Matthew 20

Matthew 20:1

Matthew 20 is the last chapter in the section dealing with the retreat of the King. It opens with a continuation of the dialogue that began in chapter 19 between Peter and Jesus concerning the rewards of service for the kingdom. A penny, or a denarius, being the daily salary of a Roman soldier, Jesus was speaking of a day’s fair wage.

Matthew 20:3

The men who started work at nine o’clock in the morning received the same wage as those who started at five o’clock in the afternoon.

Matthew 20:11

This account of the vineyard and the harvest would have been very familiar to the disciples. The grape harvest usually took place in August. Because August was also the beginning of the rainy season in Israel, foremen in charge of the vineyards were always watching for the rains that could ruin the crops. In the morning, if a foreman saw rain coming, he would quickly go to the town square and hire workers to harvest the grapes. If the skies became even more threatening, he would go yet again and hire more workers. This would continue until the foreman had all the workers he needed to beat the rain. In this story, those who had been hired early in the morning were upset because the men who were hired an hour before quitting time were paid the same amount they were. “Unfair!” they protested. “The terms upon which I hired you were met,” countered the owner of the vineyard. “You received your denarius, didn’t you? If I choose to be generous with those who came late, that is my business.” What meaning does this parable have for us? Keep in mind that the parable was given in response to Peter’s question about rewards. Through it, Jesus is saying, “You’ll have rewards eternally. You will have everything returned one hundred-fold presently. But because the first shall be last and the last shall be first, when payday comes and rewards are given, there will be some big surprises.” This tells me a couple of key things. First of all, we’ll be surprised in heaven. We have a tendency to think that Billy Graham will receive all kinds of crowns and rewards. And no doubt he will. However, I think there will be some cleaning ladies who worked in obscurity and during their breaks went to their knees in a broom closet somewhere to intercede on behalf of Billy Graham’s ministry who will be brought to the front and rewarded greatly. I believe sitting in this group tonight are those who have worked quietly and in anonymity who will be escorted to the front when rewards are given. “We didn’t do much,” they’ll say. “We weren’t hired until five o’clock.

We didn’t make much of a mark.” But because they were exceedingly faithful, in what the Foreman assigned them to dovisiting rest homes, chopping wood for those who are unable, praying and doing battle in intercession, changing diapers in the nurserythey will be brought to the front. And perhaps a lot of us who have visibility and prominence presently will be sitting in the back. Truly, the last shall be first and the first last. The second lesson I see in this radical teaching is that we are to watch out for jealousy. “Hey, we were out here all day. These guys just worked for an hour. Unfair!” cried the servants. So, too, there can be a tendency for our flesh to say, “How come he’s getting blessed when I’ve been faithful for years and years?” In Numbers 12, Miriam asked why Moses was always the one who got to say, “Thus saith the Lord.” “Why is Moses the one who gets to go up the mountain and come down shining, and all I get to do is play a tambourine?” she asked. The result? She was stricken with leprosy. That’s what jealousy always does. Like leprosy, it starts small, but consumes us in the end. A third principle this story teaches me is that it’s never too late to start. You might be saying, “I’m old. I’m thirty.” Listen, gangeven though sportscasters talk about thirty-year-olds as if they’re dinosaurs, such is not the case with ministry. You might be at five o’clock in your lifespan. You might be fifty, sixty, seventy, or eighty years old. You might be saying, “I’ve walked with the Lord for ten years and haven’t done a thing for Him.” Take heart! It’s never too late. Those who show up at five o’clock saying, “I’m readyjust point me in the right direction,” have a definite job to fulfill in the vineyard.

Matthew 20:17

Since Matthew 16, we have seen Jesus underscoring and repeating that He was going to die. Yet I call your attention to the fact that Jesus never spoke of the Cross without speaking of the Resurrection. I point this out because I often hear brothers and sisters talking about the Cross, saying, “I’m going through this trial,” or “I’m dealing with this struggle,” or I’m paying this price," but I don’t hear them talking about the Resurrection. If you talk about the Cross, follow the example of Jesus and talk about the Resurrection as well. Precious people, if you think it’s tough following Jesus, try not following Him. That’s what’s tough. Going through disease, death, divorce, bankruptcy, being fired from your job, or being prosperous on Wall Street but empty internallythat’s what’s tough! If you who are struggling and suffering weren’t a Christian, you would still go through difficult times. The difference is, you would go through them with no solution, no promise, and no hope. That is why every time Jesus talked about the Cross, He never failed to speak of Resurrection. Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1889-1913, heard that in Europe and America, criminals were executed with an efficient new device called an electric chair. He immediately ordered one for his country and was excited when it arriveduntil he realized it needed electricity. There was no electricity in Ethiopia at that time. Undaunted, he said, “If the electric chair can’t be used for the execution of criminals, it will be used for the execution of my commands.” Thus, for fifteen years, Menelik II sat in an electric chair when he issued his proclamations. He turned the electric chair into a throne. When Jesus went to the Cross, He did something infinitely greater. He turned an instrument of death into the pinnacle of power as He transformed shame into salvation, rejection into redemption, and grief into glory.

Matthew 20:20

Mark’s Gospel tells us James and John persuaded their mother to talk to Jesus on their behalf (Mar_10:35). So she went to Jesus and began to worship Him because she wanted something from Him. All too often I fear, like James, John, and their mother, we worship in order to get something. But that’s not what worship is about. Worship is about giving, about offering the sacrifice of praise (Heb_13:15).

Matthew 20:21

Why did James and John deal with this issue during this particular time? Perhaps they were attempting to demonstrate their faith and devotion. “Lord, You’re talking about death, but don’t You remember all Your teachings on the kingdom? We believe You’re still going to make it, Lord. Let’s not talk about death. Let’s not talk about the Cross. Let’s talk about the seating arrangement in the kingdom.”

Matthew 20:22

“Do you know what you’re asking?” Jesus said. “The cup in the kingdom is the cup of death. The baptism is the baptism of suffering. Do you understand what you’re asking?” “Oh, we understand, Lord,” insisted James and John. But they didn’t.

Matthew 20:23

Jesus answers, “My Father is preparing positions of authority in the heavenly arena for those who are preparing for those places.” You see, salvation is free but position and rewards in the kingdom are dependent upon what we’re doing right now. We want more prestige, more prominence, more power, more toys and more trinkets in this life. But Jesus is ever desirous of lifting our eyes from the temporal to the eternal and from the physical to the spiritual.

Matthew 20:24

Why were the other disciples upset with James and John? Because they were trying to get a jump on the good seats in the kingdom. Next time you feel moved with indignation, ask yourself if you’re upset because there’s been a spiritual violation or merely because someone’s getting ahead of you in some way.

Matthew 20:25

If you want to be great, don’t seek prominence. Seek service. Don’t say, “Who’s praying for me? Who cares about me?” Instead ask, “Who can I serve?” “Go here. Do that. Get me this.” The way you feel when people treat you like a slave is a good indication of how you’re doing in the arena of servanthood.

Matthew 20:29

Jericho was a beautiful desert oasis located fifteen miles from Jerusalem. A certain bush grew there which was believed to have medicinal value for the treatment of blindness. Thus, there was a large population of blind people in Jericho. The Greek word translated “cried out” is krazo, a word that refers to the cry of a woman in childbirth. These two men without eyesight had remarkable insight. “Son of David,” they cried, “we recognize You as Messiah.” “Quiet down,” said the crowd. But the blind men cried out all the more until Jesus healed them. This story shows me three things about the nature and character of Jesus. First, it’s a demonstration of His compassion. He took time to care for two blind men in a huge crowd. Second, it’s an illustration of coming attractions. When He returns, all blind eyes shall be opened and all sickness healed forever. Finally, it gives illumination concerning our salvation. We too were blind, but when we cried out to our Messiah, we received sight and were then able to follow Him.