He is also the writer of many of the letters that you find in your New Testament.". Matthew 20:16 New International Version 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Read full chapter Matthew 20:16 in all English translations Matthew 19 Matthew 21 New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and you've made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden of the heat of the day. He was then present, a man despised, yet with title to forgive sins, proved by immediate power to heal. He said unto them, Go also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that is what you shall receive. [4.] He went to live in a six foot by six-foot hut in a Tokyo slum. The Greek word is constantly so used as an expression of contempt, "This [fellow] doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." O Lord God, your grace to me is marvelous. Next, we behold Him meeting the centurion after another manner altogether. I will obey to the end.. I'll be turned over to the chief priests. They have treated the Bible either with levity, or as too awful a book to be apprehended really; not with the reverence of faith, which waits on Him, and fails not in due time to understand His word. Thus the point that meets us in the conclusion of the chapter is, that while every character, every measure of giving up for His name's sake, will meet with the most worthy recompence and result, man can as little judge of this as he can accomplish salvation. Prophets b. "Matthew: The Expositor's Bible Commentary" Volume 8 (Matthew-Luke) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1984), Clarke, Adam "Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes" Volume 5 (Matthew-Acts) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1832), France, R.T. "The Gospel According to Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary" (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985), Meyer, F.B. i. mother of the sons of Zebedee ( Matthew 27:56). How often the heart shows itself, not merely by what we ask, but by the uncalled-for feelings we display against other people and their faults! Jesus purpose in telling this story was to illustrate what he had just said concerning Gods unexpected gift to those who at present appear to be disadvantaged (see Matthew 19:30). Note, First, The soul of man stands ready to be hired into some service or other; it was (as all the creatures were) created to work, and is either a servant to iniquity, or a servant to righteousness,Romans 6:19. Gregory the Great took the picture to even more grotesque, almost revolting, lengths. He welcomed his bed-fellow. Then follows the rise of what was great in its littleness till it became little in its greatness in the earth; and the development and spread of doctrine, till the measured space assigned to it is brought under its assimilating influence. But nothing would stop the two blind men; for them it was a matter of sight or blindness, and nothing was going to keep them back. So the last shall be first, and the first last,. As he had asserted in Matthew 19:30 and which is clearly illustrated by this parable, as it may be applied to Jews or Gentiles, or to nominal and real Christians: for many be called; externally, under the ministration of the Gospel, as the Jews in general were, by Christ and his apostles; but, few chosen; in Christ from all eternity, both to grace and glory; and in consequence, and as an evidence of it, but few among the Jews; as also in the Gentile world, comparatively speaking: and even but a few of those that are outwardly called, are inwardly and effectually called by the powerful grace of God, out of darkness into marvellous light, into the grace and liberty of the Gospel, into communion with Christ, and to the obtaining his kingdom and glory, according to the eternal purpose of God. Nor was it only a difference in the forms the truth took; but the vital principle which Christ was diffusing could not be so maintained. Certainly, He did not arrange His own betrayal. "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased." 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. The bodily presence of the Messiah was not needed. But whereas the most unlikely people entered the kingdom, those for whom it had been prepared were excluded (Matthew 20:16). I am going to be betrayed. Hence the Lord would raise up a fresh testimony altogether, and do a new work suitable to it. And, behold, there were two blind men who were sitting by the way side, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, saying, Have mercy upon us, O Lord, thou son of David. If, among this number who are called into the kingdom, I choose to raise some to stations of distinguished usefulness, and to confer on them special talents and higher rewards, I injure no other one. (ii) These two blind men were undiscourageable. Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son. He is there with the beggars. There is such tremendous reward just in being able to minister to people, the feedback that comes from it is so rewarding. The householder had every right to have cut them off with a trifle instead of a whole day's pay. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. And the third day He will rise again: Most important, this was something that Jesus had no apparent control over. The world will respect, and admire, and sometimes fear, the man of power; but it will love the man of love. Note, First, The church is God's vineyard; it is of his planting, watering, and fencing; and the fruits of it must be to his honour and praise. Yes, it was His to rule and command the sea, even as the land and all that in them is. So, when those who had been engaged about five o'clock in the afternoon, came, they received 4 pence each. Take what is yours and go! Did you not come to an agreement with me to work for 4 pence ? In Matthew 17:1-27 another scene appears, promised in part to some standing there in Matthew 16:28, and connected, though as yet hiddenly, with the cross. Humble service is the great prerequisite, as shown by Jesus own ministry. He comes to do not his own will, but the will of him that sent him, and so he correctly says of rank in his kingdom, It is not mine to give. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. So it was here. The payment shall not be wholly deferred till the morning of the resurrection; but then, in the evening of the world, will be the general account, when every one shall receive according to the things done in the body. And He said to her, What do you wish? She said to Him, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.. ii. To hire laborers for his vineyard: The landowner went to the marketplace, which was the gathering place for day laborers. Your promises are thrilling. Oh, you have to love the mothers, don't you? To you, be all praise and honor and power and glory, both now and forever. But they in turn will deliver Him to the Gentiles, who will first of all mock Him. Many of them bleed to death. (Ken Chumbley, The Gospel of Matthew, commentary, p.#351). Judas had been called, but would not be among the chosen either for the higher work or for its ultimate reward-Interpreting the parable as we have been led to interpret it, we cannot for a moment imagine that its drift was to teach the disciples that they would forfeit their place in the kingdom. 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. It is more particularly sin, viewed as guilt, and consequently as that which absolutely breaks and destroys all power in the soul towards both God and man. The market-place is a place of concourse, and there Wisdom cries (Proverbs 1:20; Proverbs 1:21); it is a place of sport, there the children are playing (Matthew 11:16; Matthew 11:16); and the gospel calls us from vanity to seriousness; it is a place of business, of noise and hurry; and from that we are called to retire. In Jesus' name. This was the very blessing that aroused, above all, the hatred of the scribes. The Challenge Of Following Jesus (8:18-22) The Call Of Matthew (9:9-13) Moved By Compassion (9:35-38) . The idea is that His people were in bondage as slaves, and He paid their price. In later days others will come in. Neither giveth he an account of any of his matters; nor is it fit he should. Where did they come from? Such is the perversity of man, that he who is not called thinks he can follow Jesus whithersoever He goes. on the spot or they will never be taken. Note, God will be sure not to be behind-hand with any for the service they do him: never any lost by working for God. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner, Whatever is right I will give you whatever is right you will receive, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first, They supposed that they would receive more, equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. As before he asserted his justice, so here his sovereignty; Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. How many millions does the long-suffering of God lead to repentance! Notice that these people didn't go in on their own accord, the Lord sent them into the vineyard. c. And they immediately followed Him: This was a great result. In immediate juxtaposition to this stands the Gentile centurion, who seeks healing for his servant. The violent man, Herod, guilty of innocent blood, then reigned in the land, in contrast with whom goes Jesus into the wilderness, showing who and what He was the Shepherd of Israel, ready and able to care for the people. They will condemn Him to death: Jesus confidently predicted that the religious leaders would do this; yet this was not something He could plan. PREVIOUS Matthew 20:15 NEXT Matthew 20:17. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16); Jesus a Third Time Predicts His Death and Resurrection (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34); Greatness is Serving (Matthew 20:20-28); Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight (Matthew 20:29-34). James was the first of the apostolic band to die a martyr ( Acts 12:2). The line from the . 21 "What is your request?" he asked. Those who recognize the grace they have received by being included in God's Kingdom will be given places of honor. That the complainant had no reason at all to say he had any wrong done to him, Matthew 20:13; Matthew 20:14. 16.So the first shall be last. "What do you want me to do for you?" Thou didst; and wilt thou go and agree with the world? It is the man who will not be kept from Christ who in the end finds him. Their reward was as much of grace as was that of the bitter "firsters"! Those who had come first thought that they would receive more; but they too received 4 pence each. 45. Reject Him as the Messiah; in that rejection the moral glory of the Son of man would be laid as the foundation of His exaltation and manifestation another day; He was Lord of the Sabbath-day. The same indifference to the mere sequence of events is found occasionally in other parts of the gospel; but I have purposely dwelt upon this chapter 8, because here we have it throughout, and at the same time with evidence exceedingly simple and convincing. The work of religion is vineyard-work, pruning, dressing, digging, watering, fencing, weeding. Beyond the curtain of suffering lay the revelation of glory; beyond the Cross was the Crown; beyond the defeat was triumph; and beyond death was life. He knew what they needed and what they wanted, but God still wants us to tell Him our needs as a constant expression of our trust and reliance on Him. Out of the market-place, where, till they are hired into God's service, they stand idle (Matthew 20:3; Matthew 20:3), all the day idle (Matthew 20:6; Matthew 20:6). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. a. That which was the first in order chose the four citizens who were judged the most proper to serve in the war; and the six tribunes who commanded the first legion chose one of these four, whom they liked best. Of course, there is often the order of time, but through the central part, and not infrequently elsewhere, his setting forth in order turns on another principle, quite independent of mere succession of events. Compare Luke 17:7; Luke 17:8; Luke 12:37. Is it not most sweet to see, that He who proves His divine glory at once associates us with Himself? It was to James and John that Jesus spoke. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? God hires labourers, not because he needs them or their services (for, if we be righteous, what do we unto him? [6.] A mere Jew would have been defiled. In some cases the last called will be among the first in rank of blessing. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. As we have seen, the pay was 4 pence a day; and, if they were unemployed for one day, the children would go hungry at home, for no man ever saved much out of 4 pence a day. The priest, in chap. "Suffer me first," he says, "to go and bury my father." Peter, the good confessor of chapter 16, cuts but a sorry figure in chapter 17; for when the demand was made upon him as to his Master's paying the tax, surely the Lord, he gave them to know, was much too good a Jew to omit it. The rich young ruler was not converted: far from being so, he could not stand the test applied by Christ out of His own love, and, as we are told, "went away sorrowful." Pauline Epistles And they went their way. THE MIND OF JESUS ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). They've missed the joy of what it is to serve the Lord. To drink the cup simply means to follow Christ wherever he may lead, and to be like him in any situation life may bring. b. [2.] Matthew 20:16 - John Darby's Synopsis We may remark that, when the Lord answers Peter, it was the consequence of having left all for Christ upon His call. The key to it is this, that Matthew was led by the Holy Ghost to keep in view adequate testimony to the Jewish people; it was the tender goodness of God that would meet them in a manner that was suitable under the law. This doth not prove that the reward of our obedience to God is of works, or of debt (no, it is of grace, free grace,Romans 4:4), or that there is any proportion between our services and heaven's glories; no, when we have done all, we are unprofitable servants; but it is to signify that there is a reward set before us, and a sufficient one. For many are called, but few chosen." a. We read in the book of Acts that Herod stretched forth his hands against the church and had James beheaded. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard ( Matthew 20:1-2 ). When did this take place, if we enquire into it merely as a matter of historical fact? 4. But it is expressly the pattern after which He was to deal, and will deal, with Israel. When it came time to pay the workers, the men hired last were paid first and paid for a full day of work! After the creation of consuls, they every year named twenty-four military tribunes, part of whom must have served five years at least, and the rest eleven. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. The Church, which is His body and bride, has a far more intimate place, even though true of the same persons. He went out again about twelve o'clock midday, and about three o'clock in the afternoon, and did the same. To teach this it was spoken. Many that, in the order of time, are brought last into the kingdom, shall be first in the rewards. Take that which is yours, and go your way: and I will give unto this last even as unto thee. At the beginning of the day, a landowner hired people to work in his vineyard for an agreed wage (Matthew 20:1-2). The idea was you were to confess the crimes that you had committed against Rome, and as you confessed your crimes, the man who was administering that scourging would go easier and easier on you. The power of divine grace is magnified in the conversion of some, when they are in the midst of their pleasures and worldly pursuits, as Paul. In gentleness, in sympathy, and in love, with never an impatient word, he seeks to lead them to the truth. Then Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and he said unto them, [now He is on the way, there is probably great multitudes, but He takes the twelve apart] He said, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him and the third day he shall rise again ( Matthew 20:17-19 ).