Matthew 20 - Printer Friendly

What does Matthew 20 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

Matthew 20 records Jesus' teaching, interactions, and healing as He and the disciples continue to travel toward Jerusalem. It begins with the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The parable follows Jesus' statements about the disciples' eternal rewards for following Him. He told them that everyone who leaves behind much to follow Him will be richly rewarded and receive eternal life. He added, though, that many who are first will be last, and the last first (Matthew 19:29–30).

Now Jesus tells a parable to illustrate what this means. He pictures the master of a household in need of workers for his vineyard, likely for the harvest. He goes out early in the morning and hires a group of day-laborers for the agreed-upon price of one denarius a day. Needing still more workers, the master of the house returns to the market place every three hours or so, hiring another group each time for "whatever is right" as compensation (Matthew 20:1–7).

When the time to pay the workers comes, the group hired early in the morning is excited when they see the master pay those hired at 5 p.m. a full denarius. They assume he will pay them much more. They grumble at the master when he pays them a denarius, as well. However, this is exactly what they had agreed to work for. The master insists he has the right to be generous to whomever he chooses. Jesus concludes the story by repeating His teaching that the last will be first, and the first last. This message is somewhat parallel to the end of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:25–32): if God seems to be even more generous to others than He is to us, that does not mean we're being cheated or treated unfairly (Matthew 20:8–16).

Next, Jesus clearly tells the disciples for the third time (Matthew 16:21; 17:22–23) that when they reach Jerusalem, He will be condemned to death by the Jewish religious leaders and then handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified. He adds that He will be raised on the third day (Matthew 20:17–19).

Then Jesus is approached by the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Some scholars think this woman is Salome (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1; John 19:25), and possibly Mary's sister. This would make her Jesus' aunt. She asks that her sons be chosen to sit at Jesus' left and right hands in His kingdom. This means they will have the highest positions under Jesus Himself. Jesus turns to James and John and says they don't know what they're asking. He asks if they can drink His cup, meaning the suffering that He will experience. He agrees that they will drink His cup—enduring their own trials and persecution—but answers that the Father is the one who will grant such positions in the kingdom (Matthew 20:20–23).

The other disciples are furious. They recognize this as an attempt by James and John to elevate themselves above the rest and grab power in the kingdom. Jesus explains that greatness in His kingdom is not about ruling over others as the Gentiles do. Instead, those who would be great should serve the others. Whoever would be first must be a slave to the others. After all, Jesus has come to serve and not to be served. This is a lesson He will demonstrate in a very personal way when He washes the disciple's feet during the Last Supper (John 13:12–17). As with His lesson on rewards, Jesus continues to challenge assumptions about greatness and power (Matthew 20:24–28).

Finally, two blind roadside beggars call out to Jesus while He is passing them on the way to Jerusalem. They ask Him to have mercy on them and call Him the Son of David, the name for the Messiah. Jesus heals their blindness. Mark's account (Mark 10:46–52), like Luke's (Luke 18:35–43), focuses on only one of the men, named Bartimaeus. The "Jericho" in question is not the exact same one featured in the book of Joshua (Joshua 6), but a long-removed resettlement nearby. Modern preachers often bring up this event, noting that this is the last time Jesus will pass by this location. The blind men don't know it, but this was their last chance to meet Christ. We never know when a call to follow Jesus in faith will be the last one of our lives (Matthew 20:29–34).

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).

Matthew 20:17–19 is this gospel's third instance (Matthew 16:21; 17:22–23) of Jesus describing what will happen to Him when He and His disciples reach Jerusalem. The Son of Man, meaning Christ, will be betrayed to His enemies among the Jewish religious leaders. They will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified. Then, Jesus adds, the Son of Man will be raised on the third day. Jesus clearly knows exactly what was coming, and He continues to head toward Jerusalem to fulfill it.

Matthew 20:20–28 follows Jesus' clear description of His impending death with a poorly timed request from James and John, through their mother. Their desire is for the two sons to be given the powerful positions of being seated on Jesus' left and right hand in His kingdom. Jesus makes an obscure reference to His upcoming suffering, asking if they can "drink the cup" ahead of Him. He then notes they will experience their own persecution and suffering, yet greatness in His kingdom won't look like the flaunted authority of the Gentile rulers. The greatest of all will be the one who serves the others as a slave. Jesus, too, has come to serve and not to be served.

Matthew 20:29–34 finds Jesus and a large crowd passing by two blind roadside beggars. Realizing it is Jesus, the blind men call out asking for His mercy. They call Him the Son of David, showing they know Him to be the Messiah. Refusing to be quieted by the crowd, they finally get a response from Jesus. He asks what they want, and they ask for their eyes to be opened. Jesus, having pity for them, heals the men. They begin to follow Him.

Chapter Summary:

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.

Chapter Context:

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 10:47:02 PM