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. 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. Here is the Christian revolution; here is the complete reversal of all the world's standards. Christ only meant to say that every one who has been called before others ought to run with so much the greater alacrity, and, next, to exhort all men to be modest, not to give themselves the preference above others, but willingly to share with them a common prize. (E) They will condemn him to death 19and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged(F) and crucified. This was the very blessing that aroused, above all, the hatred of the scribes. The Lord, while thoroughly proving that He forgot nothing, owned everything that was of grace in Peter or the rest, while opening the same door to "every one" who forsakes nature for His name's sake, solemnly adds, "But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first." Jesus gave everything to bring men back to God; and we must walk in the steps of him who loved to the uttermost. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? For less than $5/mo. Dress up - slacks/tie, skirt/shirt. In the end of this chapter (15) is another miracle of Christ's feeding a vast multitude. Is it not most sweet to see, that He who proves His divine glory at once associates us with Himself? 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. And then Pilot delivered Him unto them to be scourged. They wanted Jesus with a royal command to ensure for them a princely life. 20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. It is best understood as a parable about grace and reward. So our goal as disciples is to value things now as God does. As Matthew's Jesus preached earlier, God provides rain for the just and unjust alike (cf. It was after our Lord had called the twelve, and ordained them not after He had sent them forth, but after He had appointed them apostles that the Lord comes down to a plateau upon the mountain, instead of remaining upon the more elevated parts where He had been before. In Matthew we have no distinction of their call from their mission. That God is debtor to no man; a great truth, which the contents in our Bible give as the scope of this parable. Spurgeon applied this to us spiritually: Why is any one of us remaining idle towards God? Now do you think that God the Father would allow His Son to suffer unnecessarily? 45. In the chapter that follows we have a companion picture, carrying on, no doubt, the lord's presentation to Israel, but from a different point of view; for inMatthew 9:1-38; Matthew 9:1-38 it is not merely the people tried, but more especially the religious leaders, till all closes in blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. They should think of them in terms of grace, any reward being an act of Gods grace. Not even their wonderful "attitude" entitled them to a day's pay. That was all over for the moment through Israel's blind sin; He was going to suffer, not yet reign, at Jerusalem. What can be conceived so perfectly to illustrate the great design of the gospel of Matthew? 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. We begin with the comparatively limited significance it originally had. An evil eye was a phrase in use, among the ancient Jews, to denote an envious, covetous man or disposition; a man who repined at his neighbours prosperity, loved his own money, and would do nothing in the way of charity for Gods sake. (Clarke). When that great saint Toyohiko Kagawa first came into contact with Christianity, he felt its fascination, until one day the cry burst from him: "O God, make me like Christ." Not but that there is a counsel in every will of God, and what seems to us to be done arbitrarily, will appear at length to have been done wisely, and for holy ends. For a day. Secondly, Whatsoever is right,Matthew 20:4-7; Matthew 20:4-7. that take and give unto them for me and thee." Jesus said that among the Gentiles there is this desire to exercise lordship and dominion over people. And that's exactly what the word, "minister" means, servant. He is also the writer of many of the letters that you find in your New Testament.". But Jesus called them unto him, and he said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. iii. There is here the first decisive step to the last act of the inescapable tragedy. The laws of that kingdom are not wrapt up in parables, but plainly set down, as in the sermon upon the mount; but the mysteries of that kingdom are delivered in parables, in sacraments, as here and Matthew 13:1-58; Matthew 13:1-58 The duties of Christianity are more necessary to be known than the notions of it; and yet the notions of it are more necessary to be illustrated than the duties of it; which is that which parables are designed for. The Gospels The New Testament This is the third time that Jesus warned his disciples that he was on the way to the Cross ( Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22-23). And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, let us pass over unto the other side. Therefore He could not have any broken bones. It is the glory of Christ; not so much as Son of the living God, but as the exalted Son of man, who once suffered here below. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere except in the ancient writings of the Jews. If we understand it of that which is ours by debt or absolute propriety, it would be a dreadful word; we are all undone, if we be put off with that only which we can call our own. His wounds are those which he receives in the house of his friend. (Spurgeon). They were greatly displeased: The other ten disciples mistakenly thought that a unique honor had just been bestowed on James and John. And they joined the crowd following Him on up to Jerusalem.Remember at this point the heart of Jesus is very heavy, because He knows that He soon is going to be betrayed, mocked, scourged, crucified. Thou didst; and wilt thou go and agree with the world? Verse 4 seems quite adverse to the idea that great multitudes were witnesses of the cure; for why "tell no man," if so many knew it already? "Verily, I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." So, then, we learn that the mother of James and John was named Salome, and that she was the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus. The landowner asked if they were jealous because the landowner was generous to other people. There was a strange inclusiveness in the suffering to which Jesus looked forward; it was a suffering in which no pain of heart or mind or body was to be lacking. He, on the contrary, insists not only that He was bound for the cross, but that its truth must be made good in any who will come after Him. It is not a thing that can be settled by a mere assertion. Does this scribe offer to follow Jesus? It tells us of their ambition. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a It is tragic that we have gotten so far away from the concepts that Jesus taught. Matthew 20:16 The New King James Version (NKJV) 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. Those that have had gospel offers made them at the third, or sixth hour, and have resisted and refused them, will not have that to say for themselves at the eleventh hour, that these had; No man has hired us; nor can they be sure that any man will hire them at the ninth or eleventh hour; and therefore not to discourage any, but to awaken all, be it remembered, that now is the accepted time; if we will hear his voice, it must be to-day. Now the parable: A landowner went out early in the morning (6 am) to hire laborers for his vineyard. C. G. Montefiore calls this parable "one of the greatest and most glorious of all." i. It was with this declaration that the parable began and ended. It should also encourage us in reference to the hardships and difficulties of our work, that it is but for a day; the approaching shadow, which the servant earnestly desireth, will bring with it both rest, and the reward of our work,Job 7:2. The fact is, in judging others we judge ourselves. It is equally clear that the seven worse spirits mean the complete energy of the devil in the maintenance of Antichrist against the true Christ: and this, strange to say, along with idols. Adventure Challenge - Couple's Edition - Matthew 20:16 - YouTube The amazing thing about Jesus is that he never lost patience and became irritated. To convince the murmurer that he did no wrong, he refers him to the bargain: "Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Disease must obey Him, as the soldier or the servant obeyed the centurion, their superior. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? Some consider that John the Baptist enquired solely for the sake of his disciples. See Matthew 19:27-29. for many be called, but few chosenThis is another of our Lord's terse and pregnant sayings, more than once uttered in different connections. But this is enough to silence all murmurs and objectors, that God is sovereign Lord of all, and may do what he will with his own. The details, found elsewhere, of her being at the point of death then, before reaching the house, the news that she was dead, are not here. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. Next is the one pearl of great price, the unity and beauty of that which was so dear to the merchantman. Matthew 20. First, Some are effectually called, and begin to work in the vineyard when they are very young; are sent in early in the morning, whose tender years are seasoned with grace, and the remembrance of their Creator. 8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. Is there unrighteousness with God? But here pardon dispensed on earth arouses the pride of the religious leaders to the quick, and implacably. God's generosity will not succumb to human jealousy. 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. (Spurgeon). (v) These two blind men were grateful. c. For many are called, but few chosen: This was said in the context of this illustration of grace. 1. Judgment will have early cut them off. Those first hired are actually paid least in proportion to their labor and receive the least pleasure from their pay. Major Prophets Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. Having left Nazareth, as we saw, He takes up His abode in Capernaum, which was henceforth "His own city." i. Second, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard is about the first and the last. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 111. For they needed someone to help Him bear the cross. Warning them against that casual, careless attitudes in which many of them were receiving it. Friend, I am doing you no wrong. The New Testament Yet most people today have never heard of John Gill. We are dependent, therefore, for determining this case, on the fact that Mark does habitually adhere to the chain of events. You must not claim a special honour and a special place because you were Christians before they were. The men who were hired at the eleventh hour who worked only about one hour were obviously elated about being paid first, and being paid for a full day. Life had been imparted to, the sleeping maid of Zion the blind men call on Him as the Son of David, and not in vain. The line from the . God does not look on the amount of our service. The crowd rebuked them, so that they might be silent. is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. ii. "Can a woman forget her sucking child? And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard . This utter, growing rejection of Jesus was coming out now rejection, at first allowed and whispered in the heart, soon to be pronounced in words like drawn swords. Rudolf Bultmann writes: "In the Cross of Christ Jewish standards of judgment and human notions of the splendour of the Messiah are shattered." Though Cushi gets the start of Ahimaaz, yet Ahimaaz, choosing the way of the plain, outruns Cushi.