Matthew 20:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

NIV: About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

NASB: And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace;

CSB: When he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

NLT: At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing.

KJV: And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

NKJV: And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

Jesus is telling a story about the master of a house hiring dayworkers for his vineyard. The story is a parable meant to illustrate a specific aspect of the kingdom of heaven. In this case, Jesus is showing His disciples what He means when He says that many who are first in the kingdom will be last and the last first (Matthew 19:27–30).

The typical workday at this time began around 6 a.m. and ended around 6 p.m. The master hired a group of workers early in the morning to work the vineyard for one denarius for the day, the common wage for laborers. Now he returns to the marketplace at around the "third hour" from 6 a.m. He needs more workers and finds some men with no other work to do. This does not mean that they are lazy, only that they have not yet been hired to do any work for the day. He will hire these workers, as well.

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 5:37:56 AM