Other parables also teach that He will not (e.g., Matthew 25:14-30). 45. We shall find something of these mysteries later on in this gospel; but here it is simply a Jewish testimony of Jehovah-Messiah in His unwearied love, through His twelve heralds, and in spite of rising unbelief, maintaining to the end what His grace had in view for Israel. So, when those who had been engaged about five o'clock in the afternoon, came, they received 4 pence each. 1. A man that is a householder. Thus, the present dealings of God in grace, the actual shape taken by the kingdom of heaven, the calling of the Gentiles, the formation of the Church, are all passed completely over. If you do, you have a different concept of God than I do. ii. :) www.facebook.com/tiacookphotographywww.instagram.com/tiacookphotographywww.tiacookphotography.co.uk all rights reserved to Tia Cook Photography Unfortunately, they have missed the blessing of knowing God, and serving God all their lives. Had there been a single thing good in Israel, their choicest guides would have stood that test. Matthew chapter twenty opens with the parable of the laborers going out into the vineyard.And Jesus said. No word whatever implies that the cleansing of the leper happened at that time. 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. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why have you been standing here idle all day? They said to him, Because no one hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.. It is worth stopping to see what the crude hands of theology have done with that lovely saying. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. General Epistles And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" Now what did Jesus mean when He broke the bread and said, "This is my body, broken for you"? Matthew 20:16 Context 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? And they joined the crowd following Him on up to Jerusalem.Remember at this point the heart of Jesus is very heavy, because He knows that He soon is going to be betrayed, mocked, scourged, crucified. Whatever the time may have been, whatever the incidents added by others, the account is given here for the purpose of showing, that as Israel's case was desperate, even unto death, so He, the Messiah, was the giver of life, when all, humanly speaking, was over. Sometimes those that are converted later in their lives, outstrip those that are converted earlier. i. Now this is their final trip to Jerusalem. (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? And the third day He will rise again: Most important, this was something that Jesus had no apparent control over. The Lord increase thy earnestness and faith! (Clarke), 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission, The Whole Bible [4.] For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner, Whatever is right I will give you whatever is right you will receive, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first, They supposed that they would receive more, equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. And I do believe that in communion there should always be healing services, where people as they take the broken bread and remember the suffering of Jesus Christ, by faith receive the result of that suffering; the purpose for which God allowed Him to be suffered, and receive healing and strength in your body. Please see Blue Letter Bible's Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. He gives sight to the blind. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. 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. They boast, as the prodigal's elder brother did, of their good services; We have borne the burthen and heat of the day; that was the most they could make of it. And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. 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. & Sanhedrim, fol. Chapter 20. This is a wonderful, simple question God has not stopped asking. 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. Historical Books Thirdly, Others are hired into the vineyard in old age, at the eleventh hour, when the day of life is far spent, and there is but one hour of the twelve remaining. No doubt the first verse says, that "when He was come down from the mount, great multitudes followed Him;" but then the second verse gives no intimation that the subject which follows is to be taken as chronologically subsequent. Challenge the Adventurer within you! Nevertheless, when there was the display of the glory of the kingdom, the Father's voice proclaimed Him as His own Son, and not merely as the man thus exalted. But every Scripture that treats of that time proves what dread, what anxiety, what dark clouds will be ever and anon. We have the natural tie here brought into prominence; and this was a claim that Christ slighted not. So translated into our present day, an average day's wage for a laborer maybe twenty-five dollars or so. He came to occupy not a throne, but a cross. I do not believe that God would just allow His Son to take all of that suffering, if there were not some value to be received from that suffering. If the Gentiles were to be allowed into the fellowship of the Church at all, they must come in as inferiors. O Lord God, your grace to me is marvelous. 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. Free Challenge: Mr & Mrs Smith. 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. Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son. Hence the Lord would raise up a fresh testimony altogether, and do a new work suitable to it. 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. These blind men received their sight from Jesus, and then they gave to him their grateful loyalty. Gentile as he was, he was for that very, reason the less narrowed in his thoughts of the Saviour by the prevalent notions of Israel, yea, or even by Old Testament hopes, precious as they are. 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. At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father." "This [fellow]," etc. is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. 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. 2. Thus, in the chapter before us, we have a very comprehensive sketch of the Lord's manifestation from that time, and in type going on to the end of the age. Peter asked: "What do we get out of it?" The servants are clearly divided into two classes. They used their waiting time in considering their own superiority to the latecomers. (Spurgeon). Luke-Acts c. Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant: In the Kingdom community, status, money, popularity should never be the prerequisites for leadership. The woman of Canaan, out of the borders of Tyre and Sidon, appeals to Him; a Gentile of most ominous name and belongings a Gentile whose case was desperate; for she appeals on behalf of her daughter, grievously vexed with a devil. Yet it shall not be so among you: Their desire for position and status showed they did not yet know the nature of Jesus in respect to leadership and power. Then says the unclean spirit, "I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. "This man blasphemeth." 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. To all justice shall be done. To all to whom the rewards of heaven are promised they shall be given. 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. Changes, to us inexplicable, occur: many first last, and last first. In the evening multitudes are brought, taking advantage of the power that had so shown itself, publicly in the synagogue, and privately in the house of Peter; and the Lord accomplished the words ofIsaiah 53:4; Isaiah 53:4: "Himself," it is said, "took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses," an oracle we might do well to consider in the limit of its application here. Then a beggar asked for his shirt and got it. Yet is He the Son of man who hath power on earth to forgive sins; and He uses His authority. 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. James was the first of the apostolic band to die a martyr ( Acts 12:2). "My daughter is even now dead, but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live." The Whole Bible 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. Jesus emphasized that both the calling and the choosing of God is based on His grace especially His choosing. This attitude threatened to be carried forward into the Christian Church. 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. And he said unto her, What is it that you want? Pauline Epistles There is such tremendous reward just in being able to minister to people, the feedback that comes from it is so rewarding. 1. We are going to Jerusalem. He's being despised and rejected. In Christianity there must always be this invincible optimism in the moment when things are conspiring to drive a man to despair. God does not permit Scripture to be thus used without losing its force, its beauty, and the grand object for which it was written. The doctor who will come out at any time of the day or night to serve and save his patients; the parson who is always on the road amongst his people; the employer who takes an active interest in the lives and troubles of his employees; the person to whom we can go and never be made to feel a nuisance--these are the people whom all men love, and in whom instinctively they see Jesus Christ. What do you want Me to do for you? Any worker was welcome, even if he could give only an hour to the work. (Barclay). Is thine eye evil, because I am good? [There is what I call a clear, unmistakable note of time.] John is swifter of foot, and comes first to the sepulchre: but Peter has more courage, and goes first into it. They were greatly displeased: The other ten disciples mistakenly thought that a unique honor had just been bestowed on James and John. Ties him to his bargain (Matthew 20:14; Matthew 20:14); Take that thine is, and go thy way. Now, it was an established principle, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established. 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. When He reaches the house, minstrels were there, and people, making a noise: the expression, if of woe, certainly of impotent despair. In verse 13 our Lord "goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. Try to discourage them from seeking Jesus. Reversal! 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. God is the great Householder, whose we are, and whom we serve; as a householder, he has work that he will have to be done, and servants that he will have to be doing; he has a great family in heaven and earth, which is named from Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:15), which he is Owner and Ruler of. They did not know that Jesus could have made the same promise of suffering to come to any of them (if they really wanted it!). Who hires them? 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. About the third hour, [nine o'clock in the morning], he saw others standing idle in the market place, and he said unto them; Go into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. Heartlight Provides Positive Resources for Daily Christian Living. 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. Every man has to learn that true greatness lies, not in dominance, but in service; and that in every sphere the price of greatness must be paid. But when he came to the first, they supposed that they should have received more; but they likewise received every man a penny. They plucked his hair, they smote his cheeks, they spat in his face. It probably was no more than a grave though passing difficulty, which he desired to have cleared up with all fulness for their sakes, as well as his own. Jesus was probably hinting at more in this parable. Matthew 20:16-20 New International Version 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time 17 Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. 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. So the last shall be first - This is the moral or scope of the parable. It is as if Jesus was going to gather in upon himself every possible kind of physical and emotional and mental suffering that the world could inflict. 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). What special mercy and tenderness, not only in the end, but also in the way the Lord deals with Israel! 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. Note, First, The soul of man stands ready to be hired into some service or other; it was (as all the creatures were) created to work, and is either a servant to iniquity, or a servant to righteousness,Romans 6:19. Though a testimony to them, still it was in the result a recognition of what Moses commanded. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem: This was not a surprise to the disciples. 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. Beracot, fol. When they had received the boon for which they craved, they did not go away and forget; they followed Jesus. It was not more truly Christ's kingdom as man than He was God's own Son, His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased, who was now to be heard, rather than Moses or Elias, who disappear, leaving Jesus alone with the chosen witnesses. God is the Owner of all good; his propriety in it is absolute, sovereign, and unlimited. What is mine, is mine to do with as I please." (Matthew 20:8-10) The landowner pays his workers. But they were so desperate, they weren't discouraged, they even cried louder, "Jesus, thou son of David have mercy on us. 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. Nothing can be simpler. They've missed the joy of what it is to serve the Lord. But it would be unusual for a wealthy "landowner" to locate his own . She was a regular member of the disciple group who accompanied Jesus (Matthew 27:56), so her involvement in her sons ambitious ideas is hardly surprising. (France). He said, "Call those fellows to me." He had been preparing them for the new things, and the impossibility of making them coalesce with the old. For many are called, but few chosen.". (Matthew 20:17-19) Jesus again reveals the fate waiting for Him at Jerusalem. Didst not thou agree to take God's word for it? 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. Matthew 19:1-30 brings in another lesson of great weight. Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. They will condemn Him to death: Jesus confidently predicted that the religious leaders would do this; yet this was not something He could plan. Can you drink the cup which I have to drink?" But this may be, and commonly is, applied to the several ages of life, in which souls are converted to Christ. 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. It is an evil eye, which is displeased at the good of others, and desires their hurt. i. Let them recognize the power that banished the leprosy, and the grace withal that touched the leper. 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. Successful service to God is the gift of His grace. Thus many are called by the preaching of the Gospel, but few are found who use their advantages in such a way as to become extensively useful in the Church-and many in the Church militant behave so ill as never to be admitted into the Church triumphant. Johannine Writings The old people and work then closed in principle, and a new work of God in the kingdom of heaven was disclosed. As Matthew's Jesus preached earlier, God provides rain for the just and unjust alike (cf. Nevertheless, the Lord did not withhold the infinite boon, though He knew too well their thoughts; He spoke the word of forgiveness, though He read their evil heart that counted it blasphemy. Many of them bleed to death. (3.) In Matthew it is their mother. The slum dwellers of Tokyo laughed at him, but they came to respect him. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. Only tradition will not do this work, nor will human thoughts or feelings. And so they were actually thinking evil, because of His good. 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. 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. Jesus gives the parable of the laborers in the vineyardHe foretells His crucifixion and resurrectionHe came to give His life as a ransom for many. So He meekly retires, healing, yet forbidding it to be blazed abroad. He had been there before. Has nothing yet had power to engage us to sacred service? The New Testament Subsequently to that, the scribe offered to follow Jesus whithersoever He went. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. Fasting, indeed, would follow when the Bridegroom was taken from them. He went to live in a six foot by six-foot hut in a Tokyo slum. Minor Prophets And He said to her, What do you wish? She said to Him, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.. Mark gives them in the end of his second and the beginning of his third chapters. is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. Others think it refers to how the gospel first dawned with John the Baptist, then the preaching of Jesus, then the preaching at Pentecost, then to the Jews, and finally to the Gentiles. These workers hired at the very beginning of the working day agreed to work for a denarius a day, the common daily wage for a workingman. Yes, it was His to rule and command the sea, even as the land and all that in them is. 3. Being in the right state of mind to do the Lords work is a gift of grace. To convince the murmurer that he did no wrong, he refers him to the bargain: "Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. There is room also for the most thorough self-abnegation. It is always thus. "If you really want to be great in the kingdom of God, learn to be the servant of all. No matter when a man comes to Christ, he is equally dear to him. Note, First, The church is God's vineyard; it is of his planting, watering, and fencing; and the fruits of it must be to his honour and praise. Of one of the disciples, whose state may have been specially present to our Lords mind, this was, we know, only too fatally true. First, it sheds a light on the disciples. The indignation of the ten doubtless sprang less from humility than jealousy plus fear that they might lose out. (Carson). GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point Where did they come from? Men little weigh what their words will sound and prove in the day of judgment. Disciples in Jesus day would not necessarily receive more reward than disciples whom God calls to serve Him just before the day of laboring ends, before His second coming. II. 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). in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry. Laborers in the Vineyard. There is here the first decisive step to the last act of the inescapable tragedy. Even at such a time that was not the end of his words, for he finished with the confident assertion of the Resurrection. 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. He does not come to be served, but to serve. The Gospels Lowly, noiseless grace now it was to be, according to the prophet, till the hour strikes for victory in judgment. The parable sets about to correct this misguided notion. Now they no doubt had heard of the fame of Jesus. Going back just a little bit further, Peter had said to Jesus, "Lord, we have left all to follow thee"( Matthew 19:27 ). a. The crown set before us is a crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge shall give. There may have been a very natural reason for this request. THE LORDSHIP OF THE CROSS ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). Wisdom Literature Notice is taken of the several hours of the day, at which the labourers were hired. He maintains His sovereign title to do good, to do as He will with His own. As a consequence they looked down on the Gentiles. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
Comcast Status Code 223, Ghost Tour 2022 Setlist, St George The Martyr, Southwark Parish Records, How To Fix Salty Meatballs, Granite Slab Weight Calculator, Articles M
Comcast Status Code 223, Ghost Tour 2022 Setlist, St George The Martyr, Southwark Parish Records, How To Fix Salty Meatballs, Granite Slab Weight Calculator, Articles M