“For
the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day idle?’ “They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ “He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’ When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’
Matthew 20:1-8
Matthew 19 [28.] Jesus said to them, “Most certainly I tell you that you who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive one hundred times, and will inherit eternal life. But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.
Matthew 20 [1.] “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. He went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. About the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle. He said to them, ‘Why do you stand here all day idle?’
Matthew 20 [7.] “They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
“He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’ When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’
Matthew 20 [9.] “When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius. When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’
Meaning:
Peter had just said, “Behold, we have left everything, and followed you.” Jesus promised a great reward to all who leave things for his sake, and then warned: “But many will be last who are first; and first who are last” (Matthew 19:27-30). The parable of the laborers in the vineyard, found only in Matthew, explains that saying. These verses tell how the workers were hired; the next verses tell how they were paid (Matthew 20:9-16).
- “A man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers”
At the grape harvest a landowner needed many hands quickly. Day laborers gathered in the village marketplace at dawn, hoping to be chosen. This master goes out himself, not once but five times. He is the active one throughout: he looks for workers, calls them, sends them and pays them.
The vineyard was a familiar picture of God’s people: “For the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the house of Israel” (Isaiah 5:7). Jesus also told his disciples, “The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). To be sent into the vineyard is to be called into God’s service.
- “When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day”
The first group agree on a fixed wage. A denarius was a silver Roman coin, the common wage for a day of farm labor, enough to feed a family for a day. The contract is fair, and these workers know exactly what they will get.
- “Whatever is right I will give you”
The hours are counted from sunrise: the third hour is about nine in the morning, the sixth and ninth about noon and three in the afternoon. The later groups are given no figure, only the promise of “whatever is right.” They go because they trust the master.
- “Why do you stand here all day idle?”
At the eleventh hour, about five o’clock, only one hour of daylight remains. Their answer is simple: “Because no one has hired us.” They were not lazy; perhaps they were old, weak or unknown, and nobody had wanted them. Without work they would go home with nothing. The master sends even these into his vineyard.
So Jesus called those whom others passed over: a tax collector at his booth (Matthew 9:9), sinners whom the religious leaders had written off, and a dying thief with only hours left (Luke 23:39-43).
- “Call the laborers and pay them their wages”
The Law required daily wages to be paid before sunset: “In his day you shall give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down on it; for he is poor, and sets his heart on it” (Deuteronomy 24:14-15). The master obeys, but adds a surprise: pay them “beginning from the last to the first.” The early workers will watch the latecomers paid first.
The Significance of Matthew 20:1-8
- God is the one who calls
The workers do not find the vineyard; the master finds them. Salvation is God’s gift, “not of works, that no one would boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- It is never too late to answer
The eleventh-hour workers were still called. As long as God calls today, there is time to go and serve him.
- Trust the character of the Master
The later workers went without a contract, trusting the master to do what was right. Disciples can serve the same way, trusting God’s goodness rather than bargaining for reward.
Cross-References:
Deuteronomy 24:15: "In his day you shall give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down on it;" Wages paid at evening, as the Law required.
Isaiah 5:7: "For the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the house of Israel," The vineyard as God’s people.
Mark 10:31: "But many who are first will be last; and the last first." The saying that frames this parable.
Conclusion: The Kingdom of Heaven is like a master who goes out again and again to hire workers for his vineyard: some at dawn for a fixed wage, others through the day with the promise of “whatever is right,” and the last at the eleventh hour, because no one else had hired them. At evening he pays them, beginning with the last. The passage shows that God takes the initiative in calling, that he calls even those others overlook, and that his servants can trust his goodness.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible