Matthew 20:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

NIV: For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

NASB: For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

CSB: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

NLT: For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Jesus has assured the disciples that they will be richly rewarded for all they have lost for His name's sake, in addition to inheriting eternal life. He concluded though by telling them that many who are first will be last, and the last first (Matthew 19:27–30).

Now Jesus uses a parable to illustrate what that means. A parable usually takes the form of a very brief story, as it does in this passage. Jesus often begins His parables by saying "the kingdom of heaven is like" the story that follows. His parables provide snapshots and impressions of the way His kingdom works for those who will spend eternity there. In this case, Jesus is describing the kingdom in terms of the reward to be given to those who work on His behalf.

He begins by describing the master of a house. This master owns a vineyard, and it is apparently harvest time. It was common to hire temporary workers during the harvest when the work became more than the full-time servants could handle on their own. Those available for temporary work would gather in the marketplace in hopes of being hired for the day.

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.