matthew 20:16 adventure challenge

The only reason we will receive any reward is that God has called us to be His workers. They complained against the landowner: After being paid, the men hired first took up their complaint with the landowner. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." 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. It is tragic that we have a professional ministry that so often seeks people to cater to it, rather than to realize that they are the servants of all. There may be desires, there may be the working of the Spirit of God, but there can be no power to walk before men and to glorify God thus till there is forgiveness possessed and enjoyed in the heart. [4.] ., p. faithful unto death shall receive the crown of life. But whereas the most unlikely people entered the kingdom, those for whom it had been prepared were excluded (Matthew 20:16). Not even their wonderful "attitude" entitled them to a day's pay. But Christ does not explode at their obtuseness, or blaze at their blindness, or despair at their unteachableness. Nonetheless God had the right to give just as great reward to those whose service was not as long. All turns on that which was suitable to such a God, the giver of His own Son. 'God is love. "I am certain that there is much about the scourging about Jesus that we do not fully understand. And she said unto him, Grant that these my two boys may sit, the one your right hand, and the other on your left, in your kingdom ( Matthew 20:20-21 ). And yet in spite of that the disciples are thinking of a Kingdom. a. He was not taken by surprise; He knew it from the beginning Man's implacable hatred is brought about most manifestly in the ways and spirit of His rejectors. This was the very blessing that aroused, above all, the hatred of the scribes. Mockery could go no farther. Many words are not now required for that which is happily familiar to most here. No. Our Lord then answers, with perfect dignity, as well as grace; He puts before the disciples of John the real state of the case; He furnishes them with plain, positive facts, that could leave nothing to be desired by John's mind when he weighed all as a testimony from God. Matthew 20:16 Context 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? ". Here is the first mention of the mode of Jesus death and of the Gentiles part in it (only the Romans could crucify people). (Carson). 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). The English translators have thus given the sense well; for the expression really conveys this slight, though the word "fellow" is printed in italics. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. In spite of all he had said, here were these men and their mother still chattering about posts in an earthly government and kingdom. In the next scene, then, we have the disciples as a whole tried by a sudden danger to which their sleeping Master paid no heed. The indulgence of the selfish, murmuring temper might hinder their election even to that work. of Scripture. An evil eye was a phrase in use, among the ancient Jews, to denote an envious, covetous man or disposition; a man who repined at his neighbours prosperity, loved his own money, and would do nothing in the way of charity for Gods sake. (Clarke). Your promises are thrilling. And someone said, "Jesus is going by." This parable explains why the last will become first. Then Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and he said unto them, [now He is on the way, there is probably great multitudes, but He takes the twelve apart] He said, Behold, we are going 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, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him and the third day he shall rise again ( Matthew 20:17-19 ). After this our Lord sees great multitudes following Him, and gives commandment to go to the other side. (vi) Surely that brings us to the supreme lesson of the parable--the whole point of work is the spirit in which it is done. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner, Whatever is right I will give you whatever is right you will receive, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first, They supposed that they would receive more, equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. 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. So the last shall be first, and the first last. They looked at one another, and they tried to fathom where there was no depth, but where the truth lay on the surface. (Spurgeon), vi. Beyond the curtain of suffering lay the revelation of glory; beyond the Cross was the Crown; beyond the defeat was triumph; and beyond death was life. This world looks at the outward appearance, but God knows our hearts. And thus He, whose glory was so forgotten by His disciples Jesus, Himself thinks of that very disciple, and says, "For me and thee.". And you guessed it already its a quote from the bible \"so the last shall be first \u0026 the first last\"which of course made me think of a competition type challenge !!! The eye is often both the inlet and the outlet of this sin. But these men slept in Gethsemane, forsook the Master when He was arrested, and one of them at least failed Him at the crosswe can only follow Christ in his cup and baptism, after we have been endued with the Spirit of Pentecost. (Meyer). 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. It is worth stopping to see what the crude hands of theology have done with that lovely saying. (See Mt 19:30; 22:14). 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. Next is the one pearl of great price, the unity and beauty of that which was so dear to the merchantman. (Compare Mark 3:13-19, andMark 6:7-11; Mark 6:7-11; Luke 6:1-49; Luke 9:1-62) The mission of the apostles did not take place till afterwards. Now this is their final trip to Jerusalem. They have treated the Bible either with levity, or as too awful a book to be apprehended really; not with the reverence of faith, which waits on Him, and fails not in due time to understand His word. 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. And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. As to any one else, even the most liberal gift that ever was given of God to fallen man on earth, to the golden head of the Gentiles, exempted the deep and its untamed inhabitants. To heal was the work for which He was come. Then shalt thou call, saith the good and faithful servant, and I will answer. Copyright 2019 by Zondervan. This parable taught him that God would give him a just reward for his sacrificial labor for Jesus. Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. The meek and trustful spirit is to be desired; so also is the worker; but neither class of people, nor yet another class combining the virtues of both, can in any degree merit salvation. The power of divine grace is magnified in the conversion of some, when they are in the midst of their pleasures and worldly pursuits, as Paul. I didn't come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give my life as a ransom for many ( Matthew 20:28 ). He said to them, "My cup you are to drink; but to sit on my right hand and my left is not mine to give, but that belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." But yet people who have been faithful to that service, to which God has employed them, whether it be intercessory closet prayer that nobody knows anything about, and I think when we get to heaven we are going to be surprised when we see those who are sitting on the front row. Next day he was back for Kagawa's coat and trousers, and got them too. For less than $5/mo. 2. They forgot His glory in their own anxiety and selfishness. It means quite simply this. 16.So the first shall be last. Poetical Books Proud member The earnestness of these men was marvelous; they were desperate to be healed, and ignored the crowd that tried to quiet them (they cried out all the more). Chapter 20. Something of affinity there is between this parable and that of the prodigal son, where he that returned from his wandering, was as dear to his father as he was, that never went astray; first and last alike. His wounds are those which he receives in the house of his friend. (Spurgeon). iv. 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. New International Version (NIV). The third and fourth legions had the same advantage in their turns. When the account was taken; when the evening was come, then, as usual, the day-labourers were called and paid. [2.] This attitude threatened to be carried forward into the Christian Church. The second lesson is even greater--all God gives is of grace. It is enough to meet a difficulty which many feel by the simple plea that the reason assigned is in my judgment a valid explanation, and in itself a sufficient solution of the apparent discrepancy. A complete new set of values has been brought into life. Error: Passwords should have at least 6 characters, Error: Usernames should only contain letters, numbers, dots, dashes, or underscores. Grant that these two sons of mine may sit: Asking on behalf of her sons (note to whom Jesus replies in Matthew 20:22-23), she wanted prominent positions for them in the messianic administration of Jesus. On the other hand, it is not too much to say, that the same Scriptures which convince one unbiassed mind that pays heed to these notes of time, will produce no less effect on others. Humble service is the great prerequisite, as shown by Jesus own ministry. The evil spirits asked leave to pass into the herd of swine, which thus typify the final condition of the defiled, apostate mass of Israel; their presumptuous and impenitent unbelief reduces them to that deep degradation not merely the unclean, but the unclean filled with the power of Satan, and carried down to swift destruction. (iii) These are the original lessons of this parable, but it has very much more to say to us. d T. Hieros. Next, the storm follows. We begin with the comparatively limited significance it originally had. Yet they were paid exactly the same. It is true, we have only one in Mark, as in Luke; whereas in our gospel we have two. Paul was as one born out of due time, yet came not behind the chiefest of the apostles, and outdid those that were in Christ before him. [At the end of his parable about the Kingdom of Heaven being like workers hired at different times during the day, Jesus said,] "So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.". NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. 1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Succa, fol. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. All rights reserved worldwide. Is thine eye evil, because I am good? Luke-Acts Friend, I am doing you no wrong. First, The general pay (Matthew 20:9; Matthew 20:10); They received every man a penny. It is not a question of bringing in law to govern the kingdom or guide the Church. we have in Peter what man is, even after all this. The rich young ruler was not converted: far from being so, he could not stand the test applied by Christ out of His own love, and, as we are told, "went away sorrowful." A man is not a Christian if his first concern is pay. God, by his gospel, is hiring labourers into his vineyard, to dress it, and keep it, paradise-work. But Jesus called them unto him, and he said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. The Jewish day began at sunrise, 6 a.m., and the hours were counted from then until 6 p.m., when officially the next day began. It appears to me, that the nature or aim of Mark's gospel demands this. 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. For many be called, but few chosen.The warning is repeated after the parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:14), and as it stands there in closer relation with the context, that will be the fitting place for dwelling on it. A reaction might especially be expected when Jesus said He would be betrayed. THE MASTER SEEKS HIS WORKERS ( Matthew 20:1-16 ), 20:1-16 "For the situation in the Kingdom of Heaven is like what happened when a householder went out first thing in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 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 order of payment was important. Judgment will have early cut them off. First, it sheds a light on the disciples. In this work we must not be slothful, not loiterers, but labourers, working, and working out our own salvation. For many are called, but few chosen." a. The man's walk before them testifies to the reality of his forgiveness before God. There will be differences at the close. of their own children, or of strangers?" Whatever might be the Church or the kingdom, it is precisely when the Lord unfolds His new glory in both the kingdom and the Church that He maintains the proprieties of nature in their rights and integrity. Parents, and the disciples, like the Pharisees, were shown that grace, just because it is the expression of what God is to a ruined world, takes notice of what man in his own imaginary dignity might count altogether petty. Minor Prophets Men were in the grip of a power of evil which they could not break; their sins dragged them down; their sins separated them from God; their sins wrecked life for themselves and for the world and for God himself. iii. 8, could not deny what was done in the case of the leper, who showed himself duly, and brought his offering, according to the law, to the altar. range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard . (Matthew 20:22-23) Jesus answers James and John: when you ask for a place of special status, do you know what you ask for? Here is royalty and kingship restated and remade. conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy It is not enough that Israel be awakened from the sleep of death, and see aright. Thus the old link with the flesh, with Israel, is now disowned; and the new relationships of faith, founded on doing the will of His Father (it is not a question of the law in any sort), are alone acknowledged. Chapter 8, which opens the portion that comes before us tonight, is a striking illustration as well as proof of the method which God has been pleased to employ in giving us the apostle Matthew's account of our Lord Jesus. HEARTLIGHT is a registered service mark of Heartlight, Inc. | Privacy Policy. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Thus it is easy to see, that the reason for here putting together the leper and the centurion lies in the Lord's dealing with the Jew, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, in His deep grace working in the Gentile's heart, and forming his faith, as well as answering it, according to His own heart. Jesus came to give his life a ransom for many. Such is His grace, such His wisdom. get to know the Bible better! So now we have, in the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, another fact containing a principle of great value, that His grace towards the Gentile does not in the least degree blunt His heart to the claims of relationship after the flesh. As the elder brother, in the parable of the prodigal, repined at the reception of his younger brother, and complained of his father's generosity to him; so these labourers quarrelled with their master, and found fault, not because they had not enough, so much as because others were made equal with them.

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