The Gospel of Matthew: Laborers in the Vineyard. Part 2.

³ And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ ⁵ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. ⁶ And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ (Matthew 20:3–7 ESV)

Today’s text is not a parable about worker’s rights or the inequity of employee’s wages. Rather, it is an illustration concerning God’s grace and mercy to sinners. Grace is God giving sinners what they do not deserve; salvation. Mercy is God not giving sinners what they do deserve; judgment.

The object lesson of laborers in a vineyard was a common, cultural concept in first century Israel. It remains so today. Israel has an agricultural or agrarian economy. In fact, Israel symbolized a vineyard (Psalm 80:8-13; Isaiah 3:14; 5:1-7). The story focuses on common laborers in a field and how this illustrates the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus taught this parable to His disciples (Matt.19:23-30). He compared God’s eternal rule and reign in heaven, and citizenship therein, to a master and his laborers. This master went out (ἐξέρχομαι; exerchomai) or initiated an act. This act occurred early in the morning; perhaps even before the breaking of dawn. What he planned was to hire laborers or workers for his vineyard.

“Grapes were one of the most valuable commodities in ancient Israel because they could be transformed into fine wines. So important were the vineyards that the prophets often describe the salvation of God’s people as including the restoration of the vineyards of the Promised Land (for example, Amos 9:14). Vinedressers and vineyard owners know, however, that the profitability of their vineyard depends on harvesting the grapes at just the right time. Wait too long, and the wine produced from the grapes will not be as good and will not command as high a price as it could. Consequently, when the time of harvest comes, vineyard owners often employ many day laborers in addition to their regular staff so that all of the grapes can be picked before it is too late. That is the setting of today’s passage, wherein the master of the house must find “laborers for his vineyard” (Matt. 20:1),” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

The master and the laborers agreed to a denarius a day. A denarius (δηνάριον; denarion) was a common laborer’s wage for one long day’s work (Matt. 20:2, 9; Mark 14:5; Luke 10:35; 20:24; John 6:7; Rev 6:6). Upon this mutual agreement, the master sent the laborers into his vineyard.

At the third hour of the day (9:00 am), the master went to the marketplace (agora). This was the location where the unemployed generally gathered perhaps hoping someone would hire them for the day. The master chose to do so promising to pay them what was right. The unemployed workers agreed and went to the vineyard.

The master went back to the marketplace and continued to hire more workers. He did so at the sixth hour (Noon), the ninth hour (3:00 pm), and even at the eleventh hour (5:00 pm). He sent all of them to the vineyard presumably promising to pay them what was right.

“What a gracious man this estate-owner is. It is clear that he is interested not only in his vineyard but also in the unemployed. He hires them when they, and everyone else, must have thought that for such men as these all hope of working in the vineyard on that day was baseless. What a strange thing to hire men at 5 o’clock P.M., for one hour’s work! There is no bargaining. Gladly the men accept the invitation to enter the vineyard. Have they not made plain to the owner that the only reason for their standing about in the market-place, doing nothing, was that nobody had hired them,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

What will happen at quitting time? This will be our subject when next we meet. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!