They did not understand what was happening, but they could see in every line of Jesus' body the struggle of his soul. 3 "About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. It was the Father's revelation of the Son; flesh and blood had not revealed it to Peter, but, "my Father, which is in heaven." His word should silence all our murmurings, that, whatever God does to us, or withholds from us, he does us no wrong. We know this by comparing it with the gospel of Luke. He evinces, that at the very time when Peter forgot the vision and the Father's voice, virtually reducing Him to mere man, He was God manifest in the flesh. a. I have endowed them with apostolic gifts or with superior talents, and suited them for wider usefulness. Try to discourage them from seeking Jesus. They looked at one another, and they tried to fathom where there was no depth, but where the truth lay on the surface. (Spurgeon), vi. In the end of the chapter is set forth parabolically the unlimited forgiveness that suits the kingdom; here, I cannot but think, looking onward in strict fulness to the future, but with distinct application to the moral need of the disciples then and always. Being in the right state of mind to do the Lords work is a gift of grace. What instrument so suitable? In what follows we have that which is necessary, to complete the picture of the other side. There were two; but the Spirit of God chose out, in Mark and Luke, the more remarkable of the two, and traces for us his history, a history of no small interest and importance, as we may feel when we come to Mark; but it was of equal moment for the gospel of Matthew that the two demoniacs should be mentioned here, although one of them was in himself, as I gather, a far more strikingly desperate case than the other. Let none suppose that, in giving my own convictions, I have the presumptuous thought of putting these forward as if they were the sole motives in God's mind. They don't understand all of the provision that the Lord has made for them. The Christian is a man put upon his honour by Jesus. It is a summons from the King to His people Israel. We have here not only our Lord's ministry in the first parable, but in the second parable that which He does by His servants. Under grace, we cant come to God complaining, Dont I deserve better than this; because God will reply, Does this mean that you really want Me to give you what you deserve?. He does not now compare the Jews to the Gentiles, (as in another passages) nor the reprobate, who swerve from the faith, to the elect who persevere; and therefore the sentence which is introduced by some interpreters, many are called, but few are chosen, does not apply to that point. And every Jewish mother wants the best for her son. But they were so desperate, they weren't discouraged, they even cried louder, "Jesus, thou son of David have mercy on us. As the apostles were the first-fruits of the whole church, they appeared to possess some superiority; and Christ did not deny that they would sit as judges to govern the twelve tribes of Israel. Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. When they heard that Jesus was passing by: They knew this might be their last time to meet Jesus. This was the very blessing that aroused, above all, the hatred of the scribes. In the case of the laborers, those who worked all day did not deserve their pay after having thrown it on the ground. THE FALSE AND THE TRUE AMBITION ( Matthew 20:20-28 ), 20:20-28 At that time the mother of Zebedee's sons came to him with her sons, kneeling before him, and asking something from him. All this is what happens when men take the poetry of love and try to turn it into man-made theories. 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 still, it was His carrying on the great process of shewing out more and more the total rejection of His rejectors. Peter wanted to know what they would get in return. . Of course, both do preserve chronological order when it is compatible with the objects the Holy Spirit had in inspiring them; but in both the order of time is subordinated to still greater purposes which God had in view. They said to him, "We can." To be like Christ he went to live in the slums, even though he himself was suffering from tuberculosis. The second lesson is even greater--all God gives is of grace. The only reason we will receive any reward is that God has called us to be His workers. Historical Books It shows us his trust in men. i. The same indifference to the mere sequence of events is found occasionally in other parts of the gospel; but I have purposely dwelt upon this chapter 8, because here we have it throughout, and at the same time with evidence exceedingly simple and convincing. Neither did He need to wait for His exaltation as man; for He was ever God, and God's Son, who therefore, if one may so say, waits for nothing, for no day of glory. 2. Jesus knew what was going on in their minds; and he spoke to them words which are the very basis of the Christian life. Sorrow would come full soon when He, the Bridegroom of His people, should be taken away; and then should they fast. why not sorrow and shame that they should have so little understood their Master's mind? Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. 16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.(A), 17Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. He went to live in a six foot by six-foot hut in a Tokyo slum. for many be called; externally, under the ministration of the Gospel, as the Jews in general were, by Christ and his apostles; but. Work for God will not admit of trifling. But this is enough to silence all murmurs and objectors, that God is sovereign Lord of all, and may do what he will with his own. Dress up - slacks/tie, skirt/shirt. When the account was taken; when the evening was come, then, as usual, the day-labourers were called and paid. The woman at last meets the heart and mind of Jesus in the sense of all her utter nothingness before God; and then grace, which had wrought all up to this, though pent-up, can flow like a river; and the Lord can admire her faith, albeit from Himself, God's free gift. Neither would Jewish disciples necessarily receive more than Gentile disciples whom God calls later in His program of preparation for the kingdom (cf. 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Because Matthew's object is the display of the change of dispensation through, or consequent on, the rejection of Jesus by the Jews. It is true, we have only one in Mark, as in Luke; whereas in our gospel we have two. It was clearly a question of connection with the apostle of the circumcision ( i.e., Peter's wife's mother). There is no incident which so demonstrates their invincible faith in Jesus. In the kingdom so much the less sparing is the retribution of those who despise or abuse grace. In our gospel we have not seen the apostles called and ordained. The Lord has nothing for them, or for Him, but to go right on to the end. What can be conceived so perfectly to illustrate the great design of the gospel of Matthew? "Lord," they said, "what we want is that our eyes should be opened." He now takes His place of rejection; for Him it is manifest even now by their inmost thoughts of Him when revealed. Now Paul the apostle as he is talking to the Corinthian Church about their abuse of the Love feast, where they were remembering the broken body of Jesus and His blood that was shed for our sins, Paul said, "that which I received from the Lord, I delivered also unto you. The moment to act goes past; the impulse to decide fades. And the third day He will rise again: Most important, this was something that Jesus had no apparent control over. of All that are chosen from eternity, are effectually called, in the fulness of time (Romans 8:30), so that in making our effectual calling sure we make sure our election (2 Peter 1:10); but it is not so as to the outward call; many are called, and yet refuse (Proverbs 1:24), nay, as they are called to God, so they go from him (Hosea 11:2; Hosea 11:7), by which it appears that they were not chosen, for the election will obtain,Romans 11:7. After this (what makes it still more unquestionable) comes the case of the demoniac. Inattention to this has perplexed many. We are, in fact, in the presence of that which John so loves to dwell on Jesus viewed not merely as Son of David or Abraham, or Seed of the woman, but as the Father's Son, the Son as the Father gave, sent, appreciated, and loved Him. I Will Build My Church (16:13-20) The . This done, with a word for the conscience appended, He takes up and pleads the cause of John. And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. Gregory of Nyssa saw the glaring fault in that theory. Beracot, fol. He is not here sought as by the leper, the centurion, the friends of the palsied man; He Himself calls Matthew, a publican just the one to write the gospel of the despised Jesus of Nazareth. Gods grace always operates righteously. It is worth stopping to see what the crude hands of theology have done with that lovely saying. In Mark 2:1-28 it says, "And again he entered into Capernaum." Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus. Luke-Acts This was testing matters more closely. Evidently it is the change of dispensation that is in question and at hand, the cutting off of the fleshly seed for their unbelief, and the bringing in of numerous believers in the name of the Lord from among the Gentiles. Those hired later correspond to other people who became Jesus disciples later in His ministry. But here pardon dispensed on earth arouses the pride of the religious leaders to the quick, and implacably. It is not an accident that Jesus was scourged. Judas one of the twelve, who is listening to Him, will be the one who betrays Him. Minor Prophets Ransom was most commonly used as the purchase price for freeing slaves. (Carson) Lytron (ransom) and the preposition anti (for, literally instead of) point clearly to the idea of his taking our place. (France), ii. We have the natural tie here brought into prominence; and this was a claim that Christ slighted not. All turns on that which was suitable to such a God, the giver of His own Son. It brings me to the real crisis; that is, the final presentation of our lord to Jerusalem. Or is your eye evil because I am good? Henceforth, too, He forbids the disciples to proclaim Him as the Messiah. on the spot or they will never be taken. At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father." There will be differences at the close. He never doubted that James and John would maintain their loyalty. Herein is where the prophecy of Isaiah really stands out: "As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth"( Isaiah 53:7 ). Grace should be especially manifested in our service; it is of grace, not works. It is not here a question of life (as in the seed at first), but a system of christian doctrine; not life germinating and bearing fruit, but mere dogma natural mind which is exposed to it. Thus, in the scene of the leper, we have Jesus presented as "Jehovah that healeth Israel," as man here below, and in Jewish relationships, still maintaining the law. "That by His stripes you may be healed." Sometimes we go without when God would want to give us something simply because we will not answer this question, and we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2). The New Testament Men were in the grip of a power of evil which they could not break; their sins dragged them down; their sins separated them from God; their sins wrecked life for themselves and for the world and for God himself. b. The fact of two without the personal details would not powerfully tell upon mere Gentiles perhaps, though to a Jew it might be for some ends necessary. 13. When a person's ministry gets so great, and they become so prominent that they lose touch with people, and they can no longer minister to people's individual needs, their ministry has become greater than their Lord. Take notice of the care with which the Spirit of God here omits all reference to this: "And a certain scribe came." And he said unto her, What is it that you want? Matthew, Expository Sermons - From The Executable Outlines Series by Mark A. Copeland - Hundreds of free sermon outlines and Bible study materials available for online browsing and downloading. i. (Matthew 20:22-23) Jesus answers James and John: when you ask for a place of special status, do you know what you ask for? Jesus thought about how He would fulfill the will of His Father in the future. There is no one cup for the Christian to drink. we have in Peter what man is, even after all this. The man's walk before them testifies to the reality of his forgiveness before God. last will be on the same footing as the first, and the first as the last, those who esteem themselves last shall be first, and those who esteem themselves first shall be last, . Jesus purpose in telling this story was to illustrate what he had just said concerning Gods unexpected gift to those who at present appear to be disadvantaged (see Matthew 19:30). First of these comes the treasure hidden in the field, for which the man sells all he had, securing the field for the sake of the treasure. There is one very revealing little difference between Matthew's and Mark's account of this incident. In this he had laboured, as he said, from his youth up: "What lack I yet?" The pay was perfectly normal; a denarius or a drachma was the normal day's wage for a working man; and, even allowing for the difference in modern standards and in purchasing power, 4 pence a day was not a wage which left any margin. God had given his soul a deeper, fuller sight of Christ; for the Gentile's words prove that he had apprehended God in the man who was healing at that moment all sickness and disease in Galilee. Even those hired early in the day received a reward, and the landowner had been gracious and generous in hiring them and not others. [2.] (Matthew 20:8-10) The landowner pays his workers. This made it to be plainly and only a difficulty for God to solve. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and you've made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden of the heat of the day. And the third day He will rise again.. I didn't come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give my life as a ransom for many ( Matthew 20:28 ). And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?" The people whose hearts are yielded to him will be recognized as his children no matter their rank or riches by worldly standards. Matthew gives no such details, but call and mission are together here. Life had been imparted to, the sleeping maid of Zion the blind men call on Him as the Son of David, and not in vain. I say not how fax he had realized this profound truth; I say not that he could have defined his thoughts; but he knew and declared His command of all as truly God. Reject Him as the Messiah; in that rejection the moral glory of the Son of man would be laid as the foundation of His exaltation and manifestation another day; He was Lord of the Sabbath-day. They that come from the east and west, and so come in late, that are picked up out of the highways and the hedges, shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, at the same feast, Matthew 7:11; Matthew 7:11. Now these last have worked but one hour, and that too in the cool of the day; and yet thou hast made them equal with us. Jesus gave everything to bring men back to God; and we must walk in the steps of him who loved to the uttermost. "And He entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into His own city." Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs. No doubt they had heard of the wondrous power of Jesus; and no doubt they wondered if that power might ever be exercised for them. It is enough to meet a difficulty which many feel by the simple plea that the reason assigned is in my judgment a valid explanation, and in itself a sufficient solution of the apparent discrepancy. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Here is royalty and kingship restated and remade. Be sure to join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theweekendadventurer 23,599 people like this 25,112 people follow this http://www.myadventurechallenge.com/ info@myadventurechallenge.com The Gospels It was as Son of David that they addressed Jesus. That they might mock me, scourge me, and crucify me, but I will rise again on the third day.Now again whenever Jesus talked to His disciples about His death, this thought was so repulsive to them, their minds just turned off, and they never heard, "I am going to rise again on the third day." To heal was the work for which He was come. They were offended that the landowner gave the men who worked less equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. The world will respect, and admire, and sometimes fear, the man of power; but it will love the man of love. The ones who labored only an hour did not deserve their pay either. Using the term "elect," Titus 1:1 reinforces the idea that God separates some few from the many who are called: "Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's . The first came to an agreement with the master; they had a contract; they said, "We work, if you give us so much pay." Passwords should have at least 6 characters. Who could touch the leper save Emmanuel? Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said to Him, We are able. So He said to them, You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. a. Jesus stood still: Nothing could stop Him on His journey to Jerusalem; yet He stood still to answer a persistent plea for mercy. In Matthew 14:1-36 facts are narrated which manifest the great change of dispensation that the Lord, in setting forth the parables we have just noticed, had been preparing them for. First, Some are effectually called, and begin to work in the vineyard when they are very young; are sent in early in the morning, whose tender years are seasoned with grace, and the remembrance of their Creator. Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son. The Campus Martius was the grand field in which they were disciplined: there, they accustomed themselves to leaping, running, wrestling, bearing burdens, fencing, throwing the javelin, c., and when, through these violent exercises, they were all besmeared with dust and sweat, in order to refresh themselves, they swam twice or thrice across the Tyber! They looked for the raging Lion of Judah; they received the gentle Lamb of God. 1. The strange thing is that instinctively the world itself has accepted these standards. Then shalt thou call, saith the good and faithful servant, and I will answer. Friend, I am doing you no wrong. The Saviour, while He puts forth His hand, touching him as man, and yet as none but Jehovah might dare to do, dispels the hopeless disease at once. Lastly, Here is the application of the parable (Matthew 20:16; Matthew 20:16), in that observation which occasioned it (Matthew 19:30; Matthew 19:30); So the first shall be last, and the last first. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary. He had no reason to quarrel with the master; for what he gave was absolutely his own, Matthew 20:15; Matthew 20:15. It sheds light in three directions. Matthew 20:16 New International Version 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." Read full chapter Matthew 20:16 in all English translations Matthew 19 Matthew 21 New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. As he had asserted in ( Matthew 19:30 ) and which is clearly illustrated by this parable, as it may be applied to Jews or Gentiles, or to nominal and real Christians: for many be called; externally, under the ministration of the Gospel, as . But that cannot be the meaning of it here; the "called" being emphatically distinguished from the "chosen." He was then present, a man despised, yet with title to forgive sins, proved by immediate power to heal. (Matthew 20:20-21) The mother of James and John asks for a place of special status for her sons. The Lord works in delivering power; but withal the power of Satan fills and carries away the unclean to their own destruction. Yet Jesus was confident that He would be delivered to the Gentiles. Grace forms the hearts of those that understand it, according to the great manifestation of what God is, and what man is, too, given us in the person of Christ. And so anti what Jesus has declared. c. Betrayed they will condemn Him to death deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, A man is not a Christian if his first concern is pay. 2. To me it is evident, from a careful comparison of them all, as I think it is capable of clear and adequate proof to an unprejudiced Christian mind, that neither Matthew nor Luke confines himself to such an order of events. It was necessary to complete the picture. vii. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point The kingdom of heaven assumes a form unknown to prophecy, and, in its successive mysteries, fills up the interval between the rejected Christ's going to heaven, and His returning again in glory. He was to be condemned to death; there we see the suffering of injustice, which is very hard to bear. (Matthew 20:1-2) A landowners workers early in the morning. Now they no doubt had heard of the fame of Jesus. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. So translated into our present day, an average day's wage for a laborer maybe twenty-five dollars or so. It is tragic that in church circles there is also that endeavor many times to exercise lordship and dominion over people.One of the weird doctrines of the seventies was the shepherding doctrine, where so many men sought to establish themselves as the lords over the flock of God and causing people to submit to their authority. The men who were hired at the eleventh hour who worked only about one hour were obviously elated about being paid first, and being paid for a full day. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point It was really after the transfiguration recorded in chapter 17 of our gospel. And He was Jesus, Emmanuel. 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. But the mission is given here in strict accordance with what the gospel demands. They could probably tell the direction in the flow, the crowd, which direction He was, but they began to cry out to Jesus. c. They likewise received a denarius: Yet the men hired first early in the day, and who had worked all day got paid exactly what the landowner had promised them (a denarius a day, Matthew 20:2). The crowd commanded them to stop their shouting; they were making a nuisance of themselves. This sets forth not at all the way in which the Christian stands related to Christ; for even though we had known Him after the flesh, henceforth know we Him no more. Used by permission. There is no question of to whom the ransom was paid. Disease must obey Him, as the soldier or the servant obeyed the centurion, their superior. Compare Luke 17:7; Luke 17:8; Luke 12:37. (v) Here also is the generosity of God. 111. And because they were sent of God, they each one received from the Lord that same portion.Sometimes we see people who on their deathbed receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and they enter into eternal life.
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