Matthew 20 - Laborers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
- Jesus is going to tell us a story about how the kingdom of heaven is like an landowner who went out hire laborers for his vineyard
o 6am In the morning when Sun rises (light; creation)
o 9am In the 3rd hour (Christ crucified)
o 12noon In the 6th hour (the world turned dark)
o 3pm is the 9th hour (the time Jesus died)
o 5pm 11th hour just before sunset (the last days)
o Jesus has been recruiting workers to work in his field for a long time
o And he offers to reward all who will go!
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.”
- We read this same description in Chapter 19
- The last shall be first and the first last (now we get a better idea of what this means)
- God is super generous even to those who just saved or just got started
- Men often compare each other’s effort or compensation
o It is not right to do so because it is God’s good pleasure to bless as He pleases
o Man must never stand in the place of judge toward God’s decisions or blessings
Death, Resurrection Foretold
17 As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, 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, 19 and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.”
- This is a radical confession that Jesus knew all the pain and suffering He was about to go through and yet He planned to proceed (what amazing love!)
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