Matthew 20:1-291For 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. 2And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7They 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. 8So 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 unto the first. 9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. 17And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18Behold, 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, 19And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. 20Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. 21And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22But 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. 23And 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, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. 24And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 25But 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. 26But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: 28Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 29And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. (Matthew 20:1‑29)
In this chapter the Lord further illustrates the grace of God by telling the story of the householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a penny a day. Later on at the third, sixth and ninth hours he hired others. Finally at the eleventh hour he hired still more laborers and sent them into his vineyard. When the evening came he told his steward to call the laborers, beginning with the last. When they came every man received a penny. Then those whom he had hired first murmured against him for they thought they should have received more, having borne the burden and heat of the day. But he told them that he was only giving them what they had agreed upon, and if he chose to give the same to those who were last, he had the right to do what he wished with his own. Those who were hired later had confidence in their master’s goodness and knew he would deal with them according to his just appreciation of what was due to them. So in the ways of the kingdom of heaven, our rewards will not be according to the length of time of service, but according to the Lord’s abundant grace. Some have been called later in life than others, yet who but He can justly decide what their rewards should be. God is sovereign and will act according to the grace of His own heart.
This was the Lord’s last journey to Jerusalem, and knowing that His time with His disciples was to be short, He talks with them privately. The Son of Man would be rejected, delivered over to the Gentiles, and crucified. On the third day He would rise again.
Selfishness Met in Grace
It must have been a matter of sorrow to His heart when, after speaking to His disciples in this way, the mother of James and John comes with them with the selfish request: “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom.” The Lord meets this request with gracious wisdom and tells them they knew not what they were asking. He points out what lay ahead of them as His followers along the path which leads to glory. The cross must come first before the crown. “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of?” “They say unto Him, We are able,” though it is obvious that they didn’t know what they were talking about. The Lord tells them that they shall indeed share in His path of suffering, which is the highest honor a believer can have on earth. As to their reward, He leaves that with His Father.
When the other disciples heard of this request they were filled with indignation against James and John. But their strong feelings against their brethren expressed the feelings of worldly ambitions. Their hearts were no better. The gracious Lord meets this, however, by showing them that the principles of the kingdom were not according to the course of this world. He who would be greatest in the kingdom must go down lowest of all. This place the Lord Himself took. “Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Further Meditation
1. What did the servants hired later in the day count on?
2. On what basis does God give out rewards?
3. Listening to the CD Grace Reigning by R. Thonney would provide a nice foundation for the topic of grace in this chapter.