A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
Matthew 20:1-19
Lesson #48
THE ONE REWARD ALL BELIEVERS RECEIVE EQUALLY
- Memory verse: 1 John 2:25
- Parable of the Householder and His Servants (Mat 20:1-16)
- This is an often misunderstood parable that many find very perplexing. It really isn’t that hard to understand.
- Read Mat 20:1-16
- This parable is spoken to Jesus’ disciples (Mat 19:27). It is a response to Peter’s question in chapter 19 verse 27.
- The story:
- A man hires workers for his vineyard. Some he hires early in the morning, some the third hour, some the sixth hour, some the ninth hour, some the eleventh hour. At the end of the day, he paid the workers all the same amount starting with the last and ending with the first.
- One’s first observation is that it doesn’t seem fair.
- And so the workers thought, too, that it was not fair so they were upset.
- Background:
- This situation was common practice in Israel at that time. The grape harvest ripened at the end of September before the season of heavy rain. If the grapes were not gathered before the rains came, the grapes were ruined. Therefore, there was a great rush to harvest before the rains came. If the rains threatened, any worker was welcome even if he could only work 1 hour.
- Workers stood in the market place waiting to be hired. In the market place was the local labor exchange. It is very much like places today where Mexican laborers stand waiting to be hired. They may wait all day before they get a job. These workers in Jesus day lived on the edge of starvation.
- Who does the “householder” represent (1)?
- The householder is Jesus Christ who is pictured as a diligent man in charge of a household. He is never idle for He is always looking for those who will work.
- As the householder (1), He promises, “whatsoever is just, that shall you receive” (4)
- As the lord of the vineyard (15), He claims the sovereign right to do what is His will in His own affairs. It is not for us to question His choice of workers or their reward.
- As the good man of the house (11), He retains the privilege of exercising His goodness and grace. Notice that it is because of His mercy that He hires the workers at the eleventh hour.
- Who do the laborers represent? The disciples and all believers.
- What does the vineyard represent (2)?
- The kingdom of God.
- What does the market place represent (3)?
- The marketplace is the worldi.
- It is the place where men (unbelievers) are slaves sold under sin. (Rom 7:14)
- What does the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hour represent?
- The third hour = 9 a.m.
- The sixth hour = 12 noon
- The ninth hour = 3 p.m.
- The eleventh hour = 5 p.m.
- These represent specific points in time; individual stages in one’s life. Some people come to Christ at a young age early in life, some at middle age, some late in life, some on their death bed.
- What does the wage for a day (Denarius) represent (2)?
- Notice they all get paid the same wage.
- Therefore, the pay that all believers receive equally is eternal life.
- How do you explain that all the laborers received the same pay?
- God is sovereign. He does what He wants with His creation and His eternal kingdom. Who are we to complain that God is not fair when He gives to each one exactly what He promised?
- Read Rom 9:14-24
- Who are we to say that person is not worth saving? The value of each individual soul is equal in God’s eyes, no matter what the person has done in his life.
- Notice that it is because of His mercy that He pays the worker from the eleventh hour the same wage as the one at the beginning.
- Some important things to notice:
- Notice that the only criteria are the willingness on the part of the worker to come and follow the householder to the vineyard.
- It is important to note that we do not work for eternal life, but that it is promised to the one who comes into the vineyard. That’s why everyone is paid the same. It cannot be earned by the amount of hours you work for God. Once we get into the kingdom, we work for Christ because we love Him not to get paid an eternal life.
- God calls each of us at different stages in our lives depending on the condition of our heart toward Him.
- The quality of one’s Christian life is not determined by how long you have been a Christian, but how obedient you are to the Lord.
- We see the marvelous characteristics of God demonstrated in this parable.
- =1= We see His justice to reward those who come to Him.
The first workers had a contract for a specific amount of money.
In his justice, He fulfilled His contract and paid what He promised.
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- =2=We see His sovereignty to choose His workers and to pay them as He sees fit.
- =3= We see His grace and mercy that He calls anyone into His kingdom at all. By His mercy He paid the last worker the same as the first worker.
- Those three characteristics are perfectly balanced.
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- “The first shall be last and the last shall be first”
- A right motive (love) gives quality to one’s Christian walk and that quality is not determined by length of time you spend as a Christian.
- This parable has a two-fold warning:
- The disciples were the first to come into the kingdom. They must not claim special honor because they were first. There would be many others who would come into the kingdom in the ages to come. All are equal in God’s eyes.
- The disciples didn’t understand this part of the lesson. They violated it in Mat 20:20-28.
- This parable was a warning to the Jews that they were first called by God into the kingdom, but because they refused to work for God, He called the Gentiles.
- Therefore the Jews who were first will be last because God will not deal with them again nationally until the great tribulation period at the end of the age.
- The New Testament believers will go in the rapture of the church to be with the Lord before the Old Testament saints that will be resurrected at the second coming of Christ.
- What is the central truth of the parable?
- God uniquely calls each person at a point in his life when he is ready to respond to Him. To each one He calls, He gives eternal life.
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- Read Mat 20:17-19 Jesus predicts His death
- This is the fourth time in Matthew that Jesus has spoken about His coming death. He is prompted to speak of it because they are travelling to Jerusalem.
- Mat 12:38-42 The 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb.
- Mat 16:21-28 Peter rebuked Jesus for speaking of it.
- Mat 17:22-23 The disciples were angry.
- Jesus has given some new details not previously revealed to the disciples.
- Betrayal.
- Condemnation and a death sentence by the religious leaders of that time.
- Deliverance to the Gentiles.
- Persecution: mocking and scourging.
- Crucifixion.
- Resurrection on the third day.
- This is the fourth time in Matthew that Jesus has spoken about His coming death. He is prompted to speak of it because they are travelling to Jerusalem.
- Summary:
- There is another parable that goes along with this one that gives a good balance to what we see about the kingdom of God.
- The parable of the talents in Mat 25:14-28 where each servant is rewarded according to his work. We will study that one when we study Mat 25.
Homework
Matthew 20:20-34
- Application of Mat 20:1-19
- Give praise to God for calling you to a personal relationship with Him at the stage in life when you heard His call and answered by giving your heart to Jesus Christ.
- Write your testimony of how and when you came to give your life to Christ.
- Are you a laborer waiting for Christ to use you in His Kingdom?
- Pray that He will show you the work you are to do for Him.
- Answer honestly this question: By what motive do you do good works for the Lord?
- Preparation for Mat 20:20-34
- Read Mat 20:20-28
- What principles do you find in this passage that bring success in the kingdom of God?
- Read Mat 20:29-34
- What do you learn about Jesus from this miracle?
- What do you learn about faith from this miracle?
- Read Mat 20:20-28
- Memory verse: Mat 20:27
