Matthew XX

1. For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.

2. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a 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 he said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

5. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.

6. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?

7. They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.

8. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.

9. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.

1 1. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,

12. Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

13. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?

14. Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.

15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

16. So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Q 2

There is undoubtedly great reason on the part of the men who complained of their treatment, if we view the subject within the narrow limits of a secular compact. It seems inequitable that those who have worked but one hour should receive as much as those who have worked all day. This is the view of the case which many of us would take if we occupied the position of the men who complained. The parable, if read literally and taken as a guide in arranging affairs between masters and workmen, certainly affords scope for most irreligious inferences. It might be inferred, for example, that they who do least in life will be equally rewarded with those who do most. This is written upon the very surface of the parable; they who began at five o’clock in the evening received as much as they who began at six o’clock in the morning, cum prima luce! Is not this offering a bounty to indolence? In the next place it might be inferred that the affairs of the kingdom of heaven are conducted in a bargaining spirit. Nothing can be more off-hand than the manner in which the householder {olKohecnr6’Trj=patrifamilias) addressed the complainants; he referred to the agreement, took his stand upon the letter of the bond, and yielded nothing to the protest. Does not this favour the doctrine that the religious life is entirely without grace? It is simply an affair of doing so much work for so much reward, and those who don’t like it may complain without redress. Kindred inferences, equally dishonouring to the spirit of the Gospel, may be drawn from this extraordinary parable. The whole parable may be pronounced narrow, ungenerous, very sharp in worldly prudence, but quite destitute of the grace and charm of a Divine Gospel. How is this conclusion to be escaped?

First of all, it must be borne in mind that a parabolic representation of truth is not to be forced into literal evidence. The main line is to be discovered, and the great purpose of that main line is to be kept steadily in view. There may be a good deal that is floral, poetic, or tributary, which must be set aside in prosecuting an analysis of the doctrine. It is enough to hint at this as a general principle in hermeneutics; it will save the reader the pains of finding far-fetched meanings in all the details of a parable.

Secondly, the exact circumstances of the case must be apprehended. What are those circumstances? A householder goes out early in the morning (d/na irpcoi; with the first light, showing earnestness and determination on his part) and engages all who are willing to work. A vineyard has to be cultivated, a recompense will be given, men accept the terms; so far, there is no ground of complaint. About the third hour he goes into the market-place and finds others (aWovs) and engages them; the same thing is done at the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and the eleventh hour; the point to be remembered is that the householder called all the men who were accessible at the first hour, the third, the sixth, the ninth, and the eleventh. The men who were hired at the third hour were not within reach at the first; the men hired at the sixth hour were not within reach at the third; the men who were hired at the ninth hour were not within reach at the sixth; and the men hired at the eleventh hour were not within reach at the ninth. The labourers were not all present at the first hour. They came into the market-place at different times; and as soon as the proposition was made to them by the householder “they went their way.” This circumstance entirely relieves the parable of all difficulty, so far as the engagement of the men is concerned. The householder could not have gone out earlier; could not have shown greater interest in the work; could not have called more; could not have worked later: while, on the other hand, the labourers could not complain of the householder for not having called them when they were not present to be called. The next difficulty relates to the reward; they who worked least got a penny as well as they who worked most. Taking a merely secular view of the case, this was inequitable; but the parable is not designed to illustrate the principles of trade, its object is purely spiritual. Looked at spiritually, does the Christian worker get nothing but the outward recompense, say the penny? Is there nothing in the work itself to enrich the spirit of the worker? Is the matured Christian on a level with the man who came but yesterday into the vineyard? The “penny,” even though it stand for heaven itself, is only the outward final recognition of service — but the service itself is recompense! In the right disposing of the heart; in the constant aspiration of the affections; in the deepening knowledge of God and the spiritual universe; and the extending mastery of the worker over himself — the Christian servant is enjoying a perpetual and growing recompense. The merely secular interpretation of the parable is, of course, inadmissible; and the moment we view it in a spiritual light it is fruitful of recompense long before we reach the hour of reckoning.

Recall the point of engaging the labourers at various hours, and give it a spiritual significance. It is clear that God has at various times called the various nations of the earth to His service. Some He called at the first hour, some at the third, others at the sixth and ninth, and some have not even yet heard the call. We have to do with the fact; the sovereignty which lies behind it we cannot interpret. The apostasy of the world was the case which Divine wisdom had to meet; where and how it was to be first touched were God’s questions; what nations were accessible early in the morning, He knew and He alone. He has continued the call; every hour has heard His voice; how far we are yet from the eleventh hour it would be as presumptuous to conjecture as it is impossible to determine. The one practical point with which we have to do is that we ourselves have been distinctly called to go into the vineyard. However difficult may be the speculative part of the passage, the practical aspect is entirely clear.

Recall the point of recompense, and say whether those nations which have obeyed the call have not already received an incalculably precious reward. The “penny” has yet to come; heaven is yet in the future; but everywhere the recompense has already come. In science, in art, in commerce, in literature, in refinement of manners, in benevolence of sentiment, in elevation of spiritual life, we are every moment feeling how many are the indirect, as well as how rich are the immediate, results of Christian service. All this before we receive the “penny,” the world that is to be given to us at the evening hour! Take two workmen of opposite types. The one does his work simply because without it he could not live, the other does his work because he takes a pleasure in it; even if at the end of the day they received the very same amount of money, the latter would have an incalculable advantage over the former. The simple reason is, that the drudge never can be as well compensated as the artist; the drudge works to live, the artist lives to work. They calculate results by different arithmetical standards; the drudge thinks of the “penny,” the artist thinks of all the gladness of his work.

What will be the result of this spiritual discipline in relation to the reward which other nations shall receive? The utter annihilation of all discontent and reproachfulness of spirit on our part will be one conspicuous result. England will not complain that Africa accompanies her into heaven. The nation which has been longest at work will not envy the crown of the nation which was born yesterday. Nations, like individuals, never can be equalised. Capacity, sensibility, will always separate the degrees of enjoyment or suffering allotted to men. The morning comes alike to the clown and to the poet; the one sees it with the eye of an animal, the other sees many an omen and many a prophecy in the variations of that great fire.

Is there not something dispiriting in the words, “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen “? Not at all. The meaning is to be found in the different spirit in which men accept God’s call to work in the vineyard. The first men. referred to in the parable stood upon what they regarded as their rights; they did not care for the work for the work’s sake; they worked merely for what they could get. Those who went later in the day set up no argument founded upon the proportion between time and wages; they accepted what the steward gave without remark, though no fixed terms had been agreed upon. Giving a spiritual application to the case, Jesus Christ showed, as He had repeatedly showed before, that a man’s spirit determines his grade in the kingdom of heaven; not technical services, not casting out devils and doing many wonderful works, but modest and thankful acquiescence in the Divine will. All men are called to the vineyard, but all men do not accept the call; even of the many who do respond to the call, comparatively few work in the right spirit, and those alone who work in the right spirit are chosen; many who do mighty works will not be known by Jesus Christ; He determines everything by the spirit; many who are working in secret, doing nothing to attract the eye of man, will be called to high places. The householder called the first men, but chose the latter; when he saw the spirit in which the first men worked he was not drawn towards them; but when he saw that the last accepted his terms without murmuring, he chose them as a man would choose friends; many are called, but few are chosen; the many are mere bargain makers and time servers; the few receive what is given, without murmuring, and they alone are chosen of God. There is nothing in the declaration which limits God’s love; He calls all men; whom He calls He is willing to choose; the call comes freely as the expression of God’s boundless and priceless love, but the choice is determined entirely by the spirit in which man accepts the call: to murmur is to go last or to be rejected; to acquiesce is to have eminence and safety in the kingdom of God.

Looking at the parable in the light of these suggestions, it is evident: — 1. That the kingdom of heaven is associated with work. 2. That work in the kingdom of heaven is associated with reward. 3. That the reward for heavenly work will be distributed on right principles. 4. That those right principles cannot be understood by a technical spirit, but by a grateful and loyal heart.

The calling and choosing of men are equally founded upon love. Love prompts the call; where it is responded to in a spirit kindred to its own, the choice follows as a matter of moral necessity; where it is examined in a cold, technical, and bargaining spirit, no choice can take place. The rain falls upon all the globe; the sands and rocks drink it up and yield no return, the garden and the field yield in answer many a fruit and flower. It is so with hearts; men may turn God’s call away, or they may hail it in a spirit of confidence and thankfulness; they are only elected by God because they themselves elect to serve God in all the pleasure of His loving and sovereign will.

17. And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,

1 8. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,

19. And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.

The third announcement of the sufferings and death of

Jesus Christ, made by Himself to His disciples. Common men go forward unconsciously to their destiny; they are ignorant of it; if they forecast it at all it is generally with hopefulness. Jesus Christ, in this as in everything else separate from sinners, knew His destiny in all its tragic details, and spoke of it with reverent and tender familiarity. In what repulsive terms does He give an outline of His course, — betrayed, condemned, mocked, scourged, crucified! Yet in the face of all He went forward with more than human resolution. The above passage shows: — i. That the life of Jesus Christ was founded upon a plan. There was no uncertainty or experiment about that life; every detail was foreseen from the beginning. Every man’s life may be planned by Divine wisdom, but the man himself is ignorant of his own course, unable to foresee the next hour! 2. That Jesus Christ knew all the developments of His plan of life. The sorrow of the first day, the sleep of the second, the triumph of the third, were all before Him, as conditions and factors in His daily labour. 3. That though He knew the result He patiently fulfilled the whole process. There was no precipitancy; there was no fretfulness; every case of need was attended to as though it were the only case in the world. The Christian knows that heaven will be his portion at last; let him be stimulated to constant activity, as though human want demanded his whole attention. 4. That Jews and Gentiles were alike engaged in carrying out a work which was for the highest benefit of the whole world. How unconsciously we work! We may be pulling down in the very act of setting up! The condemnation came from the Jew, the cross was the device of the Roman. The infinite wisdom of permitting both the great divisions of the world to partake in the crucifixion, will be increasingly seen as the results of that crucifixion are felt by the population of all lands. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ by the Jews and

Romans, is the most impressive illustration of God’s power to turn the purposes of the wicked upside down. “The stone which the builders rejected,” &c. 5. That the assured triumph of the right is a source of strength to the good man. Jesus Christ spoke not only of the crucifixion but of “the third day.” The picture was not all gloomy. Light broke through the very centre of the darkness. How hopeless, but for “the third day,” is the lot of suffering men! The third day may suggest: — 1. The brevity of bad influence; 2. The impossibility of destroying that which is good; 3. The transference of power from a temporary despotism to an eternal and beneficent sovereignty. Brief and frail is the tenure of all malign powers!

Tischendorf reads iyepdaerao shall be awakened, instead of avacTTrjaerat shall rise again.

20. Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.

21. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.

I. The natural result of extreme ambition is selfishness. 2. Parental feeling may degenerate into misanthropy. What did this woman care for other people? 3. Ambition may not be the less criminal for being associated with religious position and influence. The feeling shown by this woman should always be discouraged. There is an earnestness that is fanaticism. The ambition that is unholy is always also unreasonable.

“That the sons of Zebedee wished for ecclesiastical, rather than secular honours, may be thought probable from the allusion that is made here to the supreme dignities in the great Sanhedrin. The prince of the Sanhedrin (ha-nasi) sat in the midst of two rows of senators or elders; on his right hand sat the person termed Ab (the father of the

Sanhedrin); and on the left the Chacham or sage. These persons transacted all business in the absence of the president.” — (Adam Clarke.)

The mother of Zebedee’s children asked for honour in the kingdom, she did not ask for fellowship in the preliminary suffering. Bengel well remarks: “Very different were those whom our Lord was first to have on His right hand and on His left.”

22. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.

23. And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of 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 shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Lange says: “Different views are entertained of this reply. De Wette explains it: Your request arises from an incorrect view of the character of my kingdom, which is spiritual. Meyer paraphrases: Ye know not that the highest posts in my kingdom cannot be obtained without sufferings such as I have to endure.” Luther says: “The flesh ever seeks to be glorified before it is crucified, exalted before it is abased.” Referring to the latter part of the 23rd verse, Adam Clarke says: “The true construction of the words is this: To sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, except to them for whom it is prepared of my Father;” Dr. Clarke argues that the words “it shall be given to them,” “are interpolated by our translators.” Bishop Horsley says the meaning is, “I cannot arbitrarily give happiness, but must bestow it on those alone for whom, in reward of holiness and obedience, it is prepared, according to God’s just decrees.” Burkitt says: “When Christ therefore saith, He could only give this to them for whom it was appointed of His Father, this doth not signify any defect in His power, but a perfect conformity to His Father’s will, and that He could not do this unless the Divine essence and nature abided in Him.”

The practical ideas of the passage might be homiletically expressed thus: — 1. Human ignorance should restrain human ambition, — “ye know not what ye ask;” 2. Human weakness should modify the expression of human confidence, — “are ye able? they say we are able;” 3. Human history should be left to the development which God has purposed

for it, — “ye shall drink; ye shall be baptised; but;”

4. Human position will be determined by human character.

24. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.

The primary conditions of brotherhood had been violated by the two brethren and their mother, and the ten had a right to be angry. All men who wish to outreach their brethren deserve indignation. Religion does not annihilate anger, it regulates its expressions and penalties. The incident may be homiletically used, as — 1. A warning against an unbrotherly disposition; and 2. An example of Christ’s method of treating unbrotherly men. Jesus Christ does not expel them; He declares their ignorance, He points out their weakness, He shows that suffering is the portion of those who follow Him, and that such suffering is to be endured, apart from promised official position in His kingdom.

25. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

26. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

27. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:

28. Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

29. And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.

This exhortation shows that the spirit of self-abasement is to distinguish the entire course of the Christian life.

The Church is not to look to secular governments for precedents or patterns, but to the Son of man alone. The apxovres were proud, domineering, fond of power, and self-sufficient; nothing could be more foreign to the spirit of Christianity, and this was emphatically the time to say so. Jesus Christ adapted His teaching to the varying phases of human nature; at this time the phase of ambition was uppermost, and’ the exhortation took its course and tone accordingly. Adaptation is the secret of successful teaching. The teacher who speaks to the line of actual experience will never want a theme, and if his teaching be wise he will never speak without profit to his hearers. 1. Christian influence is not official; 2. Christian influence is spiritual; 3. Christian influence can be legitimately attained only by the Christian spirit, — “whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister (Sta/cozpos), and whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant (S0OX09).” It has often been explained that Btdicovos means a servant of a superior order, always near his master’s person and admitted to a certain degree of his confidence, whereas SoDA,o? means a slave, one who may be employed in the most menial service. The distinction, however, is not always maintained in the Christian writings. For example, in chapter xviii. and 23rd verse, we have a king “which would take an account of his servants (SovXcov);” all the officers of oriental courts were regarded as slaves, but the servants here referred to are the provincial officers employed to collect the revenue for government; in the Persian court they were called satraps. In Matthew xxv. 21, the word is used, “Well done, good and faithful servant (So£!X,e).” Without insisting upon any fanciful or even real distinctions between these words, the spirit of the exhortation is perfectly intelligible; abasement is the condition of true and permanent eminence. The simplicity of the condition is not without its dangers, for is it not possible to simulate humility? Is there not a stooping to conquer, which is merely an attitude of the body, not a gesture of the soul? There is an amiability which covers a hard and relentless heart; there is an outward austerity which may conceal the tenderest geniality of spirit.

The expression, “to give his life a ransom for many,” is not to be taken as limiting Jesus Christ’s atonement. The atonement is not the subject of discourse; Jesus Christ is speaking of Himself simply as an example of service, — a service so profound and so pure as to include even the surrender of life itself.

The whole address bears upon Christian position, the spirit by which it is to be attained, and in which it is to be held. Jesus Christ is not speaking against secular authority, civil magistracy, and the like; His remarks are exclusively confined to the affairs of His own kingdom. There must be rulership in civil society, and in religious society as well. Rulership is by no means arbitrary; it is founded upon the instincts and necessities of human nature. In civil society sovereignty may descend from generation to generation without regard to the fitness of the sovereign; in Christian society true rulership is a question of character and capacity. The modest, cultivated, intellectual Christian will, in time, attain his proper position. Zealous and foolish mothers may secure for their children an external position of authority, but the real authority will always be held by men who have drunk most deeply into the spirit of Jesus Christ. Such men care nothing for authority for its own sake; they are not the slaves of officialism; yet even in the absence of nominal status they wield the profoundest and most durable influence over the thought and sentiment of the Church.

30. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

31. And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

32. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

33. They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

34. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him,

Here we have several homiletic lines: — 1. Necessitous men making the best of their opportunities, — “when they heard that Jesus passed by;” 2. The possibility of one class of necessitous persons failing to sympathise with another, — “the multitude rebuked them:” had the multitude no wants? 3. Necessitous men founding their appeal upon the right ground, — “have mercy on us:” sin is the cause of all affliction, and sin can appeal to mercy alone of all the Divine attributes. 4. Necessitous men presenting a right condition of will, — “what will ye?” as if all things were placed at the disposal of the right will. Man must co-operate with God, or salvation will be impossible. 5. Necessitous men securing a physical result through a moral process.

GENERAL NOTE ON THE CHAPTER.

In this chapter we find three classes of men in connection with the kingdom of heaven: — 1. Discontented men (ver. 11); 2. Disappointed men (ver. 21); 3. Rejoicing and grateful men (ver. 34). Throughout the whole of these classes it is remarkable how much stress Jesus Christ lays upon the spirit of men; the first men were rebuked for murmuring, which is a bad spirit; the second were rebuked for selfish ambition, which is also a bad spirit; the third were healed and blessed, because their spirit was contrite, reverent, and trustful. Jesus Christ never rebukes men for asking much, if they ask in the right spirit. The method in which those three classes were treated shows that neither murmuring nor selfish men can enter the Christian kingdom, but that all may enter it who are consciously necessitous, who rely entirely on Divine mercy, and whose will is in harmony with the redemptive purposes of Jesus Christ. The chapter shows that Jesus Christ refuses some petitions and grants others; a circumstance on which may be founded a discourse upon Zebedee’s sons and the blind men, or Christ’s different method of replying to men’s requests.