Matthew 20:1-16
Background
Jesus told this parable to explain the
statement, "the first will be last and last first." This statement
bookends the parable (vv19:30; 20:16). It connects the preceding account
wherein the rich young ruler asked the Lord Jesus Christ about eternal life (19:16-30)
and the parable. This statement seems to be Jesus' reply to the response of the
rich young ruler (19:22), but, it is not. Jesus' statement is his reply to
Peter's words.
The response of Peter is twofold. First, he
is presenting what he had done. He said to Jesus the fact that he and the other
disciples have left everything to follow Jesus (19:27a). Second, he is
expecting more (19:27a) based on the fact he presented. For this reason, the
statement of Jesus in verse 30 connects the previous account and the parable of
"Laborers in the Vineyard."
Plot
Scene 1 - Introduction (vv1-7) The Hiring
First Group (vv1-2)
The master went out at first hour.
Agreed with one denarius for the whole day work.
They were sent in the vineyard.
Second Group (vv3-4)
The master went out at third hour.
He saw standing laborers standing idle in the marketplace
They were sent in the vineyard with agreement (whatever is right, the
master will give to them)
Third Group (v5)
The master went out at sixth hour.
He saw laborers standing idle in the marketplace
They were sent in the vineyard with agreement (whatever is right, the
master will give to them
Fourth Group (v6)
The master went out at ninth hour.
He saw laborers standing idle in the marketplace.
They were sent in the vineyard with agreement (whatever is right, the
master will give to them)
Fifth Group (vv6b-7)
The master went out at eleventh hour.
He found others standing.
He asked them the reason why
they are standing idle in the marketplace.
They replied because no one likes to hire them.
He sent them.
In this scene there are three actions that
completed the hiring. The first action is the act of going out, which was performed
by the master of the house, who is also the owner of the vineyard. He did the
act five times (vv1, 3, 5, 6) in a particular time of the day (early in the
morning, third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hour). In the first period of time,
he went out to hire laborers who will work in his vineyard. The second up to
the fifth period of time, he went out again. Though there is no mention of intention
to hire laborers, the fact that he went to marketplace where people are waiting
for someone who will hire them, it is plausible that he still has intention to
hire laborers.
The second action is the act of
negotiating. The master of the house negotiates with the first group of
laborers. The outcome of the negotiation is that they will work in the vineyard
for a denarius (a day salary). In addition, the master of the house negotiates
also with the laborers hired on the third, sixth, and ninth hour. He said to
them that he will give them what is right. In this negotiation, there is no
specific amount that they agreed upon, rather they just hold on to the promise
of the master of the house that they will receive what is right. Unlike with
the first four groups of laborers, there is no negotiation that occurred between
the owner of the house and the hired laborers on the eleventh hour. Surely they
will receive a payment. They know that they will receive something, but less
than what the other laborers may receive.
The third action is the act of sending.
After he invited the laborers, he immediately sent them to his vineyard.
However, it is obvious that the act of sending is preceded by different
conditions. The first group was sent after the negotiation to a certain amount
(v2). The word "agreed" implies that there is a certain negotiation
that happened before the laborers were sent. In the same manner, there is a
negotiation also between master and the second, third, and fourth group, but it
is different with the first group. In the first group they agreed for a
specific amount while the next groups were just promised that the master will
give them what is right before they were sent (vv4-5). While there is a
negotiation that occurred between the master and the first group of laborers
before they were sent, the last group of laborers was sent without negotiation.
The presence and the absence of negotiation is the first key to understand the
explanation of Jesus' statement, "first will be last, and last
first." It is very obvious in the parable that the first group of hired
laborers are those whom Jesus describes as first who became last.
The next scene gives an explanation of the
statement.
Scene 2 - Link Event (8-9) The Compensating
The Giving of Instruction (v8)
The
master of the house gives his foreman a charge for the compensation of the
laborers.
Call
and Pay the Laborers
Order
of Compensation: From Last group to First Group
The Receiving of Compensation (v9)
The
coming of the last group of laborers
The
receiving of denarius
Jesus carefully crafted this scene in order
to emphasize statement, "last will be first, and first last." The
phrase in verse 8, "And when evening came," marks the beginning of
this scene. This is the end of the work for that day, and the time for the
laborers to receive their wages. This is just an hour after the hiring of the
last group of laborers (see v12). The giving of instruction of the master of
the house to the foreman is the key in this scene. The instruction is to call
them and give their wages with the emphasis of the order by which they will be
compensated. The order is from the last to the first hired laborers that
emphasizes the statement that the Lord Jesus wants the disciples to know.
The master of the house has given his
foreman, who is in charge of the laborers' wages (v8), an instruction. The
instruction is to call the laborers and pay them for their work. In order to emphasize the statement, Jesus
added the order by which the laborers will receive their wages. They are
arranged from the last group to the first group of laborers. This is what
happened in verse 9. Those who were hired about the last hour of the work are
called first to receive their wages, a denarius. The receiving of a denarius by
the last group of laborers is the key event that bridged the next scene where
crisis will arise.
Scene 3 - The problem (vv10-12) - The
Accusing
When the first group of laborers found out
that the last group had received a denarius, they started to expect more than
what the last group had received (v10). The basis of their expectation is the
comparison of their works in terms of
intensity and time. This comparison is very evident in verse 12.
The expectation, however, leads to
frustration when they received their compensation in the last part of verse 10.
The first group of laborers has forgotten the agreement they agreed upon in
verse 2, instead they focused on comparing themselves to others. Because of
this, their expectation frustrates them that led to grumbling.
The first group of laborers cannot hold
anymore the feeling of disappointment. Their emotion controlled them, and they
started to complain. In verse 12 they expressed their feeling of
disappointment. As a result, they accused the owner of the house of injustice.
In their complaint, they insisted that they deserved to receive more than the others.
They focused on what they have done, rather than the promised amount they
agreed upon. Moreover, they are claiming that they are superior and they should
receive more than the others.
Scene 4 - Climax (vv13-15) - The
Confrontation
Their grumbling implies that the master had
done them wrong. The master defended himself by telling them that he did not
wrong anyone, nor did exploit them. The owner of the house confronts them in
two ways. First, he brought up the negotiation in which they all agreed upon before
they worked. The rhetorical question in verse 13 confronts their accusing
attitude, "Did you not agree with me for a denarius?" The negotiation
tells that their accusation is invalid because he is fair on the basis of what
they have agreed upon. When he brought the agreement, they can no longer
complain, and the only thing that they could do is to receive what belongs to
them according to the negotiation. Second, he confronts them by telling them
his rights in his possession. In the last statement in verse14 when he paid the
last group the same amount like that of the first group, there is no violation
of agreement, nor is anyone who has been treated with injustice. The showing of
grace to others is not an act of injustice.
Scene 5 - Conclusion (v16) - The Last will be
the First and the First Last
The last statement in the parable is not
part of the parable. This is not the statement of the master of the house,
rather the concluding statement of Jesus Christ. The said statement is the
reinstatement of Jesus' last statement in the previous passage (Matt 19:30).
Therefore, this statement is where the whole parable is hanged on.
Argument
The whole argument of Jesus is the
statement, ". . . first will be last, and the last first" (19:30)
reinstated reversely in 20:16. The parable of the Richman and Lazarus is the
explanation of the statement. Every bit of information in the parable hangs on
this statement. If one loses sight of this argument of Jesus, the it is more
possible to miss the very point that Jesus wanted to emphasize. Understanding
the whole parable in the light of the argument is the key to interpret Jesus'
argument.
The Interpretation of the Argument
The exegetical question to be asked is,
"Who are the last who became first and the first who became last?"
Although the statement is focusing on two different group of people, the focus
of the parable is on the first hired group more than the last hired groups. Let
us examine the characters in the parable.
The first who became last, based on the
parable, are the people who were hired first. There are 3 strong evidences that
the first hired group are the first who became last. First, the order during
the receiving of compensation in verse 8. Jesus emphasizes the order of groups
of hired workers in receiving their salary in order to point out that the first
hired group will be the last. Second, the first hired group has a wrong
understanding of what they received. They thought that the master of the house
will base the salary in terms of their works (v12). But they got it wrong. The
master of the house has based the salary according to his generosity. The
agreement of one denarius is not based on the kind of work the laborers will
render, but, it is based on the character of the master of the house. Third,
they accused the owner of the house. The reply of the owner of the house (v13)
implies that he was accused by the first hired group of being unjust. Therefore,
the first hired workers are the first who became last.
This evidences that the first who became
last is a reminder of Jesus to Peter not to be like the first hired group of
workers. Peter's understanding of what they can get by leaving everything to follow
Christ is the basis of God's promise. Jesus emphasizes earlier the
impossibility of any person to enter in the Kingdom of God. Entering into the
Kingdom of God is not a salary nor reward, but because God is so gracious. This
also has something to do with the rich young ruler's understanding of entering
the Kingdom of God. He thought that he has a capability to do what the law
demands instead of understanding his real condition, and his need of a Savior.
In addition, the rich man and Peter's evaluation of themselves, that they did
something better than others, is the same as that of the first hired groups'
thought that they did more in the vineyard than the others. Therefore, this
parable explains the statement of Jesus "the first will be last and last
first" and to give a right understanding of doing something for the
Lord.
This parable serves as a warning to every
person in the church who is serving. Whether a pastor, a deacon, a worker in
the church, and others, to understand the reason why they are serving is
because God is so gracious. They must not think that they are doing better than
the others in the Kingdom of God. Serving the Lord is an act of gratitude to
God who saves. It is not something to brag about in order to demand something to
the Lord. God does not look at how long the people serve Him, but the attitude
while working in His vineyard.
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