He said to them, 'Go you also to the vineyard.' Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation." What care we for those who curse and blaspheme? i. Matthew 20:16. 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. Love is the sign of true discipleship. See Deuteronomy 24:15. At the close of this chapter 9, in His deep compassion He bids the disciples pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into His harvest. 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. [1.] The true disciple does not begin his work in the masters vineyard by first calculating his own value. Jesus said that those who would share his triumph must drink his cup. The line from the . After this our Lord sees great multitudes following Him, and gives commandment to go to the other side. 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. Now do you think that God the Father would allow His Son to suffer unnecessarily? It shall not be so among you, but whoever wishes to prove himself great among you must be your servant; and whoever wishes to occupy the foremost place will be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.". That scourging was for you. Note, The unchangeableness of God's purposes in dispensing his gifts should silence our murmurings. Last will be first, and the first last: This is the essence of Gods grace, when He rewards and blesses man according to His will and pleasure, not necessarily according to what men deserve. iv. 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!). The work of religion is vineyard-work, pruning, dressing, digging, watering, fencing, weeding. In spite of their lack of merit, the good householder required them to pick it up, thus giving it to them in spite of their forfeiture. Disease must obey Him, as the soldier or the servant obeyed the centurion, their superior. 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. ii. He would not even claim the right to choose how His servants were rewarded, but yield that to His Father. how is it that ye have no faith? It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai d, "I have seen the children of the world to come (elsewhere e it is, of the chamber), , "and they are few".''. In Matthew 13:1-58 we have the well-known sketch of these new ways of God. "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a dumb man possessed with a devil. It is easy to condemn the disciples, but the faith and the loyalty which lay behind the ambition must never be forgotten. Thereon, coming into the ship, the wind ceases, and the Lord exercises His gracious power in beneficent effects around. A mere Jew would have been defiled. Sinners are said to labour in the very fire (Habakkuk 2:13), whereas God's servants, at the worst, do but labour in the sun; not in the heat of the iron furnace, but only in the heat of the day. There must be the mouth to praise the Lord, and speak of the glorious honour of His majesty, as well as eyes to wait on Him. 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. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Historical Books To hire laborers for his vineyard: The landowner went to the marketplace, which was the gathering place for day laborers. The plucking of the corn, and the healing of the withered hand, had taken place long before. Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. The truth of this is apparent, if we compare the gospel of Mark. Now the parable: A landowner went out early in the morning (6 am) to hire laborers for his vineyard. It may indeed have had a comparatively limited application when it was spoken for the first time; but it contains truth which goes to the very heart of the Christian religion. Matthew 20. The evil eye was a jealous, envious eye. The ability to serve God is the gift of His grace. What He was introducing could not mix with Judaism. In this laying aside of authority, he gives a silent rebuke to our self-seeking. (Spurgeon). He came not to be served, but to serve. It was His meat to do the will of God. The youth were instructed, almost from their cradle, in military exercises. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 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. And so they began to cry out to Jesus. 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. God does not look on the amount of our service. No man can ever claim that he began to follow Jesus under false pretences. Major Prophets 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. 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. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! It begins with a well-known scene but then introduces surprising elements to make a powerful point. Luke, too, tells how Jesus took the disciples to himself alone that he might try to compel them to understand what lay ahead ( Luke 18:31-34). A reaction might especially be expected when Jesus said He would be betrayed. 20:29-34 When they were leaving Jericho, a great crowd followed him. Lesson: Heavenly TreasuresWinning in God's Eyes (Matthew 20:1-16 Nothing was more a mystery in the gospel dispensation than the rejection of the Jews and the calling in of the Gentiles; so the apostle speaks of it (Ephesians 3:3-6); that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs: nor was any thing more provoking to the Jews than the intimation of it. To lose all for heavenly treasure, to come and follow the despised Nazarene here below what was it to compare with that which had brought Jesus to earth? It is a direct violation of both the two great commandments at once; both that of love to God, in whose will we should acquiesce, and love to our neighbour, in whose welfare we should rejoice. At its close we see the leper approaching the Lord, after He had been preaching throughout Galilee and casting out devils. At the beginning of the day, a landowner hired people to work in his vineyard for an agreed wage (Matthew 20:1-2). When the ten heard about this, they were angry with the two brothers. And to these men who were blind, they saw this as their one opportunity for a whole new life. The men who were hired at the eleventh hour who worked only about one hour were obviously elated about being paid first, and being paid for a full day. Those whom Christ fed miraculously, though of different sizes, men, women, and children, did all eat, and were filled. "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! 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. When evening came, the master of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the workers, and give them their pay, beginning from the last and going on until you come to the first.' Jesus laces this point throughout the parable. He said unto them, Go also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that is what you shall receive. This he said in the hearing of the disciple who would act the traitor: did no compunction visit his base heart? (Spurgeon), ii. [Note: Wiersbe, 1:73.]. Nicodemus may be born again when he is old, and the old man may be put off, which is corrupt. They next proceeded to the creation of subaltern officers, whom the tribunes chose from among the soldiers of the greatest reputation. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point When time ends, and with it the world of work and opportunity, then the state of retribution commences; then call the labourers, and give them their hire. Hold out, faith, and patience, yet a little while. The last trumpet, at the great day, shall call the labourers,1 Thessalonians 4:16. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink: Their answer (We are able) seems to come a little too quick. Well, then, to whom was the ransom paid?" This parable explains why the last will become first. Luke-Acts There may have been a very natural reason for this request. When Paul, that faithful labourer, departs, he is with Christ presently. All that are chosen from eternity, are effectually called, in the fulness of time (Romans 8:30), so that in making our effectual calling sure we make sure our election (2 Peter 1:10); but it is not so as to the outward call; many are called, and yet refuse (Proverbs 1:24), nay, as they are called to God, so they go from him (Hosea 11:2; Hosea 11:7), by which it appears that they were not chosen, for the election will obtain,Romans 11:7. Thus the end is as the beginning, and even far, far worse. If there be a privilege more manifest than another which has dawned on us, it is what we have found by and in Jesus, that now we can say nothing is too great for us, nothing too little for God. but it was far too much for the young man. They said to him, "We can." we have in Peter what man is, even after all this. 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 after the supper He took the cup, likewise and said, this cup is a new covenant in my blood, which is shed for the remission of sins, and as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death, until He comes"( 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ). Jesus was probably hinting at more in this parable. Does not this suit you, poor sinner you who never did serve him, you who could not, as you are, minister to him? 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. Jerusalem's proud, traditional hypocrisy is exposed, and grace fully blesses the tried Gentile. You don't know what the challenge/date is until you scratch off a square similar to a scratch-off lottery ticket. The age of serving in the army was from seventeen to forty-five, and the manner in which they were chosen was the following: -. The Gospels I didn't come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give my life as a ransom for many ( Matthew 20:28 ). The man's walk before them testifies to the reality of his forgiveness before God. Let those who have so little experience of what man is, even in the regenerate, beware lest they impute to the Baptist such an acting of a part as shocks us, when Jerome imputed it to Peter and Paul in the censure of Galatians 2:1-21. 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. 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. He didn't come that people might cater to Him and minister to Him, He came to minister to the people's needs. By His stripes ye are healed, spiritually, yes, but I do not think that it can be limited to spiritual only, the whole context, and especially Matthew eight would extend it also to physical healing. Those that have had gospel offers made them at the third, or sixth hour, and have resisted and refused them, will not have that to say for themselves at the eleventh hour, that these had; No man has hired us; nor can they be sure that any man will hire them at the ninth or eleventh hour; and therefore not to discourage any, but to awaken all, be it remembered, that now is the accepted time; if we will hear his voice, it must be to-day. This parable taught the disciples not to think of heavenly rewards in terms of justice, getting in proportion to what they deserved. Thus He points out the utter moral incongruity of fasting at that moment, and intimates that it was not merely the fact that He was going to be rejected, but that to conciliate His teaching and His will with the old thing was hopeless. Never heard of them before. Neither would Jewish disciples necessarily receive more than Gentile disciples whom God calls later in His program of preparation for the kingdom (cf. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. 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. Historical Books If they had let him pass, their chance would have gone by for ever; but when the chance came they seized it. Rome might at any time have recruited her armies by volunteers from such a mass of well-educated, hardy soldiers but she thought proper, to use the words of the Abbe Mably, that the honour of being chosen to serve in the wars should be the reward of the accomplishments shown by the citizens in the Campus Martius, that the soldier should have a reputation to save; and that the regard paid him, in choosing him to serve, should be the pledge of his fidelity and zeal to discharge his duty. In the Christian Church seniority does not necessarily mean honour. There is no one cup for the Christian to drink. 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. He evinces, that at the very time when Peter forgot the vision and the Father's voice, virtually reducing Him to mere man, He was God manifest in the flesh. Johannine Writings 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. 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. In this, as I believe, that He never employed the virtue that was in Him to meet sickness or infirmity as a matter of mere power, but in deep compassionate feeling He entered into the whole reality of the case. The failure of this greatest of women-born only gives Him the just occasion to show the total change at hand, when it should not be a question of man, but of God, yea, of the kingdom of heaven, the least in which new state should be greater than John. But the single eye of Jesus at once detects the snare of Satan into which natural thought led, or at least exposed, Peter to fall. He often fell down exhausted, and the rough men of the slums carried him gently back to his hut. Yet Jesus was confident that He would be delivered to the Gentiles. a. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, (Hebrew/Greek Search by English Definition), * 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order', Search verses, phrases, and topics (e.g. i. And someone said, "Jesus is going by." The pattern is the Son of man saving the lost. If we accept it as the true reading, it adds something to the warning of the previous clause. In Mark 2:1-28 it says, "And again he entered into Capernaum." Matthew 20:16 (KJV) - Forerunner Commentary get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! (i) These two blind men were waiting, and when their chance came they seized it with both hands. 2. The order of payment was important. Major Prophets In this work we must not be slothful, not loiterers, but labourers, working, and working out our own salvation. But every Scripture that treats of that time proves what dread, what anxiety, what dark clouds will be ever and anon. Isaiah prophesied the fact that He would be scourged, but in prophesying the fact, Isaiah tells us the reason. You both must wear five pieces of clothing. Every opportunity to serve is a gift of His grace. For many are called, but few chosen.". 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. We read in the book of Acts that Herod stretched forth his hands against the church and had James beheaded. It was just because of this that the orthodox religious people of his time could not understand him. The best of the labourers, and those that begin soonest, having so many empty spaces in their time, and their works not being filled up before God, may truly be said to labour in the vineyard scarcely one hour of their twelve; but because we are under grace, and not under the law, even such defective services, done in sincerity, shall not only be accepted, but by free grace richly rewarded. The mother of Zebedees sons came to Him: This mother of James and John (Matthew 4:21) came with a request that would make a mother proud and the sons very happy. 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. Zion may say of the Lord who laboured in vain, whom the nation abhorred, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me."