b. We have here. "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice." Succa, fol. The grand lesson is that men do not deserve or merit salvation. It was the custom in Palestine for a Rabbi to teach as he walked along the road; and no doubt those around Jesus could not hear what Jesus was saying for this clamorous uproar. Peter wanted to know what they would get in return. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Here I close tonight. They wanted Jesus with a royal command to ensure for them a princely life. Jesus openly acknowledged the suffering and agony that awaited Him. It tells us of their ambition. Thus the old link with the flesh, with Israel, is now disowned; and the new relationships of faith, founded on doing the will of His Father (it is not a question of the law in any sort), are alone acknowledged. The Lord Jesus, even before He pronounced the sentence, for so it was, indicated what was at hand in these two instances of the Sabbath-day, though one may not now linger on them. General Epistles I am certain that everyone that was afflicted had heard of the fame of Jesus. 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? Subsequently to that, the scribe offered to follow Jesus whithersoever He went. Jesus was moved with compassion to the depths of his being, and touched their eyes; and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. The ones who labored only an hour did not deserve their pay either. Note, All that by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honour, and immortality, shall undoubtedly obtain eternal life (Romans 2:7), not as wages for the value of their work, but as the gift of God. 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. If I assume from the words "set forth in order," in the beginning of Luke's gospel, that therefore his is the chronological account, it will only lead me into confusion, both as to Luke and the other gospels; for proofs abound that the order of Luke, most methodical as he is, is by no means absolutely that of time. b. Envy is unlikeness to God, who is good, and doeth good, and delighteth in doing good; nay, it is an opposition and contradiction to God; it is a dislike of his proceedings, and a displeasure at what he does, and is pleased with. Matthew chapter 20 New International Version 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. If we turn toMark 1:1-45; Mark 1:1-45, the proof of what I have said will appear as to the leper. All rights reserved. Be sure to join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theweekendadventurer 23,599 people like this 25,112 people follow this http://www.myadventurechallenge.com/ info@myadventurechallenge.com We are in his hand, as clay in the hands of a potter; and it is not for us to prescribe to him, or strive with him. When time ends, and with it the world of work and opportunity, then the state of retribution commences; then call the labourers, and give them their hire. They plucked his hair, they smote his cheeks, they spat in his face. The system of law is easy to figure out: you get what you deserve. Let us set them down. [2.] Ingratitude is the ugliest of all sins. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point So the last shall be first, and the first last The GENTILES, who have been long without the true God, shall now enjoy all the privileges of the new covenant; and the Jews, who have enjoyed these from the beginning, shall now be dispossessed of them; for, because they here rejected the Lord, he also hath rejected them. We seem completely borne away from the ordinary level of our gospel to the higher region of the disciple whom Jesus loved. It was with this declaration that the parable began and ended. The crowd rebuked them, so that they might be silent. So now we have, in the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, another fact containing a principle of great value, that His grace towards the Gentile does not in the least degree blunt His heart to the claims of relationship after the flesh. You don't know what the challenge/date is until you scratch off a square similar to a scratch-off lottery ticket. But Christ does not explode at their obtuseness, or blaze at their blindness, or despair at their unteachableness. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money. Finally, this parable that illustrates the principle that Gods manner of rewarding is not like mans practice of giving rewards. 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. & Sanhedrim, fol. No doubt they had heard of the wondrous power of Jesus; and no doubt they wondered if that power might ever be exercised for them. The highest creature must go away into nothing, if he must go away with that only which is his own: but if we understand it of that which is ours by gift, the free gift of God, it teaches us to be content with such things as we have. You shall indeed drink 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, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. Never heard of them before. He gives sight to the blind. This parable explains why the last will become first. Again he went out about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, [noon and three in the afternoon], he did likewise. [5.] He also strongly claimed his right to do what he wanted with what was his. 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. Is not your eye evil, because I am good? How many times during communion has God touched me physically, and ministered to me physically, as I received that work of Christ for my own physical need?So Jesus predicts His crucifixion finally, and then rising again. They did not understand what was happening, but they could see in every line of Jesus' body the struggle of his soul. Poetical Books Considerable time, it is true, elapsed between the two facts; but this only makes it the more sure and plain, that they are grouped together with a divine purpose. Historical Books [Note: Norman A. Huffman, "Atypical Features in the Parables of Jesus," Journal of Biblical Literature 97 (1978):209. But Jesus answered and said, You don't know what you are asking. I injure no one, and have a right to do what I will with my own. Thus explained, this parable has no reference to the call of the Gentiles, nor to the call of aged sinners, nor to the call of sinners out of the church at all. We know this by comparing it with the gospel of Luke. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Those who recognize the grace they have received by being included in God's Kingdom will be given places of honor. i. Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first: These are day laborers, so they are paid at the end of each day. b. In spite of their lack of merit, the good householder required them to pick it up, thus giving it to them in spite of their forfeiture. He went out again about twelve o'clock midday, and about three o'clock in the afternoon, and did the same. All men, no matter when they come, are equally precious to God.". c. And they immediately followed Him: This was a great result. 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. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. "According to your faith be it done unto you.". 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. All turns on that which was suitable to such a God, the giver of His own Son. I injure no one, and have a right to do what I will with my own." So the last shall be first, and the first last. We can never repay God for what he has done for us but we can always be grateful to him. It is as if Jesus was going to gather in upon himself every possible kind of physical and emotional and mental suffering that the world could inflict. Pentateuch The giving of a whole day's wages to those that had not done the tenth part of a day's work, is designed to show that God distributes his rewards by grace and sovereignty, and not of debt. It was necessary to complete the picture. 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. Or, are you grudging because I am generous?' These workers hired at the very beginning of the working day agreed to work for a denarius a day, the common daily wage for a workingman. He takes accordingly the title of the "Son of man" for the first time in this gospel. Some make it a caution to the disciples, who had boasted of their timely and zealous embracing of Christ; they had left all, to follow him; but let them look to it, that they keep up their zeal; let them press forward and persevere; else their good beginnings will avail them little; they that seemed to be first, would be last. Notice the flow of the narrative as the . i. If God be better in any respect to others than to us, yet we have no reason to complain while he is so much better to us than we deserve, in giving us our penny, though we are unprofitable servants. There were many who died right there as the result of the scourging itself. More and more excellent shall be the children of the desolate than those of the married wife,Isaiah 54:1. Who knows but that the church, in its old age, may be more fat and flourishing than ever, to show that the Lord is upright? This parable is not a perfect illustration of Gods grace, because the principle of working and deserving is involved. i. General Epistles 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. For what term are they hired? "The ransom could not have been paid to God; it was therefore paid to the Evil One, who was holding us fast until the ransom should be given to him, even the life of Jesus." There are two great lessons here. A reaction might especially be expected when Jesus said He would be betrayed. It is not an accident that Jesus was scourged. They had the desperation appropriate for those who know that today is the day of salvation. "I am certain that there is much about the scourging about Jesus that we do not fully understand. It is not a question of bringing in law to govern the kingdom or guide the Church. Both Mark and Luke add their own touches to the story, to show that on this occasion there was in the atmosphere of the apostolic band a certain tenseness and a certain foreboding of tragedy to come. (iv) Here, also, is the infinite compassion of God. (iv) These two blind men were not afraid to bring a great request. Being in the right state of mind to do the Lords work is a gift of grace. A new tribe presented other four soldiers, and the second legion chose first. (Ken Chumbley, The Gospel of Matthew, commentary, p.#351). As a consequence they looked down on the Gentiles. It may indeed have had a comparatively limited application when it was spoken for the first time; but it contains truth which goes to the very heart of the Christian religion. Nevertheless, when there was the display of the glory of the kingdom, the Father's voice proclaimed Him as His own Son, and not merely as the man thus exalted. 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. i. God had given his soul a deeper, fuller sight of Christ; for the Gentile's words prove that he had apprehended God in the man who was healing at that moment all sickness and disease in Galilee. It ought to be so with every forgiven soul. Bishop PEARCE thinks it is an interpolation from Matthew 22:14. And yet He takes time still to minister to the needs of others. Because Matthew's object is the display of the change of dispensation through, or consequent on, the rejection of Jesus by the Jews. Unfortunately, they have missed the blessing of knowing God, and serving God all their lives. And that's exactly what the word, "minister" means, servant. The pay was perfectly normal; a denarius or a drachma was the normal day's wage for a working man; and, even allowing for the difference in modern standards and in purchasing power, 4 pence a day was not a wage which left any margin. The Lord has nothing for them, or for Him, but to go right on to the end. "The foxes," says He, "have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head." In the next discourse we may hope to have the rest of his gospel. The parable may also be applied more generally, and . Now what did Jesus mean when He broke the bread and said, "This is my body, broken for you"? Every man has to learn that true greatness lies, not in dominance, but in service; and that in every sphere the price of greatness must be paid. At the beginning of Matthew 10:1-42 He Himself sends forth themselves as labourers. When they had received the boon for which they craved, they did not go away and forget; they followed Jesus. He therefore, 1. The New Testament The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. That act forfeited their further right to it. And she said unto him, Grant that these my two boys may sit, the one your right hand, and the other on your left, in your kingdom ( Matthew 20:20-21 ). It is clear that the unclean spirit, returning, brings idolatry back again. Gregory the Great took the picture to even more grotesque, almost revolting, lengths. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to Him, We are able. So He said to them, You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.. In heaven, every vessel will be full, brimful, though every vessel is not alike large and capacious. Matthew chapter twenty opens with the parable of the laborers going out into the vineyard.And Jesus said. Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. Though a testimony to them, still it was in the result a recognition of what Moses commanded. He may therefore give or withhold his blessings, as he pleases. To convince the murmurer that he did no wrong, he refers him to the bargain: "Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? He realizes he offers nothing special to the Master, and the skills he has are but gifts from the Master. Taken together, the entire picture is one of great suffering. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? They put upon Him a scarlet robe, and they begin to say unto Him, "Hail king of the Jews," and they mocked Him. They worked in the heat of the day while others shaded themselves. [1.] (Matthew 20:3-7) Through the day, the landowner continues to hire workers. The man's walk before them testifies to the reality of his forgiveness before God. He now takes His place of rejection; for Him it is manifest even now by their inmost thoughts of Him when revealed. Friend, I am doing you no wrong. And he said unto her, What is it that you want? It is tragic that we have gotten so far away from the concepts that Jesus taught. Not only were they healed, but they also followed the One who did great things for them. Whereas, on the contrary, there are other kinds of order that call for more profound thought and enlarged views, if we may speak now after the manner of men; and, indeed, I deny not that these the Holy Ghost employed in His own wisdom, though it is hardly needful to say He could, if He pleased, demonstrate His superiority to any means or qualifications whatsoever. This as yet draws out wonder, at least from the witnessing multitudes, that God had given such power unto men. This was the very blessing that aroused, above all, the hatred of the scribes. And she came worshiping him, and desiring a favor from him. (Matthew 20:16) The parable applied: the principle of Gods reward. A man that is a householder. It is incontestably true, that God can do no wrong. (2.) They next proceeded to the creation of subaltern officers, whom the tribunes chose from among the soldiers of the greatest reputation. To eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man. "On his first night he was asked to share his bed with a man suffering from contagious itch. There is no incident which so demonstrates their invincible faith in Jesus. Beracot, fol. They did not see why the two brothers should steal a march on them, even if they were the cousins of Jesus. Conversely in some cases those whom God called early in their lives may not receive as much reward as those called later in life. 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. Matthew 20:16New International Version. said the Lord; and then stretched forth His hand toward His disciples with the words, "Behold my mother and my brethren! [There is what I call a clear, unmistakable note of time.] A verification email has been sent to the address you provided. So thoroughly is it in view of Israel that our Lord does not say one word here about the Church, or the intervening condition of Christendom. Secondly, In all the dispensations of his grace, God gives or withholds the means of grace, and the Spirit of grace, as he pleases. "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased." Is it not most sweet to see, that He who proves His divine glory at once associates us with Himself? We are, in fact, in the presence of that which John so loves to dwell on Jesus viewed not merely as Son of David or Abraham, or Seed of the woman, but as the Father's Son, the Son as the Father gave, sent, appreciated, and loved Him. To him who compares this with Luke 6:1-49, there need not remain a question as to the identity of the scene. Heartlight Provides Positive Resources for Daily Christian Living. Our job as disciples is to keep searching and including the lost, the last, and the least in the Kingdom and not just those who can bring us some benefit. 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. 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. It is the man who will not be kept from Christ who in the end finds him. "Oh, you bet you, we're able." Nevertheless, His ear was open to the call on behalf of Israel perishing, dying, dead. How are we to account for a selection so marked, an elimination of time so complete? Wretched we, that we should need such proof of it; wretched, that we should be so slow of heart to answer to it, or even to feel its immensity! So the last will be first, and the first last. This furnishes occasion to the Pharisees to vent their unbelief: to them nothing is so offensive as grace, either in doctrine or in practice. . To lose all for heavenly treasure, to come and follow the despised Nazarene here below what was it to compare with that which had brought Jesus to earth? 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. He promised to pay all the later workers fairly. And wilt thou seek for a happiness in the creature, or think from thence to make up the deficiencies of thy happiness in God? 33), it is added, "And with many such parables spake He the word unto them . "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a dumb man possessed with a devil. But when he came to the first, they supposed that they should have received more; but they likewise received every man a penny. He had no reason to envy his fellow servant, or to grudge at him; or to be angry that he came into the vineyard no sooner; for he was not sooner called; he had no reason to be angry that the master had given him wages for the whole day, when he had idled away the greatest part of it; for Is thine eye evil, because I am good?