CHAPTER 20
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Matthew 20:1
Matthew continues with Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of heaven, which he often substitutes for the kingdom of God. This parable is a picture of the grape harvest in Israel. Grapes ripened near the end of September and it was imperative to get the harvest out of the field before the winter rains set in.1 In Israel the wonderful red, black and purple grapes for the table are usually available even into the early winter. However, the grapes for making wine needed to be harvested before the rains. Wine growers tell us that to make good wine the grapes need sunlight. If rain falls on wine grapes, they take on moisture which dilutes the flavor and the delicate sugar/acid balance that is necessary. If there is too much rain the grapes swell and even split, which induces spoilage and mold.2
With this we can understand the urgency felt by the farmer, as the little clouds began to be seen in the otherwise clear summer skies. There was no time to waste, so he went out early to hire workers. The day laborers were the lowest class of workers. They were even lower than slaves because slaves often were regarded to some extent as being part of the family. Day workers were always in a perilous position and their families were very often in danger of starvation. The work-day was generally from sunrise at 6:00 AM. to sunset at 6:00 PM.3 Fortunately, they did not have to work into the night since there was no way to light the fields.
The market-place worked as a sort of labor exchange. Men needing work stood around waiting for a work opportunity. The fact that laborers were still standing around at the eleventh hour (5:00 PM) indicated how desperately they needed work to feed their hungry families.4
We must pause here and note that in Jewish thought the vineyard is a prophetic picture of the nation of Israel (Isa. 5:1-7).5 God had planted Israel as his vine and he had done everything possible to insure that the nation would produce holy fruit for him. Sadly, over the centuries Israel had failed the task (cf. Jer. 2:21; 12:10; Psa. 80:8-13). To illustrate his concern for the nation, God appears not only as a farmer but in other parables he appears as a king, a father, and even as a judge.6
“He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard” (20:2). The wage of a denarius a day was the average daily pay for a worker or a soldier.7 It seems very important for this parable that these first workers had a contract with the employer. The later workers did not. This fact undoubtedly has significance for Israel, who also in a sense had a contract with God (Lev. 18:5).8 They would labor for the Lord in his vineyard but others (Gentile believers) would at last come on the scene and be blessed more than the Jews by the grace of God and by their faith.
“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right’” (20:3-4). We note again here that the farmer was very anxious to get his grape harvest out before the rains. Therefore, he went back to the market at the third hour or 9:00 o’clock in the morning looking for additional workers. Morris says, “The day was divided into twelve parts, each called an hour…in the absence of anything equivalent to our watches and clocks to measure time accurately…” 9
He found others there and sent them into his harvest. He agreed only to pay them what was right. In other words, there was no contract. These workers were anxious to earn some money for their families so they were willing to trust the farmer for fair wages.10
In a real sense we live today in the midst of a great spiritual harvest. The evangelist and Bible teacher David Reagan notes: “In 1900, there were only 10 million Christians in Africa. Today, there are more than 350 million. Latin America is being swept by revival. In China, 25,000 people per day are accepting Jesus as their Savior. Among Muslims, more have been converted to Jesus in the last 20 years than in the previous 1,000 years.” 11 We must wonder where is the urgency of the modern and postmodern church to win souls as this harvest is in full swing. I remember as a farm boy on the hot fall days we could go into the soybean field and hear the over-ripe soybeans popping out and falling to the ground. That caused us get in to action with the harvest.
“So they went. ‘He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing” (20:5). This farmer was obviously very nervous about getting his crop out. This picture reminds us of another noontime scene when Jesus at the well spoke with the Samaritan woman about her salvation. The disciples had gone into town to buy lunch. When they returned, Jesus told them to look at the fields which were white unto harvest (Jn. 4:35). True to his words, the Samaritans came to the Lord in great numbers that day.
“About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. ‘He said to them, “You also go and work in my vineyard”’” (20:6-7). This was an eleventh hour call for laborers since it was about 5:00 PM. Spiritually speaking we today are probably living in the eleventh hour. The time is very short to gather in the spiritual harvest. Even at this late hour, there is a reward for those who go into the fields of God and labor (Jn. 4:36).
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first’” (20:8). Day laborers were customarily paid at the end of each day according to the Lord’s instructions in Leviticus 19:13.12 Actually, there are several other scriptures where we see this instruction (cf. Deut. 24:15; Job 7:2; Mal. 3:5; Jas.5:4). To pay the last workers first was an unusual way of handling things. Beare went so far as to entitle this story “The Eccentric Employer.” 13 We cannot help but note that this parable is closely connected with the previous chapter and with the question Peter had asked (19:27ff.). Jesus had replied to him that the first would be last and the last first.14
“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius” (20:9). We can imagine the shock and pleasant surprise these workers had as they received full pay for the full day, although they had worked only an hour. We must stop and meditate on this strange action of the farmer. Why would he do such a thing? Morris says, “It can scarcely be due to a desire to be rid of money!…” 15 The thing that becomes obvious here is that the farmer was exceedingly generous. He no doubt felt sorry for the workers who had large hungry families to feed. How all this compares to God and his great mercy and generosity to all of us! 16
There is surely a lesson in this parable for our churches today. Barclay in comparing older Christians to younger ones says, “You must not claim a special honor and a special place because you were Christians before they were…In the Christian Church seniority does not necessarily mean honor.” 17 We may look at some outstanding Christian and suppose that their reward will be really great in heaven. God may decide that their reward is the same as ours. God does not grade as we do, and by the way, he does not really grade on the curve. We must remember that God looks on the heart and not on outward things (1 Sam. 16:7).
Barclay comments: “It means that no matter when a man enters the kingdom, late or soon, in the first flush of youth, in the strength of the midday, or when the shadows are lengthening, he is equally dear to God…Sometimes a man dies full of years and full of honor, with his day’s work ended and his task completed. Sometimes a young person dies almost before the doors of life and achievement have opened at all. From God they will both receive the same welcome, for both Jesus Christ is waiting, and for neither, in the divine sense, has life ended too soon or too late.” 18
Also, we cannot miss the fact that at a later time this parable would apply to Gentile people coming into the church. Many of them would come in late, perhaps many centuries later, but the reward of salvation would be the same.19
“So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius” (20:10). In their eagerness for pay they had probably forgotten that they had made an agreement with the farmer. They began to expect that they would receive a lot more.20 People who bargain get what they bargain for. People who trust the Owner get more. This is the way it works in the kingdom of God.
Commentators have noticed how closely this parable relates to that of the Prodigal Son. France comments on: “the similarity of this parable to that of the Prodigal Son, which is also structured around the contrast between the one who receives (and deserves) fair treatment and the one who deserves nothing but is given everything, and the jealousy which results.” 21
GRUMBLERS
When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. “These who were hired last worked only one hour,” they said, “and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.” Matthew 20:11-12
In this verse we see an example of what the ancients called “the evil eye.” It was a common idiom referring to jealousy (cf. Deut. 15:9; 1 Sam. 18:9; Prov. 28:22).22 We all understand the system of law but the system of grace is often foreign to us. These early workers did endure the heat. In Israel the early part of the day until afternoon can be oppressively hot and still. In the afternoon a cool Mediterranean breeze often blows.
Barclay comments: “The first came to an agreement with the master; they had a contract; they said, ‘We work, if you give us so much pay.’ As their conduct showed, all they were concerned with was to get as much as possible out of their work. But in the case of those who were engaged later, there is no word of contract; all they wanted was the chance to work and they willingly left the reward to the master.” 23
Barclay continues: “Many a man in this world, who has earned great rewards, will have a very low place in the kingdom because rewards were his sole thought. Many a man, who, as the world counts it, is a poor man, will be great in the kingdom, because he never thought in terms of reward but worked for the thrill of working and for the joy of serving. It is the paradox of the Christian life that he who aims at reward loses it, and he who forgets reward finds it.” 24
We cannot overlook the legal relationship Israel had with God. In a sense they had contracted to work in his vineyard. Unfortunately, they did not keep their end of the legal agreement. After Israel fell and their temple was destroyed, millions of Gentiles came on not in a legal sense but by the grace of God and by faith in Jesus the Messiah. They will receive a full reward although they did not bargain with God so to speak.
“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you” (20:13-14). Barker and Kohlenberger say, “God’s great gifts, simply because they are God’s, are distributed, not because they are earned, but because he is gracious.” 25 We had all best leave the matter of rewards up to God for he knows best. Some saints have borne the heat and burden of the day while others may have converted later in life and escaped all this difficulty. So far as our relationship with God is concerned we are on the same level.26 Again, we must leave the reward business up to God.
“Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (20:15). Morris says that it, “seems better to interpret the parable as putting emphasis on the truth that God acts in grace toward us all.” 27 We can never think that we earn anything from the Lord, even if we do have some sort of contact with him. Morris notes: “The parable emphasizes the place of grace (eleven twelfths of what the last comers received was unearned!).” 28 Here we might think of that old hymn written by Augustus Toplady in 1776:
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee…
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling. 29
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (20:16). Once again the Lord returns to the theme mentioned in the previous chapter (19:30). Spurgeon the great preacher said about this: “…If any brother shall be greatly honored of God, I feel honored in his honor. If God shall bless your brother, and make him ten times more useful than you are, then you see that he is blessing you — not only blessing him, but you. If my hand has something in it, my foot does not say, ‘Oh, I have not got it!’ No, for if my hand has it, my foot has it; it belongs to the whole of my body.” 30
Pett says, “Thus the idea that ‘the last will be first, and the first last’ warns against presumption when we are dealing with someone who is the very opposite of all our reasoning, because he does not think in terms of what we deserve, but in terms of love.” 31
JESUS ONCE MORE PREDICTS HIS DEATH
Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” Matthew 20:17-19
We have seen through much of Matthew that Jesus was determined to go up to Jerusalem, regardless of what was destined to happen to him there. In Mark 10:32, we read that the disciples were amazed as Jesus was walking ahead of them, for they themselves were afraid.
No doubt the crowds were very thick, for the Passover was approaching. He therefore took his disciples aside, away from the crowds, and began to explain what would happen to him in Jerusalem. This is normally called the third prediction of his Passion, however, if we look closely, we will discover that there were actually four predictions (16:21; 17:12, 22-23).32 This is now a very precise and full prediction, mentioning things that he had not made clear before.
The Lord makes it very plain that he will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, or teachers of the law and will be condemned to death by them (cf. Isa. 50:6; 53:7-8). The preacher Spurgeon notes that he said this in the hearing of the one who would betray him.33
Here we have the first mention of Jesus being turned over to the Gentiles and being crucified by them.34 Of course, the Jews had no authority to execute anyone (Jn. 18:31). As a part of his execution Jesus would be mocked and flogged. Barclay says, “few tortures in the world compared with the Roman scourge.” 35 All these sufferings of Jesus were long before mentioned in Isaiah 53:1-12 and Daniel 9:26-27. A Roman citizen could not be crucified. It was rather reserved for slaves, criminals and any other despised people.36
Luke records: “they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again. The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about (Lk. 18:33-34). We can guess that some things had to be partially hidden lest the devil would try to interfere with the vast and mysterious plan of redemption.
We can see the great wisdom of God in choosing the path of meekness and suffering. Satan had chosen the path of pride and vainglory and for that he was cast down. Satan could not have been defeated had Jesus chosen the path of pride and military victory, like Israel and her leaders had imagined.
A MOTHER’S REQUEST
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. Matthew 20:20
The mother of Zebedee’s sons is thought by many commentators to be the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This would make Jesus, John and James cousins. That would seem to make sense because they worked together in a joint business. It is thought that the mother’s name was Salome, a devout follower of the Lord (Matt. 27:56; Mk. 15:40; Jn. 19:25).37 There were at least three Marys who were associated with Jesus so the names can be a little confusing. Perhaps Salome also had the additional name of Mary. We note here that Salome did come and kneel before the Lord and this was commendable. It is entirely possible that she was urging family claims upon Jesus. While the brothers are in the background, the Greek participles are feminine, indicating that Salome was indeed leading in this request.38
“‘What is it you want?’ he asked. She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom’” (20:21). While their mother was making the request, we are told that the two sons were nearby and that Jesus could address them as well as her. Morris says of this meeting, “It shows a complete failure to understand the essential thrust of Jesus’ teaching.” 39 In spite of all that Jesus had taught, both mother and sons were looking toward an earthly kingdom, just like the leaders of Israel and like almost everyone else in the country.
They did not understand the Jesus principle of gaining victory by being a suffering servant and giving his life to redeem the nation. As Barclay says, “they were thinking of personal success without personal sacrifice.” 40 Barclay continues: “If you wish to be great,’ he says, ‘be a servant; if you wish to be first of all be a slave.’ Here is the Christian revolution; here is the complete reversal of all the world’s standards. A complete new set of values has been brought into life.” 41
It was a positive thing that the two disciples seemed to have believed Jesus’ promise about sitting on thrones (19:28). They just failed to understand the pathway to the thrones that Jesus had promised. The pathway was to be one of suffering, sorrow and serving. It was a pathway that Satan would never be able to understand or defeat.
Some commentators have wondered if the two disciples got their idea of preeminence because of the fact that Jesus snubbed Peter in 16:23, and rebuked him in 19:30. Perhaps they thought there was a chance of taking over his position because of his bumbling.42 Nevertheless, it was a purely misguided attempt and it would cause much misgiving among the other disciples.
“‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?’ ‘We can,’ they answered” (20:22). The “cup” as mentioned in scripture often signified affliction, judgment and even punishment (cf. Psa. 75:8; Isa. 51:17-23; Jer. 25:15-28; 49:12; 51:7; Lam. 4:21-22; Ezek. 22:31-34; Hab. 2:16; Zech. 12:2; Rev. 14:10; 16:19; 17:4, 18:6).43 Clarke asks, “You can? No: one drop of this cup would sink you into utter ruin, unless upheld by the power of God. However, the man whom God has appointed to the work he will preserve in it.” 44
“Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father’” (20:23). Jesus well knew that they would all drink from his cup eventually (cf. Mk. 10:39-40). James the brother of John was first to become a martyr in AD 44 (Acts 12:2).
Tradition claims that all the disciples with the exception of John eventually died as martyrs. It is said that Peter was crucified in Rome, but he felt unworthy of dying as his Master and requested to be crucified upside down. John lived to a very old age and died a natural death at the end of the century, after having suffered a grueling exile on the Isle of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). They would find that suffering was the price of greatness.45 “Their knowledge of the kingdom and of what following Jesus meant would be considerably enlarged, and that in the not-too-distant future.” 46
The Lord was certainly able to bestow rewards (Matt. 25:31-40; Jn. 5:22-30). However, the decision about who would sit on his right and left hand in glory was one that would be made by the Father in Heaven.
“When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers” (20:24). Utley suggests that the other disciples were angry because they had not thought of the idea first.47 It is very clear that all the disciples had not learned the idea of service, sacrifice and humility, that were so much a part of Jesus’ life and ministry. They were behaving no better than the despised Gentile rulers who lorded it over their people. 48
LEARNING THE JESUS WAY OF MINISTRY
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.” Matthew 20:25
The disciples had many examples of Gentile rulers who cared little for their subjects and who spent their days in unbelievable luxury. The whole Herod family was a perfect example of such rulers. James and John may have been thinking of this kind of authority because it was virtually all they had ever seen. However, it was far removed from the way things would be done in the kingdom of heaven. Instead of lording, there would be serving; instead of receiving there would be giving. The Bible does say, “…humility comes before honor” (Prov. 18:12b).
“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (20:26-28). It is interesting how some in the world have learned the importance of serving others. The businessman, Rabbi Daniel Lapin says: “Ancient Jewish wisdom shows us that the only route to wealth is in serving other human beings.” 49 He continues: “Earning a living requires making money, not taking money…Profit comes from connecting with God’s other children and serving them. We were in fact, created for this very purpose – to connect with one another…Money is what comes to us when we focus on serving all God’s other children.” 50
If the principle of serving is true in the secular world it is profoundly true in the spiritual world. Jesus came to earth as the Suffering Servant. We can read about this mission in the important Servant Songs of Isaiah (Isa. 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and especially 52:13 – 53:12). Israel’s leaders were ignorant of these songs but they spell out the ministry of Jesus exactly. Unfortunately, Israel still neglects all these critically important scriptures.
In Isaiah, the servant says, “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting” (Isa. 50:6, cf. Mt. 27:26-30). In the final song of Isaiah 52:13-53:12, we read that the servant will suffer and die for the sins of his people (53:5); that he will be led like a lamb to the slaughter (v. 7). Surprisingly, we see that all this was in the Lord’s will (v.10).
It is interesting that the early followers had finally learned to call themselves servants or slaves of the Lord Jesus (e.g. Rom. 1:1; Eph. 3:7; 6:21; Col. 1:7; Jas. 1:1; Rev. 1:1). Wiersbe sighs, “…It is sad to note in the church today that we have many celebrities, but very few servants.” 51
Jesus came to earth walking the path of lowliness and humility. Unfortunately, in the ancient world humility was regarded more as a vice than as a virtue.52 Humility was looked upon as a thing belonging to slaves and to the dispossessed. It took the disciples some time to get over these pagan ideas. Osborne says, “Because Jesus willingly took the lowest place, God gave him the highest seat in God’s kingdom.” 53 In Philippians 2:9-11 we read: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
We read in this passage that Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for sinners. The Greek word used for ransom is lutron. Robertson says of it: “The word translated ‘ransom’ is the one commonly employed in the papyri as the price paid for a slave who is then set free by the one who bought him, the purchase money for manumitting slaves.” 54 Obviously, we were all slaves of sin but Jesus has set us free.
There has been a great and lengthy discussion among scholars as to whom the ransom was paid. The ancient church father Origen thought the ransom was paid to the devil.55 More recent writers have totally discounted this idea. While we cannot say clearly that the ransom was paid to God, it is obvious that the shed blood of Jesus did something to satisfy the legal requirements so that believers could become acceptable to God. It was Jesus who bore the iniquities of humanity (Isa. 53:11-12). He did something for us that we could never have done for ourselves. The Bible says, “you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Cor. 6:20).
BLIND MEN RECEIVE THEIR SIGHT
As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Matthew 20:29
Jericho was a tropical resort city 846 ft. (258 m.) below sea level. The off-duty priests and temple workers from Jerusalem made it their winter headquarters. Also, King Herod built a resort palace there, where he finally died of a terrible disease. It was a city often visited by the prophets Elijah and Elisha. In fact, it was Elisha who miraculously purified the polluted well at the city (2 Ki. 2:19-22). The city was about 19 miles (30 km.) northeast of Jerusalem, but it was a steep uphill climb to over 2400 feet (731 m.) above sea level.
Since it was Passover time, large crowds were assembling in Jericho for their climb up to Jerusalem. No doubt many priests and Levites, who were lodging in the city, were mingling with the crowds. It is noted here that Jesus was about to leave the city. This seems on the surface to conflict with both Mark and Luke who tell us that Jesus was drawing near to Jericho (Mk. 10:46; Lk. 18:35). This problem is likely solved by the fact that there were actually two cities of Jericho. There was the ancient city which had been overthrown, but there was a new city built by King Herod.56 The new addition closer to the mountains contained Herod’s resort. Jesus may have been somewhere in between when he encountered the blind men.57
“Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!’” (20:30). There is another problem that confronts us here. Mark and Luke mention only one blind man, while Matthew mentions two. Mark even names the one as Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:46). Calvin says, “it may rather be conjectured with probability, that at first one blind man implored the favor of Christ, and that another was excited by his example, and that in this way two persons received sight.” 58 It seems very likely that Bartimaeus was the vocal one who attracted all the attention and the other two Synoptic writers focused only upon him.
The blind men shouted out at the top of their voices “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” These helpless men well knew that opportunity does not often knock twice. Actually, Jesus would never pass that way again. They seemed to have some understanding of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of David (Psa. 89:3-4; 132:11-12). How ironic that the town was filled with priests and Levites who could not, or would not, see what the blind men saw.
Osborne points out: “…There are no healings of the blind in the Old Testament; the Jews believed that such a miracle would be a sign that the messianic age had begun (Isa. 29:18; 35:5).” 59
“The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!’” (20:31). These men were desperate for help. The life of a blind in the ancient world was terrible. About the only way they could earn a living was to beg beside the road. Of course, at festival times it was more profitable than normal because the pilgrims were headed to a holy festival and were no doubt in a good mood. The blind men would not hear the rebuke of the crowd but shouted out with all their might.
“Jesus stopped and called them. ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked. ‘Lord,’ they answered, ‘we want our sight’” (20:32-33). Coffman remarks, “Love stands still at the cry for help.” 60 The prophet Jeremiah says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jer. 33:3). In Mark 10:49-50, the crowd changes their attitude saying: “…Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Mark says of Bartimaeus, “Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.” What a wonderful pattern this blind man set for all followers of the Lord. He threw off his old cloak (his ragged life of sin) and came to the Lord.
“Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (20:34). Morris says, “He has just been teaching his followers the importance of lowly service, and he now gives an example of it.” 61 We can only imagine the ecstatic joy that erupted as two blind men were able to see! Luke says that they followed the Lord glorifying him and that at this sight all the people saw it and began praising the Lord (Lk. 18:43).