And they went their way. 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. 2. Peter answers, "Of strangers." 16.So the first shall be last. To teach this it was spoken. Many that, in the order of time, are brought last into the kingdom, shall be first in the rewards. The Old Testament The disciples had been summoned to work in the vineyard. My last word to Gods children is this: what does it matter, after all, whether we are first or whether we are last? If he were willing to follow the Lord, it was for what he could get. 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. 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. What instrument so suitable? last will be on the same footing as the first, and the first as the last, those who esteem themselves last shall be first, and those who esteem themselves first shall be last, . For they needed someone to help Him bear the cross. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. In his defilement he came to Jesus and sought to be cleansed, before the delivery of the sermon on the mount. Have we, spite of superior privileges, such unwavering faith, that we can afford to treat the matter as incredible in John, and therefore only capable of solution in his staggering disciples? 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. The disciples most inadequately perceive His glory; but the Lord acts according to His own mind. The promise of Matthew 19:28 forms the background to this request; the thrones are already assured, leaving only the question of precedence. (France). I have endowed them with apostolic gifts or with superior talents, and suited them for wider usefulness. iii. All rights reserved. And every Jewish mother wants the best for her son. The true disciple rests easy in the assurance that because his pay is from a Master of grace, it will be gracious. ; Continuity with Matthew 19 b. Note, Evening time is the reckoning time; the particular account must be given up in the evening of our life; for after death cometh the judgment. Take notice of the care with which the Spirit of God here omits all reference to this: "And a certain scribe came." Last will be first, and the first last: This is the essence of Gods grace, when He rewards and blesses man according to His will and pleasure, not necessarily according to what men deserve. 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. Jesus said, "They will scourge me. In Matthew 16:1-28 we advance a great step, spite (yea, because) of unbelief, deep and manifest, now on every side. General Epistles Mary Magdalene is named in all the lists; Mary the mother of James and Joses must be the same person as Mary the wife of Clopas; therefore the third woman is described in three different ways. The priest, in chap. 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.(A). 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? The design is, I think, manifest: the Spirit of God is here giving a vivid picture of the manifestation of the Messiah, of His divine glory, of His grace and power, with the effect of this manifestation. The mother of Zebedees sons came to Him: This mother of James and John (Matthew 4:21) came with a request that would make a mother proud and the sons very happy. On the other hand, it is not too much to say, that the same Scriptures which convince one unbiassed mind that pays heed to these notes of time, will produce no less effect on others. Though primitive Christianity had more of the purity and power of that holy religion than is to be found in the degenerate age wherein we live, yet what labourers may be sent into the vineyard in the eleventh hour of the church's day, in the Philadelphian period, and what plentiful effusions of the Spirit may then be, above what has been yet, who can tell? The Lord, however, in the same chapter, shows that it was not a question alone of what was to be done, or to be suffered, or is to be by-and-by, but what He was, and is, and never can but be. So it was here; and our Lord turns to eternal account, in His own goodness, the shortcoming of John the Baptist, the greatest of women-born. iv. It is incontestably true, that God can do no wrong. "Verily, I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven." It is true that in this particular instance Mark no more surrounds the leper with notes of time and place than do Matthew and Luke. He often fell down exhausted, and the rough men of the slums carried him gently back to his hut. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I am doing you no wrong. On this the Lord proceeds to take a step farther, and makes a deeper inroad, if possible, upon Jewish prejudice. Matthew 13:19-22), we find first of all the utter worthlessness of the flesh's readiness to follow Jesus. The amazing thing about Jesus is that he never lost patience and became irritated. When evening came, the master of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the workers, and give them their pay, beginning from the last and going on until you come to the first.' This is a good example of the word baptism having the sense of immersion or being swallowed up in.. Jerusalem's proud, traditional hypocrisy is exposed, and grace fully blesses the tried Gentile. But Jesus answered and said, You don't know what you are asking. It's God's to give, however, to whomever He pleases. (Matthew 20:32-34) Jesus heals the two blind men. But the single eye of Jesus at once detects the snare of Satan into which natural thought led, or at least exposed, Peter to fall. The pattern is the Son of man saving the lost. The English translators have thus given the sense well; for the expression really conveys this slight, though the word "fellow" is printed in italics. Surely, had he seen this, everything was there; but he saw it not, and so the Lord spread out His actual portion, as it literally was, without one word about the unseen and eternal. Can you drink the cup which I have to drink?" Though God is a debtor to none, yet he is graciously pleased to make himself a debtor by his own promise, for the benefit of which, through Christ, believers agree with him, and he will stand to his part of the agreement. The last trumpet, at the great day, shall call the labourers,1 Thessalonians 4:16. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. General Epistles ", To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Next, we behold Him meeting the centurion after another manner altogether. As the apostles were the first-fruits of the whole church, they appeared to possess some superiority; and Christ did not deny that they would sit as judges to govern the twelve tribes of Israel. Secondly, Obedient believers agree with God for their penny in the other world, and they must remember that they have so agreed. "That ye may know," He says, "that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins," etc. (iii) These two blind men had an imperfect faith but they were determined to act on the faith they had. Hugh Martin reminds us that a great teacher used to say that the saddest words in all Shakespeare's plays are the words: "Othello's occupation's gone." Johannine Writings 4. e T. Bab. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. 3 "About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. Jesus knew what was going on in their minds; and he spoke to them words which are the very basis of the Christian life. It is a very significant story, for it paints a picture of the spirit and of the attitude of mind and heart to which the most precious gifts of God are open. Nor was it only a difference in the forms the truth took; but the vital principle which Christ was diffusing could not be so maintained. This parable does not teach that God will reward all His disciples equally. 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? He makes some more useful than others, without regard to the time which they serve, and he will reward them accordingly. The kingdom of heaven assumes a form unknown to prophecy, and, in its successive mysteries, fills up the interval between the rejected Christ's going to heaven, and His returning again in glory. "This man blasphemeth." Matthew 19:1-30 brings in another lesson of great weight. ( Matthew 20:16) The parable applied: the principle of God's reward. Beyond the curtain of suffering lay the revelation of glory; beyond the Cross was the Crown; beyond the defeat was triumph; and beyond death was life. This was an entirely normal arrangement. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. There is simply the great, tremendous truth that without Jesus Christ and his life of service and his death of love, we could never have found our way back to the love of God. No matter when a man comes to Christ, he is equally dear to him. I will obey to the end.. He maintains His sovereign title to do good, to do as He will with His own. . He said unto them, Go also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that is what you shall receive. How many millions does the long-suffering of God lead to repentance! "That ye may know it (then saith He to the sick of the palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house." Yet He confidently said it would happen. People do not merit salvation either by works or by attitudes of trust. b. [Note: Norman A. Huffman, "Atypical Features in the Parables of Jesus," Journal of Biblical Literature 97 (1978):209. "Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom? WATCH TO FIND OUT WHAT THE CHALLENGE WAS Hey, Im Tia and my aim is to travel the world with my camera and of course my wonderful partner is coming along and enjoying the ride with me ! Remember, God doesn't look at us the way this world does. Had Peter confessed who the Son of man really is? The Greek word is constantly so used as an expression of contempt, "This [fellow] doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." The same indifference to the mere sequence of events is found occasionally in other parts of the gospel; but I have purposely dwelt upon this chapter 8, because here we have it throughout, and at the same time with evidence exceedingly simple and convincing. All our service is already due to God; it belongs to Him. The prisoner would be tied to a post in such a way, as your back would be stretched. ii. 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. The ox had to be ready either for the supreme moment of sacrifice on the altar or the long labour of the plough on the farm. Matthew 20:16New International Version. He could not bear to see them idle. They will condemn Him to death: Jesus confidently predicted that the religious leaders would do this; yet this was not something He could plan. 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Next, the storm follows. "Jesus deliberately and cleverly led the listeners along by degrees until they understood that if Gods generosity was to be represented by a man, such a man would be different from any man ever encountered." It brings me to the real crisis; that is, the final presentation of our lord to Jerusalem. The Old Testament The crowd commanded them to stop their shouting; they were making a nuisance of themselves. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. In the reception of the little children this is plain; it is not so generally seen in what follows. Now this seems to be the principal scope of this parable, to show that the Jews should be first called into the vineyard, and many of them should come at the call; but, at length, the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should receive it, and be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews; should be fellow-citizens with the saints, which the Jews, even those of them that believed, would be very much disgusted at, but without reason. It is the paradox of the Christian life that he who aims at reward loses it, and he who forgets reward finds it. Throughout it is the religious kind that are tested and found wanting. 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). It is simply designed to teach that in the church, among the multitudes who will be saved, Christ makes a difference. but what a heart was His! There may have been a very natural reason for this request. Help us purchase electrical generators for churches. That the complainant had no reason at all to say he had any wrong done to him, Matthew 20:13; Matthew 20:14. The "calling" of which the New Testament almost invariably speaks is what divines call effectual calling, carrying with it a supernatural operation on the will to secure its consent. 4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my . Now what did Jesus mean when He broke the bread and said, "This is my body, broken for you"? 2. essayed to destroy the testimony with their utmost and blasphemous contempt. Jesus' conclusion to the parable mirrors the formula introduced at Matthew 19:30, which leads into the parable: "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (20:16; see also 19:30). Minor Prophets On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18We are going up to Jerusalem,(C) and the Son of Man(D) will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. Parallel use in Matthew 19:30 where the closing expression of chapter 19 opens the parable in chapter 20. A verification email has been sent to the address you provided. He believed that they could and would drink the cup, and that in the end they would still be found at his side. The landowner reminded them that he had paid them the amount they had agreed to, and if he paid others the same amount, that was his concern. 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. Jesus openly acknowledged the suffering and agony that awaited Him. The grand lesson is that men do not deserve or merit salvation. Suffering from the disloyalty of friends. The Gentile church, which was as yet unborn, the Gentile world, which as yet stood idle in the market-place, would produce greater numbers of eminent, useful Christians, than were found among the Jews. ), but as some charitable generous householders keep poor men to work, in kindness to them, to save them from idleness and poverty, and pay them for working for themselves. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner, Whatever is right I will give you whatever is right you will receive, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first, They supposed that they would receive more, equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. Major Prophets God could not be limited by a question of place; His word was enough. But when he came to the first, they supposed that they should have received more; but they likewise received every man a penny. Historical Books The Church, which is His body and bride, has a far more intimate place, even though true of the same persons. Subsequent, considerably, to this was the case of the centurion's servant, preceded a good while before by the cleansing of the leper. conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy Here is the account with the labourers. Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness. 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? No matter what the great purpose might be, He was there for faith. Grace should be especially manifested in our service; it is of grace, not works. A ransom is something paid or given to liberate a man from a situation from which it is impossible to free himself. (Barclay), iii. And the third day He will rise again, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, 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, The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant, Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, When they heard that Jesus was passing by, David Guzik :: 1 Corintios 7 Principios Sobre el Matrimonio y la Soltera, David Guzik :: 1 Juan 2 Impedimentos para una comunin con Dios, David Guzik :: Gnesis 3 La tentacin y cada del hombre, David Guzik :: Gnesis 2 La CreacinTerminada; Adn en el Jardn del Edn, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus and the Holy Trinity (Walter Martin), 1 Samuel 1-10 (1979-82 Audio) (Chuck Smith), Genesis 15-18 (1979-82 Audio) (Chuck Smith), Third Person of the Trinity (Chuck Smith), Second, a warning that Gods manner of distributing reward is not necessarily the manner of men (. Jesus gave everything to bring men back to God; and we must walk in the steps of him who loved to the uttermost. A Roman coin was once found with the picture of an ox on it; the ox was facing two things--an altar and a plough; and the inscription read: "Ready for either." It was precisely because He was Himself untouchable by sickness and infirmity, that He was free so to take up each consequence of sin thus. 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. The first thing to be remarked is, that the leper was an early incident in the manifestation of the healing power of our Lord. "They that are first shall be last, and they that are last shall be first"( Matthew 19:30 ). Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. God has work for all ages; no time amiss to turn to God; none can say, "It is all in good time;" for, whatever hour of the day it is with us, the time past of our life may suffice that we have served sin; Go ye also into the vineyard. Whatever the time may have been, whatever the incidents added by others, the account is given here for the purpose of showing, that as Israel's case was desperate, even unto death, so He, the Messiah, was the giver of life, when all, humanly speaking, was over. And you guessed it already its a quote from the bible \"so the last shall be first \u0026 the first last\"which of course made me think of a competition type challenge !!! Succa, fol. Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. The apostles were then sent thus, no doubt, forerunners of those whom the Lord will raise up for the latter day. Yet is He the Son of man who hath power on earth to forgive sins; and He uses His authority. That they might mock me, scourge me, and crucify me, but I will rise again on the third day.Now again whenever Jesus talked to His disciples about His death, this thought was so repulsive to them, their minds just turned off, and they never heard, "I am going to rise again on the third day." It was a scorned Messiah who, when rejected of His own people, Israel, turned to the Gentiles by the will of God: it was One who could look upon publicans and sinners anywhere. (v) These two blind men were grateful. No sooner had Peter pronounced to Jesus the truth of His person, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," than Jesus holds the secret no longer. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. 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. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. Now according to the historians, this scourging was such an awful taxing thing upon the person that many people never made it to the cross. Thus many are called by the preaching of the Gospel, but few are found who use their advantages in such a way as to become extensively useful in the Church-and many in the Church militant behave so ill as never to be admitted into the Church triumphant. But the Son of God, blending the infinite majesty of his Deity with the perfect capacity to suffer as a man, offered an atonement of such inestimable value that he has absolutely paid the entire debt for his people. (Spurgeon), iv. . He went to live in a six foot by six-foot hut in a Tokyo slum. Jesus recognized that they didnt really understand, but they would. THE MIND OF JESUS ( Matthew 20:20-28 continued). The bodily presence of the Messiah was not needed. He also gives Peter the keys of the kingdom, as we see afterwards. For many be called, but few chosen.The warning is repeated after the parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:14), and as it stands there in closer relation with the context, that will be the fitting place for dwelling on it. No doubt the tempest was great; but what harm could it do to Jesus? Those first hired are actually paid least in proportion to their labor and receive the least pleasure from their pay. Peter wanted to know what they would get in return. Even so the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.". Will be betrayed: Conceivably, Jesus could have been delivered to the religious authorities without this. that take and give unto them for me and thee." Thereon the Lord also has His word to say, first reminding Peter of his new name suitably to what follows. "And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us." (Matthew 20:24-28) The disciples reaction; Jesus sets forth true greatness. They must still continue to endure the scourge of crime they could never expiate. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, 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. Zion may say of the Lord who laboured in vain, whom the nation abhorred, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." COUPLES DOUBLE CHALLENGE - we brought in our wonderful friends Vala \u0026 aonghas who also have Mini versions of their selves who where completely up for the challenge as well and super excited about getting dressed for the part :) haha leia \u0026 logan you guys where amazing !!!! Conversely in some cases those whom God called early in their lives may not receive as much reward as those called later in life. "This [fellow]," etc. A daily devotional about God's power for our battles. Saul saw that David prospered, and he eyed him,1 Samuel 18:9; 1 Samuel 18:15. What Jesus calls upon his followers to do he himself did. (d) T. Hieros. Three things the master of the house urges, in answer to this ill-natured surmise. But what, it may be asked, has this to do with the subject of our parable? They forgot His glory in their own anxiety and selfishness. [Note: Wiersbe, 1:73.]. Shall we turn to Matthew's gospel chapter twenty, and continue our book-by-book study through the Word of God? About the third hour, [nine o'clock in the morning], he saw others standing idle in the market place, and he said unto them; Go into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he . He "went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people." Many are called, c.] This clause is wanting in BL, one other, and in the Coptic and Sahidic versions. He is not here sought as by the leper, the centurion, the friends of the palsied man; He Himself calls Matthew, a publican just the one to write the gospel of the despised Jesus of Nazareth. Luke, too, tells how Jesus took the disciples to himself alone that he might try to compel them to understand what lay ahead ( Luke 18:31-34). Jesus blessedly answered their thoughts, had there only been a conscience to hear the word of power and grace, which brings out His glory the more. In spite of all he had said, here were these men and their mother still chattering about posts in an earthly government and kingdom. In heaven, every vessel will be full, brimful, though every vessel is not alike large and capacious. Thus Matthew, called at the very receipt of custom, follows Jesus, and makes a feast for Him. It is enough to meet a difficulty which many feel by the simple plea that the reason assigned is in my judgment a valid explanation, and in itself a sufficient solution of the apparent discrepancy. This parable taught the disciples not to think of heavenly rewards in terms of justice, getting in proportion to what they deserved. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. Cookie Notice: Therefore it was not a mere simple fact that He banished sickness or infirmity, but He carried them in His spirit before God. Disciples in Jesus day would not necessarily receive more reward than disciples whom God calls to serve Him just before the day of laboring ends, before His second coming. Observe that it is at this point the chapter begins with vindicating the sanctity of marriage. The axiom of this verse and of chapter nineteen, verse 30, sets the tone for Jesus entire ministry and the church. Accordingly, here we have, first, the Lord judging the wrong thoughts of "Scribes and Pharisees which were of Jerusalem." 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. No request is too great to bring to Jesus. Thus shall every mouth be stopped, and all flesh be silent before God. The simple meaning seems to be: As those who did not come at the invitation of the householder to work in the vineyard did not receive the denarius, or wages, so those who do not obey the call of the Gospel, and believe in Christ Jesus, shall not inherit eternal life. Jesus of course was talking about His crucifixion and His death. So the last shall be first, and the first last. After this, dismissing the multitudes, He retires alone, to pray, on a mountain, as the disciples toil over the storm-tossed lake, the wind being contrary. "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased." 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. The New Testament There is here the first decisive step to the last act of the inescapable tragedy. General Epistles And you guessed it already its a quote from the bible "so the last shall be first & the first last"which of course made me think of a competition type challe. 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. When they came they that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man [the denarius] a penny. Other parables also teach that He will not (e.g., Matthew 25:14-30). Jesus will use this story to answer a question from Matthew 19:27: See, we have left all and followed You. Jesus emphasized that both the calling and the choosing of God is based on His grace especially His choosing. He had brought out the kingdom before in view of that which betrayed to Him the unpardonable blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. Doubtless, it was contingent upon the utter ruin of Israel through their unbelief; but the fall of the lesser thing opened the way for the gift of a better glory in answer to Peter's faith in the glory of His person. Then follows another incident, which equally proves that the Spirit of God is not here reciting the facts in their natural succession; for it is assuredly not at this moment historically that the Lord goes into the house of Peter, sees there his wife's mother laid sick of a fever, touches her hand, and raises her up, so that she ministers unto them at once.