The devil was tricked by God. It is always thus. He is first of all betrayed by Judas to the chief priests, because Judas made a bargain with the priests to turn Jesus over to them. "And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth." Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Whether you love to hike, bike, paddle or simply chase waterfalls, we have an Adventure Challenge for you! "Thank the Lord, my rock, who trained my hands to fight and my fingers to do battle, my merciful one, my fortress, my stronghold, and my savior, my". get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! It means that no matter when a man enters the Kingdom, late or soon, in the first flush of youth, in the strength of the midday, or when the shadows are lengthening, he is equally dear to God. And he said unto her, What is it that you want? They were beggars; but it was not money they asked for, it was nothing less than sight. They don't understand all of the provision that the Lord has made for them. In the end of the chapter is set forth parabolically the unlimited forgiveness that suits the kingdom; here, I cannot but think, looking onward in strict fulness to the future, but with distinct application to the moral need of the disciples then and always. For this challenge, you'll need dinner at home and two nerf guns. Christ had promised the apostles, who followed him in the regeneration, at the beginning of the gospel dispensation, great glory (Matthew 19:28; Matthew 19:28); but he now tells them that those who are in like manner faithful to him, even in the latter end of the world, shall have the same reward, shall sit with Christ on his throne, as well as the apostles, Revelation 2:26-3. Peters question about what the Twelve would receive (Matthew 20:27) had implied that they should receive a greater reward since their sacrifice had been greater. He was tricked by the seeming helplessness of Jesus; he took Jesus to be a mere man; he tried to retain hold of Jesus, and in trying to do so, he lost his power and was broken for ever. 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. It is worth stopping to see what the crude hands of theology have done with that lovely saying. 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? What Does It Mean That There Is No One Holy Like God? 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.' The ones who labored only an hour did not deserve their pay either. (Ken Chumbley, The Gospel of Matthew, commentary, p.#351). We have each of us our own vineyard to keep, our own soul; and it is God's and to be kept and dressed for him. c. For many are called, but few chosen: This was said in the context of this illustration of grace. The two blind men called upon Him as the Son of David; a sample this of what will be in the end, when the heart of Israel turns to the Lord, and the veil is done away. Your partnership makes all we do possible. is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. They did not see why the two brothers should steal a march on them, even if they were the cousins of Jesus. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.. of their own children, or of strangers?" He does not now compare the Jews to the Gentiles, (as in another passages) nor the reprobate, who swerve from the faith, to the elect who persevere; and therefore the sentence which is introduced by some interpreters, many are called, but few are chosen, does not apply to that point. If God gives that grace to others, which he denies to us, it is kindness to them, but no injustice to us; and bounty to another, while it is no injustice to us, we ought not to find fault with. On the other side of the picture, behold the Lord leading on a soul to draw on divine grace in the most glorious manner. Let none suppose that, in giving my own convictions, I have the presumptuous thought of putting these forward as if they were the sole motives in God's mind. But if Matthew here laid aside all question of time, it was in view of other and weightier considerations for his object. Power and love were come for any one to draw on. It probably was no more than a grave though passing difficulty, which he desired to have cleared up with all fulness for their sakes, as well as his own. WORK AND WAGES IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD ( Matthew 20:1-16 continued). Thus the point that meets us in the conclusion of the chapter is, that while every character, every measure of giving up for His name's sake, will meet with the most worthy recompence and result, man can as little judge of this as he can accomplish salvation. Matthew 20:16 Commentaries: "So the last shall be first, and the first Note, The unchangeableness of God's purposes in dispensing his gifts should silence our murmurings. . Proud member 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 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. What does it mean? Jesus uses a kind of gradation. Even when they were bluntly told that there lay ahead a bitter cup, it never struck them to turn back; they were determined to drink it. But Jesus answered and said, You don't know what you are asking. 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. And He was Jesus, Emmanuel. Email / username or password was incorrect! The landowner did exactly as promised, but their supposition of more pay than promised was disappointed. For He loved Peter felt for him, and his wife's mother was precious in His sight. It was His meat to do the will of God. 97. It adds to the reason for this interpretation, that Christ was conversing about the rewards that should be given to his followers, and not about the numbers that should be called, or about the doctrine of election. It might be well enough for a Pharisee; it might be worthy of a legal formalist, but it would never do for God; and the Lord Jesus was come here not to accommodate Himself to their thoughts, but, above all, to do God's will of holy love in an evil, wretched world. 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. Now what is Jesus seeking to teach by this parable of sending forth the laborers into the vineyard? The Church, which is His body and bride, has a far more intimate place, even though true of the same persons. "Upon this rock," says He, "I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Well, he did not come to get your service; he came to give you his services; not that you might first do him honor, but that he might show you mercy. (Spurgeon). i. Seemingly, the disciples did not really listen when Jesus said these things. For him the cup was the constant discipline and struggle of the Christian life throughout the years. The other workers hired through the day were not promised a specific wage, only whatever is right. 10 million Ukrainians without power because of Russia. Matthew 20 | NLT Bible | YouVersion In short, he had a question because he was a man. Nothing can be simpler. (Matthew 20:16) The parable applied: the principle of Gods reward. All turns on that which was suitable to such a God, the giver of His own Son. If to conquer with Christ meant to suffer with Christ, they were perfectly willing to face that suffering. c. Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant: In the Kingdom community, status, money, popularity should never be the prerequisites for leadership. It is not enough that Israel be awakened from the sleep of death, and see aright. Some consider that John the Baptist enquired solely for the sake of his disciples. But Christ does not explode at their obtuseness, or blaze at their blindness, or despair at their unteachableness. There was the consciousness of good unattained, a void for which he appeals to Jesus that it might be filled up. It can only mean here the "invited." 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. 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. He now takes His place of rejection; for Him it is manifest even now by their inmost thoughts of Him when revealed. 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. They used their waiting time in considering their own superiority to the latecomers. (Spurgeon). In Christianity there must always be this invincible optimism in the moment when things are conspiring to drive a man to despair. The axiom of this verse and of chapter nineteen, verse 30, sets the tone for Jesus entire ministry and the church. Jesus knew what was going on in their minds; and he spoke to them words which are the very basis of the Christian life. "So the last will be first, and the first last. 20:1-16 The direct object of this parable seems to be, to show that though the Jews were first called into the vineyard, at length the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews. 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. "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof" He had only to say in a word, and his servant should be healed. essayed to destroy the testimony with their utmost and blasphemous contempt. So long as it is all we have to give, all service ranks the same with God. 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. 3 He went out about nine o'clock . 45. Thus He sets forth both the past, the present, and the awful future of Israel, before the day of His own coming from heaven, when there will be not only the return of idolatry, solemn to say, but the full power of Satan associated with it, as we see in Daniel 11:36-39; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Revelation 13:11-15. 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last.". i. Here we see the worldly ambition of the disciples in action. All that are chosen from eternity, are effectually called, in the fulness of time (Romans 8:30), so that in making our effectual calling sure we make sure our election (2 Peter 1:10); but it is not so as to the outward call; many are called, and yet refuse (Proverbs 1:24), nay, as they are called to God, so they go from him (Hosea 11:2; Hosea 11:7), by which it appears that they were not chosen, for the election will obtain,Romans 11:7. 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Under grace, we cant come to God complaining, Dont I deserve better than this; because God will reply, Does this mean that you really want Me to give you what you deserve?. When he had come to an agreement with them that they would work for 4 pence a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Therefore what this saying means is quite simply--it cost the life and the death of Jesus Christ to bring men back to God. Thus man's badness takes occasion from God's goodness to be more exceedingly sinful. Observe that it is at this point the chapter begins with vindicating the sanctity of marriage. The first came to an agreement with the master; they had a contract; they said, "We work, if you give us so much pay." It is not a thing that can be settled by a mere assertion. Clarke's Commentary. [2.] The New Testament Hence, he waits to present their rejection of the Messiah, as morally complete as possible in his statement of it, though necessarily not complete in outward accomplishment. and when they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples [in both the parables and the explanations alluding to what we possess in Matthew 13:1-58.]. Read full chapter. That they might possibly be outstripped by their successors in profession, and, though they were before others in profession, might be found inferior to them in knowledge, grace, and holiness. And they said unto him, We're able ( Matthew 20:22 ). What can have more evil in it? Chapter 20. 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. He did them no wrong, and had broken no promise. ", 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. Through this parable Jesus assured Peter and the disciples that they will be rewarded but the principle of many who are first will be last and the last first (Matthew 19:30) meant that God may not reward as man expects even as the parable illustrated. Jesus was there to call, not righteous men, but sinners. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Start for FREE. So when the evening was come, and the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. . Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. Peter wanted to know what they would get in return. He stands with the juvenile delinquents. He said to them, 'Go you also to the vineyard.' There were many that followed Christ now in the regeneration, when the gospel kingdom was first set up, and these Jewish converts seemed to have got the start of others; but Christ, to obviate and silence their boasting, here tells them. But here pardon dispensed on earth arouses the pride of the religious leaders to the quick, and implacably. To where they exercised such dominion and authority and lordship over people, that they inserted themselves between the people and God. vi. Warning those who were using this Love feast as an excuse just to sort of gorge themselves, and they were not really realizing the spiritual significance of these things. Prophets So the last shall be first, and the first last. Those hired later correspond to other people who became Jesus disciples later in His ministry. The order of payment was important. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today! The scribes, at the beginning of the chapter, could not hide from the Lord their bitter rejection of His glory as man on earth entitled, as His humiliation and cross would prove, to forgive. b. Far from lowering the position of His servant, He declares there was none greater among mortal men. Next, He lays bare the capricious unbelief of man, only consistent in thwarting every thing and one that God employs for his good; then, His own entire rejection where He had most laboured. Matthew 20:16 - KING JAMES BIBLE ONLINE Prophets The New King James Version (NKJV) organises this chapter as follows: . of Scripture. Thus, in the scene of the leper, we have Jesus presented as "Jehovah that healeth Israel," as man here below, and in Jewish relationships, still maintaining the law. They worked in the heat of the day while others shaded themselves. In the reception of the little children this is plain; it is not so generally seen in what follows. Men little weigh what their words will sound and prove in the day of judgment. Some think this parable speaks of the way that people come to God at different stages of their life. "If you wish to be great," he says, "be a servant; if you wish to be first of all be a slave." When those who had worked all day found that the landowner paid the same amount to the late-comers as he paid to them, they complained. His wounds are those which he receives in the house of his friend. (Spurgeon). If he were willing to follow the Lord, it was for what he could get. My last word to Gods children is this: what does it matter, after all, whether we are first or whether we are last? But this may be, and commonly is, applied to the several ages of life, in which souls are converted to Christ. Friend, I am doing you no wrong. She said to him, "Speak the word that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right hand, and one on your left, in your Kingdom." They put it off until a more convenient time, but so often the more convenient time never comes. That the recompence of reward will be given to the saints, not according to the time of their conversion, but according to the preparations for it by grace in this world; not according to the seniority (Genesis 43:33), but according to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. "Matthew: The Expositor's Bible Commentary" Volume 8 (Matthew-Luke) (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1984), Clarke, Adam "Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes" Volume 5 (Matthew-Acts) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1832), France, R.T. "The Gospel According to Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary" (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries) (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1985), Meyer, F.B. It is not only the fact that God slighted matters of prescriptive ordinance because of the ruined state of Israel, who rejected His true anointed King, but there was this principle also, that certainly God was not going to bind Himself not to do good where abject need was. Lord cometh, his reward is with him, to give unto every man according as his work shall be, as one star differeth from another star in glory, so shall it be. The violent man, Herod, guilty of innocent blood, then reigned in the land, in contrast with whom goes Jesus into the wilderness, showing who and what He was the Shepherd of Israel, ready and able to care for the people. What Jesus calls upon his followers to do he himself did. Peter goes forth, but losing sight of the Lord in the presence of the troubled waves, and yielding to his ordinary experience, he fears the strong wind, and is only saved by the outstretched hand of Jesus, who rebukes his doubt. This world looks at the outward appearance, but God knows our hearts. The woman of Canaan, out of the borders of Tyre and Sidon, appeals to Him; a Gentile of most ominous name and belongings a Gentile whose case was desperate; for she appeals on behalf of her daughter, grievously vexed with a devil. Those who recognize the grace they have received by being included in God's Kingdom . Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. "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." Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Verse 4 seems quite adverse to the idea that great multitudes were witnesses of the cure; for why "tell no man," if so many knew it already? In Mark 2:1-28 it says, "And again he entered into Capernaum." We have here. Here he asserts his own justice; Friend, I do thee no wrong. Blue Letter Bible offers several daily devotional readings in order to help you refocus on Christ and the Gospel of His peace and righteousness. Note, It is good for us often to consider what it was that we agreed with God for. Many people are in the ministry for what they can receive (either materially or emotionally) from their people instead of for what they can give. The second is, "So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen." He said, "Call those fellows to me." "Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom? The evil eye was a jealous, envious eye. A man is not a Christian if his first concern is pay. One of these people might have been the rich young man if he had become a disciple (Matthew 20:16-22). Hence it is that He has grouped together circumstances which make this plain, without raising the question of when they occurred; in fact, they range over a large space, and, otherwise viewed, are in total disorder. And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. How Daniels Prophecy of 70 Weeks Connects to the End Times. He was to be mocked by the Romans; there we see the suffering of humiliation and of deliberate insult. But it would be unusual for a wealthy "landowner" to locate his own . Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. In Mark 10:35-45 it is James and John who come to Jesus with this request. We have the natural tie here brought into prominence; and this was a claim that Christ slighted not. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Younger and of, Jesus' mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and. "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. Drinking of that cup. 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? & Sanhedrim, fol. Secondly, The particular pleading with those that were offended with this distribution in gavel-kind. Thus the great tree and the leavened mass are in fact the two sides of Christendom. In immediate juxtaposition to this stands the Gentile centurion, who seeks healing for his servant. Thus He points out the utter moral incongruity of fasting at that moment, and intimates that it was not merely the fact that He was going to be rejected, but that to conciliate His teaching and His will with the old thing was hopeless. ESV Text Edition: 2016. He could not bear to see them idle. It is simply designed to teach that in the church, among the multitudes who will be saved, Christ makes a difference. Poetical Books So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. Surely not by inaccuracy; surely not by indifference to order, but contrariwise by divine wisdom that arranged the facts with a view to a purpose worthy of itself: God's arrangement of all things more particularly in this part of Matthew to give us an adequate manifestation of the Messiah; and, as we have seen, first, what He was to the appeal of the Jew; next, what He was and would be to Gentile faith, in still richer form and fulness.
