Matthew — Chapter 20
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1For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
8So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
17And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
18Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
19And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
20Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
22But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
23And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
24And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
25But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
26But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
29And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
31And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
32And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
33They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
1For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.
2And when he had agreed with the laborers for a shilling a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle;
4and to them he said, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
6And about the eleventh [hour] he went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard.
8And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9And when they came that [were hired] about the eleventh hour, they received every man a shilling.
10And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received every man a shilling.
11And when they received it, they murmured against the householder,
12saying, These last have spent [but] one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.
13But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a shilling?
14Take up that which is thine, and go thy way; it is my will to give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16So the last shall be first, and the first last.
17And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples apart, and on the way he said unto them,
18Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and scribes; and they shall condemn him to death,
19and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify: and the third day he shall be raised up.
20Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshipping [him], and asking a certain thing of him.
21And he said unto her, What wouldest thou? She saith unto him, Command that these my two sons may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy kingdom.
22But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink the cup that I am about to drink? They say unto him, We are able.
23He saith unto them, My cup indeed ye shall drink: but to sit on my right hand, and on [my] left hand, is not mine to give; but [it is for them] for whom it hath been prepared of my Father.
24And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation concerning the two brethren.
25But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
26Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister;
27and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant:
28even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
29And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30And behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David.
31And the multitude rebuked them, that they should hold their peace: but they cried out the more, saying, Lord, have mercy on us, thou son of David.
32And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I should do unto you?
33They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34And Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and straightway they received their sight, and followed him.
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
2And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
3When it was about nine o’clock in the morning, he went out again and saw others standing around in the marketplace without work.
4He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will give you whatever is right.’
5So they went. When he went out again about noon and three o’clock that afternoon, he did the same thing.
6And about five o’clock that afternoon he went out and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day without work?’
7They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go and work in the vineyard too.’
8When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages starting with the last hired until the first.’
9When those hired about five o’clock came, each received a full day’s pay.
10And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each one also received the standard wage.
11When they received it, they began to complain against the landowner,
12saying, ‘These last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day.’
13And the landowner replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage?
14Take what is yours and go. I want to give to this last man the same as I gave to you.
15Am I not permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16So the last will be first, and the first last.”
17As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve aside privately and said to them on the way,
18“Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the experts in the law. They will condemn him to death,
19and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged severely and crucified. Yet on the third day, he will be raised.”
20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor.
21He said to her, “What do you want?” She replied, “Permit these two sons of mine to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”
22Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”
23He told them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24Now when the other 10 heard this, they were angry with the two brothers.
25But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them.
26It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,
27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—
28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
29As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them.
30Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
31The crowd scolded them to get them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
32Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
34Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
1“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.
4He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way.
5Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
6About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day idle?’
7“They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ “He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’
8When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’
9“When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius.
10When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius.
11When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household,
12saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’
13“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius?
14Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you.
15Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’
16So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”
17As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them,
18“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death,
19and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up.”
20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.
21He said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these, my two sons, may sit, one on your right hand, and one on your left hand, in your Kingdom.”
22But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to him, “We are able.”
23He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it is for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24When the ten heard it, they were indignant with the two brothers.
25But Jesus summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
26It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
27Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant,
28even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
29As they went out from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30Behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David!”
31The multitude rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they cried out even more, “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David!”
32Jesus stood still, and called them, and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33They told him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.”
34Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received their sight, and they followed him.
Summary
The parable of the workers in the vineyard reveals God's sovereign generosity, Jesus predicts His death a third time, and teaches that true greatness in His kingdom comes through serving — "the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister."
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- The road to Jerusalem: Jesus is continuing south from Perea toward Jerusalem (v.17). He privately tells the disciples He will be crucified there.
- Jericho (v.29): A city in the Jordan Valley, about 15 miles east of Jerusalem. The last major stop before the ascent to Jerusalem. The blind men were healed as Jesus departed Jericho.
- The geographic movement is deliberately toward Jerusalem and the cross.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines the parable's teaching on grace vs. merit, the third passion prediction, the mother's request for James and John, Jesus' teaching on servant leadership, and the ransom statement.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Labourers in the Vineyard" on vv.1-16 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1292) "The first workers grumbled — not because they were underpaid but because others were overpaid. That is the nature of the human heart — we do not resent injustice; we resent grace given to others. We want God to be fair to us and stingy to everyone else." Sermon: "The Ransom" on v.28 (MTP Vol. 10, No. 561) "A ransom for many. Not an example merely, not a teacher merely, not a martyr merely — a ransom. A price paid to set captives free. His life in exchange for ours. That is the Gospel in one sentence."
Reflection
- 1. The first workers resented the landowner's generosity to the latecomers (v.12). Do you ever resent God's grace toward people who "don't deserve it" — people who came to faith late, who lived badly for years, who seem to get the same reward as you? What does that resentment reveal about your understanding of grace?
- 2. "Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister" (v.26). The world says greatness is measured by how many people serve you. Jesus says it's measured by how many people you serve. By Jesus' definition, how great are you? Who are you actively serving right now?
- 3. James and John wanted positions of honor — but Jesus asked "Are ye able to drink of the cup?" (v.22). They said yes without understanding what they were agreeing to. Are you willing to accept the suffering that comes with the calling God has given you? Or do you want the glory without the cup?
- 4. Jesus "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister" (v.28). The Son of God — the most powerful being in the universe — defined His mission as service. How does that reshape your understanding of what it means to be a man? Is your life oriented toward being served or toward serving?
- 5. The parable of the workers challenges our sense of fairness. We want God to reward effort and duration. But grace is not fair — it is generous. How do you reconcile God's grace (unearned favor) with your desire for things to be "fair"?
- 6. The other ten disciples were "moved with indignation" when they heard James and John's request (v.24) — likely because they wanted the same thing. When you're angry at someone else's ambition, is it because you disapprove of ambition or because you wanted the position yourself? How do you check your own motives?
- 7. Jesus said His life was "a ransom for many" (v.28). A ransom implies captivity — someone held prisoner who needs to be freed. What were you held captive by before Christ freed you? What does that freedom mean to you daily?
- 8. The blind men cried out despite the crowd telling them to be quiet (v.31). They refused to let others silence their need for Jesus. Is there anything — social pressure, pride, fear of judgment — that is keeping you from crying out to Jesus for what you need?
- 9. Jesus asked the blind men "What will ye that I shall do unto you?" (v.32). He asks you the same question. What do you want Jesus to do for you? Have you asked Him directly and specifically?