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| Chapter 20 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ "For the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said unto them, ‘Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.’ And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said unto them, ‘Why stand ye here all the day idle?’ 7 They said unto him, ‘Because no man hath hired us.’ He said unto them, ‘Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.’ 8 So when evening had come, the Lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.’ 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I do thee no wrong. Didst thou not agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that which is thine and go thy way. I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?’ 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen." 17 ¶ And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart on the way and said unto them, 18 "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, 19 and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify Him. And the third day, He shall rise again." 20 ¶ Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshiping Him and desiring a certain thing of Him. 21 And He said unto her, "What wilt thou?" She said 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." 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 said unto Him, "We are able." 23 And He said 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 by My Father." 24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. 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. 26 But it shall not be so among you; but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; 27 and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life as a ransom for many." 29 ¶ And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. 30 And behold, two blind men were sitting by the wayside when they heard that Jesus was passing by, and they cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David!" 31 And the multitude rebuked them, that they should hold their peace; but they cried out the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of David!" 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them and said, "What will ye that I shall do unto you?" 33 They said unto Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." 34 So Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him. |
This parable has a story which would not have happened in the real world but is designed to bring home a truth of the Kingdom of Christ. We must be careful not to search for theological meaning in all the detail. This parable can be linked to the words of Matt 19:30. v1,2 An ‘householder,’ a master of the vineyard, needs workers for his vineyard at the harvest time. In the morning, at dawn, he goes out and hires the first group of men. The men and the master agree a wage, to receive a penny for a days work, the "penny" being the normal days wages for a labourer. v3-7 More workers are needed later in the morning, the householder goes out to hire more from the market place. There is no evidence that these people are lazy, or refusing to work, they had just not been hired. The householder hires additional workers at 9 a.m., 12 noon, 3 p.m. 5 p.m. during the day, each workers responds to the call and work. v8-10 When the day ends, the workers are given their wages, starting at the last to be hired, each received the agreed penny despite the number of hours worked. v11-15 This obviously caused a problem with those who were hired earlier, but the householder points out they have received the agreed wage. How the house holder pays the rest is up to him. This passage is in response to a question by Peter in Matt 19:27 following the young man rejecting salvation due to riches earlier. Each true believer responds to the invitation by God through Jesus, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. There is no time or age involved with this promise, it applies equally to a young believing child and an elderly believing person about to die. The response is the same, forgiveness and everlasting life. In the parable Jesus is showing that God will reward the same to each true believer independent of the time involved. However, we are also told that those who serve faithfully, to the best of their abilities, will also be rewarded in addition to those promised in John 3:16. v15 "Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" - why are you envious because I am so good and generous? v16 A repeat of Matt 19:30, showing this parable is linked to the exchange with the disciples, Matt 19:27-30. This parable teaches that any service for the Lord will be rewarded, equal faithfulness will be equally rewarded. But the decision on faithfulness is of God, only He can know true faith and use of opportunities. This may be different to how others may see the situation. v18-34 The group now move away from Perea, east of the Jordan and are now heading directly for Jerusalem. The following verses describe the events on this journey in the area of Jericho. v17-19 Death and Resurrection predicted. Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34. On the way Jesus takes the disciples into a separate and quite place. The coming message was for them alone. v18 A further prediction of the coming Death of Christ and His Resurrection, Matt 17:12; Matt 17:22,23. It adds detail to the previous predictions and in addition we are told that the death would involve the Gentiles, who would mock, scourge and crucify Him. v20-28 A grand request by the sons of Zebedee. Mark 10:35-45. The mother of the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, approaches Jesus with a request for specific rewards for her two sons, to sit on either side of Jesus in the Kingdom. This may have been as a result of the twelve thrones reward and the idea that the kingdom was soon to arrive. Matt 19:28. We must note that this request would have needed a complete faith in who Jesus was and that He was able to fulfil the promise. However, it did show that they were not humble in their attitude and mind. v22,23 Jesus questions as to whether they are able to suffer in the way He is about to suffer, "drink of the cup......baptized with the baptism?" The two brothers are doubtless sincere when they respond, "We are able." This was later to prove true as James was the first disciple to die for Christ, Acts 12:1,2, and John suffered variously over a long period. But Jesus again reminds them that it is the Father who decides the rewards. v24 The rest of the disciples were angry with the action of the brothers, especially as they had used their mother Salome and her relationship with her sister, Mary. Identified by comparing Matt 27:56; Mark 15:40; John 19:25. v25-27 Our Lord pointed out that with human government they control position and greatness by the use of authority, which they forced upon their people, His kingdom will be different. A sign of spiritual maturity and position will be a willing attitude to be a servant of others. v28 The greatest example of this is Jesus Himself, with a complete submission at the cross, where He "gave His life as a ransom for many." Note the words "for many." A clear statement of substitution (in place of) sacrifice. Consider Isaiah 53:3-5; Phil 1:1-11. v29-34 Blind men healed. Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43. The three records of this event have some differences, one or two blind men? Before or after Jericho? The second problem could be due to there being two Jericho’s, the roman town occupied by the poor people and Herod’s palace and fortress, also called Jericho, about a mile to the west. Mark mentions only the predominant, the main person, "blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus." v31 "Thou Son of David!" This title means "the Messiah." Before this event Jesus had not encourage the use of that title in public, now as he heads for Jerusalem He is happy to claim the title. v34 Jesus was never to pass this way again, it would be the last chance for healing. "Jesus had compassion on them." The self giving love of Jesus which would lead Him to the cross for us. |
Easy English Translation
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