Matthew 20:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.

NIV: "The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.

NASB: When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.

CSB: "When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius.

NLT: When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage.

KJV: And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

NKJV: And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.

This part of the story is meant to surprise the listener a bit. Those paying attention heard Jesus say that the first workers hired by the master of the house at around 6 a.m. agreed to payment of one denarius each for the day's work. This was a reasonable wage for that era. Now, though, the master has paid a denarius to the workers hired last, the ones who showed up at the vineyard at around 5 p.m. to work for only an hour.

Jesus' story plays on a universal truth of human nature. We're all naturally insecure about what other people are making and how much they have. Since Jesus' parable is about the kingdom of God and the reward for those who follow Jesus in this life, the stakes are even higher than a single day's wages. Those who worked the longest heard what the latecomers were paid and thought, "If the master paid them a denarius, for just one hour, imagine how much we're going to get!"

Perhaps the disciples, following Jesus' tale, are thinking the same thing. If Jesus is saying that those who do only a little work for His kingdom will receive a "full day's pay" because of God's grace and generosity, imagine how much He will give to us for the sacrifice of our entire lives.

What Jesus says next, though, will make clear one more time that the kingdom of heaven does not operate like the kingdoms of the earth. In part, this is because the ultimate benefit of following Christ—an eternity in heaven—is precisely what is promised, and what is "paid," to all who follow Him (John 3:16–18).

Matthew 20:1–16 is a parable illustrating what Jesus meant in saying that some of the last will be first and the first last in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:30). When a master hires five groups of workers at different times throughout the day, he pays the last group the same amount that he pays the group hired early in the morning. Though that group grumbles, they received what they had agreed to earn and had not been cheated. The master insists he has the right to show generosity to whomever he wishes. Jesus concludes by saying, again, that the last will be first, and the first last. Themes found in this parable are echoed in the later portion of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:25–32).

Jesus illustrates His earlier comments about how some of the "first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30) with a parable about hired workers. He then clearly tells His disciples about His impending death and resurrection. The mother of James and John asks Jesus to make her sons number two and three in His kingdom. Jesus tells the disciples that true greatness won't come by flaunting authority as the Gentile leaders do. Instead, they will become great by serving each other, even as a slave does, as Jesus Himself has done. He then heals two blind men immediately before entering Jerusalem.

Matthew 20 begins with a parable that illustrates Jesus' statement at the end of Matthew 19: In His kingdom, some of the first will be last and the last first. Still on their way to Jerusalem, Jesus tells the disciples for the third time that He will be killed and then raised on the third day. When asked, Jesus explains that it is not up to Him to grant the seats on His right and left hand in the kingdom and that His disciples will not become great in the way of Gentiles. Instead, they will find greatness by serving each other. A healing of two blind men leads into the triumphal entry, the first event in the last earthly week of Jesus' ministry.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.