The nature of envy; It is an evil eye. Reject Him as the Messiah; in that rejection the moral glory of the Son of man would be laid as the foundation of His exaltation and manifestation another day; He was Lord of the Sabbath-day. He knew what they needed and what they wanted, but God still wants us to tell Him our needs as a constant expression of our trust and reliance on Him. 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. I have endowed them with apostolic gifts or with superior talents, and suited them for wider usefulness. ( Matthew 20:16) The parable applied: the principle of God's reward. And they went. They may not be as long in the vineyard as others; their race may be sooner run; but I have chosen to honor them in this manner, and I have a right to do it. The ignorance is wholly on our side: all they say or omit was owing to the far-reaching and gracious wisdom of Him who inspired them. All rights reserved. Not only were they healed, but they also followed the One who did great things for them. So the last will be first, and the first last: Peter and the disciples knew they had given up a great deal to follow Jesus. All through their history the Jews had dreamed of the Messiah; but the Messiah of whom they had dreamed was always a conquering king, a mighty leader, one who would smash the enemies of Israel and reign in power over the kingdoms of the earth. 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. Notice the flow of the narrative as the . Yet they were paid exactly the same. "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 grief to ourselves, anger to God, and ill-will to our neighbour; and it is a sin that has neither pleasure, profit, nor honour, in it; it is an evil, an only evil. They did not see why they should be allowed to stake their claims to preeminence. "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! (i) These two blind men were waiting, and when their chance came they seized it with both hands. Matthew 20:16 in all English translations. 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. Whence they are hired? Then follows the rise of what was great in its littleness till it became little in its greatness in the earth; and the development and spread of doctrine, till the measured space assigned to it is brought under its assimilating influence. James was the first of the apostolic band to die a martyr ( Acts 12:2). They've come to Jericho. Seemingly, the disciples did not really listen when Jesus said these things. What do you want Me to do for you? So our goal as disciples is to value things now as God does. When God settles all the accounts, then things are going to be valued by his standards and not the world's standards. That's one of the two. There were many that followed Christ now in the regeneration, when the gospel kingdom was first set up, and these Jewish converts seemed to have got the start of others; but Christ, to obviate and silence their boasting, here tells them. And when the devil was come out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel." But the parable may be applied more generally, and shows us, 1. They looked for the raging Lion of Judah; they received the gentle Lamb of God. There is hope of old sinners, that they may be brought to true repentance; nothing is too hard for Almighty grace to do, it can change the Ethiopian's skin, and the leopard's spots; can set those to work, who have contracted a habit of idleness. It is the end of the account of Jesus itinerant ministry, and its setting as they went out of Jericho points forward to the next town on the road, Jerusalem. (France). b. But I do believe that in this parable, He is teaching that a person at the end of the road can turn, in the eleventh hour and come to God, and receive a share of the kingdom, equal share, as far as eternal life is concerned.Another thing that it teaches, I believe, is that we all will be rewarded for our faithfulness in our service to God. Sometimes a young person dies almost before the door of life and achievement have opened at all. Matthew 20:16. God, by his gospel, is hiring labourers into his vineyard, to dress it, and keep it, paradise-work. For many are called, but few chosen." a. Conversely in some cases those whom God called early in their lives may not receive as much reward as those called later in life. If to conquer with Christ meant to suffer with Christ, they were perfectly willing to face that suffering. "My daughter is even now dead, but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live." 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. The prisoner would be tied to a post in such a way, as your back would be stretched. Yes, it was His to rule and command the sea, even as the land and all that in them is. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point Poetical Books The last shall be first, and the first last. 2. 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. 2. In Matthew we have no distinction of their call from their mission. 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. Here is the agreement made with the labourers (Matthew 20:1-7; Matthew 20:1-7); and here it will be asked, as usual. "Lord, save us; we perish," cried they, as they awoke Him; and He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. Jesus deliberately and open-eyed sets out for Jerusalem and the Cross. Yet it shall not be so among you is a stinging rebuke to the manner in which the modern church looks to the world for both its substance and style. The New Testament The first thing to be remarked is, that the leper was an early incident in the manifestation of the healing power of our Lord. 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. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Matthew 20 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. He who had just confessed the glory of the Lord would not hear His Master speaking thus of His going to the cross (by which alone the Church, or even the kingdom, could be established), and sought to swerve Him from it. It is quite wrong to think that for the Christian the cup must always mean the short, sharp, bitter, agonizing struggle of martyrdom; the cup may well be the long routine of the Christian life, with all its daily sacrifice, its daily struggle, and its heart-breaks and its disappointments and its tears. In short, he had a question because he was a man. Jerusalem's proud, traditional hypocrisy is exposed, and grace fully blesses the tried Gentile. It was the custom in Palestine for a Rabbi to teach as he walked along the road; and no doubt those around Jesus could not hear what Jesus was saying for this clamorous uproar. He may therefore give or withhold his blessings, as he pleases. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny." 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. Because it is free grace, that is given to those that have it, boasting is for ever excluded; and because it is free grace, that is withheld from those that have it not, murmuring is for ever excluded. The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. So in this case there was brought to Him a paralytic man, lying upon a bed, "and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." Minor Prophets A few I have chosen for higher stations in the church. 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. 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. It shows us his kindness. i. The parable may also be applied more generally, and . THE MIND OF JESUS ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). They could probably tell the direction in the flow, the crowd, which direction He was, but they began to cry out to Jesus. Wisdom Literature 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. 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). Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the. Mary Magdalene is named in all the lists; Mary the mother of James and Joses must be the same person as Mary the wife of Clopas; therefore the third woman is described in three different ways. At its close we see the leper approaching the Lord, after He had been preaching throughout Galilee and casting out devils. ; Continuity with Matthew 19 And Jesus stood still, and he called them, and said, What do you want me to do for you? Ministers call them into the vineyard, to do their work; death calls them out of the vineyard, to receive their penny: and those to whom the call into the vineyard is effectual, the call out of it will be joyful. Judgment will have early cut them off. They did not understand what was happening, but they could see in every line of Jesus' body the struggle of his soul. All rights reserved worldwide. i. 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. But among my followers service alone is the badge of greatness. And yet in spite of that the disciples are thinking of a Kingdom. Luke-Acts In this he had laboured, as he said, from his youth up: "What lack I yet?" All shall reach heaven, and all shall receive what I promise to the faithful. The Roman penny was, in our money, of the value of a sevenpence half-penny, a day's wages for a day's work, and the wages sufficient for a day's maintenance. You don't know what the challenge/date is until you scratch off a square similar to a scratch-off lottery ticket. They said, "Lord, if we could just see." The crowd commanded them to stop their shouting; they were making a nuisance of themselves. v. Living under grace is sort of a two-edged sword. 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). As a consequence they looked down on the Gentiles. God's generosity will not succumb to human jealousy. He was not setting out rules for wages and employment, but giving an illustration of Gods grace. 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. Nothing can be simpler. What can be conceived so perfectly to illustrate the great design of the gospel of Matthew? (Matthew 20:8-10) The landowner pays his workers. The unparalleled grace of the Saviour must form and fashion the saints henceforth. The bodily presence of the Messiah was not needed. [5.] Those whom Christ fed miraculously, though of different sizes, men, women, and children, did all eat, and were filled. In the distribution of future joys, as it was in the gathering of the manna, he that shall gather much, will have nothing over, and he that shall gather little, will have no lack, Exodus 16:18. Note, The unchangeableness of God's purposes in dispensing his gifts should silence our murmurings. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with what is my own? He had brought out the kingdom before in view of that which betrayed to Him the unpardonable blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. The Lord admired the faith superior to Israel's, and took that occasion to intimate the casting out of the sons or natural heirs of the kingdom, and the entrance of many from east and west to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of the heavens. So translated into our present day, an average day's wage for a laborer maybe twenty-five dollars or so. I love that family strength among them. They had the desperation appropriate for those who know that today is the day of salvation. This made it to be plainly and only a difficulty for God to solve. 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. Other parables also teach that He will not (e.g., Matthew 25:14-30). It was as Son of David that they addressed Jesus. Counting from 6 a.m. therefore, the third hour is 9 a.m., the sixth hour is twelve midday, and the eleventh hour is 5 p.m. Let them recognize the power that banished the leprosy, and the grace withal that touched the leper. Hence, he waits to present their rejection of the Messiah, as morally complete as possible in his statement of it, though necessarily not complete in outward accomplishment. Prophets 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. For many are called, but few chosen.". No doubt they had heard of the wondrous power of Jesus; and no doubt they wondered if that power might ever be exercised for them. 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. 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. So the last will be first, and the first last. What was that cup? Secondly, Whatsoever is right,Matthew 20:4-7; Matthew 20:4-7. The Lord works in delivering power; but withal the power of Satan fills and carries away the unclean to their own destruction. There is such tremendous reward just in being able to minister to people, the feedback that comes from it is so rewarding. The Lord then had been shown such as He was towards Israel, had Israel in their leprosy come to Him, as did the leper, even with a faith exceedingly short of that which was due to His real glory and His love. A man who wanted to work came there first thing in the morning, carrying his tools, and waited until someone hired him. But none the less do we find His affections engaged for the help of the helpless. (Matthew 20:1-2) A landowners workers early in the morning. The New King James Version (NKJV) organises this chapter as follows: . It means that no matter when a man enters the Kingdom, late or soon, in the first flush of youth, in the strength of the midday, or when the shadows are lengthening, he is equally dear to God. The reason I consider to be plain; and the same principle applies to various other parts of our gospel where we have two cases mentioned, where in the other gospels we have only one. In what sense did Jesus, our Lord, take their infirmities, and bear their sicknesses? Probably thisto teach us that men who have wrought in Christ's service all their days may, by the spirit which they manifest at the last, make it too evident that, as between God and their own souls, they never were chosen workmen at all. He here is predicting the fact that He is going to be scourged. It is not a thing that can be settled by a mere assertion. In Matthew 15:1-39 we have another picture, and twofold. The disciples should expect to be rewarded; but they should not be surprised if, when rewards are distributed, God will reward others in unexpected ways. It is not for us surely to think this impossible. Perhaps, Christ here gives an intimation to Peter, not to boast too much, as he seemed to do, of his having left all to follow Christ; as if, because he and the rest of them had borne the burthen and heat of the day thus, they must have a heaven by themselves. No doubt the tempest was great; but what harm could it do to Jesus? 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. And yet the true faithful saints of God, who have been obedient to the bidding of the Lord to go into the vineyard, and no matter what place, what time, it is their faithfulness to the call of God in going for which God makes the reward.In fact, I do believe that many times those who have been called to a more prominent ministry will actually receive a much lesser reward because we get so much reward now. So the last shall be first, and the first shall be last: for many are called, but few are chosen ( Matthew 20:5-16 ). The fact is, in judging others we judge ourselves. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. In the kingdom so much the less sparing is the retribution of those who despise or abuse grace. It was very different with the hired day-labourers. Here is the story of two men who found their way to a miracle. When they had divided among them the command of the four legions to be formed, the consuls summoned to the capitol, or Campus Martius, all the citizens who, by their age, were obliged to bear arms. The Gospels He was to be mocked by the Romans; there we see the suffering of humiliation and of deliberate insult. Those hired later correspond to other people who became Jesus disciples later in His ministry. "The Spirit lifted me [Ezekiel] up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God. . To eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man. Many a man, who, as the world counts it, is a poor man, will be great in the Kingdom, because he never thought in terms of reward but worked for the thrill of working and for the joy of serving. There is one very revealing little difference between Matthew's and Mark's account of this incident. Here is royalty and kingship restated and remade. With God, as nothing is impossible, so no one, small or great, is despised: all is seen and put in its just place; and grace, which rebukes creature pride, can afford to deal divinely with the smallest as with the greatest. We have here. The glory of Christ's person strengthens us, not only to understand His cross, but to take up ours. The landowner rebuked them for their jealousy and resentment of the landowners generosity towards others. The Lord pleads the cause of the disciples. Cookie Notice: It is not enough that Israel be awakened from the sleep of death, and see aright. [2.] Peter boasts of leaving "all" to follow Jesus as if this somehow earns him some special reward (19:27). Nevertheless, His ear was open to the call on behalf of Israel perishing, dying, dead. c. Lord, Son of David: However, in their desperation they glorified Jesus. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! . In later days others will come in. These men were hired labourers; they were the lowest class of workers, and life for them was always desperately precarious. 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. 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? iv. And yet the Lord says, we get the penny, and so that's good enough for me.Now the Lord does here point out, "look if I want to be good, if I want to extend grace, you shouldn't really complain about the grace that I extend. They in turn will give me to the Gentiles, the Romans. Just the idea of Him being crucified was so shocking, that their minds in trying to absorb that, lost everything else He said after that. 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. 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. (Matthew 20:32-34) Jesus heals the two blind men. In the Christian Church seniority does not necessarily mean honour. Henceforth, too, He forbids the disciples to proclaim Him as the Messiah. THE CHRISTIAN REVOLUTION ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). Major Prophets To my mind, the depth of such grace only enhances the beauty of Jesus, and is the very last possible ground that justifies man in thinking lightly of the Saviour. Usually they hated and despised them, and hoped for nothing but their destruction. . Historical Books It was true that He was made of woman, and made under the law; but He was Jehovah Himself, that lowly Nazarene. The Old Testament 21 "What is your request?" he asked. 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. Nor is this all. 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? 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. 2. A daily devotional about God's power for our battles. Jesus was passing by. Now they no doubt had heard of the fame of Jesus. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point In the next discourse we may hope to have the rest of his gospel. Finally, this parable that illustrates the principle that Gods manner of rewarding is not like mans practice of giving rewards. The landowner reminded them that he had been completely fair to them. His wounds are those which he receives in the house of his friend. (Spurgeon). He realizes he offers nothing special to the Master, and the skills he has are but gifts from the Master. 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last.". These are the words of an older gentleman who trusted Christ a few days before he died from cancer. 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.
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