A ransom is something paid or given to liberate a man from a situation from which it is impossible for him to free himself. Nevertheless, the Lord did not withhold the infinite boon, though He knew too well their thoughts; He spoke the word of forgiveness, though He read their evil heart that counted it blasphemy. "I have seen the children of the world to come (elsewhere (e) it is, of the chamber), , "and they are few".''. Time would fail now to dwell on this chapter, interesting as it is. It is the death-blow to human tradition and ordinance in divine things, and in reality depends on the truth of the absolute ruin of man a truth which, as we see, the disciples were very slow to recognize. He will never be less than fair, but reserves the right to be more than fair as pleases Him. He was not taken by surprise; He knew it from the beginning Man's implacable hatred is brought about most manifestly in the ways and spirit of His rejectors. These were sent into the vineyard, it is true, at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them, or offered to hire them, before. Well, he did not come to get your service; he came to give you his services; not that you might first do him honor, but that he might show you mercy. (Spurgeon). 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. Jesus openly acknowledged the suffering and agony that awaited Him. For what term are they hired? This parable is not a perfect illustration of Gods grace, because the principle of working and deserving is involved. In him there was a spiritual force far beyond that found in the leper, to whom the hand that touched, as well as cleansed, him proclaimed Israel's need and state as truly as Emmanuel's grace. His cup may be drunk in one great moment; his cup may be drunk throughout a lifetime of Christian living. The reason I consider to be plain; and the same principle applies to various other parts of our gospel where we have two cases mentioned, where in the other gospels we have only one. 45. 2. "According to your faith be it done unto you.". First of these comes the treasure hidden in the field, for which the man sells all he had, securing the field for the sake of the treasure. Though God is a debtor to none, yet he is graciously pleased to make himself a debtor by his own promise, for the benefit of which, through Christ, believers agree with him, and he will stand to his part of the agreement. It is probable that James and John were closely related to Jesus. Wisdom Literature He said, "Call those fellows to me." This is applied to the Jews (Matthew 22:14; Matthew 22:14); it was so then, it is too true still; many are called with a common call, that are not chosen with a saving choice. "Lord," they said, "what we want is that our eyes should be opened." Not that His own rejection was not before His spirit, but here He looks not beyond that land and people; and, as far as the twelve were concerned, He sends them on a mission which goes on to the end of the an. However suitable to the Jewish expectation that He should be found a man, undeniably there was that apparent which was infinitely above the Jew's thought; for the Jew showed his own degradation and unbelief in the low ideas he entertained of the Messiah. The offence taken (Matthew 20:11; Matthew 20:12); They murmured at the good man of the house; not that there is, or can be, any discontent or murmuring in heaven, for that is both guilt and grief, and in heaven there is neither; but there may be, and often are, discontent and murmuring concerning heaven and heavenly things, while they are in prospect and promise in this world. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with what is my own? If, amid the multitude of Christians, I choose to signalize such men as Paul, and Martyn, and Brainerd, and Spencer, and Summerfield - to appoint some of them to short labor but to wide usefulness, and raise them to signal rewards, I injure not the great multitude of others who live long lives less useful and less rewarded. . The bodily presence of the Messiah was not needed. That is why the first will be last and the last will be first.
Matthew 20 Commentary - John Gill's Exposition of the Bible Did you not come to an agreement with me to work for 4 pence ? "The parable is emphasizing a right attitude in service." GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point [2.] 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. He does not now compare the Jews to the Gentiles, (as in another passages) nor the reprobate, who swerve from the faith, to the elect who persevere; and therefore the sentence which is introduced by some interpreters, many are called, but few are chosen, does not apply to that point. Jesus deliberately and open-eyed sets out for Jerusalem and the Cross. Proud member And now as they depart from Jericho. b. Next, the storm follows. The youth were instructed, almost from their cradle, in military exercises. 13. It would require the credulity of a sceptic to believe that this is not the self-same fact that we have before us inMatthew 8:1-34; Matthew 8:1-34. "In God's economy," as someone has said, "there is no such thing as a most favoured nation clause." There was the consciousness of good unattained, a void for which he appeals to Jesus that it might be filled up. The Gentiles, who are newly called in, have as much of the privileges of the kingdom of the Messiah as the Jews have, who have so long been labouring in the vineyard of the Old-Testament church, under the yoke of the ceremonial law, in expectation of that kingdom. He is also the writer of many of the letters that you find in your New Testament.". 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. In Christianity there must always be this invincible optimism in the moment when things are conspiring to drive a man to despair. In our gospel we have not seen the apostles called and ordained. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. [2.] It was clearly a question of connection with the apostle of the circumcision ( i.e., Peter's wife's mother). 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 ). He didn't come that people might cater to Him and minister to Him, He came to minister to the people's needs. He was to be condemned to death; there we see the suffering of injustice, which is very hard to bear. The indulgence of the selfish, murmuring temper might hinder their election even to that work. But at the same time it is plain, although He bore the consciousness of the vast change He was introducing, and expressed it thus fully and early in the history, nothing turned away His heart from Israel. But Jesus answered and said, You do not know what you ask. The scribe had no heart for the hidden glory. e. And to give His life a ransom for many: The death of Jesus the giving of His life purchased the freedom of His people. Secondly, Whatsoever is right,Matthew 20:4-7; Matthew 20:4-7. The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, Your promises are thrilling. And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. Chapter 8, which opens the portion that comes before us tonight, is a striking illustration as well as proof of the method which God has been pleased to employ in giving us the apostle Matthew's account of our Lord Jesus. (Matthew 20:29-31) Two blind men gain the attention of Jesus. It was a scorned Messiah who, when rejected of His own people, Israel, turned to the Gentiles by the will of God: it was One who could look upon publicans and sinners anywhere. The Old Testament The English translators have thus given the sense well; for the expression really conveys this slight, though the word "fellow" is printed in italics. But yet people who have been faithful to that service, to which God has employed them, whether it be intercessory closet prayer that nobody knows anything about, and I think when we get to heaven we are going to be surprised when we see those who are sitting on the front row. For this challenge, you'll need dinner at home and two nerf guns. Such is His grace, such His wisdom. Gentile as he was, he was for that very, reason the less narrowed in his thoughts of the Saviour by the prevalent notions of Israel, yea, or even by Old Testament hopes, precious as they are. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard ( Matthew 20:1-2 ). It adds to the reason for this interpretation, that Christ was conversing about the rewards that should be given to his followers, and not about the numbers that should be called, or about the doctrine of election. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. Thirdly, The gospel call is given to those that stand idle in the market-place. Reversal! He's been with them now for almost three years, and He feels it necessary to draw them now into that more intimate fellowship with His suffering, as He has set His face to go to Jerusalem, knowing exactly what awaits Him there. God is the Owner of all good; his propriety in it is absolute, sovereign, and unlimited. Though a testimony to them, still it was in the result a recognition of what Moses commanded. Jesus said that those who would share his triumph must drink his cup. He was going to build His Church "upon this rock" Himself, the Son of God. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Whatever the time may have been, whatever the incidents added by others, the account is given here for the purpose of showing, that as Israel's case was desperate, even unto death, so He, the Messiah, was the giver of life, when all, humanly speaking, was over. 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. What the account was; and in that observe. To convince the murmurer that he did no wrong, he refers him to the bargain: "Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Thus it is shown that, though we have rich grace to the Gentile, there is the remembrance of natural relationship still. Well, then, to whom was the ransom paid?" Thus, the present dealings of God in grace, the actual shape taken by the kingdom of heaven, the calling of the Gentiles, the formation of the Church, are all passed completely over. They used their waiting time in considering their own superiority to the latecomers. (Spurgeon). 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. It often happens that we are easily discouraged from seeking the presence of God. So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. c. But to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give: Jesus here showed remarkable submission to His Father.
Matthew 20 - Wikipedia We are put to our choice; for hired we must be (Joshua 24:15); Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. They worked while the others were idle. Here is royalty and kingship restated and remade. God does not permit Scripture to be thus used without losing its force, its beauty, and the grand object for which it was written. He sits on the dust heap among the prison convicts. last will be on the same footing as the first, and the first as the last, those who esteem themselves last shall be first, and those who esteem themselves first shall be last, . They had certainly done nothing to merit a day's wages. Because it is free grace, that is given to those that have it, boasting is for ever excluded; and because it is free grace, that is withheld from those that have it not, murmuring is for ever excluded. Origen said it was the devil; Gregory of Nyssa objected that this put the devil on the same level as God, and allowed the devil to dictate terms to God. Compare Luke 17:7; Luke 17:8; Luke 12:37. In his defilement he came to Jesus and sought to be cleansed, before the delivery of the sermon on the mount. About five o'clock in the evening he went out and found others standing there, and said to them, 'Why are you standing here the whole day idle?' Out in the world, said Jesus, it is quite true that the great man is the man who controls others; the man to whose word of command others must leap; the man who with a wave of his hand can have his slightest need supplied. A great tempest. Certainly, He did not arrange His own betrayal. He therefore, 1. Work for God will not admit of trifling. Had there been a single thing good in Israel, their choicest guides would have stood that test. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. He had been preparing them for the new things, and the impossibility of making them coalesce with the old. Descending then upon the plateau, He delivered what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. A wider interpretation is, of course, possible, and has been often applied, in which the first-called labourers answer to the Jews, and those who came afterwards to converts in the successive stages of the conversion of the Gentiles. And He prophesied so accurately the things.First of all, He is going to be betrayed. Our Lord then answers, with perfect dignity, as well as grace; He puts before the disciples of John the real state of the case; He furnishes them with plain, positive facts, that could leave nothing to be desired by John's mind when he weighed all as a testimony from God. They did not see why they should be allowed to stake their claims to preeminence. ], "Any union leader worth their salt would protest at such employment practices. 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. The design is, I think, manifest: the Spirit of God is here giving a vivid picture of the manifestation of the Messiah, of His divine glory, of His grace and power, with the effect of this manifestation. Isaiah prophesied the fact that He would be scourged, but in prophesying the fact, Isaiah tells us the reason. In Matthew 12:1-50 we find not so much Jesus present and despised of men, as these men of Israel, the rejectors, in the presence of Jesus. The Lord increase thy earnestness and faith! (Clarke), 2018 David Guzik No distribution beyond personal use without permission, The Whole Bible When the legions were thus completed, the citizens who had been called, but not chosen, returned to their respective employments, and served their country in other capacities. Whatever might be the Church or the kingdom, it is precisely when the Lord unfolds His new glory in both the kingdom and the Church that He maintains the proprieties of nature in their rights and integrity. The crowd commanded them to stop their shouting; they were making a nuisance of themselves. They may not be as long in the vineyard as others; their race may be sooner run; but I have chosen to honor them in this manner, and I have a right to do it. Challenge the Adventurer within you! 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!). And they went. When they heard that Jesus was passing by: They knew this might be their last time to meet Jesus. 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. To hire laborers for his vineyard: The landowner went to the marketplace, which was the gathering place for day laborers. Therefore He could not have any broken bones. 21 "What is your request?" he asked. It was with this declaration that the parable began and ended. All will not be the wise that understand, nor those who instruct the mass in righteousness. Then, alas! Who could touch the leper save Emmanuel? It is not an accident that Jesus was scourged. The tribunes of the second and third likewise made their choice one after another; and he that remained entered into the fourth legion. No doubt the ship was covered with the waves; but how could that imperil the Lord of all? And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Judas one of the twelve, who is listening to Him, will be the one who betrays Him. Whatever is right I will give you whatever is right you will receive: The landowner promised the earliest workers a days wage (a denarius a day). In the next scene, then, we have the disciples as a whole tried by a sudden danger to which their sleeping Master paid no heed. (i) It is in one sense a warning to the disciples. Jesus thought about how He would fulfill the will of His Father in the future. Yet it shall not be so among you is a stinging rebuke to the manner in which the modern church looks to the world for both its substance and style. (Ken Chumbley, The Gospel of Matthew, commentary, p.#351).
Commentary on Matthew 20:1-16 - Working Preacher From Luther Seminary A man is not a Christian if his first concern is pay. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. The point in the beginning of the next chapter (Matthew 20:1-34) is not reward, but the right and title of God Himself to act according to His goodness. He was to be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests and Scribes; there we see the suffering of the heart broken by the disloyalty of friends. We cannot earn what God gives us; we cannot deserve it; what God gives us is given out of the goodness of his heart; what God gives is not pay, but a gift; not a reward, but a grace. All through their history the Jews had dreamed of the Messiah; but the Messiah of whom they had dreamed was always a conquering king, a mighty leader, one who would smash the enemies of Israel and reign in power over the kingdoms of the earth. The New Testament At the beginning of the day, a landowner hired people to work in his vineyard for an agreed wage (Matthew 20:1-2). 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.