Christ Conversation Jesus Stories: Sovereign Salaries: Matthew 20:1-16 www.christconversation.com [Matthew 20:1-16, ESV] “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’* 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
* v.15 – “Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” (KJV) Meaning: an evil heart as is revealed in distrusting This parable follows the rich man’s rejection of eternal life offered by Jesus. When called to sell all he had, distribute it to the poor and follow Jesus, the young man had too much wealth to surrender. The disciples were amazed: wealth was considered to be a blessing from God – a reward for righteousness. If a wealthy man could not make it into the kingdom, what hope did the disciples have? The following parable speaks of justice, mercy and grace.
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1. What are two approaches that help define how to interpret this parable? 2. What was the agreement between the master of the house (ESV) and the workers hired at different times? 3. For the day hired – what was the concern of the master of the house? For the workers? 4. What was the payout at the end of the day? 5. What was the complaint of those hired early in the morning? 6. How does the perspective of the ‘purpose of the day’ form the differing attitudes of the workers and the master?
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Justice, Grace and Mercy: 7. The early workers felt they were treated unjustly even though they readily agreed to the terms. Would you feel the same way? 8. How would you define justice? How would you define non-justice? 9. Is anyone treated unjustly in this parable?
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10. In this kind of setting, what would it be called if the master of the house gave the early workers more? 11. In what ways do you see the sovereignty of the master of the house in this parable? a. John 15:16 b. Romans 9:15 12. At one level, it seems this parable speaks to the opportunity to serve, rather than the accomplishments of serving. In what sense can you see this? 13. How would you apply this parable in your life right now? 14. Here’s some verses I think about: a. Job 1:21; 2:9-10 b. Proverbs 2:5-6; 1 Corinthians 13:11-13 c. Philippians 4:11-13
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Part of understanding this parable—especially if taken from the perspective of it speaking of heavenly rewards—will be covered on Sunday. A question came forward in an email responding to my request for questions for Sunday’s Q&A: I know that the only reason we are in a right relationship with God is because Jesus's righteousness has been imputed to us as believers. Because of His sin offering, we can stand before God pure and blameless. But yet the Bible clearly states that we will all be held to account for what we've done (good and bad) on earth. How do we reconcile these seemingly contradictory facts?
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This is a great question about what for many is a confusing topic.
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Hope to see you there!
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