Matthew 20:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’

NIV: About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'

NASB: And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’

CSB: Then about five he went and found others standing around and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing? '

NLT: At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

KJV: And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

NKJV: And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’

The master of the house in Jesus' story has spent the entire day hiring temporary labor, day workers, to help with the work of his vineyard. This parable is about the kingdom of heaven, and the vineyard represents the work of the kingdom in this life for those who follow Jesus. It's also about the reward they will receive when their work is done.

The master hired the first group early in the morning, agreeing to pay a denarius in exchange for a full day's work. He has returned to the marketplace to find more willing workers every three hours, at 9 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m. He has agreed to pay each of them "whatever is right" (Matthew 20:4).

Now it is the eleventh hour and there is still work to be done in the vineyard. The eleventh hour is 5 p.m., and the workday commonly ends at around 6 p.m. In apparent desperation, the master returns to the marketplace once more and seems surprised to find more available workers. He asks why they have spent all day just standing around. They will reply that nobody has hired them (Matthew 20:7).

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 4/27/2024 2:15:23 PM