Study of Matthew

Matthew Chapter 20

Matthew 20:1 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.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Jesus used every day type of situations that were most probably true events but they were used to illustrate a deeper spiritual truth. If He had waited until modern times to come in the flesh, the parables would be more up to date to suit the times we live in. To tell the truth however, if Jesus had not have come when He did the world would be in much worse shape that it is in now and we would have destroyed each other by now. Aside from that though, we see how He used everyday life situations to teach us spiritual truths about the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 20:3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6 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?
7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

In our modern thinking this may seem unfair but the first laborers agreed to a certain wage, the ones that came later were paid according to what was fair. Perhaps the first ones didn't work as diligently as the last. Nevertheless, the Lord of all had a right to do as he willed.

The Jewish people were first to hear the gospel of the kingdom. The religious leaders of that day should have recognized the Messiah when He came in their midst. They should have known the scriptures and should have followed this man to learn of Him and His doctrine. Instead of following Jesus to learn of Him, they followed Him to find fault and seek occasion to accuse Him. They were envious and wanted Him out of the way so they and they only could be in control of the religious order of that day. It was the poor, the needy and those to whom the religious establishment called sinners, that believed the gospel.

When we begin to be jealous and care more for the success of our particular group, church or religious association instead of bringing souls to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, we are in a sense losing our first love for what God has called us out to do. We are to teach and tell all that will hear of the gospel of salvation Jesus died to provide for us. Building a place of worship is not wrong, for when we evangelize the lost they need a central place to gather and worship if they outgrow the homes they meet in; but it is so tempting to major on the buildings, the programs and the rituals and lose sight of the preaching, teaching and soul winning that should be our main emphasis.

The Jews were called first to labor for the Lord. The Gentiles were called later. In these last days the Jews are being called again. All will be rewarded according to their faithfulness and motives in service, not on how long they worked.

Remember the story of the prodigal son. The faithful son stayed at home and worked for his father for years. The one that strayed had to go through hard times in order to find repentance, yet the saving of His soul was reason to stop all work and rejoice when the one that was lost had found his way home. The older son was jealous and showed resentment. When we do this we have lost our first love for the lost. We should rejoice along with the angels when one soul has come to Christ. So what if he makes a better teacher or preacher then I. If he builds a bigger church, and teaches the truth, so be it. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and do our part whether great or small. There are plenty of sinners in need of salvation all around us. We never need to compete and be envious of one another. There is a great harvest field of souls out there enough to fill every pew and probably every house church available.

Matthew 20:17 And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

Many times Jesus prepared His disciples for the time when He would have to die and then rise from the dead. They seemed to ignore Him on this subject at least on the surface. I believe though that they remembered it later at the right time.

Matthew 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

Again we see someone who has missed the whole point of the kingdom and the purpose for which we are called. We are not called to obtain high positions and great titles. We are called to preach and teach whatsoever the Lord has commanded us. We are called to set the captive free and bring souls to repent of sin and believe in Jesus Christ. We are not called to seek high places of authority in order to lord over other people and control them. If God places us in a position of authority it is as a servant, not as a lord. That was the whole purpose of the event at Passover when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He was teaching us not to seek to be lords over God's heritage.

We are to serve, not seek to be head or chief. That way there is no place for envy. Never should we be jealous over the ministry of another. We should be concerned however, if one is leading people astray and teaching false doctrine that would cause souls to be lost but we should never envy someone who is legitimately teaching the word of God in truth and is having great results in the process.

Matthew 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
24 And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

So many have forgotten this great teaching from our Lord. In our zeal to stamp out heresy, we must examine our motives and make sure that we are not moved with envy and fear losing our place among those we are working among. If we are serving God and not man, we should have no fear of that sort.

God is in control and He can find plenty for us to do without us living in fear of losing our position. Our concern should be losing souls back to the world and away from God, not losing someone to another church. We may have 5 great piano players and another church have none, for instance. God may need someone some place else and we should be concerned with training people to go out and serve not stay in one place to build an empire of sorts. We have lost our first love if we are envious of others who God is blessing. I repeat though that we should always be concerned and jealous though on behalf of God if someone returns to the sin He was saved from and turns his or her back on God. That is someone to be concerned about; not that someone is serving God in another place or another church.

Matthew 20:29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.

If we were concerned with spreading the gospel that Jesus told us to do, walking in the Spirit that Jesus has promised to all who obey Him, we will begin to see the blind receive their sight, the sick healed as the gospel reaches their hearts and they begin to repent of sin and live for God.

Religious envy caused the first murder in the human race. It is deadly and causes much evil. If our eyes are on Jesus and our faith is pure, we will not have jealousy but rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep. There is a better way to live if we strive to enter that straight gate and walk in the spirit rather that in the flesh. God's word is so great if we will only live by it's teachings. DC

Matthew 21