Matthew 19:16–20:16
The passage in Matthew 20:1–16 is known as “The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.” Through it, as through a number of other parables, Jesus lets us look into the heart of a person and see what is hidden there. This parable deals with an attitude that, like unforgiveness and pride, has no place in the Kingdom of God. It is an attitude that the world considers normal and not all that bad. An attitude that is quite dangerous, because even we as believers often allow it into ourselves. This attitude is called envy. It is a feeling of resentment and ill will provoked by someone else’s well-being, achievement, or success. It is bound up with comparing ourselves with one another. This comparing is a sin, because it most often leads to rivalry and grumbling — things that have no place in the Kingdom of God.
- “Why should someone else have something more than I do?”
- “Why should there be something that I don’t have?”
- “Why should he be able to ‘get ahead,’ and I can’t?”
These are all questions that mark out the wrong attitude the parable of the workers in the vineyard addresses.
But before we begin to reflect on it, let us hear it (Matthew 20:1–16):
“1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:1–16)
I. THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE
In order to understand the message of the parable better — the emphases and accents it places on the spiritual truth it contains — we must consider it in its context, that part of the text around it which clarifies its meaning.
TOO HIGH A PRICE?
The moments that precede the parable of the workers in the vineyard are Jesus’ conversation with the rich young ruler and the discussion between Jesus and His disciples that this conversation prompted.
Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man is recorded in Matthew 19:16–22:
“16 Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’
17 ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.’ 18 ‘Which ones?’ he inquired. Jesus replied, ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’
20 ‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’
21 Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (Matthew 19:16–22)
If we look at this episode in the light of the parable of the workers in the vineyard, we can say that at this moment Jesus called the rich young man to “go to the vineyard” — that is, to enter the Kingdom of God — but he refused. He was bargaining with Jesus. He thought that he deserved eternal life because he had kept God’s commandments.
Jesus asked him to sell his possessions. The rich young man, however, seems to have quickly calculated that his property was too high a price for eternal life, and so, as it were, he backed out of the “deal.” He was called to “go to the vineyard,” but he rejected the call, because the “wage” looked too small to him for the “labor” he would have to put in. And so, at least up to that moment, he remained without eternal life. The reason for this, however, was not that he did not sell his property, but that he did not follow Jesus.
A CAMEL THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE
Christ’s comment on the decision of the rich young ruler was the following (Matthew 19:23–26):
“23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’
26 Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” (Matthew 19:23–26)
With these words Jesus declared that the rich young ruler could be saved even if he remained rich!
THE QUESTION OF THE BENEFITS
This puzzled Peter, and he asked (Matthew 19:27):
“27 Peter answered him, ‘We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?’” (Matthew 19:27)
In Jesus’ words Peter caught a hope for the rich young man. The one about whom the Lord said it was humanly impossible to enter the Kingdom of God could still, through God’s intervention, be saved. Salvation is not by works but by God’s grace.
But then Peter seems to have thought: “If such an unpromising candidate for eternal life as this rich young man can be saved, then what will we, the apostles, receive?” It is as if Peter caught the merchant’s spirit of the young man, and he too began to bargain with Jesus. If the rich young man could be saved without giving up his wealth, hadn’t the apostles “lost out” by leaving everything and following Jesus? If that man could receive eternal life without losing his property, shouldn’t they receive something more than eternal life, since they left everything in order to follow Him?
“27 Peter answered him, ‘We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?’” (Matthew 19:27)
In other words: “Won’t there be ‘something more’ as well?” Peter’s question can be seen as an expression of a bargaining, self-interested spirit. To have such a spirit means that your main goal in life is to draw some kind of personal profit or benefit out of everything. It means being motivated not by love and a desire to do something good, but by a passion for personal gain.
In Peter’s question “What then will there be for us?” lies a fear that he might have lost out, that he might not have made full use of his “investments,” that someone else might have received more while giving less. Evidently this was a serious weakness in Peter’s character, because on another occasion, in John 21:18–23, he asked a similar question. There Jesus prophesied that Peter would die as a martyr, and Peter asked whether John would die in a similar way. The Lord, however, told him to “mind his own plate” and not to compare himself with others:
“18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’ 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is going to betray you?’) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’
22 Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’ 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?’” (John 21:18–23)
Even if we grant that Peter’s motives were pure, we must see the parable of the workers in the vineyard as a preemptive, anticipatory strike against the wrong attitudes of comparison, envy, and calculation. In it Jesus rebukes service done for reward, which tries to displace service done out of love.
In any case, the parable cannot be fully understood without taking into account Peter’s question, “What then will there be for us?” — because the parable is an answer to that question. Proof of this is the fact that in the other Gospels, where the parable of the workers in the vineyard is not recorded, when Christ’s discussion with His disciples after their meeting with the rich young ruler is related, Peter’s question “What then will there be for us?” is omitted. In the other Gospels this question is absent. But in them the parable is not mentioned either. To my mind this is a very clear testimony to the link between the question and the parable.
But before we turn to the parable itself, let us see Jesus’ concrete answer to Peter’s question. And it is a positive one — yes, for those who have served and sacrificed something more, there will also be something more than salvation (Matthew 19:28–29).
Verse 28 refers specifically to the apostles:
“28 Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’” (Matthew 19:28)
Verse 29 is a general promise for all followers of Christ:
“29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)
CHRIST’S WARNING
Yes, there will be “something more” than eternal life, both for the apostles and for sacrificial believers. Jesus, however, ended His answer to Peter’s question with a warning (v. 30):
“30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” (Matthew 19:30)
Jesus’ warning begins with the word “but.” “But” means “Watch out!” Many who are first will be last, and the last first. With these words God “strikes” at wrong motives. Even if there is “something more,” we must follow Him not for the hundredfold gain, but out of love!
This mysterious warning about the first and the last is repeated again after the end of the parable, in Matthew 20:16, and in this way it sets the parable within a kind of frame. It is evident that the parable itself is an explanation precisely of this paradoxical statement. And we must not forget that the statement itself was given in answer to Peter’s question about the additional benefits.
And so, keeping in mind these two elements of the context — the saying about the first and the last, and Peter’s question about the benefits — we can approach the parable itself and its message. And that message is that in the Kingdom of God, the calculators will find that their accounts come out crooked! Giving merely in order to receive is wrong — it is giving out of selfishness. If you follow Jesus only for the sake of some gain, you may end up disappointed. The motive in our service must be not profit, but love and the desire to obey God’s call and to do something good.
II. THE CONTENT OF THE PARABLE
THE BARGAIN
Early in the morning a landowner goes to the marketplace to hire common laborers to work in his vineyard. After the usual haggling over the size of the wage, he hires them and sends them off to work (vv. 1–2):
“1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1–2)
Notice that the owner of the vineyard “agreed to pay the workers a denarius for the day” — that is, the wage of the first workers was set by a prior agreement. They had struck a deal with the owner of the vineyard for payment in the amount of one denarius.
THE TRUSTING WORKERS
Later, at various hours of the day, the landowner hires other workers, but without specifying their wage. What is remarkable about them is that, unlike their fellow workers, they go to work without bargaining. They had faith, trust, and confidence in the owner. They relied on his fairness and did not entertain the possibility that he might shortchange or wrong them (vv. 3–5):
“3 About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.” (Matthew 20:3–5)
The reason the later-hired workers had not gone to work was not that they were lazier than the others, but that up to that moment no one had offered them any work (vv. 6–7):
“6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’” (Matthew 20:6–7)
THE SCANDAL
At the end of the day everyone receives the same wage for different amounts of work. This irritates the first workers, and they begin to grumble against the landowner (vv. 8–12):
“8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’” (Matthew 20:8–12)
Notice that the owner of the vineyard deliberately orders his foreman to begin the payment with the last, so that the first would see what their wage was. Had he begun with the first, they would have taken their one denarius and left. This would have prevented the scandal. Perhaps that is what we would have done if we had been in his place. But the owner of the vineyard’s explicit orders were that the wages be paid in reverse order. When the first workers saw that the last, who had worked only about one hour, received a denarius each, they surely began to calculate that if they had worked ten times more, they would get at least five denarii, but in any case more than one. When their turn came, however, they too received a denarius each. Was this fair?
IS THIS FAIR?
Here is how the owner answers the grumblers (vv. 13–15). He said to them:
“I have dealt honestly with you, for you received exactly what we had agreed on.” (vv. 13–14a):
“13 But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go.’” (Matthew 20:13–14)
- “It is my heart’s desire to pay the same to the others.” (v. 14b):
“I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.” (Matthew 20:14)
- “Don’t I have this right?” (v. 15a):
“15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?” (Matthew 20:15)
- “Are you really irritated by my generosity? Is such anger just?” (v. 15b):
“Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15)
It does not become a Christian to envy because God has given something better to someone else. Sometimes we think that God is kinder to others than He is to us, but this simply is not so! With God there is no favoritism. He has no favorites. He is generous to all who call on Him!
III. THE LESSONS OF THE PARABLE
Delving into the text and the context, we can draw at least six lessons from the parable of the workers in the vineyard.
1. No one will be wronged by God.
What each of us will receive as a reward for our discipleship, service, and dedication will be more than fair. God will not wrong us (v. 13)!
“I am not being unfair to you, friend.” (Matthew 20:13)
2. No one has the right to call God’s grace and generosity into question (v. 15):
“15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:15)
God is a good God! His grace should not surprise us!
3. Those who are older believers, who are more dedicated, who have labored longer in God’s vineyard must not become envious.
Let us accept that the additional reward added to our wage is the opportunity and privilege we have of serving such an extraordinary Master as ours for longer than others! That is our reward!
4. When we are called through the gospel to submit to Christ and to follow Him, we must respond at once. We must follow Christ immediately, and not go away with empty hearts like the rich young ruler.
For some of us this call from God may have come in childhood. Others may not have heard the gospel until they reached an advanced age. No one can judge another for the reasons behind his later response to God’s call to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. But once we have heard Christ’s call, we must not for a moment delay our “going to the vineyard.” Like the later workers, we must respond at once and serve God diligently, no matter how much life we have left on this earth. Let us dedicate ourselves to wholehearted service to God. He will not disappoint us!
5. We must serve God with all that is in our power, without harboring a calculating spirit — without thinking: “And what will I gain from all this work?”
Let us rid ourselves of this insatiable spirit of rivalry and envy, and begin to think like the Lord (Philippians 2:6–8):
“6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:6–8)
It is better to leave our reward in God’s hands than to begin bargaining with Him! He will never wrong us. On the contrary, He has promised us that if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, everything we need will be provided for us (Matthew 6:33)!
“33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
6. We must not compare ourselves with others, but with our potential in Christ.
The Lord said to Peter: “What is that to you? You follow me!” We must not measure ourselves by ourselves, or ourselves by others, but strive after the potential we have in Christ!
Conclusion
Let us reflect on what our attitude toward serving God is. Let us look at ourselves in the Word and be honest with ourselves and with God. Why do we serve Him — out of love, or for the sake of some benefits? Or perhaps we do not serve Him at all, because we have not seen the profit in it?
If some calculating attitude like the one in Peter’s question has crept into our heart, or some ugly envy like the one that gripped the first workers in the vineyard, then let us come to our senses! For the parable of the workers in the vineyard teaches us that in the Kingdom of Heaven, people with a calculating or envious spirit will not feel at home. They will surely be disappointed. In other words, the calculators will find that their accounts come out crooked, because in the end “the last will be first, and the first last.” Amen.