Secondly, the prophecy of Psalms declared, "not a bone of Him shall be broken"( Psalms 34:20 ). Isaiah prophesied the fact that He would be scourged, but in prophesying the fact, Isaiah tells us the reason. They've come to Jericho. And what makes this still more striking, is the certainty that the kingdom, bright as it is, is by no means the thing nearest to Jesus. Matthew 20:16 in all English translations. Pauline Epistles vi. 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. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. Now notice, the mother is the one doing the speaking, but the boys are right there behind her. First of all, because the sacrifice that was offered to God could not have any blemish, any broken bones. In Matthew it is their mother. [2.] 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. Had Peter confessed who the Son of man really is? The point of this one is that God will reward all His disciples justly, graciously, and generously. "Can a woman forget her sucking child? And now as they depart from Jericho. They confess their faith, and He touches their eyes. :) www.facebook.com/tiacookphotographywww.instagram.com/tiacookphotographywww.tiacookphotography.co.uk all rights reserved to Tia Cook Photography Proud member Is not your eye evil, because I am good? Pauline Epistles He is there with the beggars. 3. Passwords should have at least 6 characters. Friend, I am doing you no wrong. The Lord hints at what the man's real desires were not Christ, not heaven, not eternity, but present things. Yet man, in face of all, is so deceived of the enemy, that he prefers to be left with the demons rather than enjoy the presence of the Deliverer. "Our Daily Homily: Matthew-Revelation" Volume 5 (Westwood, New Jersey: Revell, 1966), Poole, Matthew "A Commentary on the Holy Bible" Volume 3 (Matthew-Revelation) (London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1969), Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "Commentary on Matthew: The Gospel of the Kingdom" (London: Passmore and Alabaster, Paternoster Buildings, 1893), Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The New Park Street Pulpit" Volumes 1-6 and "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990). Note, There is a great proneness in us to think that we have too little, and other too much, of the tokens of God's favour; and that we do too much, and others too little, in the work of God. 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. How thoroughly did our Lord take a lowly place for our sakes! (2.) Many are called, c.] This clause is wanting in BL, one other, and in the Coptic and Sahidic versions. But the future is in view also. The point isnt that all have the same reward though all Gods people do go to the same heaven (where they will have reward in different measure). A new tribe presented other four soldiers, and the second legion chose first. If it was His rejection, these scornful men were themselves rejected in the very act. In a sense, everybody is called to recognize God through the natural world, but the word "chosen" shows that God must personally rescue us from our self-centered blindness. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. The Gospels If there be a privilege more manifest than another which has dawned on us, it is what we have found by and in Jesus, that now we can say nothing is too great for us, nothing too little for God. ), NIV, Story of Jesus: Experience the Life of Jesus as One Seamless Story, NIV, The Woman's Study Bible, Full-Color, Red Letter: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation, NIV, Beautiful Word Bible Journal, Revelation, Paperback, Comfort Print, NIV, Verse Mapping Bible, Comfort Print: Find Connections in Scripture Using a Unique 5-Step Process, NIV, Beautiful Word Bible Journal, Galatians, Paperback, Comfort Print, NIV, The Story, Hardcover, Comfort Print: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People. 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. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. And someone said, "Jesus is going by." The right hand and left hand suggest proximity to the Kings person and so a share in his prestige and power. (Carson), ii. 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. "In God's economy," as someone has said, "there is no such thing as a most favoured nation clause." It was a scorned Messiah who, when rejected of His own people, Israel, turned to the Gentiles by the will of God: it was One who could look upon publicans and sinners anywhere. The parable itself displays a reversal of expectations "the last will be first and the first will be last"; this is not only the summary of the parable (20:16), but a critical aspect of New Testament theology. The scribe had no heart for the hidden glory. The Spirit of God has been pleased to cull and class facts otherwise unconnected; for here follow conversations that took place a long time after any of the events we have been occupied with. "Suffer me first," he says, "to go and bury my father." 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! 8, could not deny what was done in the case of the leper, who showed himself duly, and brought his offering, according to the law, to the altar. Except where noted, scripture quotations are taken from the Easy-to-Read Version 2001 by Bible League International. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. This came out most blessedly through the disciples. They couldn't see Him. They put it off until a more convenient time, but so often the more convenient time never comes. It is the death-blow to human tradition and ordinance in divine things, and in reality depends on the truth of the absolute ruin of man a truth which, as we see, the disciples were very slow to recognize. 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16); Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34); Greatness is Serving (Matthew 20:20-28); Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight (Matthew 20:29-34). The evil eye was an idiom used to refer to jealousy (cf. The ability to serve God is the gift of His grace. 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!. a. Jesus thought about how He would fulfill the will of His Father in the future. 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? Therefore what this saying means is quite simply--it cost the life and the death of Jesus Christ to bring men back to God. Then, after the parable of the mustard seed (ver. ESV Text Edition: 2016. All turns on that which was suitable to such a God, the giver of His own Son. iii. They glorified God. The New King James Version (NKJV) organises this chapter as follows: . vi. He answered one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. 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. The glory of Christ's person strengthens us, not only to understand His cross, but to take up ours. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." Poetical Books That is why the first will be last and the last will be first. God proves what He is by the revelation of Jesus. he said. There will be differences at the close. In what follows we have that which is necessary, to complete the picture of the other side. ii. Lastly, we have the Lord rebuking the ambition not only of the sons of Zebedee, but in truth also of the ten; for why was there such warmth of indignation against the two brethren? And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them." Hence it is that He has grouped together circumstances which make this plain, without raising the question of when they occurred; in fact, they range over a large space, and, otherwise viewed, are in total disorder. The servants are clearly divided into two classes. 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. The discontent arose not because of any injustice in the landowner, but because of jealousy in the all-day workers (Matthew 20:9-15). "Reversal!" Matthew 20:16 (What Jesus Did!) - Heartlight He said, "Call those fellows to me." 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. It ought to have been John's place to have proclaimed the glory of Jesus; but all things in this world are the reverse of what they ought to be, and of what will be when Jesus takes the throne, coming in power and glory. Wisdom Literature Deuteronomy 15:9; 1 Samuel 18:9). (Carson), ii. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. At least we can draw the following applications from it. 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). "Life is not fair! Praise God!" (Matthew 20:1-16) | Bible.org So, I believe now, there is no attempt ever made on the Name of the Son of God, there is not a single shaft levelled at Him, but the Spirit turns to the holy, and true, and sweet task of asserting anew and more loudly His glory, which enlarges the expression of His grace to man. Note, Evening time is the reckoning time; the particular account must be given up in the evening of our life; for after death cometh the judgment. The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, but it should be different among the people of God. Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son. The system of law is easy to figure out: you get what you deserve. 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." The amazing thing about Jesus is that he never lost patience and became irritated. Those who had come first thought that they would receive more; but they too received 4 pence each. And they no doubt led these two blind men to Jesus. All rights reserved. iii. 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. James was the first of the apostolic band to die a martyr ( Acts 12:2). Considerable time, it is true, elapsed between the two facts; but this only makes it the more sure and plain, that they are grouped together with a divine purpose. (ii) There is an equally definite warning to the Jews. "Who is my mother? "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! The parable teaches one truth, and but one; and where Jesus has explained it, we have no right to add to it, and say that it teaches anything else. Here is the first mention of the mode of Jesus death and of the Gentiles part in it (only the Romans could crucify people). (Carson). If he will do it, it is not for us to gainsay; for he is in one mind, and who can turn him? The world knows quite well that a good man is a man who serves his fellow-men. But Jesus answered and said, You don't know what you are asking. Paul was as one born out of due time, yet came not behind the chiefest of the apostles, and outdid those that were in Christ before him. One of these people might have been the rich young man if he had become a disciple (Matthew 20:16-22). 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. 4. A complete new set of values has been brought into life. Jesus' conclusion to the parable mirrors the formula introduced at Matthew 19:30, which leads into the parable: "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (20:16; see also 19:30). They gave Him full honor with this title. It was necessary to complete the picture. The book features 50 challenges to do with your partner at affordable price points (FREE to about $50). Had there been a single thing good in Israel, their choicest guides would have stood that test. The idea is that His people were in bondage as slaves, and He paid their price. Jesus openly acknowledged the suffering and agony that awaited Him. But they were so desperate, they weren't discouraged, they even cried louder, "Jesus, thou son of David have mercy on us. He could not bear to see them idle. The Gentile church, which was as yet unborn, the Gentile world, which as yet stood idle in the market-place, would produce greater numbers of eminent, useful Christians, than were found among the Jews. 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. It says simply, "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." 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 disciples most inadequately perceive His glory; but the Lord acts according to His own mind. He said to them, 'Go you also into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' Peter wanted to know what they would get in return. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. Ties him to his bargain (Matthew 20:14; Matthew 20:14); Take that thine is, and go thy way. that take and give unto them for me and thee." Read full chapter. Luke-Acts 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? His reply came in stages. The payment shall not be wholly deferred till the morning of the resurrection; but then, in the evening of the world, will be the general account, when every one shall receive according to the things done in the body. They looked at one another, and they tried to fathom where there was no depth, but where the truth lay on the surface. (Spurgeon), vi. And then he said interesting things for this cause; "There are many who are weak and sick among you, because they do not understand the Lord's body"( 1 Corinthians 11:30 ). Try to discourage them from seeking Jesus. Can you drink the cup which I have to drink?" So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. "Matthew: The Expositor's Bible Commentary" Volume 8 (Matthew-Luke) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1984), Clarke, Adam "Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes" Volume 5 (Matthew-Acts) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1832), France, R.T. "The Gospel According to Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary" (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985), Meyer, F.B. It was the creature doing his best, yet proving that he loved the creature more than the Creator. The work of religion is vineyard-work, pruning, dressing, digging, watering, fencing, weeding. Surely not by inaccuracy; surely not by indifference to order, but contrariwise by divine wisdom that arranged the facts with a view to a purpose worthy of itself: God's arrangement of all things more particularly in this part of Matthew to give us an adequate manifestation of the Messiah; and, as we have seen, first, what He was to the appeal of the Jew; next, what He was and would be to Gentile faith, in still richer form and fulness. Secondly, Whatsoever is right,Matthew 20:4-7; Matthew 20:4-7. "This man blasphemeth." If God gives that grace to others, which he denies to us, it is kindness to them, but no injustice to us; and bounty to another, while it is no injustice to us, we ought not to find fault with. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Remember, God doesn't look at us the way this world does. But here pardon dispensed on earth arouses the pride of the religious leaders to the quick, and implacably. The first came to an agreement with the master; they had a contract; they said, "We work, if you give us so much pay." The earnestness of these men was marvelous; they were desperate to be healed, and ignored the crowd that tried to quiet them (they cried out all the more). 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. The parable may also be applied more generally, and . In our gospel we have not seen the apostles called and ordained. 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. 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. Third, this passage sheds a light on Jesus. said the Lord; and then stretched forth His hand toward His disciples with the words, "Behold my mother and my brethren! So, when those who had been engaged about five o'clock in the afternoon, came, they received 4 pence each. Seemingly, the disciples did not really listen when Jesus said these things. Gregory the Great took the picture to even more grotesque, almost revolting, lengths. When he had come to an agreement with them that they would work for 4 pence a day, he sent them into his vineyard. If those who trusted in themselves that they were wise and righteous would not have Him, He would call even a publican on the spot to be among the most honoured of His followers, and would not disdain to be their joy when they desired His honour in the exercise of His grace. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? C. G. Montefiore calls this parable "one of the greatest and most glorious of all." Matthew 20:1-16 - It's Not About Seniority! - Bible God had given his soul a deeper, fuller sight of Christ; for the Gentile's words prove that he had apprehended God in the man who was healing at that moment all sickness and disease in Galilee. They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' I injure no one, and have a right to do what I will with my own. Thus explained, this parable has no reference to the call of the Gentiles, nor to the call of aged sinners, nor to the call of sinners out of the church at all. They're on the way to Jerusalem; they've come down the Jordan Valley. You don't know what the challenge/date is until you scratch off a square similar to a scratch-off lottery ticket. Does not this suit you, poor sinner you who never did serve him, you who could not, as you are, minister to him? 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. Their expectation was so focused on Jesus establishing an immediate political kingdom, and these words from Jesus were so contrary to that anticipation, these words just went over their heads. Apply to the Son of David; lose not a moment; he is passing by, and thou art passing into eternity, and probably wilt never have a more favourable opportunity than the present. Thereon the Lord also has His word to say, first reminding Peter of his new name suitably to what follows. We can never repay God for what he has done for us but we can always be grateful to him. Minor Prophets But what, it may be asked, has this to do with the subject of our parable? . Poetical Books This is the prerogative of the King of kings. None the less does the Lord uphold it, purged of what accretions had come in to obscure its original and proper character. ii. What does Matthew chapter 20 mean? | BibleRef.com Judas had been called, but would not be among the chosen either for the higher work or for its ultimate reward-Interpreting the parable as we have been led to interpret it, we cannot for a moment imagine that its drift was to teach the disciples that they would forfeit their place in the kingdom. (iv) Here, also, is the infinite compassion of God. Wisdom Literature ii. That the complainant had no reason at all to say he had any wrong done to him, Matthew 20:13; Matthew 20:14. They knew that they were the chosen people, nor would they ever willingly forget that choice. Matthew 20:16 English Standard Version 16 So the last will be first, and the first last." Read full chapter Matthew 20:16 in all English translations Matthew 19 Matthew 21 English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. These were sent into the vineyard, it is true, at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them, or offered to hire them, before. A man is not a Christian if his first concern is pay. but it was far too much for the young man. Can we dare to say, No man hath hired us?. When it gets to where I have to sneak in the back door at the last minute, and sneak out before things are over, then I need to find something else to do, when you can no longer take time to minister to individuals.Now these men of course do give to us a very beautiful picture of people who are blind in sin, and there is the spiritualizing of the text, crying out for Jesus. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. This parable of the labourers in the vineyard is intended. Slaves and servants were regarded as being at least to some extent attached to the family; they were within the group; their fortunes would vary with the fortunes of the family, but they would never be in any imminent danger of starvation in normal times. If, amid the multitude of Christians, I choose to signalize such men as Paul, and Martyn, and Brainerd, and Spencer, and Summerfield - to appoint some of them to short labor but to wide usefulness, and raise them to signal rewards, I injure not the great multitude of others who live long lives less useful and less rewarded.