2 And G1161 when he had agreed G4856 with G3326 the labourers G2040 for G1537 a penny G1220 a day, G2250 he sent G649 them G846 into G1519 his G846 vineyard. G290
For in the eighth H8083 year H8141 of his reign, H4427 while he was yet young, H5288 he began H2490 to seek H1875 after the God H430 of David H1732 his father: H1 and in the twelfth H8147 H6240 year H8141 he began H2490 to purge H2891 Judah H3063 and Jerusalem H3389 from the high places, H1116 and the groves, H842 and the carved images, H6456 and the molten images. H4541
And G2532 I heard G191 a voice G5456 in G1722 the midst G3319 of the four G5064 beasts G2226 say, G3004 A measure G5518 of wheat G4621 for a penny, G1220 and G2532 three G5140 measures G5518 of barley G2915 for a penny; G1220 and G2532 see thou hurt G91 not G3361 the oil G1637 and G2532 the wine. G3631
And G2532 on G1909 the morrow G839 when he departed, G1831 he took out G1544 two G1417 pence, G1220 and gave G1325 them to the host, G3830 and G2532 said G2036 unto him, G846 Take care G1959 of him; G846 and G2532 whatsoever G3748 G302 thou spendest more, G4325 when I G3165 come again, G1722 G1880 I G1473 will repay G591 thee. G4671
For G1063 he shall be G2071 great G3173 in the sight G1799 of the Lord, G2962 and G2532 shall drink G4095 neither G3364 wine G3631 nor G2532 strong drink; G4608 and G2532 he shall be filled G4130 with the Holy G40 Ghost, G4151 even G2089 from G1537 his G846 mother's G3384 womb. G2836
But G1161 he answered G611 one G1520 of them, G846 and said, G2036 Friend, G2083 I do G91 thee G4571 no G3756 wrong: G91 didst G4856 not G3780 thou agree G4856 with me G3427 for a penny? G1220
But G1161 the same G1565 servant G1401 went out, G1831 and found G2147 one G1520 of his G846 fellowservants, G4889 which G3739 owed G3784 him G846 an hundred G1540 pence: G1220 and G2532 he laid hands G2902 on him, G846 and took him by the throat, G4155 saying, G3004 Pay G591 me G3427 that G3748 thou owest. G3784
Now therefore, if ye will obey H8085 my voice H6963 indeed, H8085 and keep H8104 my covenant, H1285 then ye shall be a peculiar treasure H5459 unto me above all people: H5971 for all the earth H776 is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom H4467 of priests, H3548 and an holy H6918 nation. H1471 These are the words H1697 which thou shalt speak H1696 unto the children H1121 of Israel. H3478
And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone H3212 from thee, that the Spirit H7307 of the LORD H3068 shall carry H5375 thee whither I know H3045 not; and so when I come H935 and tell H5046 Ahab, H256 and he cannot find H4672 thee, he shall slay H2026 me: but I thy servant H5650 fear H3372 the LORD H3068 from my youth. H5271
And Solomon H8010 said, H559 Thou hast shewed H6213 unto thy servant H5650 David H1732 my father H1 great H1419 mercy, H2617 according as he walked H1980 before H6440 thee in truth, H571 and in righteousness, H6666 and in uprightness H3483 of heart H3824 with thee; and thou hast kept H8104 for him this great H1419 kindness, H2617 that thou hast given H5414 him a son H1121 to sit H3427 on his throne, H3678 as it is this day. H3117 And now, O LORD H3068 my God, H430 thou hast made thy servant H5650 king H4427 instead of David H1732 my father: H1 and I am but a little H6996 child: H5288 I know H3045 not how to go out H3318 or come in. H935 And thy servant H5650 is in the midst H8432 of thy people H5971 which thou hast chosen, H977 a great H7227 people, H5971 that cannot be numbered H4487 nor counted H5608 for multitude. H7230 Give H5414 therefore thy servant H5650 an understanding H8085 heart H3820 to judge H8199 thy people, H5971 that I may discern H995 between good H2896 and bad: H7451 for who is able H3201 to judge H8199 this thy so great H3515 a people? H5971 And the speech H1697 pleased H3190 H5869 the Lord, H136 that Solomon H8010 had asked H7592 this thing. H1697 And God H430 said H559 unto him, Because thou hast asked H7592 this thing, H1697 and hast not asked H7592 for thyself long H7227 life; H3117 neither hast asked H7592 riches H6239 for thyself, nor hast asked H7592 the life H5315 of thine enemies; H341 but hast asked H7592 for thyself understanding H995 to discern H8085 judgment; H4941
And Samuel H8050 said H559 unto Jesse, H3448 Are here all H8552 thy children? H5288 And he said, H559 There remaineth H7604 yet the youngest, H6996 and, behold, he keepeth H7462 the sheep. H6629 And Samuel H8050 said H559 unto Jesse, H3448 Send H7971 and fetch H3947 him: for we will not sit down H5437 till he come H935 hither. H6311 And he sent, H7971 and brought him in. H935 Now he was ruddy, H132 and withal H5973 of a beautiful H3303 countenance, H5869 and goodly H2896 to look to. H7210 And the LORD H3068 said, H559 Arise, H6965 anoint H4886 him: for this is he.
And the child H5288 Samuel H8050 grew H1432 on, H1980 and was in favour H2896 both with the LORD, H3068 and also with men. H582
But Samuel H8050 ministered H8334 before H6440 the LORD, H3068 being a child, H5288 girded H2296 with a linen H906 ephod. H646
Go thou near, H7126 and hear H8085 all that the LORD H3068 our God H430 shall say: H559 and speak H1696 thou unto us all that the LORD H3068 our God H430 shall speak H1696 unto thee; and we will hear H8085 it, and do H6213 it. And the LORD H3068 heard H8085 the voice H6963 of your words, H1697 when ye spake H1696 unto me; and the LORD H3068 said H559 unto me, I have heard H8085 the voice H6963 of the words H1697 of this people, H5971 which they have spoken H1696 unto thee: they have well H3190 said all that they have spoken. H1696 O that there were such H2088 an H4310 heart H3824 in them, H5414 that they would fear H3372 me, and keep H8104 all my commandments H4687 always, H3117 that it might be well H3190 with them, and with their children H1121 for ever! H5769 Go H3212 say H559 to them, Get H7725 you into your tents H168 again. H7725
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Matthew 20
Commentary on Matthew 20 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 20
We have four things in this chapter.
Mat 20:1-16
This parable of the labourers in the vineyard is intended,
Nothing was more a mystery in the gospel dispensation than the rejection of the Jews and the calling in of the Gentiles; so the apostle speaks of it (Eph. 3:3-6); that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs: nor was any thing more provoking to the Jews than the intimation of it. Now this seems to be the principal scope of this parable, to show that the Jews should be first called into the vineyard, and many of them should come at the call; but, at length, the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should receive it, and be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews; should be fellow-citizens with the saints, which the Jews, even those of them that believed, would be very much disgusted at, but without reason.
But the parable may be applied more generally, and shows us,
We have two things in the parable; the agreement with the labourers, and the account with them.
But this may be, and commonly is, applied to the several ages of life, in which souls are converted to Christ. The common call is promiscuous, to come and work in the vineyard; but the effectual call is particular, and it is then effectual when we come at the call.
The giving of a whole day's wages to those that had not done the tenth part of a day's work, is designed to show that God distributes his rewards by grace and sovereignty, and not of debt. The best of the labourers, and those that begin soonest, having so many empty spaces in their time, and their works not being filled up before God, may truly be said to labour in the vineyard scarcely one hour of their twelve; but because we are under grace, and not under the law, even such defective services, done in sincerity, shall not only be accepted, but by free grace richly rewarded. Compare Lu. 17:7, 8, with Lu. 12:37.
To convince the murmurer that he did no wrong, he refers him to the bargain: "Didst not thou agree with me for a penny? And if thou hast what thou didst agree for, thou hast no reason to cry out of wrong; thou shalt have what we agreed for.' Though God is a debtor to none, yet he is graciously pleased to make himself a debtor by his own promise, for the benefit of which, through Christ, believers agree with him, and he will stand to his part of the agreement. Note, It is good for us often to consider what it was that we agreed with God for.
He therefore,
Mat 20:17-19
This is the third time that Christ gave his disciples notice of his approaching sufferings; he was not going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the passover, and to offer up himself the great Passover; both must be done at Jerusalem: there the passover must be kept (Deu. 12:5), and there a prophet must perish, because there the great Sanhedrim sat, who were judges in that case, Lu. 13:33. Observe,
Mat 20:20-28
Here, is first, the request of the two disciples to Christ, and the rectifying of the mistake upon which that was grounded, v. 20-23. The sons of Zebedee were James and John, two of the first three of Christ's disciples; Peter and they were his favourites; John was the disciple whom Jesus loved; yet none were so often reproved as they; whom Christ loves best he reproves most, Rev. 3:19.
It was likewise policy to ask first for a general grant, that he would do a certain thing for them, not in faith, but in presumption, upon that general promise; Ask, and it shall be given you; in which is implied this qualification of our request, that it be according to the revealed will of God, otherwise we ask and have not, if we ask to consume it upon our lusts, Jam. 4:3.
Observe,
Note,
He called them unto him, which intimates great tenderness and familiarity. He did not, in anger, bid them get out of his presence, but called them, in love, to come into his presence: for therefore he is fit to teach, and we are invited to learn of him, because he is meek and lowly in heart. What he had to say concerned both the two disciples and the ten, and therefore he will have them all together. And he tells them, that, whereas they were asking which of them should have dominion a temporal kingdom, there was really no such dominion reserved for any of them. For,
Observe,
Now this is a good reason why we should not strive for precedency, because the cross is our banner, and our Master's death is our life. It is a good reason why we should study to do good, and, in consideration of the love of Christ in dying for us, not hesitate to lay down our lives for the brethren, 1 Jn. 3:16. Ministers should be more forward than others to serve and suffer for the good of souls, as blessed Paul was, Acts 20:24; Phil. 2:17. The nearer we are all concerned in, and the more we are advantaged by, the humility and humiliation of Christ, the more ready and careful we should be to imitate it.
Mat 20:29-34
We have here an account of the cure of two poor blind beggars; in which we may observe,
They heard that Jesus passed by. Though they were blind, they were not deaf. Seeing and hearing are the learning senses. It is a great calamity to want either; but the defect of one may be, and often is, made up in the acuteness of the other; and therefore it has been observed by some as an instance of the goodness of Providence, that none were ever known to be born both blind and deaf; but that, one way or other, all are in a capacity of receiving knowledge. These blind men had heard of Christ by the hearing of the ear, but they desired that their eyes might see him. When they heard that Jesus passed by, they asked no further questions, who were with him, or whether he was in haste, but immediately cried out. Note, It is good to improve the present opportunity, to make the best of the price now in the hand, because, if once let slip, it may never return; these blind men did so, and did wisely; for we do not find that Christ ever came to Jericho again. Now is the accepted time.