Introductory remarks:
In this chapter Christ begins where He left off in the last chapter giving the principle in this parable of handing out eternal rewards. From this chapter to the end of the book Matthew directs our attention to the fact of Jesus and the cross.
The Workers in the Vineyard
Verse 1, "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard."
LGT "For the kingdom of the heavens is like to a man, a master of the house, who went out with [the] morning to hire workman for his vineyard."
"For the kingdom of heaven"
The preposition 'for' connects this verse with 19:30, describing what the kingdom of heaven will be like.
"Is like unto a man that is an householder,"
This phrase is literally the master of the house.
"Which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard."
This phrase, 'early in the morning' is literally with the morning, that is, at the break of dawn.
"Here (at Hamadan, in Persia), we observed every morning, before the sun rose, that a numerous band of peasants were collected, with spades in their hands, waiting to be hired for the day to work in the surrounding fields. This custom struck me as a most happy illustration of our Savior's parable, particularly when, passing by the same place late in the day, we found others standing idle, and remembered his words, Why stand ye here all the day idle? As most applicable to their situation: for on putting the very same question to them, they answered us, Because no man hath hired us" (Trench - quoted by Vincent).
We have a similar situation here in San Juan where the illegal Mexicans hang out in front the donut shop, milling around at daybreak waiting for contractors or homeowners who want yard work done come by and hire them. If you drive by in the afternoon even as late as three o'clock you will still see a few hanging around idly by, I imagine in hopes that someone will come by and hire them for the next day; when Glenda sees them she will remark 'Go home and take care of your kids,' and I have to remind her that their kids are back home in Mexico.
Verse 2, "And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard."
LGT "And having agreed with the workmen on the strength of a denarius the day, he sent them into his vineyard."
"A denarius, the chief silver coin of the Romans at this time, and of the value of about seventeen cents. We must remember to reckon according to the rate of wages in that day. A denarius was regarded as good pay for a day's work. It was the pay of a Roman soldier in Christ's time. In almost every case where the word occurs in the New Testament it is connected with the idea of a liberal or large amount" (Vincent).
Verse 3, "And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,"
LGT "And having gone out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the marketplace, idle."
"And he went out about the third hour,"
The Jews divided their days into twelve equal parts, or hours, beginning at sunrise and ending at sunset. This therefore was about nine o'clock in the morning (Barnes).
"And saw others standing idle in the marketplace,"
These obviously were the ones who had not been picked to work at sunrise. "The marketplace was the place where men and masters met for bargaining" (Robertson).
Verse 4, "And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way."
LGT "And he said to them, Go you also into the vineyard, and whatever may be just, I will give you."
This phrase means whatever is fair and equitable. What the master of the house made with the first employees were definite; here, it is up to the judgment of the employer.
Verse 5, "Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise."
LGT "And they went. Again he went out about [the] sixth and ninth hour, and he did likewise."
The sixth hour was noon and the ninth three o'clock.
Verse 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?"
LGT "And about the eleventh [hour] having gone out he found others standing, and he said to them, Why do you stand here all day idle?"
He goes out at five o'clock in the afternoon with only about one hour left to work, and finds men standing by idle; this is the problem of the unemployed, they have no work.
Verse 7, "They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive."
LGT "They say to him, Because no one has hired us. He says to them, Go you also into the vineyard."
He makes the same agreement as he did with the last group he sent into the vineyard. The last phrase is not in the better manuscripts.
Verse 8, "So when even was come, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last to the first."
LGT "But evening having come, the lord of the vineyard says to his steward, Call the workmen and give them [their] hire, beginning with the last unto the first."
"So when even was come,"
The working day was over and it was time for the Lord of the vineyard to pay the laborers.
"The lord of the vineyard saith unto the steward,"
"A steward is one who transacts business in the place of another. He was one who had the administration of affairs in the absence of the householder, who provided for the family, and who was entrusted with the payment of laborers and servants. He was commonly the most trusty and faithful of the servants, raised to that station as a reward for fidelity" (Barnes).
"Call the laborers, and give them their hire,"
The steward was to call the laborers together to pay them for the days labor.
"Beginning from the last unto the first."
"It was immaterial where he began to pay, provided he dealt justly with them. In the parable this order is mentioned to give opportunity for the remarks, which follow. Had those first hired been first paid, they would have departed satisfied, and the point of the parable would have been lost" (Barnes).
Verse 9, "And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny."
LGT "And having come, the ones [hired] about the eleventh hour, received a denarius each."
The husbandman had his reason for paying those hired during the last hour a full days wages; maybe it was because he could not find laborers and was pleased to find these. Nevertheless, he did not make any arrangements with the laborers other than to pay them justly.
Verse 10, "But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny."
LGT "And having come, the first ones thought that they should receive more; and they received each a denarius also themselves."
These that had been hired first stood by and watched the one hour men paid a full days pay, so naturally they figured they would receive twelve times that amount, that is twelve denarius. Much to their chagrin [extreme disappointment] they received the same as the one-hour men.
Verse 11, "And when they had received it, they murmured against the Goodman of the house."
LGT "And having received [it], they began to grumble against the master of the house."
The Greek word for 'murmured' is egogguzon, meaning a muttering, and low and suppressed discourse. These men began to grumble amongst themselves, much like the disciples when they were confused at what the Lord was doing.
Verse 12, "Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and the heat of the day."
LGT "Saying, These last ones have worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat."
"These last have wrought but one hour,"
This phrase is literally; These last ones have worked one hour. They complain about the apparent injustice of the householder.
"And thou hast made them equal to us,"
You have paid them the same as you have paid us; to the all-day workers this does not seem equitable.
"Which have borne the burden and the heat of the day."
We labored twelve hours in the heat of the day and we get the same penny.
Vincent comments of the word 'heat':
"The word 'heat' is from kaiw, to burn. It is literally scorching heat. It refers to the dry, scorching heat borne by the east wind. Compare Job 27:21; Hos. 13:15. The wind blows from the Arabian desert, parching, dry, exciting the blood, and causing restlessness and sleeplessness. It seldom brings storms, but when it does, they are doubly destructive. During harvest the corn cannot be winnowed if the east wind blows, for it would carry away both chaff and corn. In Pharaoh's dream (Gen. 41:6) the ears are blasted by it: Jonah's gourd is withered by it (Jonah 4:8), and the vine in Ezekiel's parable of the Babylonian captivity is blighted by it (Ezek. 17:10)" (Vincent).
Verse 13, "But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?"
LGT "But he answering said to one of them, Companion, I do not wrong you: did you not agree with me for a denarius?"
"But he answered one of them, and said,"
Obviously this one was the spokesman for the whole group.
"Friend,"
This word 'friend' is literally, comrade or companion. The husbandman answers the spokesman for the crowd very courteously.
"I do thee no wrong:"
I haven't harmed you for I have paid you everything we agreed upon; I am not the villain.
"Didst not thou agree with me for a penny?"
We agreed on the amount I was to pay you before I hired you, so why are you now complaining?
Verse 14, "Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last as unto thee."
LGT "Take up your own and go. But I will give to this last as also to you."
The point is that it is the will of the householder to give as he pleases.
Robertson notes:
"Pick up, as if he had saucily refused to take it from the table or had contemptuously thrown the denarius on the ground. If the first had been first and sent away, there would probably have been no murmuring, but 'the murmuring is needed to bring out the lesson' (Plummer). But I will give, this is the point of the parable, the will of the householder."
Verse 15, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?"
LGT "[Or] is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Or is your eye evil because I am good?"
"Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?"
What law have I broken in this dealing? It is within my rights to handle my affairs as I see fit.
"Is thine eye evil, because I am good?"
"The Hebrews used the word evil, when applied to the eye, to denote one envious and malicious, Deut. 15:9; Prov. 23:6. The eye is called evil in such cases, because envy and malice show themselves directly in the eye. No passions are so fully expressed by the eye as these. 'Does envy show itself in the eye? Is thine eye so soon turned to express envy and malice because I have chosen to do good?'" (Barnes).
Verse 16, "So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen."
LGT "Thus shall be the last first and the first last."
Pentecost writes:
"We would have to acknowledge that he (the householder) was both fair and generous. He had a right to do what he had so graciously done. By this parable the Lord desired those who had asked what they would receive to learn the lesson that they were to work in the vineyard and leave their reward to Him. He would be just and fair, and He would also be counted on to be gracious. He had a right to do as He chose in dispensing the rewards. Their responsibility [I choose to use the word privilege] was to labor faithfully for Him, not with a view to the reward, but to please the One who had sent them to labor in the vineyard. They were also to trust the graciousness of the one who had commissioned them to be fair in the reward."
J. Vernon McGee adds:
"This is a tremendous parable which illustrates an important truth: It is not the amount of time which you serve nor the prominence or importance of your position which determines your reward. Rather, you will be rewarded for your faithfulness to the task which God has given you to perform, regardless of how small or how short or how insignificant it appears."
Serving in a church or on the mission field is what everyone considers serving the Lord; however, this is not the case with Him. We are all put in a position of full time service, whether within our own little family, or in business. We can serve the Lord by bringing our children up as believers, and we can serve the Lord by our honest business practices; whatever we do in word or deed, we should to it in order to glorify our Lord.
A Fourth Time Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
(Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34)
Verse 17, "And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them."
LGT "And Jesus going up to Jerusalem He took the twelve [disciples] aside by themselves in the way said to them,"
Jesus tries once again to get His disciples to understand Him. Jesus and His disciples go out of the Jordan Valley toward Jerusalem where He soon will die on the cross. It was time of the Passover, so there were throngs of people on the highway heading toward Jerusalem, so Jesus leads His disciples aside to talk to them privately about what is ahead for Him in Jerusalem.
Verses 18, 19, "Behold we go 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. "
LGT "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death. And will deliver Him to the Gentiles, to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify."
"It was evident to the twelve as they were traveling through the border between Galilee and Samaria that Jesus was intent on going to Jerusalem. This brought amazement to them as well as fear. They could not understand why Jesus would go to Jerusalem when it was well known that the leaders were plotting His death. They were fearful lest they should come into jeopardy because of their association with Him. But Christ revealed once again that He was going to Jerusalem. He would be delivered into the hands of the Sanhedrin, which would condemn Him to death. He would be mocked, flogged, and ultimately crucified by the roman authorities there. But He also promised that He would be raised the third day" (Pentecost).
The Request of James and John's Mother
(Mark 10:35-45)
Verse 20, "Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him."
LGT "Then came to Him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, doing homage and asking something from Him."
There should be a completely different motive when we come to the Lord worshipping other than desiring a certain thing of Him, or as the literal Greek has it, asking something of Him. This does not seem to be the proper time to come to the Lord, making a selfish request, that is, immediately after He tells them that He is going to be crucified.
Robertson writes:
"Surely an inopportune time for such a request just after the pointed prediction of Christ's crucifixion. Perhaps their minds had been preoccupied with the words of Jesus (19:28) about their sitting on twelve thrones taking them in a literal sense. The mother of James and John, probably Salome, probably a sister of the master's mother (John 19:25), apparently prompted her two sons because of the family relationship and now speaks for them. Asking something, 'plotting perhaps when their Master was predicting' (Bruce). The something put forward as a small matter was simply the choice of the two chief thrones promised by Jesus (John 19:28)."
Verse 21, "And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom."
LGT "And He said to her, What do you desire? She says to Him, Say that these may sit, my two sons, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your kingdom."
This was not inappropriate for a mother to desire that her two sons receive the position of highest regard, however, it was, as noted on the last verse surely inopportune timing.
Verse 22, "But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able."
LGT "But Jesus answering said, You know not what you ask for. Are you able to drink the cup, which I am about to drink? They say to Him, we are able."
"But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask."
"You do not know the nature of your request, nor what would be involved in it. You suppose that it would be attended only with honor and happiness if the request was granted, whereas it would require much suffering and trial" (Barnes).
"Are ye able to drink of the cup I shall drink of?"
Jesus is here referring to the cup of judgment of sin that He was about to face, and face it alone.
"And to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"
(This phrase is omitted in the better manuscripts)
"They say unto him, We are able."
There is a sense in which these disciples were willing and able to follow Christ; but the path He was to tread He could only tread alone; Christ was the only one who was capable to go to the cross. In Paul's Epistles he teaches the church that there will be rewards given for the Christian life lived here on earth, but it will be for Him to reward and it will not be for the asking.
Verse 23, "And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father."
LGT "He says to them, You shall drink indeed of My cup, but to sit on My right hand and on my left is not mine [these] to give, except [to those] for whom it has been prepared by My Father."
"Ye shall drink indeed of my cup,"
That is, you will follow Me into persecution; that is the part of the cup that they will share in, but they will not drink the entire cup that Christ drank.
Barnes notes:
"You will follow me, and you will partake of [some] of my afflictions, and will suffer as I shall. This was fulfilled. James was slain with the sword by Herod (Acts 12:2). John lived many years; but he attended the Savior through his sufferings, and was banished to Patmos, a solitary island, for the testimony of Jesus Christ - a companion of others in tribulation Rev. 1:9."
"And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with;"
(This phrase is also missing in the better manuscripts)
"But to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it was prepared of My Father."
This phrase does not mean that Jesus has nothing to do with the giving of rewards, for that would be against other Scriptures that teach that Jesus will reward the church for faithfulness. The correct reading is to sit on My right or left is not mine to give, except to those for whom it was prepared by My Father. "Much as He might be attached to these two disciples, yet He could not bestow any such signal favors on them out of the regular course of things. Rewards were prepared for His followers, and in due time they should be bestowed" (Barnes).
Pentecost adds:
"Christ's reply revealed that positions and rewards in the kingdom will not be granted in response to personal ambition or private requests. Rather, positions will be assigned as rewards for faithful service rendered to Him. Christ's own position of prominence in the kingdom would not come to Him because He asked the Father for it, but rather because of His obedience to the will of God. Such was the meaning of the cup that Jesus would drink."
Verse 24, "And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren."
LGT "And having heard [this] the ten were indignant about the two brothers."
The ten were moved with indignation against the two brothers because the two brothers went to Christ to seek the position they all wanted; this indignation was tempered in jealousy, a type of sibling rivalry, for they all desired the position at His right and left hand; the ten were indignant that the two wanted to rule over the others.
Verse 25, "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them."
LGT "But Jesus having called to them said, You know that the rulers of the nations exercise lordship over them and the great ones exercise authority over them."
"But Jesus called them unto Him, and said,"
Jesus calls all twelve of them to Him to give them the principle of ruler ship in the kingdom.
"Ye know that princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them,"
"You know that such honors are customary among nations. The kings of the earth raise their favorites to posts of trust and power" (Barnes).
"And they that are great exercise authority upon them."
"The kings give authority to some over others; but My kingdom is established in a different manner" (Barnes).
Verses 26, 27, 28, "But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
LGT "Thus it will not be among you, but whoever among you would desire to become great, let him be your minister, and whoever among you desire to be first, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and gave His life a ransom for many."
The word 'ransom' means one who purchases a slave and then sets him free; this is exactly what the Lord did on the cross; He purchased each one of us out of the slave market of sin, and has set us free, and we are free indeed.
Pentecost writes on this section:
"All had secretly coveted the position that James and John had sought for themselves. Christ condemned the attitude that characterized, not just the two, but also the Twelve. Christ said it was characteristic of Gentiles to promote themselves and put themselves in positions of authority over other people. The Twelve were acting just like the hard-hearted Gentiles. To correct this attitude Christ taught that if one would be great, he must attain that greatness by becoming a servant to those over whom he would rule. The one who wanted to be in a position of prominence must gain it by becoming a slave. He Himself was an example of that teaching, for although the Son of Man was destined by God to rule over the earth in the millennial kingdom, God's Son came into the world as a Servant, not as a Master. As a Servant obedient to the will of His Father, He would give His life a ransom for many. Christ had just told these men that He was on His way to Jerusalem to be crucified. They conceived of Him as on a triumphal march on His way to a throne as a king. He told them that He was moving toward Jerusalem as the Servant of the Lord, obedient to the will of His Father in order that through that obedience He might provide redemption for sinners. This was but one of many similar instructions the Lord would give the Twelve to teach them that they were to be servants, not lords."
The Healing of the Two Blind Men
(Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43)
Verse 29, "And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him."
LGT "And as they were going out from Jericho, a great crowd followed Him."
Barnes' notes on Jericho:
"This was a large town about eight miles west of the Jordan, and about nineteen miles north-east from Jerusalem. Near to this city the Israelites crossed the Jordan when they entered into the land of Canaan, Jos. 3:16. It was the first city taken by Joshua, who destroyed it to the foundation, and pronounced a curse on him who should rebuild it, Jos. 6: 20, 21, 26. This curse was literally fulfilled in the days of Ahab, nearly five hundred years after, 1 Ki. 26:34. It afterward became the place of the school of the prophets, 2 Ki. 2:5. In this place Elisha worked a signal miracle, greatly to the advantage of the inhabitants, by rendering the waters near it, that were before bitter, sweet and wholesome, 2 Ki. 2:21. In point of size it was second only to Jerusalem. It was sometimes called the city of the Palm-trees, from the fact that there were many Palms in the vicinity At this place died Herod the Great, of most wretched and foul disease. It is now a small village, wretched in its appearance, and inhabited by very few persons, and called Riha, or Rah, situated on the ruins of the ancient city (or, as some think, three or four mile east of it), which a modern traveler describes as a poor dirty village of the Arabs. There are perhaps fifty houses, of rough stone, with roofs of bushes and mud, and the population, two or three hundred in number, is entirely Mohammedan."
Verse 30, "And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David."
LGT "And, Behold, two blind [men] sitting beside the way, having heard that Jesus is passing, cried out, saying, Have pity on us [Lord], Son of David."
These two blind men were at their regular place by the wayside when they heard the crowd shouting that Jesus was passing by. They figured this was chance to hail the one they knew could heal them. They called Him by His title 'Son of David' that is, Messiah the king. They had heard from the people that healing the blind were one of Christ's ministries.
Verse 31, "And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David."
LGT "But the crowd rebuked them, that they should be silent: but they cried out the more, saying, Have pity on us, Lord, Son of David."
"And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace:"
The crowd chided them sternly and told them to be quiet. Now it was easy for this self-righteous crowd to try and shut these men up because they weren't blind.
"But they cried the more saying,"
Being blind and knowing the messiah was passing by, the crowd couldn't have possibly hushed them up.
"Have pity on us, Lord, thou Son of David."
These men addressed Jesus by His proper title, and they had full right to do so, because they were Jews.
Verse 32, "And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye have that I shall do unto you?"
LGT "And having stopped, Jesus called them and said, What do you desire that I should do to you?"
Jesus knew what these men wanted with just one glance at them; they had already confessed that He was the Messiah, and now they confess their need directly to the Lord; we should never be hesitant to take our desires to Him, as long as they are what He desires for us.
Verse 33, "They say unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened."
LGT "They say to Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened."
A request simply made, but only His divine person could respond and give them their request.
Verse 34, "So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him."
LGT "And moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately received sight, and they followed Him."
What a most beautiful picture to close this chapter. Jesus touches the blind men's eyes, and they immediately received their sight. The men were now so happy they followed Him, but that would be a short journey, for Christ was headed for the cross, and no one could follow Him there.
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