Christ was conversing about the rewards that should be given to his followers, and not about the numbers that should be called, or about the doctrine of election. It tells us of their ambition. There were two; but the Spirit of God chose out, in Mark and Luke, the more remarkable of the two, and traces for us his history, a history of no small interest and importance, as we may feel when we come to Mark; but it was of equal moment for the gospel of Matthew that the two demoniacs should be mentioned here, although one of them was in himself, as I gather, a far more strikingly desperate case than the other. And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. Now if you go back to the last verse of the previous chapter, you'll find this same statement. But Christ does not explode at their obtuseness, or blaze at their blindness, or despair at their unteachableness. Johannine Writings a. Peter answers, "Of strangers." Beracot, fol. No doubt the ship was covered with the waves; but how could that imperil the Lord of all? It was precisely because He was Himself untouchable by sickness and infirmity, that He was free so to take up each consequence of sin thus. My object, of course, is to point out as clearly as possible the structure of the gospel, and to explain according to my measure why there are these strong differences between the gospels of Matthew and the rest, as compared with one another. That scourging was for you. However imperfect it may be, if faith is there, Jesus accepts it. And Peter quoting Isaiah looking back at that scourging said, "by His stripes, ye were, past tense, healed"( 1 Peter 2:24 ). Some consider that John the Baptist enquired solely for the sake of his disciples. He was quite clear that there was a bitter cup to be drunk and did not hesitate to say so. But Jesus answered and said, You don't know what you are asking. This is one of the most revealing passages in the New Testament. The second lesson is even greater--all God gives is of grace. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and you've made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden of the heat of the day. Others think it refers to how the gospel first dawned with John the Baptist, then the preaching of Jesus, then the preaching at Pentecost, then to the Jews, and finally to the Gentiles. vii. The Pharisees were enraged at a power they could not deny, which rebuked themselves so much the more on account of its persistent grace; but Jesus passes by all blasphemy as yet, and goes on His way nothing hinders His course of love. Work for God will not admit of trifling. Next, the storm follows. 111. This is the prerogative of the King of kings. And then Pilot delivered Him unto them to be scourged. The Gentiles came in at the eleventh hour, but it was because the gospel had not been before preached to them. Wisdom Literature b. After this (what makes it still more unquestionable) comes the case of the demoniac. Is there unrighteousness with God? They said, "Lord, if we could just see." Such is the perversity of man, that he who is not called thinks he can follow Jesus whithersoever He goes. A wider interpretation is, of course, possible, and has been often applied, in which the first-called labourers answer to the Jews, and those who came afterwards to converts in the successive stages of the conversion of the Gentiles. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took Him even as He was in the ship. "The ransom could not have been paid to God; it was therefore paid to the Evil One, who was holding us fast until the ransom should be given to him, even the life of Jesus." (Matthew 20:3-7) Through the day, the landowner continues to hire workers. When evening came, the master of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the workers, and give them their pay, beginning from the last and going on until you come to the first.' Parents, and the disciples, like the Pharisees, were shown that grace, just because it is the expression of what God is to a ruined world, takes notice of what man in his own imaginary dignity might count altogether petty. The ones who labored only an hour did not deserve their pay either. First, Some are effectually called, and begin to work in the vineyard when they are very young; are sent in early in the morning, whose tender years are seasoned with grace, and the remembrance of their Creator. It's God's to give, however, to whomever He pleases. "Can a woman forget her sucking child? The New Testament Verse Matthew 20:16. They had certainly done nothing to merit a day's wages. In the case of the laborers, those who worked all day did not deserve their pay after having thrown it on the ground. "The foxes," says He, "have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." A Roman coin was once found with the picture of an ox on it; the ox was facing two things--an altar and a plough; and the inscription read: "Ready for either." 3 He went out about nine o'clock . The Lord now lets them know their mad folly, and warns them that this blasphemy was about to culminate in a still deeper, deadlier form when the Holy Ghost should be spoken against as He had been. He never failed to tell men that, even if life ends in crown-wearing, it continues in cross-bearing. For many are called, but few chosen." a. Jesus recognized that they didnt really understand, but they would. No doubt it is a tie of nature for this life only. No word whatever implies that the cleansing of the leper happened at that time. HEARTLIGHT is a registered service mark of Heartlight, Inc. | Privacy Policy. They couldn't see Him. But that cannot be the meaning of it here; the "called" being emphatically distinguished from the "chosen." Prophets . Why are they postponed here? They are the circumstances that preceded the discourse upon the mount, as given in Matthew 5:1-48; Matthew 6:1-34; Matthew 7:1-29. That was all over for the moment through Israel's blind sin; He was going to suffer, not yet reign, at Jerusalem. [2.] i. Cecil Northcott in Famous Life Decisions tens of what Kagawa did. Beyond the curtain of suffering lay the revelation of glory; beyond the Cross was the Crown; beyond the defeat was triumph; and beyond death was life. "I am certain that there is much about the scourging about Jesus that we do not fully understand. a. This done, with a word for the conscience appended, He takes up and pleads the cause of John. The next chapter (Matthew 18:1-35) takes up the double thought of the kingdom and the Church, showing the requisite for entrance into the kingdom, and displaying or calling forth divine grace in the most lovely manner, and that in practice. So Gregory of Nyssa has a strange idea. It sheds light in three directions. b. 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? If God be better in any respect to others than to us, yet we have no reason to complain while he is so much better to us than we deserve, in giving us our penny, though we are unprofitable servants. of Suffering from the disloyalty of friends. This parable does not teach that God will reward all His disciples equally. Being in the right state of mind to do the Lords work is a gift of grace. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." They worked while the others were idle. Accordingly, notice that, in the manner in which the Holy Ghost introduces it, there is no statement of time whatever. c. Lord, Son of David: However, in their desperation they glorified Jesus. If God shall bless your brother, and make him ten times more useful than you are, then you see that he is blessing you not only blessing him, but you. It probably was no more than a grave though passing difficulty, which he desired to have cleared up with all fulness for their sakes, as well as his own. The priest, in chap. Our job as disciples is to keep searching and including the lost, the last, and the least in the Kingdom and not just those who can bring us some benefit. There are two great lessons here. Finally, this parable that illustrates the principle that Gods manner of rewarding is not like mans practice of giving rewards. John the Baptist was sanctified from the womb, and therefore great (Luke 1:15); Timothy from a child (2 Timothy 3:15); Obadiah feared the Lord from his youth. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. These workers hired at the very beginning of the working day agreed to work for a denarius a day, the common daily wage for a workingman. [Note: France, The Gospel . The crown set before us is a crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge shall give.