Matthew 20:1-34

The Labourers in the Vineyard. The Journey to Jerusalem

1-16, Parable of the labourers in the vineyard (peculiar to St. Matthew). This difficult parable is closely linked with what goes before, and can only be understood in connexion with it. It rebukes the spirit of Peter's enquiry (Matthew 19:27), 'We have left all and followed thee; what then shall we have?' The Twelve through Peter had demanded a superlatively great reward, because they had been called first and had laboured longest. Such a reward had been promised them, should they prove worthy of it (Matthew 19:28) though at the same time it was darkly hinted, that some outside the apostolic circle would prove in the end more worthy than some of the apostles (Matthew 19:30). Then follows the parable. It is a serjqaon on the text, 'But many shall be last that are first, and first that are last,' which opens (Matthew 19:30) and closes it (Matthew 20:16). It is addressed primarily to the apostles. It teaches them that great as their merit and their reward undoubtedly are, there will perhaps be others whose merit and reward will be equal or even greater. Thus St. Stephen (not an apostle) was the first to gain the martyr's crown, St. Paul laboured 'more abundantly than they all,' Barnabas and James the Lord's brother ranked with the leading apostles, and many great names in the subsequent history of the Church—Athanasius, Augustine, Jerome, Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, St. Louis—have completely eclipsed the fame of the more obscure apostles. The apostles are warned not to be jealous of the attainments and rewards of other followers of Christ, but to do their own work single-heartedly, and to leave the recompense to God. Another important lesson is taught by the identity of the recompense paid to the various groups of labourers. They all receive the same coin, a denarius, which at this time was regarded as a liberal, but not unusual day's pay (Tob 5:14). This does not necessarily signify that there will be no degrees of rank or blessedness in heaven, but it does signify that such degrees, if they exist, will be relatively unimportant. The supreme reward of all, to see God as He is in His unveiled splendour, will be enjoyed by all who are faithful to the end, and those who have this will care little what else they have or have not.

(a) Among the numerous conflicting interpretations of this parable, the following are the most noteworthy. (1) Calvin: a warning not to be over-confident because we have begun our Christian course well. (2) St. Irenaeus: the various bands of labourers are the OT. saints; those last called are the apostles. (3) Greswell: the labourers first called are the Jews; those last called, the Gentiles. (4) St. Chrysostom: it refers to the periods of men's lives at which they begin to serve God. Some begin in infancy, others in youth, others in manhood, others in old age. It encourages those who have entered late on God's service, to labour heartily. (b) The following interesting parallel is taken from the Talmud. 'To what was Rabbi Bon like? He was like to a king who hired many labourers, among whom there was one who performed his work extraordinarily well. So the king took him aside, and walked with him to and fro. And when evening was come, those labourers came, and he gave him a complete hire with the rest. And the labourers murmured saying, “We have laboured hard all day, and this man only two hours, yet he hath received as much wages as we.” But the king said to them, “He hath laboured more in those two hours than you in the whole day.” So Babbi Bon plied the Law more in twenty-eight years, than another in one hundred years.'