Matthew 20:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

NIV: But he answered one of them, 'I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?

NASB: But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?

CSB: "He replied to one of them, 'Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Didn't you agree with me on a denarius?

NLT: He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage?

KJV: But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

NKJV: But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

The master of the household in Jesus' parable (Matthew 20:1) clearly represents the Lord. It is encouraging then to see how the master responds to those who are grumbling at him about their pay. They have voiced their complaint: Those who worked only an hour in the vineyard received the same pay as those who worked all day long, since early in the morning. The master has given equal reward for unequal work.

In many of Jesus' parables, a character who expresses a wrong or selfish point of view is condemned to judgment. Not in this one. Instead, the master refers to the grumblers as "friend." His rebuke is gentle and, above all, reasonable. He insists that he has done nothing wrong to them and asks a question: Isn't this pay what we agreed on?

The bitter perspective of the grumbling workers is wrong, but the master sees them as allies, not enemies. He corrects their attitude, but insists they are friends. In this way, Jesus seems to be picturing the attitude of the Lord to those who follow Him while also, maybe, failing to appreciate His grace to others.

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.

Accessed 5/2/2024 2:58:18 PM