They will condemn Him to death: Jesus confidently predicted that the religious leaders would do this; yet this was not something He could plan. (i) It is in one sense a warning to the disciples. At the beginning of Matthew 10:1-42 He Himself sends forth themselves as labourers. The only reason we will receive any reward is that God has called us to be His workers. Matthew 20:16 New International Version 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Read full chapter Matthew 20:16 in all English translations Matthew 19 Matthew 21 New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. In the picture of the holy city in the Revelation there are twelve gates. There are a great many things which have to be done at the moment or they will never be done. He makes some more useful than others, without regard to the time which they serve, and he will reward them accordingly. 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. Parents, and the disciples, like the Pharisees, were shown that grace, just because it is the expression of what God is to a ruined world, takes notice of what man in his own imaginary dignity might count altogether petty. Rudolf Bultmann writes: "In the Cross of Christ Jewish standards of judgment and human notions of the splendour of the Messiah are shattered." It is the paradox of the Christian life that he who aims at reward loses it, and he who forgets reward finds it. "Day laborers" would be readily available in the market place. And thus as Isaiah predicts the scourging, the stripes, he declares, "by His stripes ye are healed"( Isaiah 53:5 ). "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased." [6.] 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. An evil eye was a phrase in use, among the ancient Jews, to denote an envious, covetous man or disposition; a man who repined at his neighbours prosperity, loved his own money, and would do nothing in the way of charity for Gods sake. (Clarke). There was the consciousness of good unattained, a void for which he appeals to Jesus that it might be filled up. After Paul had preached on Mars Hill, there were those who said, "We will hear you again about this" ( Acts 17:32). 4. The youth were instructed, almost from their cradle, in military exercises. "That ye may know it (then saith He to the sick of the palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house." They supposed that they would receive more: The men who worked for the landowner all day saw the men who worked for only an hour come away from the pay table, and they supposed, If the landowner is paying these guys a full days pay for one hours work, then we will get far more., i. So the last shall be first - This is the moral or scope of the parable. The time of life is the day, in which we must work the works of him that sent us into the world. Beracot, fol. And yet in spite of that the disciples are thinking of a Kingdom. God does not permit Scripture to be thus used without losing its force, its beauty, and the grand object for which it was written. Minor Prophets We are going to Jerusalem. It is a just prefiguration of what will be in the close of the age the mass of the unbelieving Jews, now impure, but then also given up to the devil, and so to evident perdition. Not only shall the Judge of all the earth do right, but what will not He do who gives all good? Sometimes we go without when God would want to give us something simply because we will not answer this question, and we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2). BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. Matthew 20. (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? This as yet draws out wonder, at least from the witnessing multitudes, that God had given such power unto men. 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. Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! They put upon Him a scarlet robe, and they begin to say unto Him, "Hail king of the Jews," and they mocked Him. Thus the great tree and the leavened mass are in fact the two sides of Christendom. And yet He takes time still to minister to the needs of others. 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. In this manner, each tribe successively chose four soldiers, till the legions were complete. In Matthew 16:1-28 we advance a great step, spite (yea, because) of unbelief, deep and manifest, now on every side. He takes accordingly the title of the "Son of man" for the first time in this gospel. Lowly, noiseless grace now it was to be, according to the prophet, till the hour strikes for victory in judgment. It was His meat to do the will of God. Or, are you grudging because I am generous?' 1. Amen. First, Carnal worldlings agree with God for their penny in this world; they choose their portion in this life (Psalms 17:14); in these things they are willing to have their reward (Matthew 6:2; Matthew 6:5), their consolation (Luke 6:24), their good things (Luke 16:25); and with these they shall be put off, shall be cut off from spiritual and eternal blessings; and herein God does them no wrong; they have what they chose, the penny they agreed for; so shall their doom be, themselves have decided it; it is conclusive against them. If they had let him pass, their chance would have gone by for ever; but when the chance came they seized it. Had she not such confusion of thought that, if the Lord had heeded her words, it must have been destruction to her? 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last.". That is why the first will be last and the last will be first. 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. It was precisely because He was Himself untouchable by sickness and infirmity, that He was free so to take up each consequence of sin thus. . They did not see why they should be allowed to stake their claims to preeminence. When Paul, that faithful labourer, departs, he is with Christ presently. They may come at the beginning of their life, in their youth, in adulthood, in old age, or at the very end. 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. Though a testimony to them, still it was in the result a recognition of what Moses commanded. He was to be mocked by the Romans; there we see the suffering of humiliation and of deliberate insult. Modern disciples of Jesus should view heavenly rewards the same way. The Son of Man will be betrayed: Jesus again told the disciples what awaited Him in Jerusalem, but no reaction from the disciples is noted. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. Lord cometh, his reward is with him, to give unto every man according as his work shall be, as one star differeth from another star in glory, so shall it be. When the ten heard about this, they were angry with the two brothers. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. More and more excellent shall be the children of the desolate than those of the married wife,Isaiah 54:1. Who knows but that the church, in its old age, may be more fat and flourishing than ever, to show that the Lord is upright? Their reward was as much of grace as was that of the bitter "firsters"! In the kingdom so much the less sparing is the retribution of those who despise or abuse grace. 1. The idea is that His people were in bondage as slaves, and He paid their price. Yes, it was His to rule and command the sea, even as the land and all that in them is. Thus the point that meets us in the conclusion of the chapter is, that while every character, every measure of giving up for His name's sake, will meet with the most worthy recompence and result, man can as little judge of this as he can accomplish salvation. i. Jesus asked this question with full knowledge that these men were blind. They wanted Jesus with a royal command to ensure for them a princely life. Matthew calls her the mother of the sons of Zebedee; Mark calls her Salome; and John calls her Jesus' mother's sister. Start for FREE. And so anti what Jesus has declared. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. The first came to an agreement with the master; they had a contract; they said, "We work, if you give us so much pay." Free Challenge: Mr & Mrs Smith. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! No doubt it is a tie of nature for this life only. Note, The unchangeableness of God's purposes in dispensing his gifts should silence our murmurings. 3. The parable sets about to correct this misguided notion. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. Secondly, The particular pleading with those that were offended with this distribution in gavel-kind. "On his first night he was asked to share his bed with a man suffering from contagious itch. a. When they came they that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man [the denarius] a penny. b. The scribe had no heart for the hidden glory. "Christ demands that the driving force in your life must be love. Neither would Jewish disciples necessarily receive more than Gentile disciples whom God calls later in His program of preparation for the kingdom (cf. He answered one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. The evil eye was a jealous, envious eye. It is enough to meet a difficulty which many feel by the simple plea that the reason assigned is in my judgment a valid explanation, and in itself a sufficient solution of the apparent discrepancy. He gives sight to the blind. Not only were they healed, but they also followed the One who did great things for them. This, of course, is not the moment to unfold it. This question is accordingly put to the proof in the ninth chapter. And then they would take a leather whip, with little bits of lead and glass, embedded in it. (1.) Passwords should have at least 6 characters. The question fairly arises, Why it is that the Holy Ghost has been pleased so remarkably to leave time out of the question in this chapter, as well as in the next? At several stages through the day he hired additional workers, then at the end of the day paid them their wages (Matthew 20:3-8). The Lord has nothing for them, or for Him, but to go right on to the end. Jesus knew what was going on in their minds; and he spoke to them words which are the very basis of the Christian life. It can only mean here the "invited." Most clearly it is not so much a question of sin in the aspect of uncleanness (typifying deeper things, but still connected with the ceremonial requirements of Israel, as we find from what our Lord said in the chapter to the cleansed leper). So it was here. In heaven, every vessel will be full, brimful, though every vessel is not alike large and capacious. All rights reserved worldwide. a. (SeeMatthew 9:32-33; Matthew 9:32-33.) Succa, fol. Finally, we have all wound up, after the going forth of a testimony which was truly universal in its scope, by the judicial severance at the close, when it is not only the good put into vessels, but the bad dealt with by the due instruments of the power of God. Where love is, there is God.' How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. 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. Many be called, but few chosen - The meaning of this, in this connection, I take to be simply this: "Many are called into my kingdom; they come and labor as I command them; many of them are comparatively unknown and obscure; yet they are real Christians, and shall all receive the proper reward. Used by permission. Poetical Books The Old Testament The landowner reminded them that he had been completely fair to them. 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. How often the heart shows itself, not merely by what we ask, but by the uncalled-for feelings we display against other people and their faults! I am certain that everyone that was afflicted had heard of the fame of Jesus. 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. Here is the account with the labourers. If I am faithful for an hour, if I am faithful for twelve hours, it is my faithfulness to the service to which the Lord has sent me.Now a lot of times we think that men like Billy Graham will surely receive the greatest rewards in heaven, because look at the tremendous fruit of his ministry. If we accept it as the true reading, it adds something to the warning of the previous clause. Pauline Epistles They gave Him full honor with this title. They mock the calm utterance of Him who chooses things that are not; and the Lord turns out the unbelievers, and demonstrates the glorious truth that the maid was not dead, but living. Jesus openly acknowledged the suffering and agony that awaited Him. The first is the defence of the disciples, grounded on analogies taken from that which had the sanction of God of old, as well as on His own glory now. ., p. It is not only the fact that God slighted matters of prescriptive ordinance because of the ruined state of Israel, who rejected His true anointed King, but there was this principle also, that certainly God was not going to bind Himself not to do good where abject need was. Further, in strict justice the fewer hours a man worked, the less pay he should have received. And the third day He will rise again: Most important, this was something that Jesus had no apparent control over. How thoroughly did our Lord take a lowly place for our sakes! There is room also for the most thorough self-abnegation. They drew up by tribes, and lots were drawn to determine in what order every tribe should present its soldiers. Those that have such a journey to go, had need set out betimes, the sooner the better. To take on the position of the minister is to take on the position of the servant to the flock of God. Jesus stood and called them. This, I believe, is a great lesson, and too often forgotten. (Matthew 20:1-2) A landowners workers early in the morning. The sovereign God takes pity on a needy world, and generously gives his salvation to all who accept his offer. Set a timer for 20 minutes (no peeking) and start eating. c. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you: The landowner did nothing to explain why he did it, other than simply to say I wish. The reasons for the landowners generosity were completely in the landowner himself, and not in the ones who received. But the future is in view also. Secondly, Till we are hired into the service of God, we are standing all the day idle; a sinful state, though a state of drudgery to Satan, may really be called a state of idleness; sinners are doing nothing, nothing to the purpose, nothing of the great work they were sent into the world about, nothing that will pass well in the account. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. The Old Testament Hence, here it is a question not merely of cleansing, but of forgiveness, and forgiveness, too, as that which precedes power, manifested before men. Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. 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 never doubted that James and John would maintain their loyalty. Peter goes forth, but losing sight of the Lord in the presence of the troubled waves, and yielding to his ordinary experience, he fears the strong wind, and is only saved by the outstretched hand of Jesus, who rebukes his doubt. That many who begin last, and promise little in religion, sometimes, by the blessing of God, arrive at greater attainments in knowledge, grace, and usefulness, than others whose entrance was more early, and who promised fairer. Matthew 20:16. ii. 21 "What is your request?" he asked. Notice the flow of the narrative as the . Because Matthew's object is the display of the change of dispensation through, or consequent on, the rejection of Jesus by the Jews. See Matthew 19:27-29. v. Living under grace is sort of a two-edged sword. He was really God in man; and all these wonderful features are here presented and compressed in this most simple, but at the same time significant, action of the Saviour the fitting frontispiece to Matthew's manifestation of the Messiah to Israel. He, on the contrary, insists not only that He was bound for the cross, but that its truth must be made good in any who will come after Him. So thoroughly is it in view of Israel that our Lord does not say one word here about the Church, or the intervening condition of Christendom. We read in the book of Acts that Herod stretched forth his hands against the church and had James beheaded. It often happens that we are easily discouraged from seeking the presence of God. "Suffer me first," he says, "to go and bury my father." Matthew did not wish to show James and John guilty of worldly ambition, and so he puts the request into the mouth of their mother rather than of themselves. They did not see why the two brothers should steal a march on them, even if they were the cousins of Jesus. Anyone who took this parable as a practical basis for employment would soon be out of business." Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." They cannot hurt the Christ. Can I not do what I like with my own money? IfPsalms 8:1-9; Psalms 8:1-9 goes farther, surely that was for the Son of man, who for the suffering of death was exalted. There may be desires, there may be the working of the Spirit of God, but there can be no power to walk before men and to glorify God thus till there is forgiveness possessed and enjoyed in the heart. & Sanhedrim, fol. Is not your eye evil, because I am good? It tells us of their ambition. This is a good example of the word baptism having the sense of immersion or being swallowed up in.. And then he repeats this again. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he . To heal was the work for which He was come. (i) These two blind men were waiting, and when their chance came they seized it with both hands. To represent to us the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 20:1; Matthew 20:1), that is, the way and method of the gospel dispensation. Grace should be especially manifested in our service; it is of grace, not works. c. They likewise received a denarius: Yet the men hired first early in the day, and who had worked all day got paid exactly what the landowner had promised them (a denarius a day, Matthew 20:2). [2.] And so they began to cry out to Jesus. Any worker was welcome, even if he could give only an hour to the work. They are the circumstances that preceded the discourse upon the mount, as given in Matthew 5:1-48; Matthew 6:1-34; Matthew 7:1-29. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 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. LOVE'S ANSWER TO NEED'S APPEAL ( Matthew 20:29-34 ). Very apt we all are to undervalue the deserts of others, and to overvalue our own. Adventure Challenge - Couple's Edition - Matthew 20:16 - Australia - part 1 142 views Jun 20, 2021 0 Dislike Share Tanya All Fun and Games 3 subscribers Grafton ten pin bowling alley. Take that which is yours, and go your way: and I will give unto this last even as unto thee. Pauline Epistles Matthew 20:1-16 is a true-to-life parable. Every opportunity to serve is a gift of His grace. Deuteronomy 15:9; 1 Samuel 18:9). (Carson), ii. So He is telling the disciples this was going to happen. What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? Let not those that come in at the eleventh hour, be put behind the rest, but, lest they should be discouraged, call them first. They said, "Lord, if we could just see." And so, as savouring not divine but human things, he is bid to go behind (not from) the Lord as one ashamed of Him. But the Lord could not send her away without a blessing, and without a blessing reaching to His own glory. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs.