Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 19:23-20:16)

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Everyone is naturally content when other people treat him in a fair way. Unfortunately this view is not shared by everyone. One is quite used to that. But what in the case when God acts this way?

Jesus is telling a parable about how things works in his kingdom (Mt 20:1). He tells it in context of Peter's question: what there will be for them since they left everything for Jesus (Mt 19:27). Jesus answers them and in the end of his answer says that "many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first" (Mt 19:30). These events are followed by Jesus' parable of worker in vineyard.

The parable is simple. In the end it shows up that the reward is not determined by the performance of the worker but by the will of landowner. Landowner wants to do it his way, because he wants to be good to everyone equally (20:15). It is not about who did the work best. The reward is here for everyone who accepted the invitation to work for him. That is what matters here.

The parable is trying to explain what Jesus actually meant by "first and last" in Mt 19:30. This is signaled by the grammar: preposition "therefore" (gr. γαρ) in Mt 20:1 signifying explanation; adverb "thus, this way" (gr. οὕτως) in Mt 20:16 signifying manner. Therefore the parable is illustrating meaning of this thought.

By explaining this principle of the Kingdom of God of "first being last and last being first" Jesus shows to his disciples genuine essence of top positions. None exists in reality. The greatest value is help realized in the service towards fellowman. Later he says to his disciples: "whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mt 20:26-28).

You definitely want to read the story for yourself (see Mt 19:23-30 and 20:1-16).

Vocabulary

Word Meaning
ὁ, ἡ, τό the
καί and
αὐτός, ή, ὁ he; self
δέ however, but
λέγω say
εἰμί I am; be
or
ὑμεῖς, ὑμῶν you
ἔσχατος, η, ον last
εἶπον I said (aor. of λέγω)

Biblical text

19:23 δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πλούσιος δυσκόλως εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.24πάλιν δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, εὐκοπώτερόν ἐστιν κάμηλον διὰ τρήματος ῥαφίδος εἰσελθεῖν πλούσιον εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ.25ἀκούσαντες δὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ ἐξεπλήσσοντο σφόδρα λέγοντες Τίς ἄρα δύναται σωθῆναι;26ἐμβλέψας δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν, παρὰ δὲ Θεῷ πάντα δυνατά.27Τότε ἀποκριθεὶς Πέτρος εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν πάντα καὶ ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι· τί ἄρα ἔσται ἡμῖν;28 δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὑμεῖς οἱ ἀκολουθήσαντές μοι, ἐν τῇ παλινγενεσίᾳ, ὅταν καθίσῃ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ, καθήσεσθε καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ δώδεκα θρόνους κρίνοντες τὰς δώδεκα φυλὰς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.29καὶ πᾶς ὅστις ἀφῆκεν οἰκίας ἀδελφοὺς ἀδελφὰς πατέρα μητέρα τέκνα ἀγροὺς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ἐμοῦ ὀνόματός, πολλαπλασίονα λήμψεται καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσει.30Πολλοὶ δὲ ἔσονται πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι καὶ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι.1Ὁμοία γάρ ἐστιν βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ, ὅστις ἐξῆλθεν ἅμα πρωῒ μισθώσασθαι ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ.2συμφωνήσας δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἐργατῶν ἐκ δηναρίου τὴν ἡμέραν ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ.3καὶ ἐξελθὼν περὶ τρίτην ὥραν εἶδεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἀργούς,4καὶ ἐκείνοις εἶπεν Ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ἐὰν δίκαιον δώσω ὑμῖν.5οἱ δὲ ἀπῆλθον. πάλιν δὲ ἐξελθὼν περὶ ἕκτην καὶ ἐνάτην ὥραν ἐποίησεν ὡσαύτως.6περὶ δὲ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ἐξελθὼν εὗρεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Τί ὧδε ἑστήκατε ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀργοί;7λέγουσιν αὐτῷ Ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἐμισθώσατο. λέγει αὐτοῖς Ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα.8ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης λέγει κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ αὐτοῦ Κάλεσον τοὺς ἐργάτας καὶ ἀπόδος τὸν μισθόν, ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἕως τῶν πρώτων.9ἐλθόντες δὲ οἱ περὶ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν ἔλαβον ἀνὰ δηνάριον.10καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ πρῶτοι ἐνόμισαν ὅτι πλεῖον λήμψονται· καὶ ἔλαβον τὸ ἀνὰ δηνάριον καὶ αὐτοί.11λαβόντες δὲ ἐγόγγυζον κατὰ τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου12λέγοντες Οὗτοι οἱ ἔσχατοι μίαν ὥραν ἐποίησαν, καὶ ἴσους αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν ἐποίησας τοῖς βαστάσασι τὸ βάρος τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν καύσωνα.13 δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς ἑνὶ αὐτῶν εἶπεν Ἑταῖρε, οὐκ ἀδικῶ σε· οὐχὶ δηναρίου συνεφώνησάς μοι;14ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε· θέλω δὲ τούτῳ τῷ ἐσχάτῳ δοῦναι ὡς καὶ σοί·15οὐκ ἔξεστίν μοι θέλω ποιῆσαι ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς; ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐγὼ ἀγαθός εἰμι;16Οὕτως ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι.