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It doesn't mean someone who is to be looked up to, and someone who is to be catered to, and someone who is to be bowed to, and all of this kind of stuff, and do special favors because he is the minister. Among this celebrated people, no one was forced to serve his country in a military capacity and it was the highest honour to be deemed worthy of thus serving it. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. Then inside the house we have not only the Lord explaining the parable, the history from first to last of the tares and wheat, the mingling of evil with the good which grace had sown, but more than that, we have the kingdom viewed according to divine thoughts and purposes. For many are called, but few chosen.. This parable may sound to us as if it described a purely imaginary situation, but that is far from being the case. Many are called, c.] This clause is wanting in BL, one other, and in the Coptic and Sahidic versions. Though there be degrees of glory in heaven, yet it will be to all a complete happiness. A man that is a householder. (v) Here also is the generosity of God. In the case of the laborers, those who worked all day did not deserve their pay after having thrown it on the ground. Thus the end is as the beginning, and even far, far worse. in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry. "And He entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into His own city." So the last shall be first, and the first last. In the next discourse we may hope to have the rest of his gospel. He will never be less than fair, but reserves the right to be more than fair as pleases Him. What the account was; and in that observe. Every man has to learn that true greatness lies, not in dominance, but in service; and that in every sphere the price of greatness must be paid. Even at such a time that was not the end of his words, for he finished with the confident assertion of the Resurrection. I am going to be betrayed. The true disciple is motivated by love not lust. Start for FREE. See Deuteronomy 24:15. 1. The landowner reminded them that he had paid them the amount they had agreed to, and if he paid others the same amount, that was his concern. Therefore let him who would meet God visit the prison cell before going to the temple. woe unto thee, Bethsaida! GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point . (1.) The amazing thing about Jesus is that he never lost patience and became irritated. Because Matthew's object is the display of the change of dispensation through, or consequent on, the rejection of Jesus by the Jews. This, too, we ascertain from Mark 1:1-45, where there are clear marks of the time. These were sent into the vineyard, it is true, at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them, or offered to hire them, before. God's delight is to pick out the hindmost for the first place, to the disparagement of the foremost in their own strength. The scribe had no heart for the hidden glory. Now what did Jesus mean when He broke the bread and said, "This is my body, broken for you"? It does not seem exactly as a pictorial view of what the Lord was doing, or going to do, but rather the repeated pledge, that they were not to suppose that the evil He had judged in the elders of Jerusalem, or the grace freely going out to the Gentiles, in any way led Him. If you do, you have a different concept of God than I do. The money was paid by the overseer, but he was standing by enjoying the scene. (Bruce). Here, too, these Pharisees question and reproach His grace, when they see the Lord sitting at ease in the presence of publicans and sinners, who came and sat down with Him in Matthew's house. (Matthew 20:8-10) The landowner pays his workers. In other words, it is certain that in the gospel of Luke, in whose preface we have expressly the words "set in order," the Holy Ghost does in no way tie Himself to what, after all, is the most elementary form of arrangement; for it needs little observation to see, that the simple sequence of facts as they occurred is that which demands a faithful enumeration, and nothing more. If he were willing to follow the Lord, it was for what he could get. And she came worshiping him, and desiring a favor from him. What special mercy and tenderness, not only in the end, but also in the way the Lord deals with Israel! The Challenge Of Following Jesus (8:18-22) The Call Of Matthew (9:9-13) Moved By Compassion (9:35-38) . 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. Help us purchase electrical generators for churches. But, from first to last, what a trial of spirit, and what triumph! In gentleness, in sympathy, and in love, with never an impatient word, he seeks to lead them to the truth. Barclay, William "The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2" (The New Daily Study Bible, Matthew 11-28) (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975), Bruce, Alexander Balmain "The Synoptic Gospels: The Expositor's Greek Testament" Volume 1, Section 1 (Matthew-Luke) (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1897), Carson, D.A. Such is His grace, such His wisdom. 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. He now takes His place of rejection; for Him it is manifest even now by their inmost thoughts of Him when revealed. He speaks of Israel then, and of Israel before He comes in glory, but He entirely omits any notice of the circumstances which were to come in by the way. He is talking about, no doubt, the scourging that He was going to receive, because it could not be that any of His bones should be broken. (Matthew 20:20-21) The mother of James and John asks for a place of special status for her sons. Rudolf Bultmann writes: "In the Cross of Christ Jewish standards of judgment and human notions of the splendour of the Messiah are shattered." Abstulit, sed et dedit--He hath taken away; but he originally gave. The limit was reached by Peter the Lombard. There are gates on the East which is the direction of the dawn, and whereby a man may enter in the glad morning of his days; there are gates on the West which is the direction of the setting sun, and whereby a man may enter in his age. A great tempest. All rights reserved. So little old Jewish mama coming to Jesus with her two sons. James was the first of the apostolic band to die a martyr ( Acts 12:2). Matthew 13:19-22), we find first of all the utter worthlessness of the flesh's readiness to follow Jesus. And she said unto him, Grant that these my two boys may sit, the one your right hand, and the other on your left, in your kingdom ( Matthew 20:20-21 ). He was there for the express purpose of glorifying God. 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 was made after a series of announcements by Jesus that ahead of him lay an inescapable Cross; it was made at a moment when the air was heavy with the atmosphere of tragedy and the sense of foreboding. The world may assess a man's greatness by the number of people whom he controls and who are at his beck and call; or by his intellectual standing and his academic eminence; or by the number of committees of which he is a member; or by the size of his bank balance and the material possessions which he has amassed; but in the assessment of Jesus Christ these things are irrelevant. He never failed to tell men that, even if life ends in crown-wearing, it continues in cross-bearing. You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: Both James and John had to be baptized in suffering as Jesus was, but their cups and baptisms were different. "Come, come from this market-place.". The scribes, at the beginning of the chapter, could not hide from the Lord their bitter rejection of His glory as man on earth entitled, as His humiliation and cross would prove, to forgive. Those hired later correspond to other people who became Jesus disciples later in His ministry. He said to them, 'Go you also to the vineyard.' Peter wanted to know what they would get in return. It is a short time; the reward is for eternity, the work is but for a day; man is said to accomplish, as a hireling, his day,Job 14:6. The Lord was in Capernaum, where Peter lived; and on a certain Sabbath-day, after the call of Peter, wrought in the synagogue mighty deeds, which are here recorded, and by Luke also. And they no doubt led these two blind men to Jesus. They had certainly done nothing to merit a day's wages. His reply came in stages. Note, All that by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honour, and immortality, shall undoubtedly obtain eternal life (Romans 2:7), not as wages for the value of their work, but as the gift of God. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Or, are you grudging because I am generous?' But what a mercy that those who appear now to be rejected may be called in another muster, enrolled, serve in the field, or work in the vineyard? Amen. The Old Testament It was the little foreshadowing of what will be when the Lord has joined the remnant in the last days, and then fills with blessing the land that He touches. 22 But Jesus answered by saying to . Chapter 8, which opens the portion that comes before us tonight, is a striking illustration as well as proof of the method which God has been pleased to employ in giving us the apostle Matthew's account of our Lord Jesus. Nothing can be simpler. We shall find something of these mysteries later on in this gospel; but here it is simply a Jewish testimony of Jehovah-Messiah in His unwearied love, through His twelve heralds, and in spite of rising unbelief, maintaining to the end what His grace had in view for Israel. But whereas the most unlikely people entered the kingdom, those for whom it had been prepared were excluded (Matthew 20:16). This parable taught the disciples not to think of heavenly rewards in terms of justice, getting in proportion to what they deserved. The dispensational aim here leads to a more manifest disregard of the bare circumstance of time than in any other specimen of these gospels. Instead of repining that we have no more, let us take what we have, and be thankful. One of the great fundamental facts to which we must hold on, even when we hate and loathe and despise ourselves, is that Jesus believes in us. "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. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." 2. And so they didn't really remember that He said He was going to rise the third day, until after the resurrection. Poetical Books Therefore it was not a mere simple fact that He banished sickness or infirmity, but He carried them in His spirit before God. 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. is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. What was that cup? This would not be a legal claim on man, but the scattering of good seed, life and fruit from God, and this in the unlimited field of the world, not in the land of Israel merely. The men who stood in the market-place were waiting for work, and the fact that some of them stood on until even five o'clock in the evening is the proof of how desperately they wanted it. The servants are clearly divided into two classes. a. Out of the market-place, where, till they are hired into God's service, they stand idle (Matthew 20:3; Matthew 20:3), all the day idle (Matthew 20:6; Matthew 20:6). 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. His wounds are those which he receives in the house of his friend. (Spurgeon). Matthew 20:16New International Version. One of these people might have been the rich young man if he had become a disciple (Matthew 20:16-22). Peter asks a word from his Master, and leaves the ship to join Him on the water. Pauline Epistles When they heard that Jesus was passing by: They knew this might be their last time to meet Jesus. The details, found elsewhere, of her being at the point of death then, before reaching the house, the news that she was dead, are not here. That act forfeited their further right to it. (iii) These are the original lessons of this parable, but it has very much more to say to us. Something of affinity there is between this parable and that of the prodigal son, where he that returned from his wandering, was as dear to his father as he was, that never went astray; first and last alike. (i) These two blind men were waiting, and when their chance came they seized it with both hands. Pentateuch The people might have failed, but, surely, there were some differences surely those that were honoured and valued were not so depraved! See Matthew 19:27-29. (ii) These two blind men were undiscourageable. Poetical Books But at the end, when His disciples are in the extremity of trouble, in the midst of the sea, the Lord walks on the sea toward them, and bids them not fear; for they were troubled and afraid. Wisdom Literature At the beginning of Matthew 10:1-42 He Himself sends forth themselves as labourers. (Matthew 20:11-15) The complaint of the early workers. They did not know that Jesus could have made the same promise of suffering to come to any of them (if they really wanted it!). 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. There must be the mouth to praise the Lord, and speak of the glorious honour of His majesty, as well as eyes to wait on Him. But if Matthew here laid aside all question of time, it was in view of other and weightier considerations for his object. Basically what He is teaching is that as we serve the Lord in His vineyard, that what really counts is the fact the Lord sent me. What He was introducing could not mix with Judaism. Major Prophets Clarke's Commentary. This finds its fitting place, not in Luke, but in Matthew, particularly as the details here (not in Mark, who only gives the general fact) cast great light upon God's dispensational ways. Here is royalty and kingship restated and remade. Then a beggar asked for his shirt and got it. Rather than seeking God as to whether or not you should buy a new car, you had to seek your elder or your shepherd. They confess their faith, and He touches their eyes. He was then present, a man despised, yet with title to forgive sins, proved by immediate power to heal. The motives of the natural heart are laid bare. Set a timer for 20 minutes (no peeking) and start eating. When He reaches the house, minstrels were there, and people, making a noise: the expression, if of woe, certainly of impotent despair. They will condemn Him to death: Jesus confidently predicted that the religious leaders would do this; yet this was not something He could plan. "Verily, I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." He maintains His sovereign title to do good, to do as He will with His own. Only tradition will not do this work, nor will human thoughts or feelings. A man out of his plenty may give us a gift of a hundred pounds, and in truth we are grateful; a child may give us a birthday or Christmas gift which cost only a few pence but which was laboriously and lovingly saved up for--and that gift, with little value of its own, touches our heart far more. Further, in strict justice the fewer hours a man worked, the less pay he should have received. It may well be that we who have been Christian for so long have much to learn from those younger Churches who are late-comers to the fellowship of the faith. They must still continue to endure the scourge of crime they could never expiate. The old people and work then closed in principle, and a new work of God in the kingdom of heaven was disclosed. Next, we find Him confessed by the centurion, no longer as the Messiah, when actually with them, confessed according to a faith which saw the deeper glory of His person as supreme, competent to heal, no matter where, or whom, or what, by a word; and this the Lord Himself hails as the foreshadowing of a rich incoming of many multitudes to the praise of His name, when the Jews should be cast out. So long as it is all we have to give, all service ranks the same with God. Compare Luke 17:7; Luke 17:8; Luke 12:37. To mock and to scourge: Jesus predicted these specific aspects of His coming agony which on a human level He could not arrange. "And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth." I injure no one, and have a right to do what I will with my own." Origen has no doubt that the ransom was paid to the devil. d. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? 13. He was ignorant of himself, because ignorant of God, and imagined that it was only a question of man's doing good for God. Jesus knew what was going on in their minds; and he spoke to them words which are the very basis of the Christian life. get to know the Bible better! So the last shall be first, and the first last As he had asserted in ( Matthew 19:30 ) and which is clearly illustrated by this parable, as it may be applied to Jews or Gentiles, or to nominal and real Christians: for many be called; externally, under the ministration of the Gospel, as the Jews in general were, by Christ and his apostles; but, few chosen; in Christ from all eternity, both to grace and glory; and in consequence, and as an evidence of it, but few among the Jews; as also in the Gentile world, comparatively speaking: and even but a few of those that are outwardly called, are inwardly and effectually called by the powerful grace of God, out of darkness into marvellous light, into the grace and liberty of the Gospel, into communion with Christ, and to the obtaining his kingdom and glory, according to the eternal purpose of God. He gives sight to the blind. This tested their thoughts of the glory of Jesus. If we understand it of that which is ours by debt or absolute propriety, it would be a dreadful word; we are all undone, if we be put off with that only which we can call our own. The apostle startles at the thought of it; God forbid!Romans 3:5; Romans 3:6. He received nothing from others; his was a life of giving, and the giving of a lifeNo service is greater than to redeem sinners by his own death, no ministry is lowlier than to die in the stead of sinners. (Spurgeon), ii. I merely indicate by the way how the thorough increasing rejection of the Lord Jesus in His lower glory has but the effect of bringing out the revelation of His higher. c. But to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give: Jesus here showed remarkable submission to His Father. 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. And so with the other conversation: "Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father;" it was after the glory of Christ had been witnessed on the holy mount, when man's selfishness of heart showed itself in contrast to the grace of God. People simply do not and cannot MERIT salvation. Some of the people of our own day who fancy that their sweet and pious attitude in some way entitles them to God's favor should take note of this. The indignation of the ten doubtless sprang less from humility than jealousy plus fear that they might lose out. (Carson). It was the Father's revelation of the Son; flesh and blood had not revealed it to Peter, but, "my Father, which is in heaven." The fact is, beloved brethren, there is but one Jesus; and whoever it may be, whether John the Baptist, or the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, after all it is divinely-given faith which alone sustains: else man has to learn painfully somewhat of himself; and what is he to be accounted of? This as yet draws out wonder, at least from the witnessing multitudes, that God had given such power unto men. A man may go idle to hell; but he that will go to heaven, must be busy. But that they might not be carried away by ambition or vain confidence in themselves, it was necessary also to remind them that others, who would long afterwards be called, would be partakers of the same glory, because God is not limited to any person, but calls freely whomsoever He pleases, and bestows on those who are called whatever rewards He thinks fit. . We begin with the comparatively limited significance it originally had. 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. The indulgence of the selfish, murmuring temper might hinder their election even to that work. Second, this passage sheds a light upon the Christian life. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Through this parable Jesus assured Peter and the disciples that they will be rewarded but the principle of many who are first will be last and the last first (Matthew 19:30) meant that God may not reward as man expects even as the parable illustrated. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem: This was not a surprise to the disciples. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Use semicolons to separate groups: 'Gen;Jdg;Psa-Mal' or 'Rom 3-12;Mat 1:15;Mat 5:12-22', There are options set in 'Advanced Options', The Whole Bible The men who were standing in the market-place were not street-corner idlers, lazing away their time. General Epistles It is of immense significance to see that, even in a world in which the dark was coming down, the disciples would not abandon the conviction that the victory belonged to Jesus. we have in Peter what man is, even after all this. 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. Jesus said that those who would share his triumph must drink his cup. a. Jesus stood still: Nothing could stop Him on His journey to Jerusalem; yet He stood still to answer a persistent plea for mercy. 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. The order of payment was important. He was to be condemned to death; there we see the suffering of injustice, which is very hard to bear. ii. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point The discontent arose not because of any injustice in the landowner, but because of jealousy in the all-day workers (Matthew 20:9-15). It is not enough that Israel be awakened from the sleep of death, and see aright. The Rabbis had a saying, "Some enter the Kingdom in an hour; others hardly enter it in a lifetime." [4.] 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. This parable gives a vivid picture of the kind of thing which could happen in the market-place of any Jewish village or town any day, when the grape harvest was being rushed in to beat the rains. They drew up by tribes, and lots were drawn to determine in what order every tribe should present its soldiers. With them, to be unemployed for a day was disaster. To all justice shall be done. To all to whom the rewards of heaven are promised they shall be given. When they received it, they grumblingly complained against the master. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point Yet they were paid exactly the same. Neither giveth he an account of any of his matters; nor is it fit he should. As their conduct showed, all they were concerned with was to get as much as possible out of their work. The evil spirits asked leave to pass into the herd of swine, which thus typify the final condition of the defiled, apostate mass of Israel; their presumptuous and impenitent unbelief reduces them to that deep degradation not merely the unclean, but the unclean filled with the power of Satan, and carried down to swift destruction. Matthew 5:45). Remember, God doesn't look at us the way this world does. The simple meaning seems to be: As those who did not come at the invitation of the householder to work in the vineyard did not receive the denarius, or wages, so those who do not obey the call of the Gospel, and believe in Christ Jesus, shall not inherit eternal life. It was clearly a question of connection with the apostle of the circumcision ( i.e., Peter's wife's mother). They cannot hurt the Christ. 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. Even if Jesus had not specifically told them, their movement south from Galilee at about the time of the Passover feast made it easy to figure out that Jesus and the disciples would be in Jerusalem for Passover. Finally, he was to be crucified; there we see the ultimate suffering of death. "So the last will be first, and the first last. 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. Some think this parable speaks of the way that people come to God at different stages of their life. A complete new set of values has been brought into life. On the evening of the day when He delivered the seven parables given in Matthew 13:1-58. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? To the proud inhabitant of Jerusalem, both one and the other were but a choice and change within a land of darkness. 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. It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai F4. But the parable may be applied more generally, and shows us, 1. Then, in Mark 3:1-35, there are notes of time more or less strong. If we turn toMark 1:1-45; Mark 1:1-45, the proof of what I have said will appear as to the leper. "Who is my mother? It is the glory of Christ; not so much as Son of the living God, but as the exalted Son of man, who once suffered here below. It is tragic that we have gotten so far away from the concepts that Jesus taught. All rights reserved worldwide. Matthew chapter 20 New International Version 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. In this he had laboured, as he said, from his youth up: "What lack I yet?"