matthew 20:16 adventure challenge

He may therefore give or withhold his blessings, as he pleases. Challenge the Adventurer within you! A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The apostle startles at the thought of it; God forbid!Romans 3:5; Romans 3:6. Many people are in the ministry for what they can receive (either materially or emotionally) from their people instead of for what they can give. Copyright 1996 - 2023 All rights reserved. Well, then, to whom was the ransom paid?" Lastly, we have the Lord rebuking the ambition not only of the sons of Zebedee, but in truth also of the ten; for why was there such warmth of indignation against the two brethren? The parable sets about to correct this misguided notion. They were greatly displeased: The other ten disciples mistakenly thought that a unique honor had just been bestowed on James and John. Thou didst; and wilt thou go and agree with the world? Far from lowering the position of His servant, He declares there was none greater among mortal men. And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. I say not how fax he had realized this profound truth; I say not that he could have defined his thoughts; but he knew and declared His command of all as truly God. Hence, he waits to present their rejection of the Messiah, as morally complete as possible in his statement of it, though necessarily not complete in outward accomplishment. What does Matthew chapter 20 mean? | BibleRef.com The New Testament He didn't come that people might cater to Him and minister to Him, He came to minister to the people's needs. And yet the Lord says, we get the penny, and so that's good enough for me.Now the Lord does here point out, "look if I want to be good, if I want to extend grace, you shouldn't really complain about the grace that I extend. He, on the contrary, insists not only that He was bound for the cross, but that its truth must be made good in any who will come after Him. A complete new set of values has been brought into life. Note, [1.] ". The first is the defence of the disciples, grounded on analogies taken from that which had the sanction of God of old, as well as on His own glory now. It is best understood as a parable about grace and reward. Love is the sign of true discipleship. Poetical Books All turns on that which was suitable to such a God, the giver of His own Son. The highest creature must go away into nothing, if he must go away with that only which is his own: but if we understand it of that which is ours by gift, the free gift of God, it teaches us to be content with such things as we have. To labour in his vineyard. Oh, what a heart is ours! A mere Jew would have been defiled. 1. Jesus said that those who would share his triumph must drink his cup. Did you not come to an agreement with me to work for 4 pence ? They shall enter heaven, as was promised. It ought to be so with every forgiven soul. They did not see why they should be allowed to stake their claims to preeminence. Those first hired are actually paid least in proportion to their labor and receive the least pleasure from their pay. And I believe that we can believe and trust Jesus Christ for physical healing, as well as spiritual healing. It is the paradox of the Christian life that he who aims at reward loses it, and he who forgets reward finds it. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. He was quite clear that there was a bitter cup to be drunk and did not hesitate to say so. He stood in the driving rain to preach, coughing all the time. James was the first martyr among the apostles, and John was the only apostle to not die through martyrdom though not from a lack of trying. The Old Testament He is talking about, no doubt, the scourging that He was going to receive, because it could not be that any of His bones should be broken. b. It is a direct violation of both the two great commandments at once; both that of love to God, in whose will we should acquiesce, and love to our neighbour, in whose welfare we should rejoice. The doctor who will come out at any time of the day or night to serve and save his patients; the parson who is always on the road amongst his people; the employer who takes an active interest in the lives and troubles of his employees; the person to whom we can go and never be made to feel a nuisance--these are the people whom all men love, and in whom instinctively they see Jesus Christ. But first appears the new and great fact, that Christ was going to build a new building, His assembly, on the truth and confession of Himself, the Son of God. If the Gentiles were to be allowed into the fellowship of the Church at all, they must come in as inferiors. Yes, it was His to rule and command the sea, even as the land and all that in them is. Johannine Writings Prophets For what term are they hired? The Spirit of God has been pleased to cull and class facts otherwise unconnected; for here follow conversations that took place a long time after any of the events we have been occupied with. On this the Lord proceeds to take a step farther, and makes a deeper inroad, if possible, upon Jewish prejudice. With God, as nothing is impossible, so no one, small or great, is despised: all is seen and put in its just place; and grace, which rebukes creature pride, can afford to deal divinely with the smallest as with the greatest. The next chapter (Matthew 18:1-35) takes up the double thought of the kingdom and the Church, showing the requisite for entrance into the kingdom, and displaying or calling forth divine grace in the most lovely manner, and that in practice. That the same night that in which Jesus was betrayed, He took bread, and when He had broken it, He said, take eat this is my body which is broken for you. After the creation of consuls, they every year named twenty-four military tribunes, part of whom must have served five years at least, and the rest eleven. [5.] Secondly, We are all called upon to be labourers in this vineyard. They may not be as long in the vineyard as others; their race may be sooner run; but I have chosen to honor them in this manner, and I have a right to do it. (iv) These two blind men were not afraid to bring a great request. The Son of Man will be betrayed: Jesus again told the disciples what awaited Him in Jerusalem, but no reaction from the disciples is noted. After this, in the chapter we have the positive hindrance asserted of what man counts good. That blessed One was here whom he knew to be God, who was to him the impersonation of divine power and goodness His presence was uncalled for, His word more than enough. i. Matthew 20:16. His cup may be drunk in one great moment; his cup may be drunk throughout a lifetime of Christian living. Observe that it is at this point the chapter begins with vindicating the sanctity of marriage. . Wisdom Literature To represent to us the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 20:1; Matthew 20:1), that is, the way and method of the gospel dispensation. And the multitude around them said, "Shut up, hold your peace." Succa, fol. The Lord now lets them know their mad folly, and warns them that this blasphemy was about to culminate in a still deeper, deadlier form when the Holy Ghost should be spoken against as He had been. They worked in the heat of the day while others shaded themselves. Or is your eye evil because I am good?. The blessings of the kingdom are the same for all who enter, whether Jews who had worshipped God for centuries, or Gentiles who had just been saved from heathenism; whether scribes who had studied Gods law for many years, or tax collectors who had just repented; whether those who had served God for a lifetime, or those converted in old age. What can be conceived so perfectly to illustrate the great design of the gospel of Matthew? Therefore when He said, "this is my body broken for you", He could not refer to some bones being broken, but His body was broken open by this scourging that He received. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 20:16 The New King James Version (NKJV) 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. They're on the way to Jerusalem; they've come down the Jordan Valley. Luke-Acts Here is the Christian revolution; here is the complete reversal of all the world's standards. Gregory the Great said that Jesus was like a baited hook meant to catch Satan, and Peter the Lombard said the cross was like a mousetrap to catch the devil, baited with the blood of Christ. (v) Here also is the generosity of God. What feelings at such a time! But the Son of God, blending the infinite majesty of his Deity with the perfect capacity to suffer as a man, offered an atonement of such inestimable value that he has absolutely paid the entire debt for his people. (Spurgeon), iv. Historical Books And wilt thou seek for a happiness in the creature, or think from thence to make up the deficiencies of thy happiness in God? This was the very blessing that aroused, above all, the hatred of the scribes. So the last shall be first, and the first last As he had asserted in ( Matthew 19:30 ) and which is clearly illustrated by this parable, as it may be applied to Jews or Gentiles, or to nominal and real Christians: for many be called; externally, under the ministration of the Gospel, as the Jews in general were, by Christ and his apostles; but, few chosen; in Christ from all eternity, both to grace and glory; and in consequence, and as an evidence of it, but few among the Jews; as also in the Gentile world, comparatively speaking: and even but a few of those that are outwardly called, are inwardly and effectually called by the powerful grace of God, out of darkness into marvellous light, into the grace and liberty of the Gospel, into communion with Christ, and to the obtaining his kingdom and glory, according to the eternal purpose of God. He's being despised and rejected. 2. Matthew chapter 20 New International Version 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ( Matthew 20:16) The parable applied: the principle of God's reward. Fasting, indeed, would follow when the Bridegroom was taken from them. Thirdly, The gospel call is given to those that stand idle in the market-place. Minor Prophets Yet it shall not be so among you is a stinging rebuke to the manner in which the modern church looks to the world for both its substance and style. (e) T. Bab. You've never known them. Because Matthew's object is the display of the change of dispensation through, or consequent on, the rejection of Jesus by the Jews. The first came to an agreement with the master; they had a contract; they said, "We work, if you give us so much pay." That meant that they did believe him to be the Messiah, but it also meant that they were thinking of Messiahship in terms of kingly and of earthly power. So the last shall be first, and the first last The GENTILES, who have been long without the true God, shall now enjoy all the privileges of the new covenant; and the Jews, who have enjoyed these from the beginning, shall now be dispossessed of them; for, because they here rejected the Lord, he also hath rejected them. Now according to the historians, this scourging was such an awful taxing thing upon the person that many people never made it to the cross. Of course, both do preserve chronological order when it is compatible with the objects the Holy Spirit had in inspiring them; but in both the order of time is subordinated to still greater purposes which God had in view. A fish was the last being for man to make his banker of; with God all things are possible, who knew how to blend admirably in the same act divine glory, unanswerably vindicated, with the lowliest grace in man. . Shall we turn to Matthew's gospel chapter twenty, and continue our book-by-book study through the Word of God? The woman at last meets the heart and mind of Jesus in the sense of all her utter nothingness before God; and then grace, which had wrought all up to this, though pent-up, can flow like a river; and the Lord can admire her faith, albeit from Himself, God's free gift. More and more excellent shall be the children of the desolate than those of the married wife,Isaiah 54:1. Who knows but that the church, in its old age, may be more fat and flourishing than ever, to show that the Lord is upright? In the Christian Church seniority does not necessarily mean honour. "That by His stripes you may be healed." But it would be unusual for a wealthy "landowner" to locate his own . The Whole Bible It is not a thing that can be settled by a mere assertion. Ties him to his bargain (Matthew 20:14; Matthew 20:14); Take that thine is, and go thy way. Matthew 20 He preached in the same church as C. H. Spurgeon over one hundred years earlier. Before he goes to Church let him visit the hospital. There was value for Him to look at His coming trial, and to think and say, I will complete what My Father has given Me to do. (Matthew 20:24-28) The disciples reaction; Jesus sets forth true greatness. There is simply the great, tremendous truth that without Jesus Christ and his life of service and his death of love, we could never have found our way back to the love of God. I am going to be betrayed. From God they will both receive the same welcome, for both Jesus Christ is waiting, and for neither, in the divine sense, has life ended too soon or too late. Oh, you have to love the mothers, don't you? Third, this passage sheds a light on Jesus. The first of these lessons is, "Many first shall be last, and last first." It should also encourage us in reference to the hardships and difficulties of our work, that it is but for a day; the approaching shadow, which the servant earnestly desireth, will bring with it both rest, and the reward of our work,Job 7:2. Going back just a little bit further, Peter had said to Jesus, "Lord, we have left all to follow thee"( Matthew 19:27 ). How often the heart shows itself, not merely by what we ask, but by the uncalled-for feelings we display against other people and their faults! He that would be great among you, let him be your servant and if you want to be chief, then become the bondslave." The ones who labored only an hour did not deserve their pay either. We have the natural tie here brought into prominence; and this was a claim that Christ slighted not. In the case of the laborers, those who worked all day did not deserve their pay after having thrown it on the ground. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. But at the same time it is plain, although He bore the consciousness of the vast change He was introducing, and expressed it thus fully and early in the history, nothing turned away His heart from Israel. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. The parable itself displays a reversal of expectations "the last will be first and the first will be last"; this is not only the summary of the parable (20:16), but a critical aspect of New Testament theology. This is a good example of the word baptism having the sense of immersion or being swallowed up in.. The impression is that the landowner was surprised to find people idle, because he had plenty of work to give them. Secondly, In all the dispensations of his grace, God gives or withholds the means of grace, and the Spirit of grace, as he pleases. There was the consciousness of good unattained, a void for which he appeals to Jesus that it might be filled up. 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire a labourers into his vineyard. Matthew 20:16 (KJV) - Forerunner Commentary The crown set before us is a crown of righteousness, which the righteous Judge shall give. Prophets Basically what He is teaching is that as we serve the Lord in His vineyard, that what really counts is the fact the Lord sent me. Work for God will not admit of trifling. As we have seen, the pay was 4 pence a day; and, if they were unemployed for one day, the children would go hungry at home, for no man ever saved much out of 4 pence a day. Minor Prophets Friend, I am doing you no wrong. How little they had learnt the divine lesson of grace, not ordinances! That was all over for the moment through Israel's blind sin; He was going to suffer, not yet reign, at Jerusalem. Let us set them down. Whence they are hired? Beracot, fol. It does not seem exactly as a pictorial view of what the Lord was doing, or going to do, but rather the repeated pledge, that they were not to suppose that the evil He had judged in the elders of Jerusalem, or the grace freely going out to the Gentiles, in any way led Him. THE FALSE AND THE TRUE AMBITION ( Matthew 20:20-28 ), 20:20-28 At that time the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, kneeling before him, and asking something from him. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. ii. It is a very significant story, for it paints a picture of the spirit and of the attitude of mind and heart to which the most precious gifts of God are open. Conversely in some cases those whom God called early in their lives may not receive as much reward as those called later in life. Thus explained, this parable has no reference to the call of the Gentiles, nor to the call of aged sinners, nor to the call of sinners out of the church at all. "Lord, save us; we perish," cried they, as they awoke Him; and He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. a. Even at such a time that was not the end of his words, for he finished with the confident assertion of the Resurrection. There never can be strength in the soul till forgiveness is known. And still is he betrayed! Note, The unchangeableness of God's purposes in dispensing his gifts should silence our murmurings. Pentateuch If this be a sound judgment, the comparison of the first chapter of Mark affords decisive evidence that the Holy Ghost in Matthew has taken the leper out of the mere time and circumstances of actual occurrence, and has reserved his case for a wholly different service. Reviewing, then, these closing incidents of the chapter (ver. He stands with the juvenile delinquents. ", Kagawa himself wrote: "God dwells among the lowliest of men. When the ten heard about this, they were angry with the two brothers. The people whose hearts are yielded to him will be recognized as his children no matter their rank or riches by worldly standards. He was to be condemned to death; there we see the suffering of injustice, which is very hard to bear. The question was not who or what came in the way; whoever appealed to Him, there He was for them. Here I close tonight. a. Who but God could heal? Many are called, c.] This clause is wanting in BL, one other, and in the Coptic and Sahidic versions. The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. But if He here does not go beyond a hint of that which the Gentiles were about to receive on the ruinous unbelief and judgment of the Jew, He does not keep back their own awful course and doom in the figure that follows. Many a man in this world, who has earned great rewards, will have a very low place in the Kingdom because rewards were his sole thought. Next, He lays bare the capricious unbelief of man, only consistent in thwarting every thing and one that God employs for his good; then, His own entire rejection where He had most laboured. Judas one of the twelve, who is listening to Him, will be the one who betrays Him. He realizes he offers nothing special to the Master, and the skills he has are but gifts from the Master. They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' 2. And Peter quoting Isaiah looking back at that scourging said, "by His stripes, ye were, past tense, healed"( 1 Peter 2:24 ). Thirdly, Others are hired into the vineyard in old age, at the eleventh hour, when the day of life is far spent, and there is but one hour of the twelve remaining. Matthew 20:16 in all English translations, NIV, Story of Jesus: Experience the Life of Jesus as One Seamless Story, NIV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, NIV, Beautiful Word Bible Journal, Revelation, Paperback, Comfort Print, NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture, NIV, The Woman's Study Bible, Full-Color, Red Letter: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation, NIV, The Story, Hardcover, Comfort Print: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People. Sometimes a man dies full of years and full of honour, with his day's work ended and his task completed. 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. In Matthew 16:1-28 we advance a great step, spite (yea, because) of unbelief, deep and manifest, now on every side. The landowner did exactly as promised, but their supposition of more pay than promised was disappointed. Such was and is man. The glory of Christ's person strengthens us, not only to understand His cross, but to take up ours. We shall find something of these mysteries later on in this gospel; but here it is simply a Jewish testimony of Jehovah-Messiah in His unwearied love, through His twelve heralds, and in spite of rising unbelief, maintaining to the end what His grace had in view for Israel. To mock and to scourge: Jesus predicted these specific aspects of His coming agony which on a human level He could not arrange. There is no incident which so demonstrates their invincible faith in Jesus. In Matthew 12:1-50 we find not so much Jesus present and despised of men, as these men of Israel, the rejectors, in the presence of Jesus. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Younger and of, Jesus' mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and. Power and love were come for any one to draw on. Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Nonetheless God had the right to give just as great reward to those whose service was not as long. Next is the one pearl of great price, the unity and beauty of that which was so dear to the merchantman. The Challenge Of Following Jesus (8:18-22) The Call Of Matthew (9:9-13) Moved By Compassion (9:35-38) . But the mission is given here in strict accordance with what the gospel demands. They put it off until a more convenient time, but so often the more convenient time never comes. Some consider that John the Baptist enquired solely for the sake of his disciples. Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am going to be baptized with? So it was here. Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Or is your eye evil because I am good? If God shall bless your brother, and make him ten times more useful than you are, then you see that he is blessing you not only blessing him, but you. The man that was not called promises to go anywhere, in his own strength; but the man that was called feels the difficulty, and pleads a natural duty before following Jesus. i. i. In view of the context, the 12 disciples correspond to the workers hired at the beginning of the day, the beginning of Jesus public ministry. Let not those that come in at the eleventh hour, be put behind the rest, but, lest they should be discouraged, call them first. (Matthew 20:20-21) The mother of James and John asks for a place of special status for her sons. Sometimes a young person dies almost before the door of life and achievement have opened at all. You shall indeed drink 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. The ignorance is wholly on our side: all they say or omit was owing to the far-reaching and gracious wisdom of Him who inspired them. Matthew 20 Commentary - John Gill's Exposition of the Bible Jesus of course was talking about His crucifixion and His death. All rights reserved. Johannine Writings Counting from 6 a.m. therefore, the third hour is 9 a.m., the sixth hour is twelve midday, and the eleventh hour is 5 p.m. Note, There are but few chosen Christians, in comparison with the many that are only called Christians; it therefore highly concerns us to build our hope for heaven upon the rock of an eternal choice, and not upon the sand of an external call; and we should fear lest we be found but seeming Christians, and so should really come short; nay, lest we be found blemished Christians, and so should seem to come short,Hebrews 4:1. What could be said of her intelligence then? (E) They will condemn him to death 19and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged(F) and crucified. IfPsalms 8:1-9; Psalms 8:1-9 goes farther, surely that was for the Son of man, who for the suffering of death was exalted. Now he started out at about six o'clock in the morning, and hired these men who were standing in the marketplace to go out and work in his vineyard. ESV Text Edition: 2016. Matthew 5:45). I can't wait until you send Jesus with power and show things as they should be and reward people based on their character, their hearts, their gratitude for your grace, and their service. Commentary on Matthew 20:1-16 - Working Preacher The disciples most inadequately perceive His glory; but the Lord acts according to His own mind. Matthew 20:16-20 NIV - "So the last will be first, and the - Bible Gateway This signifies the jealousy which the Jews were provoked to by the admission of the Gentiles into the kingdom of heaven. Note, God will be sure not to be behind-hand with any for the service they do him: never any lost by working for God. God has work for all ages; no time amiss to turn to God; none can say, "It is all in good time;" for, whatever hour of the day it is with us, the time past of our life may suffice that we have served sin; Go ye also into the vineyard. And so they began to cry out to Jesus. Matthew 20:16 - Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary - StudyLight.org And He prophesied so accurately the things.First of all, He is going to be betrayed. But it was for a land of darkness and sin and death that Jesus came from heaven the Messiah, not according to their thoughts, but the Lord and Saviour, the God-man. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. But this, though perhaps legitimate enough as an application of the parable, is clearly secondary and subordinate, and must not be allowed to obscure its primary intention. Apply to the Son of David; lose not a moment; he is passing by, and thou art passing into eternity, and probably wilt never have a more favourable opportunity than the present. (Matthew 20:1-2) A landowners workers early in the morning. The "calling" of which the New Testament almost invariably speaks is what divines call effectual calling, carrying with it a supernatural operation on the will to secure its consent. Major Prophets To the proud inhabitant of Jerusalem, both one and the other were but a choice and change within a land of darkness. And He said to her, What do you wish? She said to Him, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.. It is important to see that the landowner did not treat anyone unfairly, though he was more generous to some than to others. The Roman penny was, in our money, of the value of a sevenpence half-penny, a day's wages for a day's work, and the wages sufficient for a day's maintenance. The parable teaches one truth, and but one; and where Jesus has explained it, we have no right to add to it, and say that it teaches anything else. Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem: This was not a surprise to the disciples. Out of the market-place, where, till they are hired into God's service, they stand idle (Matthew 20:3; Matthew 20:3), all the day idle (Matthew 20:6; Matthew 20:6). Inattention to this has perplexed many. Jesus' conclusion to the parable mirrors the formula introduced at Matthew 19:30, which leads into the parable: "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (20:16; see also 19:30). The pattern is the Son of man saving the lost. Matthew 20:16 - "So the last will be first, and the - Bible Gateway And, 2. A double action follows. a. The Greek word is constantly so used as an expression of contempt, "This [fellow] doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."

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