He stands with the juvenile delinquents. Next day he was back for Kagawa's coat and trousers, and got them too. ( Matthew 20:16) The parable applied: the principle of God's reward. Thus it is easy to see, that the reason for here putting together the leper and the centurion lies in the Lord's dealing with the Jew, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, in His deep grace working in the Gentile's heart, and forming his faith, as well as answering it, according to His own heart. i. 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, . God does not permit Scripture to be thus used without losing its force, its beauty, and the grand object for which it was written. A man is not a Christian if his first concern is pay. It's God's to give, however, to whomever He pleases. He takes accordingly the title of the "Son of man" for the first time in this gospel. vii. of Scripture. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. God's generosity will not succumb to human jealousy. THE MASTER SEEKS HIS WORKERS ( Matthew 20:1-16 ), 20:1-16 "For the situation in the Kingdom of Heaven is like what happened when a householder went out first thing in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Where did they come from? General Epistles 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 very next scene, the case of Jairus, the ruler, shows it. Many words are not now required for that which is happily familiar to most here. Would he go back on his point of no return? 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. The leper approaches the Lord with homage, but with a most inadequate belief in His love and readiness to meet his need. is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. Even at such a time that was not the end of his words, for he finished with the confident assertion of the Resurrection. 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. Other parables also teach that He will not (e.g., Matthew 25:14-30). Except where noted, scripture quotations are taken from the Easy-to-Read Version 2001 by Bible League International. It is not enough that Israel be awakened from the sleep of death, and see aright. If it was His rejection, these scornful men were themselves rejected in the very act. Lesson: Heavenly TreasuresWinning in God's Eyes (Matthew 20:1-16 THE MIND OF JESUS ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). The Lord, however, in the same chapter, shows that it was not a question alone of what was to be done, or to be suffered, or is to be by-and-by, but what He was, and is, and never can but be. By His stripes ye are healed, spiritually, yes, but I do not think that it can be limited to spiritual only, the whole context, and especially Matthew eight would extend it also to physical healing. His word should silence all our murmurings, that, whatever God does to us, or withholds from us, he does us no wrong. He went out again about twelve o'clock midday, and about three o'clock in the afternoon, and did the same. Cecil Northcott in Famous Life Decisions tens of what Kagawa did. The tribunes of the second and third likewise made their choice one after another; and he that remained entered into the fourth legion. It tells us of their ambition. Subsequently to that, the scribe offered to follow Jesus whithersoever He went. The New Testament After this, in the chapter we have the positive hindrance asserted of what man counts good. Major Prophets The right hand and left hand suggest proximity to the Kings person and so a share in his prestige and power. (Carson), ii. How are we to account for a selection so marked, an elimination of time so complete? Major Prophets And, 2. 2. And after the supper He took the cup, likewise and said, this cup is a new covenant in my blood, which is shed for the remission of sins, and as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death, until He comes"( 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ). People simply do not and cannot MERIT salvation. 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. yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee. But what, it may be asked, has this to do with the subject of our parable? 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. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. See Matthew 19:27-29. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink: Their answer (We are able) seems to come a little too quick. They measured Jesus by their own impotence. But if He here does not go beyond a hint of that which the Gentiles were about to receive on the ruinous unbelief and judgment of the Jew, He does not keep back their own awful course and doom in the figure that follows. He is not here sought as by the leper, the centurion, the friends of the palsied man; He Himself calls Matthew, a publican just the one to write the gospel of the despised Jesus of Nazareth. Therefore let him who would meet God visit the prison cell before going to the temple. Here he asserts his own justice; Friend, I do thee no wrong. Note, There are but few chosen Christians, in comparison with the many that are only called Christians; it therefore highly concerns us to build our hope for heaven upon the rock of an eternal choice, and not upon the sand of an external call; and we should fear lest we be found but seeming Christians, and so should really come short; nay, lest we be found blemished Christians, and so should seem to come short,Hebrews 4:1. If he will do it, it is not for us to gainsay; for he is in one mind, and who can turn him? Such was and is man. 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. A new tribe presented other four soldiers, and the second legion chose first. b. "I am certain that there is much about the scourging about Jesus that we do not fully understand. Now Paul said if you understand this, when you partake of the broken bread, you can receive from God a work of His Spirit in your body.Now many who do not understand this, are weak and sick, because they do not understand the Lord's body. The point of this closing aphorism is not to suggest that God's ways are simply or only about an inversion of the status quo. It is equally clear that the seven worse spirits mean the complete energy of the devil in the maintenance of Antichrist against the true Christ: and this, strange to say, along with idols. Now a penny was a denarius and it was just a day's wage, the average day's wage. They plucked his hair, they smote his cheeks, they spat in his face. [1.] On this the Lord takes another step, when one said to Him, "Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee." Matthew 5:45). Gregory the Great took the picture to even more grotesque, almost revolting, lengths. 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. The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, Now what is Jesus seeking to teach by this parable of sending forth the laborers into the vineyard? See Matthew 19:27-29. for many be called, but few chosenThis is another of our Lord's terse and pregnant sayings, more than once uttered in different connections. 20:1-16 The direct object of this parable seems to be, to show that though the Jews were first called into the vineyard, at length the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews. So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. They that come from the east and west, and so come in late, that are picked up out of the highways and the hedges, shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, at the same feast, Matthew 7:11; Matthew 7:11. Thus the old link with the flesh, with Israel, is now disowned; and the new relationships of faith, founded on doing the will of His Father (it is not a question of the law in any sort), are alone acknowledged. i. There were many who died right there as the result of the scourging itself. of 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. (Compare Mark 3:13-19, andMark 6:7-11; Mark 6:7-11; Luke 6:1-49; Luke 9:1-62) The mission of the apostles did not take place till afterwards. "If you really want to be great in the kingdom of God, learn to be the servant of all. 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. In this work we must not be slothful, not loiterers, but labourers, working, and working out our own salvation. God is the Owner of all good; his propriety in it is absolute, sovereign, and unlimited. Next, He lays bare the capricious unbelief of man, only consistent in thwarting every thing and one that God employs for his good; then, His own entire rejection where He had most laboured. We have, first, the sower sowing the word. Most scholars have also recognized in the many a clear reference to Isaiah. (Carson) By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11) He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many (Isaiah 53:12). Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son. Blessed Paul guarded against this, when, though the chief of the apostles, he owned himself to be nothing, to be less than the least of all saints. He will never be less than fair, but reserves the right to be more than fair as pleases Him. There are two great lessons here. Not so. This came out most blessedly through the disciples. "This man blasphemeth." Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs. 16.So the first shall be last. Again he went out about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, [noon and three in the afternoon], he did likewise. 4. e T. Bab. Commentary on Matthew 20:1-16 - Working Preacher "They that are first shall be last, and they that are last shall be first"( Matthew 19:30 ). Take notice of the care with which the Spirit of God here omits all reference to this: "And a certain scribe came." 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.(A). They were still thinking in terms of personal reward and personal distinction; and they were thinking of personal success without personal sacrifice. The true disciple rests easy in the assurance that because his pay is from a Master of grace, it will be gracious. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.(A), 17Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. 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 call to serve God is the gift of His grace. 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. He is there with the beggars. Pentateuch The New King James Version (NKJV) organises this chapter as follows: . There is here the first decisive step to the last act of the inescapable tragedy. The apostles were then sent thus, no doubt, forerunners of those whom the Lord will raise up for the latter day. Matthew 13:19-22), we find first of all the utter worthlessness of the flesh's readiness to follow Jesus. Do not let us dwell too much upon it, for we all share the honor given to each. It was an imperfect faith but they acted on it; and Jesus accepted it. It ought to be so with every forgiven soul. At least we can draw the following applications from it. Now this is their final trip to Jerusalem. I am certain that everyone that was afflicted had heard of the fame of Jesus. So, on the other hand, the centurion sets forth with no less aptness the characteristic faith that suits the Gentile, in a simplicity which looks for nothing but the word of His mouth, is perfectly content with it, knows that, whatever the disease may be, He has only to speak the word, and it is done according to His divine will. ", To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Thus, and after the tenderest sort, there is that which evidences the Messiah on earth present to heal His people who appeal to Him; and the Jew, above all counting upon His bodily presence demanding it, I may say, according to the warrant of prophecy, finds in Jesus not merely the man, but the God of Israel. The unparalleled grace of the Saviour must form and fashion the saints henceforth. For many are called, but few chosen." a. Gregory of Nyssa saw the glaring fault in that theory. It is easy to condemn the disciples, but the faith and the loyalty which lay behind the ambition must never be forgotten. One of these people might have been the rich young man if he had become a disciple (Matthew 20:16-22). 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. Subsequent, considerably, to this was the case of the centurion's servant, preceded a good while before by the cleansing of the leper. 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. And when the devil was come out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel." 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. But every Scripture that treats of that time proves what dread, what anxiety, what dark clouds will be ever and anon. How many millions does the long-suffering of God lead to repentance! 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? 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. The dispensational aim here leads to a more manifest disregard of the bare circumstance of time than in any other specimen of these gospels. In particular, to represent to us that concerning the kingdom of heaven, which he had said in the close of the foregoing chapter, that many that are first shall be last, and the last, first; with which this parable is connected; that truth, having in it a seeming contradiction, needed further explication. Luke-Acts The bodily presence of the Messiah was not needed. 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." The better MSS., indeed, omit it here. b. Here is royalty and kingship restated and remade. There are a great many decisions which have to be taken. Let not those that come in at the eleventh hour, be put behind the rest, but, lest they should be discouraged, call them first. I have endeavoured, though, of course, cursorily, and I feel most imperfectly, to give thus far Matthew's sketch of the Saviour as the Holy Ghost enabled him to execute it. 20:17-19 As he was going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples apart, and said to them, while they were on the road, "Look you, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and the Scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify; and on the third day he will be raised.". iii. Any worker was welcome, even if he could give only an hour to the work. (Barclay). Compare Luke 17:7; Luke 17:8; Luke 12:37. All men, no matter when they come, are equally precious to God.". They said, "Lord, if we could just see." The power of divine grace is magnified in the conversion of some, when they are in the midst of their pleasures and worldly pursuits, as Paul. It is as if Jesus said to them, "You have received the great privilege of coming into the Christian Church and fellowship very early, right at the beginning. It is a very significant story, for it paints a picture of the spirit and of the attitude of mind and heart to which the most precious gifts of God are open. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed [2.] And they would lay this leather whip across the back, and it was so designed, that when they pulled it back up to rip up pieces of flesh.The purpose of the scourging was the third-degree Roman style. ", Kagawa himself wrote: "God dwells among the lowliest of men. (Matthew 20:22-23) Jesus answers James and John: when you ask for a place of special status, do you know what you ask for? Now, it was an established principle, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established. The New Testament The Gospels "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." 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. The woman at last meets the heart and mind of Jesus in the sense of all her utter nothingness before God; and then grace, which had wrought all up to this, though pent-up, can flow like a river; and the Lord can admire her faith, albeit from Himself, God's free gift. He was tricked by the seeming helplessness of Jesus; he took Jesus to be a mere man; he tried to retain hold of Jesus, and in trying to do so, he lost his power and was broken for ever. ii. 4. And they went their way. Have we, spite of superior privileges, such unwavering faith, that we can afford to treat the matter as incredible in John, and therefore only capable of solution in his staggering disciples? It is not a question of bringing in law to govern the kingdom or guide the Church. 1. 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. He tells them that they should not have gone over (or finished) the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come. 111. Notice is taken of the several hours of the day, at which the labourers were hired. Rudolf Bultmann writes: "In the Cross of Christ Jewish standards of judgment and human notions of the splendour of the Messiah are shattered." Now according to the historians, this scourging was such an awful taxing thing upon the person that many people never made it to the cross. Please see Blue Letter Bible's Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. "Who is my mother? 2. . He goes to raise the dead, and the woman with the issue of blood touches Him by the way. Wretched we, that we should need such proof of it; wretched, that we should be so slow of heart to answer to it, or even to feel its immensity! 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. And they said unto him, Because no man has hired us. ESV Text Edition: 2016. The sovereign God takes pity on a needy world, and generously gives his salvation to all who accept his offer. [Note: Norman A. Huffman, "Atypical Features in the Parables of Jesus," Journal of Biblical Literature 97 (1978):209. Luke-Acts General Epistles . Had she not such confusion of thought that, if the Lord had heeded her words, it must have been destruction to her? 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. Suffering from great humiliation and degradation. In later days others will come in. Of one of the disciples, whose state may have been specially present to our Lords mind, this was, we know, only too fatally true. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. And he went out about the third hour: The third hour was about 9:00 a.m.; the sixth hour was about 12 noon; the eleventh hour was about 5:00 in the evening. Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. Beracot, fol. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. [There is what I call a clear, unmistakable note of time.] PRODUCT REVIEW: The Adventure Challenge Couple's Edition The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. Bishop PEARCE thinks it is an interpolation from Matthew 22:14. It was going on, then, to the bitter end, and surely not without such suffering and sorrow as holy, unselfish, obedient love alone can know. e. And to give His life a ransom for many: The death of Jesus the giving of His life purchased the freedom of His people. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem: This was not a surprise to the disciples. Take what is yours and go! God proves what He is by the revelation of Jesus. That the same night that in which Jesus was betrayed, He took bread, and when He had broken it, He said, take eat this is my body which is broken for you. Think of when this request was made. Going back just a little bit further, Peter had said to Jesus, "Lord, we have left all to follow thee"( Matthew 19:27 ). But it is expressly the pattern after which He was to deal, and will deal, with Israel. The crown set before us is a crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge shall give. Next, we behold Him meeting the centurion after another manner altogether. They put it off until a more convenient time, but so often the more convenient time never comes. These were sent into the vineyard, it is true, at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them, or offered to hire them, before. 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. I Will Build My Church (16:13-20) The . The nature of envy; It is an evil eye. The ones who labored only an hour did not deserve their pay either. In this laying aside of authority, he gives a silent rebuke to our self-seeking. (Spurgeon). 2. . Thereon the Lord also has His word to say, first reminding Peter of his new name suitably to what follows. It is tragic that in church circles there is also that endeavor many times to exercise lordship and dominion over people.One of the weird doctrines of the seventies was the shepherding doctrine, where so many men sought to establish themselves as the lords over the flock of God and causing people to submit to their authority. We are dependent, therefore, for determining this case, on the fact that Mark does habitually adhere to the chain of events. Apart from the method of payment, the parable describes the kind of thing that frequently happened at certain times in Palestine. The grape harvest ripened towards the end of September, and then close on its heels the rains came. "And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth." It was a grave step this, and in view of His rejection now. And He prophesied so accurately the things.First of all, He is going to be betrayed. The pay was perfectly normal; a denarius or a drachma was the normal day's wage for a working man; and, even allowing for the difference in modern standards and in purchasing power, 4 pence a day was not a wage which left any margin. Successful service to God is the gift of His grace. Hence, lower down in the chapter, after the demon was cast out of the blind and dumb man before the amazed people, the Pharisees, irritated by their question, Is not this the Son of David? That they might mock me, scourge me, and crucify me, but I will rise again on the third day.Now again whenever Jesus talked to His disciples about His death, this thought was so repulsive to them, their minds just turned off, and they never heard, "I am going to rise again on the third day." He had brought out the kingdom before in view of that which betrayed to Him the unpardonable blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. Take what is yours and go your way. Israel must give full testimony in the bright day of His coming. It was to James and John that Jesus spoke. i. A man came there first thing in the morning, carrying his tools, and waited until someone hired him. 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. "That by His stripes you may be healed." "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. It is important to see that the landowner did not treat anyone unfairly, though he was more generous to some than to others. 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.