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Copyright © 2012 J. Neely. All rights reserved.
Chapter 9 - Laborers in the Vineyard
Laborers in the Vineyard
Matt. 20:1-8
1 For [gar] the kingdom [basileia] of heaven [ouranos] is [esti] like [homoios] unto a man [anthropos] that is an householder [oikodespotes] , which [hostis] went out [exerchomai] early in the morning [hama] [proi] to hire [misthoo] labourers [ergates] into [eis] his [autos] vineyard [ampelon] .
2 And [de] when he had agreed [sumphoneo] with [meta] the labourers [ergates] for [ek] a penny [denarion] a day [hemera] , he sent [apostello] them [autos] into [eis] his [autos] vineyard [ampelon] .
3 And [kai] he went out [exerchomai] about [peri] the third [tritos] hour [hora] , and saw [eido] others [allos] standing [histemi] idle [argos] in [en] the marketplace [agora] ,
4 And said [epo] unto them [kakeinos] ; Go [hupago] ye [humeis] also [kai] into [eis] the vineyard [ampelon] , and [kai] whatsoever [hos] [ean] is [o] right [dikaios] I will give [didomi] you [humin] . And [de] they went their way [aperchomai] .
5 Again [palin] he went out [exerchomai] about [peri] the sixth [hektos] and [kai] ninth [ennatos] hour [hora] , and did [poieo] likewise [hosautos] .
6 And [de] about [peri] the eleventh [hendekatos] hour [hora] he went out [exerchomai] , and found [heurisko] others [allos] standing [histemi] idle [argos] , and [kai] saith [lego] unto them [autos] , Why [tis] stand ye [histemi] here [hode] all [holos] the day [hemera] idle [argos] ?
7 They say [lego] unto him [autos] , Because [hoti] no man [oudeis] hath hired [misthoo] us [hemas] . He saith [lego] unto them [autos] , Go [hupago] ye [humeis] also [kai] into [eis] the vineyard [ampelon] ; and [kai] whatsoever [hos] [ean] is [o] right [dikaios] , that shall ye receive [lambano] .
8 So [de] when even [opsios] was come [ginomai] , the lord [kurios] of the vineyard [ampelon] saith [lego] unto his [autos] steward [epitropos] , Call [kaleo] the labourers [ergates] , and [kai] give [apodidomi] them [autos] their hire [misthos] , beginning [archomai] from [apo] the last [eschatos] unto [heos] the first [protos] . KJV-Interlinear
1 'For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 'And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 'And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said,' You too go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' And so they went. 5 'Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 'And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day long?' 7 'They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into the vineyard.' 8 'And when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.' NASB
The concept of last is first and first is last, is continued in chapter 20, but in a different respect. The disciples were recently arguing over which of them would be the greater in heaven, but as we have already seen, they missed the point of salvation entirely, and they missed the point of heaven and their role in heaven.
Jesus gives another parable to demonstrate the grace of God and His consistent policy concerning salvation. There are a few ingredients in this parable.
The kingdom of God is the vineyard. The market place is the world at large where workers, unskilled, and unemployed congregate each morning of the day, waiting for someone to come and hire them for the day. The workers are helpless and trapped in a hopeless situation wherein they are dependent on a wealthy landowner (God) for their livelihood. They congregate in the market place and there wait for someone to come along to hire them for the day.
If they do not go to the market place (negative volition toward God), then they will not get hired (salvation), then they will not get paid (eternal life), and they starve and die (lake of fire) never having seen the vineyard (heaven).
Those who desire to work (a relationship with God) go to the market place (positive volition) and there they wait until the landowner (God) comes and offers them work (salvation - faith in Christ). All who are in the market place (positive volition) have an opportunity to get hired. God does not withhold salvation to anyone. Those who do not go to the market place will not get hired (they remain unsaved). They know of the market place. The market place is common knowledge to all. Not going to the market place is simply a negative attitude toward work (salvation).
The land owner goes to the market place and offers to all a very good wage (salvation). All people are unskilled in the spiritual life and therefore have no say in the work that they may do. Unskilled labor does grunt work and does not have any selection or choice of work. All of mankind is unskilled labor when it comes to salvation.
The land owner offers a very good days pay, a denarius, a days pay for common labor (eternal life). All are offered very good pay even though no person deserves this amount of pay.
The time frame is 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. This is human history. History has a beginning and human history will have an end. The time of labor in the vineyard is mans life as a believer. All work until sunset or 6 p.m. at which time physical labor (physical life) ends and eternity begins. Each receives his pay of eternal life at the end of their earthly life.
God is fair. He continues to return to the market place and there discovers more and more people who want work (positive volition). He hires them (salvation) for a denarius (eternal life), which they accept (belief in Christ). All workers continue through the day working in the vineyard (life as a believer in Christ).
From the beginning of the day (Adam and Eve) until the end of the day (end of the Millennium) the pay is the same. Salvation is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is consistent in His policy of salvation.
In the evening the land owner (God the Father) told the foreman (Jesus Christ) to issue to each person their wages (eternal life). But here is where Jesus makes a strange turn in the parable. The last hired are to be paid first. The first group hired are to be paid last.
Why do you suppose that is?
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