The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard 20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. God pours out His benevolent gifts to undeserving sinners, not in exchange for any effort on their part, but rather as an expression of His grace. The workers in the parable likely worked and lived day to day, as evidenced by the fact that the owner continually found unemployed workers throughout the day. With Brenda poorly, Sir Barry offers Phil a bit of extra work. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Those young men and the lofty “warriors” looked up to by others all died in the wilderness because of complaining about God; eventually only the women and children who obeyed His sovereignty and arrangements and never complained about Him entered Canaan. The one work day depicted in the parable can be interpreted to culminate in death and salvation or to mark the beginning of a new, secure life in Christ; both interpretations work. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[ a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard. In the course of His salvation work, the truth He bestows to us and the environments and opportunities He arranges for us are all the same. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? The Christian life is not uncommonly thought of as one confined by rules and restrictions. The workers represent people who convert to Christianity: the early workers are Christians born in the faith, who have spent most of their lives in the church, while the last workers are Christians who convert either on their deathbed or close to Jesus’ second coming. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Based on The Parable of The Workers in the Vineyard from Matthew 20: 1-16. He doesn’t make anyone obtain less, or make anyone obtain much more. The Lord Jesus has returned. The parable seems to support an odd loophole to salvation, that getting into heaven is decided by a technicality of whether your sins have been forgiven rather than that you love God and want to spend eternity with Him. Then, a landowner offers you work and you go, glad to have at least a chance to earn some money. However, when the Lord Jesus came to work, He didn’t choose them, nor appear to work among them according to people’s notions and imaginations, but instead He chose the fisherman Peter, the farmer John and others as His disciples outside of the temple because He knew the Pharisees didn’t have a God-revering heart. You run home and tell your family. The denarius, then, represents salvation. Is this not because my conceptions and imaginations are not compatible with the standard by which God judges man? 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. The Bible re…, The True Meaning of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard – Bible Study, Christian Testimony Video “Can Knowledge Really Change Your Fate?”, 2020 Christian Testimony Video “Farewell, My Dream of Being a Star” A True Christian Story. As the day goes on, workers who began at the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hour are likewise hired with the promise of being paid “whatever is right” at the end of the day (Matt. The owner replies, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Salvation is not God’s reward for our efforts, as the rich young man assumed, but purely the gift of a loving, fatherly God. Jesus wants each of us to understand more about His kingdom. Significance of Jesus’ Appearance to Doubting Thomas After His Resurrection, Only the Honest Can Enter the Kingdom of Heaven—A Commentary on Matthew 18:3, Today’s Verse: Jeremiah 1:8 – God Is With Us. And the later workers, having received the gospel, return home that much more eager to spread the good news and to return to work the next day. Moreover, they resisted His work with their knowledge of the Bible and their notions and imaginations. In an earlier post I wrote about the parables of Jesus in general, and about the parable of the workers in the vineyard in particular (Matthew 20: 1-16). Have you read and do you agree to our privacy policy? He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. Hence we shouldn’t measure God’s work with our conceptions and imaginations. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is a follow-up to the disciples’ astonishment, "Then who can be saved?" Why did those hired first and those hired last gain the same penny? In the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), Jesus compares workers’ wages to the kingdom of heaven. Finally, they will attain the truth and have a pleasant destination. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 20:12, NKJV). From this, I realized that if we want to receive God’s blessings, we should have a heart that loves and longs for the truth, and practically pursue the truth and walk in His way, and in so doing, we will receive His blessings. What Does “a Great Sound of a Trumpet” in the Bible Prophecy Mean? “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). Why the Lord Jesus Is Called Christ? But what's God's intention behind it? Everybody comes to work at different times and received the same amount of wage at the end. Or are you envious because I am generous?” and finishes with the most famous line of the parable: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matt. This article will tell you the difference between Christ and the anointed one. A great many Christians have read the parable of the workers in the vineyard said by the Lord Jesus. While, some people haven’t believed in God for very long, but they have a heart that loves and craves the truth. But, the man pays all of … Is the Lord Jesus the Son or the Father? On the contrary, though the disciples of the Lord and the Jews who followed Him had less knowledge of the Bible and didn’t, like the Pharisees, travel around the world preaching the gospel and work hard, yet they had a fearful and seeking heart and also had a thirst for the truth. But such an interpretation raises more questions. That evening, the owner generously rewards one denarius to each of the late workers, but when he offers one denarius to the first workers, they complain, 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” (Matt. The parable of the workers in the vineyard as politics and economics. 11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 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.’ 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. 14 Take your pay and go. But what if the parable was not about salvation but about the gospel? Parable Of The Workers In The Vineyard Matthew 20:1-16. When speaking of the nature of our heavenly reward, the parable of the vineyard workers is often cited to prove that each will receive a similar heavenly reward. Some interpretations of this parable use it as justification for the “deathbed conversion,” where repentance and confirmation of salvation occur directly before death. What Kind of Preachers Are in Harmony With God’s Will? You can opt out if you wish. He gives to you in time and in proportion, not letting you go hungry, cold or thirsty, right? It seems to go against the principle of fairness – and it turns out that this is the point. How will Christ’s kingdom appear on earth? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. The parable has often been interpreted to mean that even those who are converted late in life earn equal rewards along with those converted early, and also that people who convert early in life need not feel jealous of those later converts. There is no other choice but this” (“You Ought to Do Enough Good Deeds to Prepare for Your Destination”). Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Parable of the vineyard workers (1-15) The landowner hires workers (1-7) The landowner pays workers (8-10) The workers complain about unjust wages (11-12) The landowner responds to their complaints (13-15) Jesus predicts His death and suffering (17-19) I. How will Christ’s kingdom appear on earth? In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus resembled the kingdom of heaven to a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. He goes out of his way to make sure that everyone knows that all are paid the same in spite of the different number of hours work… 1 For the kingdom of heaven of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Want to learn more? 20:12, NKJV). The work in the vineyard in the parable represents the gospel of God. For God doesn’t look at our status, seniority, our time spent believing in Him or amount of suffering, thus regardless of whether we are leaders or ordinary believers, all those who long for and seek the truth and who are humble or obedient will obtain God’s enlightenment and blessings, like the laborers who went into the vineyard late. The first group of workers in the vineyard resented receiving the same wage as the last group. I thought, “If those of us who have sacrificed and labored for the Lord for many years finally get the same wages as those who work for Him late, won’t this be God purposely favoring the latecomers?” I always thought so. On the other hand, imagine what it would be like to be one of the last workers, having fruitlessly waited anxiously all day for some work so that you could feed your family. Matthew 20:1-16.PARABLE OF THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD. The meaning of the parable. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? “I and my Father are one,” said the Lord Jesus, but He called God in heaven by the name of Father as He prayed. … We can find the parable of "the workers in the vineyard" in Matthew 20:1-16.Jesus doesn't explain the meaning of this parable to us so we'll have to work hard to understand it and pray that God would give us "the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. Those hired at five o'clock put in only one hour of work. If we can grasp this key it ignites life with passion, energy and devotion. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard is about coveting, about our frustration with the grace of God as it applies not to us, but to others. Take another example: The Jewish chief priests, Pharisees and scribes believed that they were familiar with the Bible and the law and some of them traveled far and wide to preach the gospel, so they felt that they worked most and had impressive qualifications, and that they were best qualified to welcome the Messiah and receive His selection. The Origin of Easter and the Meaning of the Lord Jesus’ Resurrection, Christian Movie Clip: God's Destruction of the Earth With a Flood. Daily Devotionals Bring You Closer to God. Our narrator, who grew up in a poor family of farmers, takes the phrase “Knowledge can change your fate” as … Read More Christian Testimony Video “Can Knowledge Really Change Your Fate?”, The main character was once a theater actor, and after gaining her faith in God she acted in a few … Read More 2020 Christian Testimony Video “Farewell, My Dream of Being a Star” A True Christian Story. The parable reinforces one of the greatest lessons of the Christian experience as seen in the sinful woman washing the feet of Jesus (Luke 7:36-50), the paralyzed man in Capernaum (Mark 2:1-12), and thousands others who have been moved by faith: often the promise of salvation, more than actual salvation itself, drives the Christian faith. We are "hired" to work for God, and when we grasp this truth it gives our lives, and even the work we do in our lives, purpose and meaning. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. They clearly knew that the Lord Jesus’ word has authority and has power, and yet they were not willing to let go of their status or seek the truth, much less accept God’s new work. The owner replies, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. By Li Bian God will descend secretly before the great tribulation and appear publicly to man after the tribulation. That is, when God bestows these things on man, does He have a selfish motive? The parable of the workers in the vineyard is about several workers who are hired by a man who owns a vineyard, over different periods of time. The workers who were hired early in the morning began to complain, "Hey! About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. Christ is the flesh of God incarnate. But the owner pays everyone a full days wage (a denarius). When questioned as to why they are not working, they reply in verse seven that “no one has hired [them]” (Matt. Peter himself was thinking that he was deserving of salvation . (No.) Disbelief. When God does these things, what does God require of man? Let's look at this parable for what we can learn about the work God is doing. God will not favor one person over another due to someone being a new believer, who has only believed for a couple of months, or someone who has believed for two years, for 10 years or for 20 years; nor will He treat each and every person, or anyone, differently because of their age, their appearance, their gender, the family they were born into or their family’s background, right? For many are called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20:1-16, NKJV). As it turned out, God treats everyone fairly. Just as a passage in a book says, “I decide the destination of each man not on the basis of age, seniority, amount of suffering, or least of all, the degree of misery, but on whether they possess truth. 13:11). Elation. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. How Can We Welcome the Lord’s Return in the Face of the Frequent Disasters? Not simply because they were first were they last, but because they had the wrong spirit of work. Both of these interpretations are discussed in Matthew Henry's 1706 Commentary on the Bible. The conclusion of the parable still raises uncomfortable questions. What’s the True Meaning of “I and My Father Are One”? 20 “This will help you understand the way heaven’s kingdom operates: “There once was a wealthy landowner who went out at daybreak to hire all the laborers he could find to work in his vineyard. He looks deep into man’s heart and has a thorough understanding of us. 20: 13-16, NIV). Christina Park ’20 is a freshman living in Stoughton. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Whether a Christian has lived a long life serving the Lord, or only found the Lord late in life, all will receive the same reward from God, we are told. All those who come to Christ, no matter when, will receive the same gift of salvation. I saw that God eventually decides man’s outcome based purely on whether he possesses truth. Workers brought on at different times Take your pay and go. The one work day depicted in the parable can be interpreted to culminate in death and salvation or to mark the beginning of a new, secure life in Christ; both interpretations work. Are some of us just “unluckily” born into a life where our Christian status prohibits (or “strongly discourages”) pre-marital sex, alcohol consumption, or relationships with non-Christians? The Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). I paid you what I agreed to pay you. 6 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?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’. 20:4). Instead, we should pursue the truth and be obedient in the environment He has created for us. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. This is one of the hardest parable to accept. Have you read and do you agree to our Privacy Policy? He hasn’t done this, has He? The parable usually known as 'The workers in the vineyard' in Matthew 20: 1-16 is a strange tale. Bible Verses for Reference: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, … Read More You say that during the last days, God does the work of judgment in order to class each according to his kind, to reward good and punish evil, to bring the old age to an end, and that, ultimately, Christ’s kingdom shall be realized on earth. Today I’ll cover The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-15). Second, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard is about the first and the last. (Matthew 20:16) This statement, along with the parable, indicates that those who are saved last (whether that be late in their life or late in the history of the world) will receive the same reward as those who were saved first. CHAPTER 20. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. You say that during the last days, God does the work of judgment in order to class each according to his kind, to reward good and punish evil, to bring the old age to an end, and that, ultimately, Christ’s kingdom shall be realized on earth. When it was time to pay the workers, he paid them all the same. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. This is for certain, isn’t it?” (“Man is the Greatest Beneficiary of God’s Management Plan”). The first workers were lucky – they found work quickly, with a man who promised them the standard wage for common laborers. Background: There are 6 main characters in this parable: 1) the landowner—God, 2) the vineyard—Israel, 3) the tenants/farmers—the Jewish religious leadership, 4) the landowner’s servants—the prophets who remained obedient and preached God’s word to the people of Israel, 5) the son—Jesus, and 6) the other tenants—the Gentiles. They wandered in the wilderness for forty years. A. Whether we ultimately attain the truth depends on whether we love and seek the truth. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? His first workers agree to work for one denarius, equal to about one day’s wages. He explained many of the parables that He told to His disciples. What is Christ? This is what a sensible creation should do. So, God decides our different outcomes on the basis of our essence and there is absolutely no deviation. He establishes one’s outcome not according to the outward objective factors but according to whether he attains the truth. 3 When it was about nine o’clock in the morning, he went out again and saw others standing around in the market place without work. When so understood, the parable becomes a warning to the apostles who, as the first workers in the vineyard, might through an improper spirit end up as last in the kingdom. I reflected: Why can’t I praise the righteousness of God in this matter but always rely on my conceptions and imaginations to look at things and complain about God? For many are called, but few chosen." He agreed to pay the first set of workers a denarius a day. 20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a… To each and every person this is fair and reasonable. if the first are last and the last are first, would we not want to be like those late workers, having only to have worked one hour before receiving the same reward? ... they would not understand their meaning. The owner of a vineyard hires day laborers at various times throughout the day. . The Words Spoken by God (Job 2:3) … Read More “God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II” (Excerpt 43). Christian Movie Clip: God's Destruction of the Earth With a Flood Jehovah God said: “The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled …. Under God’s enlightenment and guidance, I understood: No matter how much God’s work does not fit with our notions, He is righteous. The Parable For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. A more careful reading of the parable offers an alternate meaning behind Jesus’ words. An alternative interpretation identifies the early laborers as Jews, some of whom resent the late-comers (Gentiles) being welcomed as equals in God's Kingdom. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. In this post I go into more detail about how the parable works, and what it might mean. And what will the beauty of the kingdom look like? Thus the Lord Jesus bestowed the gospel of the kingdom of heaven and the way of repentance upon them, so that they could receive His salvation. They often pray to God, seek the truth and act according to His word when encountering things. The Gospel reading was -- and remains -- one of the most incendiary of Jesus' parables: that of the generous landowner and the vineyard workers he hired in the morning. The Church is based on the forgiveness of sins purchased and won by Christ on the cross. This is Part 16 in a series about reclaiming the true meaning of Jesus’ teachings (Part 15 here). Then . And, you return to work for him the next chance you get because you have found a generous boss. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They served God using their years of work as capital; they arrogantly and stubbornly held to themselves and denied the appearance of God because the Lord Jesus was not called Messiah. He likens “the kingdom of heaven,” or the way things are when God sets the standards, to a situation in which hardworking, reliable people get shafted. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. You tell your friends. In Matthew 20 Christ spoke a parable of workers toiling away in a vineyard. The essence of some people’s nature neither loves nor pursues the truth. Jesus often uses parables to reveal what the kingdom of heaven is like. At dusk, after I prayed to the Lord at my desk, I read chapter 20 of the Gospel of Matthew where it says that those who went into the vineyard early finally got the same wages as those who went late. In this interpretation, the reward is not only the denarius, which represents salvation, but also the opportunity of work that brings relief to the workers. Instead, it means that they do not have to worry for as long about their futures. It’s A Story About Generosity Maybe no other words attributed to Jesus cause as much offense to ethical calculations as his Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). 20: 13-16, NIV). Then, he went again around the third hour, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours and hired more helpers. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ – Find the Shepherd. Even though they have believed in God for many years, they have missed every chance given by God to gain the truth, and they will attain nothing in the end. The owner is God ; The first workers ; The apostles and others who have given all (as in Peters question) The other workers ; Those who have not given as much as the first workers ; Perhaps those who were converted later in life or didnt have the opportunity or ability to do as much; 8 The meaning of the parable. While God doesn’t judge people by these. Therefore they were eliminated by the Lord Jesus’ work. Being hired earlier is not indicative of being subjected to restrictions for a longer time. This understanding prepares the reader for the parable in which the master of t… This parable, recorded only by Matthew, is closely connected with the end of the nineteenth chapter, being spoken with reference to Peter's question as to how it should fare with those who, like himself, had left all for Christ. Text: Matthew 20:1-16 I. Even in the “deathbed conversion” interpretation of the parable, the fact that all workers receive the same wages does not indicate that Christians are given a free pass in life as long as they repent before they die. He portrays how one enters the kingdom and who the different characters are. I determine who deserves to win God’s approval on the basis of who has believed in God for a long time, who understands the Bible more, who works hard or who is respected by people. Are we free to knowingly live a life of sin, as long as we make that last confession before death? About Us / Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Cookies Policy / Copyright © 2020 Find the Shepherd - All rights reserved. I thought back to when God led the Israelites out of Egypt. Or are you envious because I am generous?” and finishes with the most famous line of the parable: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matt. 2 And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage, he sent them into his vineyard. At the end of the day the people who are hired first expect to be paid more than those hired later. . 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And what will the beauty of the kingdom look like? The Warnings Noah’s Ark Gives to the People of the Last Days, How to Pray So That God Hears Our Prayers, Know in 3 Minutes How to Get Your Prayers Listened by God. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? He told them, "You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay … The author gained the light after pondering the words in a book. Can the anointed one be called Christ? In this interpretation, the reward is not only the denarius, which represents salvation, but also the opportunity of work that brings relief to the workers.
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