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²³ He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” Matthew 20:23 (ESV)

Jesus’ response to James, John and the rest of the disciples was clear regarding greatness in the kingdom of heaven. It is the path of suffering. Jesus said to them, “You will drink my cup.” The metaphor of the “cup” represents not only the outpouring of God the Father’s wrath (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17, 22; Jeremiah 25:15-16), but also identification with Jesus Christ and His sufferings (Acts 9:4-5; Colossians 1:24; I Peter 2:21).   

The Apostle Paul expressed this understanding in his epistles.

Philippians 3:10 (ESV) – “^… that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”  

Colossians 1:24 (ESV) – Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.”

2 Timothy 4:6–8 (ESV) – “⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

So too did the Apostle Peter.

1 Peter 2:19–21 (ESV) – “¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

1 Peter 4:12–19 (ESV) – “¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And ‘If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” ¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”  

Let us not forget what James had to say.

James 1:2–5 (ESV) – “² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Jesus then expressed His humble submission to God the Father. “…but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

“In the mysteries of the Trinity, the Son is one with the Father in substance and equal to the Father in power and glory; yet He (the Son) willingly submits to the Father’s will and defers to the Father’s authority as the incarnate well-pleasing messianic Son, even in His exaltation (I Cor. 15:28),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.  

May each believer in Christ strive to be a humble servant and not for glory and position. May all glory belong to the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

²² “Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” ²³ He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” (Matthew 20:22–23 ESV).

Matthew recorded Jesus’ disciple’s failure to comprehend the full meaning of His predicted death, burial and resurrection. Simon Peter passionately protested such a fate (16:21–23). The second prediction prompted the disciples to argue about who was the greatest among them (17:22–18:6). Note they did not argue which of them would suffer the most.  

At this time, the disciples should have known better. However as one commentator observes, “they are dense and display their ignorance again immediately after Jesus predicts His death for the third time (20:17–19).”

Today’s overall text tells of a mom approaching Jesus on behalf of her two sons (Matt. 20:20-21). Matthew identified her has the mother of the sons of Zebedee. The sons would be James and John; two of the three closest disciples of Jesus (Matt. 17:1).

The issue at hand is what constitutes true greatness in the kingdom of heaven and in the church? Remember, the last will be first and the first last (Matt. 20:16). What was the Lord’s response?

Jesus said, “You do not know what you are asking.”  It appears by a surface reading of the Lord’s statement He was speaking to Salome; James and John’s mom. However, the personal pronoun “you” is plural. Jesus was not speaking to Salome, but rather to her boys; His disciples. He knew who was behind their mother’s request.

How ironic for James and John to request privilege and position when Jesus was speaking about a cross. While the Lord, who is all powerful, speaks of self-humiliation, the disciples, who are not all-powerful, display self-exaltation. This is the concept of the will to power, or a desire to be like God (Gen.3:1-6).

“The will to power (German: der Wille zur Macht) is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. The will to power describes what Nietzsche may have believed to be the main driving force in humans. However, the concept was never systematically defined in Nietzsche’s work, leaving its interpretation open to debate. Usage of the term by Nietzsche can be summarized as self-determination, the concept of actualizing one’s will onto one’s self or one’s surroundings, and coincides heavily with egoism,” explains one historian.  

Jesus then asked James and John, and perhaps the rest of His disciples, another question. “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”

“In the Old Testament (OT) the ‘cup’ normally signifies the outpouring of God’s wrath (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15-16; Rev. 16:19; see Matt. 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46; Mark 14:32-42). That the disciples will drink this cup means they will experience suffering, but note that Jesus calls it ‘my cup.’ Because Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath, believers do not drink the wrath they deserve. In and through Christ’s suffering, they have already undergone judgment. They are now justified in Christ and heirs of His glory (Rom. 8:17). Yet their privilege is to be identified with Christ in His sufferings (Acts 9:4-5; Col. 1:24; 1 Peter 2:21),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“James and John, brothers who are uniquely close to Christ (17:1; 26:36–37), are the ones who grossly misunderstand what kingdom greatness really means. Their presumptuous request to sit on either side of Jesus in His kingdom — to have preeminent honor (Ps. 110:1) — is in keeping with their nature as “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17), even though their mother speaks for them (Matt. 20:20–21). That they miss the point of what it means to be exalted before God is evident in our Lord’s reply when He tells them they do not know what they are asking (v. 22). Apparently, though it is futile to do so (10:38–39), James and John are seeking glory without suffering, a crown without the cross.”

 John Calvin comments, “None will be a partaker of the life and the kingdom of Christ who has not previously shared in his sufferings and death.”

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14 ESV)

Soli deo Gloria!

²⁰ Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. ²¹ And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” (Matthew 20:20–21 (ESV)

Matthew recorded Jesus’ disciple’s failure to comprehend the full meaning of His predicted death, burial and resurrection. Simon Peter passionately protested such a fate (16:21–23). The second prediction prompted the disciples to argue about who was the greatest among them (17:22–18:6). Note they did not argue as to who of them would suffer the most.  

At this time, the disciples should have known better. However as one commentator observes, “they are dense and display their ignorance again immediately after Jesus predicts His death for the third time (20:17–19).”

Today’s text tells of a mom approaching Jesus on behalf of her two sons. Matthew identified her has the mother of the sons of Zebedee. The sons would be James and John; two of the three closest disciples of Jesus (Matt. 17:1).

“Who was this “mother of the sons of Zebedee”? Why is she not simply called “Zebedee’s wife”? As to the last question, Zebedee, still definitely alive and active in 4:21 (cf. Mark 1:20), may have died. It is also possible that the designation results from the fact that this mother’s request concerns her sons, not her husband. We simply do not know. As to the first question, certainty is lacking here also. The theory that she was Salome, the sister of the Mary who was the mother of Jesus, and that she was accordingly an aunt of Jesus, so that James and John, her sons, were his cousins, can be called a reasonable inference from a comparison of three Gospel references (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40; and John 19:25),” states Dr. William Hendriksen.

The woman displayed an outward humility in kneeling before the Lord. However, you have to wonder if this was just a ploy to hide her true intentions in persuading Jesus to comply with her request. Who better to sit on either side of Jesus in His kingdom than his cousins James and John? Was this not how the world of kings and other dignitaries works? Do not a leader’s closest advisors and followers receive the prime positions of designated power? See Exod. 17:12; 2 Sam. 16:6; 1 Kings 22:19 (2 Chron. 18:18); Neh. 8:4.

“The indirect intercession of a motherly woman was often more effective than a man’s direct petition for himself, in both Jewish and Roman circles (see 2 Sam 14:2–20; 1 Kings 1:15–21; cf. 2 Sam 20:16–22). In this case, however, it does not work,” explains commentator Craig Keener.

The issue at hand is what constitutes true greatness in the kingdom of heaven and in the church? Remember, the last will be first and the first last (Matt. 20:16).

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁷ “And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, ¹⁸ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death ¹⁹ and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” (Matthew 20:17–19 (ESV)

Matthew records the third time Jesus predicted His trials, condemnation, mocking, flogging, crucifixion, but also His resurrection (Matt. 16:21; 17:22-23). This third prediction reveals more about the kind of death He would die than the previous two.

²¹ “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Matthew 16:21 (ESV)

²² “As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, ²³ and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.” (Matthew 17:22–23 (ESV)

Jesus previously said He would suffer from the Jewish elders, chief priests and scribes and be delivered into the hands of men. He also clearly stated He would be killed, but He did not mention how He would die. However, Jesus also stated that He would be raised on the third day following His death.

In today’s text, Jesus again takes the initiative and tells His disciples what He would soon be experiencing in Jerusalem. He identified Himself as the Son of Man. This is a clear reference to Daniel 7:13-14. It is a title of deity.

Jesus stated the Jewish religious leaders (chief priests and scribes) would condemn Him to death. Jesus continued by saying that Jewish leaders would then hand Him over to the Gentiles (Romans) to be mocked, flogged and crucified. Crucifixion was the Roman government’s means of public execution of condemned criminals. Jesus also said, for the third time, He would be resurrected on the third day following His death.

The events Jesus described were not circumstances beyond either His, or God the Father’s, control and preordained plan. As the Apostle Peter would later preach on the Day of Pentecost, Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection were according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:21-24).

“Following the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, Jesus’ advance toward the cross progresses in earnest. He is drawing ever closer to Jerusalem and in today’s passage explicitly predicts His death and resurrection for the third time. Jesus has succeeded where His people failed, overcoming Satan’s temptations (Matt. 4:1–11), rightly understanding and teaching God’s law (chap. 5–7), and initiating the restoration of the cosmos (9:18–26; 12:9–14; 17:14–21). He has fully qualified Himself to be the true Israel and hence, the new Adam, whose perfect obedience will justify all those in Him (Isa. 53). All that remains for Christ to accomplish salvation is to endure the punishment David’s line deserved for leading God’s people astray (2 Sam. 7:1–17) and, in so doing, endure the curse Adam’s children deserve for violating the Father’s will (Gal. 3:10–14),” Explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

While the crucifixion would certainly be bad news, Jesus also gave the good news of His resurrection (v. 19). Jesus gave this hopeful message, Puritan Matthew Henry comments, “to encourage his disciples, and comfort them, and to direct us, under all the sufferings of this present time to look at the things that are not seen, that are eternal, which will enable us to call the present afflictions light, and but for a moment.”

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:16 ESV)

⁶”Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6–8 (ESV)

The importance of the Parable of Laborers in the Vineyard concerns our perspective in serving the Lord. Believers in Christ must not evaluate the status of service as the world does. In the Lord’s kingdom, the servants who God called last into service may have equal, if not greater, status than those God called first.

The church tends to elevate some individuals to an exalted status. This may be based upon their longevity in ministry, or their influence, reputation, talent or even charisma. Conversely, others who serve in relative obscurity are dismissed as insignificant. This may be done not by explicit words, but in attitude and action by other individuals.

Consider those invited to speak at a pastors’ conference. Who are they? Are they pastors of large churches or leaders of influential organizations? Or, are they pastors who labor alone in small urban, or rural, churches and para-church ministries? You know the answer to these questions as well as I do. Is the church community subtly suggesting to these obscure servants they are not as important or as influential as those of greater notoriety and reputation? May all of us who have ears to hear, let us hear.

“The Lord is not obligated to give anyone grace, let alone the same grace to all people. As the master in his treatment of the laborers was not unjust, God is never unjust. People get what He has promised them. Yet some people get more than others, and since the Lord owes us nothing but wrath, we may never complain about our portion.” — Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Christ, wishes to show by this parable how it actually is in the kingdom of heaven, or in Christendom upon the earth; that God here directs and works wonderfully by making the first last and the last first. And all is spoken to humble those who are great that they should trust in nothing but the goodness and mercy of God. And on the other hand that those who are nothing should not despair, but trust in the goodness of God just as the others do.” – Martin Luther

“This parable is nothing else than a confirmation of the preceding sentence; “the last shall be first” (Matt. 19:30). It now remains to see in what manner it ought to be applied. Christ does not argue either about the equality of the heaven glory, or about the future condition of the godly. He only declares that those who were first in point of time have no right to boast or to insult others; because the Lord, whenever He pleases, may call those whom He appeared for a time to disregard, and make them equal, or even superior, to the first.” –John Calvin

“This parable has nothing to do with salvation. The denarius (penny), a day’s wages in that time, does not represent salvation, for nobody works for his salvation. Nor is the parable talking about rewards, for we are not all going to receive the same reward. “And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:8). The parable is emphasizing a right attitude in service. We should not serve Him because we want to receive an expected reward, and we should not insist on knowing what we will get. God is infinitely generous and gracious and will always give us better than we deserve.” – Warren Wiersbe

“In this parable Jesus is not condemning his audience. He is not taking back anything of the promise found in 19:28, 29. It is exactly in the way of sanctification (2 Thess. 2:13), which includes also heeding this admonition, that the promise of Matt. 19:28, 29 is fulfilled, as are also all the other promises. But neither is he erasing 19:30. On the contrary, he is confirming it in a form suitable to the present parable, so that the reference to the last who become first is now mentioned first, for it was exactly the generosity extended to the last that had aroused the envy of the complainants.” – Dr. William Hendriksen

May we serve, blossom and produce fruit in the vineyard God has sovereignly placed us (Colossians 1:3-6). Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹³ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. ¹⁵ Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:13–16 ESV)

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 of hiring laborers or workers for his vineyard.

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 (Matt. 20:1-2).

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 (20:3-4).

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 (20:5-7).  

Quitting time arrives at the twelfth hour (6:00 pm). When this evening hour came, the master instructed his foreman to call all the laborers. This was so the foreman can pay them their day’s wages. God’s Law required a prompt, daily compensation of day laborers (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14-15; James 5:4). Each laborer received a denarius.

The laborers the master initially hired at the beginning of the day mistakenly thought they would receive more. However, they also received the agreed upon denarius (Matt. 20:8-10). They became upset. Even though they received their agreed upon wages, they were not happy. They grumbled at the master of the house. To grumble (γογγύζω; gongyzo) means to mummer and complain.

The master replied to the initial laborers he did nothing wrong. He paid them the agreed upon wage of a denarius. The master stated it was his prerogative to give the same wage to the last workers as to the first. He questioned the workers as to whether they begrudged his generosity.

The master of the vineyard addressed the dissatisfied laborers. He exposed their hypocrisy, and perhaps our own, when God’s grace is properly understood in the last being first and the first last.

“The laborers who complained made the error of thinking that the master had no inherent right to determine how he would allot his resources. Jesus’ point is that like the master, God has the right to determine how much grace He will give to people. The Lord is not obligated to give anyone grace, let alone the same grace to all people. As the master in his treatment of the laborers was not unjust, God is never unjust. People get what He has promised them. Yet some people get more than others, and since the Lord owes us nothing but wrath, we may never complain about our portion,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“The “point” or main lesson of the parable is therefore this: Do not be among the first who become last. This may be subdivided as follows: a. Avoid falling prey to the work-for-wages spirit with respect to matters spiritual (besides 20:2, 13 see also the context, 19:16, 22, and what was said in connection with 19:27). b. Do not fail to recognize God’s sovereignty, his right to distribute favors as he pleases (in addition to 20:14b, 15a see again the context, 20:23). c. Be far removed from envy (see not only 15b but also the general context, 18:1; 20:20–28). Was not each disciple’s yearning to be the greatest a next-door neighbor to gruesome soul-destructive envy,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.

Repent for any envy or complaining you may have towards individuals receiving God’s grace who you believe are unworthy of such an act by God. Of course they’re unworthy. So were we. If you think otherwise, you do not understand the nature of your sin and the greatness of God’s grace.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹¹ “And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, ¹² saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ (Matthew 20:11–12 ESV)

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 of hiring laborers or workers for his vineyard.

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 (Matt. 20:1-2).

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 (20:3-4).

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 (20:5-7).  

Quitting time arrives at the twelfth hour (6:00 pm). When this evening hour came, the master instructed his foreman to call all the laborers. This was so the foreman can pay them their day’s wages. God’s Law required a prompt, daily compensation of day laborers (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14-15; James 5:4).

The master instructed his foreman to pay the laborers hired last first, and sequentially the other laborers until the laborers hired first were paid last. The foreman did as his master directed him. Each laborer received a denarius.

The laborers the master initially hired at the beginning of the day mistakenly thought they would receive more. However, they also received the agreed upon denarius (Matt. 20:8-10). They became upset. Even though they received their agreed upon wages, they were not happy. They grumbled at the master of the house. To grumble (γογγύζω; gongyzo) means to mummer and complain.

In this context, the verb refers to a persistent complaining and discontent. The biblical text tells us why. The complaining workers continually said to the master, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”

“The nature of their grumbling showed what kind of men they were. They did not say, “You have put us on a par with the late-comers,” but “you have put them on a par with us.” In other words, they were not only dissatisfied with what they themselves had received; they were also—perhaps especially—envious of what had been given to the others! They talk about the “arduous toil” and the “sweltering—or scorching—heat” which they have borne,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

“The main reason for their sullen dissatisfaction is that others, though last, were made to be first, and that they themselves, the first, had been made last. But for this dissatisfaction they were themselves to blame, their sin being a triple one: a. the mercantile spirit that had marked them from the very beginning; b. their failure to recognize the rights of the owner; and c. loathsome envy.”  

As with all of Jesus’ parables, there is more here than meets the eye. Jesus was not just teaching a story about economics and labor relations. He was instructing His disciples (Matt. 19:23) about the nature of God’s saving grace and to not begrudge the Lord for His saving grace.

The master of the vineyard addressed the dissatisfied laborers. He exposed their, and perhaps our own, threefold root of unhappiness when God’s grace is properly understood in the last being first and the first last.

We will study the master’s response when next we meet. Until then, repent for any envy or complaining you may have towards individuals receiving God’s grace who you believe are unworthy of such an act by God. Of course they’re unworthy. So were we. If you think otherwise, you do not understand the nature of your sin and the greatness of God’s grace.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁸ “And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ ⁹ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. ¹⁰ Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.” (Matthew 20:8–10 ESV)

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 of hiring laborers or workers for his vineyard.

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.

Quitting time arrives at the twelfth hour (6:00 pm). When this evening hour comes, the master instructed his foreman to call all the laborers. This was so the foreman can pay them their day’s wages. God’s Law required a prompt, daily compensation of day laborers (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14-15; James 5:4).

“When evening had come!” Here the real meaning, the one main lesson, begins to come through; for this evening of the day indisputably points to the evening of the world’s and of the church’s history, the great day of the final judgment and of the manifestation of God’s kingdom in all its glory,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

Additionally, the master instructed his foreman to pay the laborers hired last first, and sequentially the other laborers until the laborers hired first were paid last. The foreman did as his master directed him. Each laborer received a denarius. The laborers the master initially hired at the beginning of the day mistakenly thought they would receive more. However, they also received the agreed upon denarius.

“Wages were generally paid when the working day was done (see Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15). What is strange, though, is that the foreman is told that when he calls the workers to pay them he must first pay those who had started to work last of all, at 5 P.M.; next, those who had begun at 3 o’clock, and so on until he finally paid those who had started first. Clearly this surprising order is in harmony with the rule laid down in verse 20:16 (cf. 19:30): the last are going to be first, and the first last. Besides, those who had come first must be given an opportunity to see what happened at the close of the day to those who had come later. Had the far more usual rule “first come first served” been applied, those first-comers would have taken their money and gone home before seeing what happened to the others,” states Dr. Hendriksen.

What was the response by the workers who labored throughout the twelve hour day and who received the same wage as those who worked less than they? We will examine Jesus’ poignant principle of His parable when next we meet. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

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!