The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

1
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his
vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3
And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to
them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went
out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and
found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to
him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you
will receive.’
8
“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give
them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who were hired about the
eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would
receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they
complained against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made
them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered one of them and
said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and
go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish
with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For
many are called, but few chosen.”
1. (Mat 20:1-2) A landowner’s workers early in the morning.
a. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner: Like many of Jesus’ parables, this story is about an
employer and those who work for him.
b. To hire laborers for his vineyard: The landowner went to the marketplace, which was the gathering place
for day laborers. A man who wanted to work came there first thing in the morning, carrying his tools, and
waited until someone hired him.
c. Early in the morning: This is literally “at dawn,” usually reckoned to be about 6:00 in the morning. These
workers hired at the very beginning of the working day agreed to work for a denarius a day, the common
daily wage for a workingman. This was an entirely normal arrangement.
2. (Mat 20:3-7) Through the day, the landowner continues to hire workers.
a. And he went out about the third hour: The third hour was about 9:00 a.m.; the sixth hour was about 12
noon; the eleventh hour was about 5:00 in the evening. Through the day, the landowner went to the place
where the laborers gathered, found some standing idle in the marketplace, and hired them to do the work
in his vineyard.
i. The picture is that the landowner had an inexhaustible supply of work for those who wanted to work.
The impression is that the landowner was surprised to find people idle, because he had plenty of work to
give them.
b. Whatever is right I will give you…whatever is right you will receive: The landowner promised the earliest
workers a day’s wage (a denarius a day). The other workers hired through the day were not promised a
specific wage, only whatever is right. He promised to pay all the later workers fairly.
3. (Mat 20:8-10) The landowner pays his workers.
a. Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first: These are day laborers,
so they are paid at the end of each day. When it came time to pay the workers, the men hired last were
paid first – and paid for a full day of work!
i. The men who were hired at the eleventh hour – who worked only about one hour – were obviously
elated about being paid first, and being paid for a full day.
b. They supposed that they would receive more: The men who worked for the landowner all day saw the
men who worked for only an hour come away from the pay table, and they supposed, “If the landowner is
paying these guys a full day’s pay for one hour’s work, then we will get far more.”
i. The order of payment was important. If the first workers had been paid first, they would not have had
time to develop the expectation of more pay for themselves. “Possibly the first felt their vanity wounded
by being paid after the others. They used their waiting time in considering their own superiority to the
latecomers.” (Spurgeon)
c. They likewise received a denarius: Yet the men hired first – early in the day, and who had worked all day
– got paid exactly what the landowner had promised them (a denarius a day, Matthew 20:2). The
landowner did exactly as promised, but their supposition of more pay than promised was disappointed.
4. (Mat 20:11-15) The complaint of the early workers.
a. They complained against the landowner: After being paid, the men hired first took up their complaint
with the landowner. They were offended that the landowner gave the men who worked less equal to us
who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.
i. It is easy to sympathize with these who had worked all day. They worked while the others were idle. They
worked in the heat of the day while others shaded themselves. Yet they were paid exactly the same.
b. Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? The landowner reminded
them that he had been completely fair to them. He did them no wrong, and had broken no promise.
c. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you: The landowner did nothing to explain why he did it,
other than simply to say “I wish.” The reasons for the landowner’s generosity were completely in the
landowner himself, and not in the ones who received.
d. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good? The
landowner rebuked them for their jealousy and resentment of the landowner’s generosity towards others.
He also strongly claimed his right to do what he wanted with what was his.
5. (Mat 20:16) The parable applied: the principle of God’s reward.
a. So the last will be first, and the first last: Peter and the disciples knew they had given up a great deal to
follow Jesus. Peter wanted to know what they would get in return. Through this parable Jesus assured
Peter and the disciples that they will be rewarded – but the principle of many who are first will be last and
the last first (Matthew 19:30) meant that God may not reward as man expects – even as the parable
illustrated.
i. Some think this parable speaks of the way that people come to God at different stages of their life. They
may come at the beginning of their life, in their youth, in adulthood, in old age, or at the very end. Others
think it refers to how the gospel first dawned with John the Baptist, then the preaching of Jesus, then the
preaching at Pentecost, then to the Jews, and finally to the Gentiles. It is best understood as a parable
about grace and reward.
ii. The disciples should expect to be rewarded; but they should not be surprised if, when rewards are
distributed, God will reward others in unexpected ways.
b. Last will be first, and the first last: This is the essence of God’s grace, when He rewards and blesses man
according to His will and pleasure, not necessarily according to what men deserve.
i. The system of law is easy to figure out: you get what you deserve. The system of grace is foreign to us:
God deals with us according to who He is, not according to who we are.
ii. It is important to see that the landowner did not treat anyone unfairly, though he was more generous to
some than to others. We can be assured that God will never, ever be unfair to us, though He may – for His
own purpose and pleasure – bestow greater blessing on someone else who seems less deserving.
iii. The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. He
will never be less than fair, but reserves the right to be more than fair as pleases Him. God’s grace always
operates righteously.
iv. Living under grace is sort of a two-edged sword. Under grace, we can’t come to God complaining, “Don’t
I deserve better than this”; because God will reply, “Does this mean that you really want Me to give you
what you deserve?”
v. Grace should be especially manifested in our service; it is of grace, not works.
· All our service is already due to God; it belongs to Him.
· The ability to serve God is the gift of His grace.
· The call to serve God is the gift of His grace.
· Every opportunity to serve is a gift of His grace.
· Being in the right state of mind to do the Lord’s work is a gift of grace.
· Successful service to God is the gift of His grace.