But nothing would stop the two blind men; for them it was a matter of sight or blindness, and nothing was going to keep them back. Then follows another incident, which equally proves that the Spirit of God is not here reciting the facts in their natural succession; for it is assuredly not at this moment historically that the Lord goes into the house of Peter, sees there his wife's mother laid sick of a fever, touches her hand, and raises her up, so that she ministers unto them at once. Second, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard is about the first and the last. 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. 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. A few I have chosen for higher stations in the church. The youth were instructed, almost from their cradle, in military exercises. The Gentiles came in at the eleventh hour, but it was because the gospel had not been before preached to them. Again, when we listen to another (and now it is one of His disciples), at once faith shows its feebleness. He had no reason to quarrel with the master; for what he gave was absolutely his own, Matthew 20:15; Matthew 20:15. i. iii. Those who recognize the grace they have received by being included in God's Kingdom . The scourging was an extremely painful experience. Those hired later correspond to other people who became Jesus disciples later in His ministry. The parable of the workers in the vineyard 20:1-16. The indulgence of the selfish, murmuring temper might hinder their election even to that work. i. Pentateuch 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. Who but God could command not only the waves, but the fish of the sea? They cannot hurt the Christ. Here is the Christian revolution; here is the complete reversal of all the world's standards. It does not seem exactly as a pictorial view of what the Lord was doing, or going to do, but rather the repeated pledge, that they were not to suppose that the evil He had judged in the elders of Jerusalem, or the grace freely going out to the Gentiles, in any way led Him. I Will Build My Church (16:13-20) The . Those who had come first thought that they would receive more; but they too received 4 pence each. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem: This was not a surprise to the disciples. My object, of course, is to point out as clearly as possible the structure of the gospel, and to explain according to my measure why there are these strong differences between the gospels of Matthew and the rest, as compared with one another. It is not here a question of life (as in the seed at first), but a system of christian doctrine; not life germinating and bearing fruit, but mere dogma natural mind which is exposed to it. The ones who labored only an hour did not deserve their pay either. When He uttered the words, "Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me," it is to me evident that there was an allusion to the wavering let it be but for a moment of John's soul. Sufferers for Christ in the latter days, shall have the same reward with the martyrs and confessors of the primitive times, though they are more celebrated; and faithful ministers now, the same with the first fathers. is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. 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. Here is the account with the labourers. It is tragic that we have gotten so far away from the concepts that Jesus taught. And they no doubt led these two blind men to Jesus. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? What shall be their wages? 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). In him there was a spiritual force far beyond that found in the leper, to whom the hand that touched, as well as cleansed, him proclaimed Israel's need and state as truly as Emmanuel's grace. Next, He lays bare the capricious unbelief of man, only consistent in thwarting every thing and one that God employs for his good; then, His own entire rejection where He had most laboured. Note, God will be sure not to be behind-hand with any for the service they do him: never any lost by working for God. It is best understood as a parable about grace and reward. Luke-Acts Is thine eye evil, because I am good? And you guessed it already its a quote from the bible "so the last shall be first & the first last"which of course made me think of a competition type challe. Again he went out about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, [noon and three in the afternoon], he did likewise. A new tribe presented other four soldiers, and the second legion chose first. I'll be turned over to the chief priests. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. You don't know what the challenge/date is until you scratch off a square similar to a scratch-off lottery ticket. What Jesus Did! Though primitive Christianity had more of the purity and power of that holy religion than is to be found in the degenerate age wherein we live, yet what labourers may be sent into the vineyard in the eleventh hour of the church's day, in the Philadelphian period, and what plentiful effusions of the Spirit may then be, above what has been yet, who can tell? We need not dwell upon it. 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? But that cannot be the meaning of it here; the "called" being emphatically distinguished from the "chosen." . and what had the Son of David to do with a Canaanite? Now this seems to be the principal scope of this parable, to show that the Jews should be first called into the vineyard, and many of them should come at the call; but, at length, the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should receive it, and be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews; should be fellow-citizens with the saints, which the Jews, even those of them that believed, would be very much disgusted at, but without reason. So our goal as disciples is to value things now as God does. They said to His disciples, "Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?" Secondly, The particular pleading with those that were offended with this distribution in gavel-kind. So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. A great tempest. He was not called. The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! In the picture of the holy city in the Revelation there are twelve gates. When the legions were thus completed, the citizens who had been called, but not chosen, returned to their respective employments, and served their country in other capacities. (Matthew 20:32-34) Jesus heals the two blind men. Saul saw that David prospered, and he eyed him,1 Samuel 18:9; 1 Samuel 18:15. And yet in spite of that the disciples are thinking of a Kingdom. There are gates on the East which is the direction of the dawn, and whereby a man may enter in the glad morning of his days; there are gates on the West which is the direction of the setting sun, and whereby a man may enter in his age. ", To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. 'God is love. Matthew chapter twenty opens with the parable of the laborers going out into the vineyard.And Jesus said. Jesus gave everything to bring men back to God; and we must walk in the steps of him who loved to the uttermost. Verse 4 seems quite adverse to the idea that great multitudes were witnesses of the cure; for why "tell no man," if so many knew it already? Or is your eye evil because I am good? But that they might not be carried away by ambition or vain confidence in themselves, it was necessary also to remind them that others, who would long afterwards be called, would be partakers of the same glory, because God is not limited to any person, but calls freely whomsoever He pleases, and bestows on those who are called whatever rewards He thinks fit. He tells them that they should not have gone over (or finished) the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come. (v) These two blind men were grateful. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. General Epistles 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. So the last shall be first, and the first last. . On the other side of the picture, behold the Lord leading on a soul to draw on divine grace in the most glorious manner. Grant that these two sons of mine may sit: Asking on behalf of her sons (note to whom Jesus replies in Matthew 20:22-23), she wanted prominent positions for them in the messianic administration of Jesus. Now life treated James and John very differently. Hence the Lord would raise up a fresh testimony altogether, and do a new work suitable to it. That scourging was for you. woe unto thee, Bethsaida! "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). Observe, They did not come for their pay till they were called; we must with patience wait God's time for our rest and recompence; go by our master's clock. In verse 13 our Lord "goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 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. In this he had laboured, as he said, from his youth up: "What lack I yet?" Nor was the unbelief confined to these religionists of letter and form; for next (verse 14) the question comes from John's disciples: "Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?" Not only will it be fair, it will be generous beyond expectation. (Matthew 20:17-19) Jesus again reveals the fate waiting for Him at Jerusalem. Even at such a time that was not the end of his words, for he finished with the confident assertion of the Resurrection. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? 1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 2:26). And I believe that we can believe and trust Jesus Christ for physical healing, as well as spiritual healing. (1.) When he had come to an agreement with them that they would work for 4 pence a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 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. Then they remembered, oh, yeah, He said He was going to rise on the third day. What special mercy and tenderness, not only in the end, but also in the way the Lord deals with Israel! [1.] Or, are you grudging because I am generous?' The kingdom of heaven assumes a form unknown to prophecy, and, in its successive mysteries, fills up the interval between the rejected Christ's going to heaven, and His returning again in glory. 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. The plucking of the corn, and the healing of the withered hand, had taken place long before. 'These last,' they said, 'have only worked for one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have home the burden and the hot wind of the day.' The grace of God does not give us more blessing than we deserve it gives blessing to us completely apart from the principle of deserving. Anyone who took this parable as a practical basis for employment would soon be out of business." Minor Prophets 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. The unparalleled grace of the Saviour must form and fashion the saints henceforth. He that would be great among you, let him be your servant and if you want to be chief, then become the bondslave." and when they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples [in both the parables and the explanations alluding to what we possess in Matthew 13:1-58.]. Note, All that by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honour, and immortality, shall undoubtedly obtain eternal life (Romans 2:7), not as wages for the value of their work, but as the gift of God. In view of the context, the 12 disciples correspond to the workers hired at the beginning of the day, the beginning of Jesus public ministry. ii. The parable sets about to correct this misguided notion. The order of payment was important. This is the more to be noticed, inasmuch as the gospel of Matthew has been in general adopted as the standard of time, save by those who have rather inclined to Luke as supplying the desideratum. b. Matthew 20:16 The New King James Version (NKJV) 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. Notice the flow of the narrative as the . The Pharisees were enraged at a power they could not deny, which rebuked themselves so much the more on account of its persistent grace; but Jesus passes by all blasphemy as yet, and goes on His way nothing hinders His course of love. It shows us his kindness. 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. 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. Error: Passwords should have at least 6 characters, Error: Usernames should only contain letters, numbers, dots, dashes, or underscores. When do you suppose these conversations actually occurred, if we go to the question of their date? essayed to destroy the testimony with their utmost and blasphemous contempt. a. Now they no doubt had heard of the fame of Jesus. 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. The landowner reminded them that he had been completely fair to them. Here again is found a fresh case of the same remarkable principle of selection of events to form a complete picture, which I have maintained to be the true key of all. The people whose hearts are yielded to him will be recognized as his children no matter their rank or riches by worldly standards. And there were also with Him other little ships. It is true that in this particular instance Mark no more surrounds the leper with notes of time and place than do Matthew and Luke. Grace should be especially manifested in our service; it is of grace, not works. And still is he betrayed! This parable of the labourers in the vineyard is intended. Take that which is yours, and go your way: and I will give unto this last even as unto thee. get to know the Bible better! John 3:16, Jesus faith love), The Whole Bible God does not look on the amount of our service. 13. 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). Who hires them? Pauline Epistles Taken together, the entire picture is one of great suffering. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! In the next discourse we may hope to have the rest of his gospel. Beracot, fol. There was the consciousness of good unattained, a void for which he appeals to Jesus that it might be filled up. It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai F4. Throughout it is the religious kind that are tested and found wanting. (vi) Surely that brings us to the supreme lesson of the parable--the whole point of work is the spirit in which it is done. He goes to raise the dead, and the woman with the issue of blood touches Him by the way. THE MIND OF JESUS ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). And to these men who were blind, they saw this as their one opportunity for a whole new life. 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. for many be called; externally, under the ministration of the Gospel, as the Jews in general were, by Christ and his apostles; but. And the third day He will rise again: Most important, this was something that Jesus had no apparent control over. Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son. [5.] Would any man make of the Messiah a mere man and a mere subject of the law given by Moses? I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. And you guessed it already its a quote from the bible \"so the last shall be first \u0026 the first last\"which of course made me think of a competition type challenge !!! Dress up - slacks/tie, skirt/shirt. 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. Read full chapter. That's one of the two. Before dinner starts, hide your nerf guns, then start the soundtrack to Mr. & Mrs. Smith. i. Thus the fresh revelations of grace in no way detract from that which God had of old established in nature; but, contrariwise, only impart a new and greater force in asserting the real value and wisdom of God's way even in these least things. This came out most blessedly through the disciples. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. Let none suppose that, in giving my own convictions, I have the presumptuous thought of putting these forward as if they were the sole motives in God's mind. In the eighth chapter of Matthew as it tells of them bringing all of their sick and those who were diseased to Jesus, and He healed them, every one, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying, "He in His own body bore our sufferings." The same indifference to the mere sequence of events is found occasionally in other parts of the gospel; but I have purposely dwelt upon this chapter 8, because here we have it throughout, and at the same time with evidence exceedingly simple and convincing. "Jesus deliberately and cleverly led the listeners along by degrees until they understood that if Gods generosity was to be represented by a man, such a man would be different from any man ever encountered." "Can a woman forget her sucking child? Now do you think that God the Father would allow His Son to suffer unnecessarily? Has nothing yet had power to engage us to sacred service? In that market-place men stood waiting because no one had hired them; in his compassion the master gave them work to do. And then he repeats this again. It's God's to give, however, to whomever He pleases. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? Their state had long been that of a man whom the unclean spirit had left, after a former dwelling in him. So the last shall be first - This is the moral or scope of the parable. a. Thus He sets forth both the past, the present, and the awful future of Israel, before the day of His own coming from heaven, when there will be not only the return of idolatry, solemn to say, but the full power of Satan associated with it, as we see in Daniel 11:36-39; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Revelation 13:11-15. But Jesus answered and said, You don't know what you are asking. The New Testament (ii) These two blind men were undiscourageable. No doubt the tempest was great; but what harm could it do to Jesus? Workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). They wanted Jesus with a royal command to ensure for them a princely life. He was not taken by surprise; He knew it from the beginning Man's implacable hatred is brought about most manifestly in the ways and spirit of His rejectors. It is the man who will not be kept from Christ who in the end finds him. So little old Jewish mama coming to Jesus with her two sons. (Matthew 20:1-2) A landowners workers early in the morning. Next, we behold Him meeting the centurion after another manner altogether. He makes some more useful than others, without regard to the time which they serve, and he will reward them accordingly. GO GO GO! . That was a test of his faith. For they needed someone to help Him bear the cross. We begin with the comparatively limited significance it originally had. No word whatever implies that the cleansing of the leper happened at that time. Thus, in the scene of the leper, we have Jesus presented as "Jehovah that healeth Israel," as man here below, and in Jewish relationships, still maintaining the law. It is important to see that the landowner did not treat anyone unfairly, though he was more generous to some than to others. He went out again about nine o'clock in the morning, and saw others standing idle in the market-place. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. We can never repay God for what he has done for us but we can always be grateful to him. Unfortunately, they have missed the blessing of knowing God, and serving God all their lives. It is not the amount of service given, but the love in which it is given which matters. After this our Lord sees great multitudes following Him, and gives commandment to go to the other side. Once you scratch off the challenge, you have to do it. It brings me to the real crisis; that is, the final presentation of our lord to Jerusalem. He was to be scourged; few tortures in the world compared with the Roman scourge, and there we see the suffering of physical pain. ". So we have a farther scene. 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. The two blind men called upon Him as the Son of David; a sample this of what will be in the end, when the heart of Israel turns to the Lord, and the veil is done away. In Matthew it is their mother. Those who recognize the grace they have received by being included in God's Kingdom will be given places of honor. To convince the murmurer that he did no wrong, he refers him to the bargain: "Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? They were not attached to any group; they were entirely at the mercy of chance employment; they were always living on the semi-starvation line. It tells us three things about them. Who but God could heal? Peter asks a word from his Master, and leaves the ship to join Him on the water. The key to it is this, that Matthew was led by the Holy Ghost to keep in view adequate testimony to the Jewish people; it was the tender goodness of God that would meet them in a manner that was suitable under the law. It says simply, "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." . range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed 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. 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. If we understand it of that which is ours by debt or absolute propriety, it would be a dreadful word; we are all undone, if we be put off with that only which we can call our own. i. Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. Now notice, the mother is the one doing the speaking, but the boys are right there behind her. Poetical Books 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. We read in the book of Acts that Herod stretched forth his hands against the church and had James beheaded. What can have more evil in it? Nicodemus may be born again when he is old, and the old man may be put off, which is corrupt. And because they were sent of God, they each one received from the Lord that same portion.Sometimes we see people who on their deathbed receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and they enter into eternal life. without holiness no man shall see the Lord. 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. Compare Luke 17:7; Luke 17:8; Luke 12:37. The question was not who or what came in the way; whoever appealed to Him, there He was for them. The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, but it should be different among the people of God. The last trumpet, at the great day, shall call the labourers,1 Thessalonians 4:16. It was made after a series of announcements by Jesus that ahead of him lay an inescapable Cross; it was made at a moment when the air was heavy with the atmosphere of tragedy and the sense of foreboding. 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. "The cross," he said, "was a mousetrap (muscipula) to catch the devil, baited with the blood of Christ.". The spirit, as well as the form, was alien. He therefore, 1. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus. 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. 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.(A). Reversal! How are we to account for a selection so marked, an elimination of time so complete? He said, "Call those fellows to me." He stood in the driving rain to preach, coughing all the time. mother of the sons of Zebedee ( Matthew 27:56). GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point iv. 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.