Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 20, as we continue our study through the Word of God. Now this is closely linked to what Peter said to Jesus in Matthew 19:27, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" In other words, the rich young ruler may have refused to forsake all and follow Jesus, but we haven’t, so what do we get for forsaking all? And Jesus basically tells them that God is a debtor to no man, that you will be blessed beyond measure and you will inherit everlasting life.
Now Jesus is going to expound on that thought with the parable of the laborers beginning in verse 1 of Matthew chapter 20. So let’s begin reading and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
VERSES 1-2
1. During the harvest time this was a common practice, standing in the market place hoping to be hired for a days work, which ran from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. But keep in mind that behind this earthly story is a heavenly truth, hence a parable. Let me explain. The landowner is Jesus who goes out into His vineyard, the earth, to hire laborers, man. The pay was a denarius, which speaks of eternal life and a day speaks of man’s life span.
VERSES 3-7
1. The landowner, Jesus, is out looking for laborers at 9:00 AM, 12:00 noon, 3:00 PM and even 5:00 PM, right before the work day was to be finished. This just tells me that God is out looking at all stages of our life, when we are young, when we are adults, middle aged, and even at our death bed that we might receive Him. The problem comes for man when they put off Jesus until it is too late. As Paul said, "...Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." II Corinthians 6:2. Don’t put it off!
VERSES 8-16
1. Now it is time to get paid and for those who worked all day, they thought they should get paid more than those who worked just a few hours. In fact, they saw that the guy who worked just one hour got a denarius, and thus, they thought they should get paid much more. You see, they worked in the heat of the day. It was tough. It was hard. But when they were hired it was for a denarius a day, they had agreed upon it, and the landowner, extending grace to all the workers, paid them all the same amount. He had the right to do that.
2. The picture here is beautiful. God has extended to all the gift of eternal life if they will receive it, no matter what time of their life they come to Him, even on their death bed. You see, everyone finishes in a dead heat you might say, from the person who gave his life to Jesus at a young age and worked hard for some 60 years, to the person who had a death bed conversion, salvation or eternal life is given to all who receive it! That is the grace of God. You can’t get more salvation than what He has give to us!
3. Now there is on more thing we need to deal with before we move on, and that is jealousy. You see, they were jealous of those who didn’t work as hard and still received the full blessing of eternal life. How about you? Are you jealous because of what God is doing in someone else’s life? Remember the story of Miriam in Numbers chapter 12, who was jealous of Moses and his position, and the Lord struck her with leprosy, and like jealousy, it may start out small, but it will consume you in the end. Let it go. Rejoice in what God is doing. Be excited that God is moving or your jealousy will bring you down!
VERSE 17
1. He is on the east side of the Jordan River, in the area of Perea, and heading towards Jerusalem for the last time. He is on a journey to the cross! And as they are traveling, He gets His disciples alone and says to them...
VERSES 18-19
1. This is the third time He specifically addressed this issue with His men. The others were in Matthew 16:21 and 17:22-23. This is the plan of God. Things didn’t get out of control and they had to go to plan B. This was all planed out before the foundations were formed. And His men hear about His death, but they missed what He said about His resurrection. They still didn’t believe it even right after His resurrection. As the women came back and shared the news of the empty tomb, Luke tells us, "And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them." Luke 24:11. We need to understand that when God speaks of future events, He does so with absolute authority that they will come to pass and as they do our faith is strengthened.
2. Why did Jesus have to keep reminding them of His death? Because they were still looking for Jesus to set up the kingdom, to overthrow the power of Rome, but that was not what was going to take place in His first coming. But, when He comes again, He will establish His Kingdom on this earth!
VERSES 20-21
1. You have to love this. Mama Zebedee asks Jesus if her two boys, James and John, can have good positions in the kingdom! Now Salome, mama Zebedee, was the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus. So James and John were first cousins of Jesus. (John 19:25). They were family, and a little nepotism wouldn’t hurt, would it? They still didn’t get it!
VERSE 22
1. This "cup" is a reference to God’s judgment being poured out upon sin. Jesus was going to receive the judgment or the penalty for the sins of the world, He was going to pay the price for our sins. And these guys still didn’t get it, they thought they were able to receive this cup.
VERSE 23
1. Yes, they did suffer for Christ. James was beheaded, Acts 12:2, and John was tortured and exiled on the island of Patmos, Revelation 1:9. It is as Robert Little said, "James died a martyr’s death, John lived a martyr’s life."
2. Notice they came to Jesus worshiping Him to get something in return. Wrong motivation!
We were created for His good pleasure. True worship is about giving, and giving God the glory, as Hebrews 13:15 says, "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." God does bless us, but that is not the reason we should worship Him. He is God and deserves our worship!
VERSE 24
1. The other 10 apostles were angry with James and John, probably because they didn’t think of calling their mama’s for help first. And these are the guys Jesus prayed all night before He picked them. I take great comfort in that, that God can use someone like me! Now they were mad because they wanted the authority in the kingdom. It was not a spiritual issue. Let me ask you this, are you mad because someone is getting ahead of you, God has raised them up? That is wrong! Jesus is going to correct these guys and us, by giving us a proper view of ministry.
VERSE 25
1. That is the way the world operates, in a dictatorial manner, using their carnal power and authority over others. That is how we are not to act!
VERSES 26-27
1. As the song goes, "If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be a servant of all!" The word "servant" in verse 26 is the Greek word DIAKONOS and it means a hired servant. And it came to mean in the church a deacon or someone who cared for the physical needs of the people. A minister is a servant, and folks, we are all ministers! Then, in verse 27 the word "slave" is the Greek word DOULOS. It speaks of a bondslave, someone who freely gave up his rights to serve others. Thus, true greatness, true power in the eyes of Jesus is serving others while dying to self! Some may not think that is fair, but look at verse 28.
VERSE 28
1. Jesus gives Himself as our example and He ultimately gave His life a ransom for us. He gave His life to pay the penalty for our sins, to satisfy God’s justice and wrath against sin. It is as Peter tells us "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed." I Peter 2:24. And again he says "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit." I Peter 3:18. Jesus subjected Himself to the Divine punishment against sin on our behalf! That was the cup He was to drink!
VERSE 29
1. Now Jericho was about 15 miles from Jerusalem and both Mark and Luke tell us they were approaching Jericho while Matthew says they were leaving. Is this a contradiction? No! You see, the old city of Jericho was about 1½ miles away from the new city of Jericho which Herod the Great built as a winter resort for himself. So as Jesus was leaving the old city of Jericho, He was also entering the new city of Jericho, just as the Scriptures say!
VERSES 30-31
1. Now Mark and Luke only mention one blind man, Bartimaeus, while Matthew speaks of 2 men. A contradiction this time? No, again! You see, Bartimaeus may have been the more vocal one, and thus, they just focused on him! It also says that they "cried out" to Jesus. The word "cried out" or CRAZO in the Greek, speaks of the wailing of a woman in childbirth. So I think you can understand why the people tired to hush them up if you have ever been in a delivery room, but they refused to be discouraged by the crowds, and continued to cry out to Jesus.
VERSES 32-34
1. Notice Jesus is stretching their faith. In the midst of all the noise of the crowd, Jesus heard the cry for help, and He had compassion on them and healed them.
2. Notice also, before you can follow Jesus, you must receive
sight, your spiritual eyes must be opened, you must be saved!
Where were these men following Jesus to? The cross of Calvary!
It is as Jesus said, "...‘Whoever desires to come
after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
Me.’" Mark 8:34.
VERSES 1-6
1. Bethphage was a small town near Bethany, located on the southeast slope of the Mount of Olives. And Jesus is preparing to make His triumphal entry as the Messiah the King. Now I want you to take notice that everything is being done in order, according to a specific timetable. Two of His men go and get a colt, the foal of a donkey, by which Jesus would ride into Jerusalem upon, fulfilling what Zechariah had said some 500 years earlier! And He didn’t come as a conqueror on a white horse, but upon a donkey, He came in peace, to bring to man salvation!
VERSES 7-9
1. Keep in mind that it is the time of the Passover, so Jerusalem swelled to over 2 million people who came, making this pilgrimage to celebrate this feast. So as Jesus is coming down the Mount of Olives, the crowds honor Him and are singing the Hallel Psalms which are Messianic in nature, Psalms 113-118. The people were shouting Hosanna or save now! Save us from this Roman bondage! Save us economically! Save us from the persecution! And when that didn’t happen, they were shouting for Jesus to be crucified just a few days from now! How fickle people can be when things don’t go their way. How many do the same with Jesus today, things don’t go the way they want, and they just dump Him?
2. Also, this is the only time that Jesus allowed the people to worship Him as King. Why was this day so special? Because, over 600 years earlier, Daniel prophesied this exact day! In Daniel chapter 9, we are told that 483 years will pass until the Meshiach Nagid or the Messiah the King would come. Using the Babylonian calendar of 360 days, for that is where Daniel was captive, and it comes to 173,880 days from the starting point to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the King comes. According to Nehemiah chapter 2, that command was given by king Artaxerxes to Nehemiah on March 14, 445 BC. So from March 14, 445 BC to March 14, 32 AD is 476 years, remember there is no year from 1 BC to 1 AD. Then we take the 476 years and multiply it times 356 days a year, our calendar, and add 116 days for the leap years, we come to 173, 856 days, we are still 24 days short. In adding those 24 days, we come to 173, 880 days, which brings us to April 6, 32 AD, we call it Palm Sunday! The exact day that was spoken of came to pass!
VERSES 10-11
1. As He entered through the east gate the whole city shook! The word for "moved" in verse 10 is the Greek word SEISMIC, which we use for earthquakes. Now the city did not shake physically, but mentally and emotionally as the people were taking all these things in!
VERSE 12
1. This is the second time Jesus cleansed the temple, the first time occurred at the beginning of His public ministry, John 2:14-16. And keep in mind this is the next day, Monday that Jesus comes back to Jerusalem. Annas, the former High Priest was the manager of this enterprise, assisted by his sons. You see, to offer a sacrifice to God it had to be without spot or blemish, and they alone had the perfect sacrifices, you know, inspected by number 13! And they charged outrages prices. Also, you couldn’t give Roman money, only the temple shekel as an offering, and they would charge high exchange rates. They were ripping the people off who came to worship God, and folks, commercialism within the church and in Christianity in general is just as appalling! How some just take advantage of people to make a profit off of God, and God did not like it then, and He does not like it today!
VERSE 13
1. People should be able to come to the house of God freely, without any pressure to give. Tragically, that is not always the case. In one church, for example, they had a guest speaker, and during the offering, they didn’t receive enough money, so they sent the offering plate around a second time, and it still was not enough, so they sent it around a third time, and then they were satisfied. How sad!
VERSE 14
1. In the midst of this rip off are the hurting people, and Jesus see’s them and heals them. That is what the temple was to be about and that is what the church is to be about, healing, allowing people to be touched by God! But that is not what was happening.
VERSES 15-16
1. The children recognized Jesus but these religious leaders refused to see even though they saw all the wonderful things He had done. Their hearts were hard, the attention was off of them, and they did not like it, they in fact hated it and were angry at Jesus. Angry enough to put Him to death in a few days.
VERSE 17
1. Bethany was about 2 miles from Jerusalem, and Jesus probably stayed at the house of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, friends of Jesus.
VERSES 18-19
1. This was the time for the early figs, and yet there were only leaves and no fruit. And Jesus cursed it and the tree died at once, but according to Mark, the withering was not visible till the next day.
2. The fig tree is representative of Israel and God was bringing judgment upon her because she produced no fruit. They did have the appearance of life, they had leaves, but they had no fruit. Judgment was coming upon them for this, but God is not done with Israel yet. He is going to restore them as Paul tells us in Romans chapter 11, "I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin...And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’" Romans 11:1, 26-27.
VERSES 20-22
1. This is not spoken to the multitudes, but to His disciples. Thus, a disciple is not going to ask for things to build up their own kingdom, but the kingdom of God! There is nothing wrong in asking God to supply our needs, but some take it to the extreme with fancy cars, houses, and-so-on. That is wrong. God is not some magic lamp that you rub to get what you want. You see, a disciple, according to Jesus, "...‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’" Matthew 16:24.
VERSES 23-27
1. The religious leaders couldn’t deny the things that Jesus did, so they wanted to know who gave Him the authority to do them? They were not looking for the truth so Jesus asks them a question about John the baptist, who gave John authority, God or man? They were in trouble now. You see, if they affirmed John’s ministry as coming from God they would condemn themselves. If they denied John’s ministry, they feared the people for John was a prophet to them. Thus, they refused to answer, they said they didn’t know, because they refused to see the truth, so they just ignored it! But Jesus is not going to let them get away just yet.
VERSE 28
1. God’s vineyard is the nation of Israel. In fact, Isaiah 5:1-7 tells us, "Now let me sing to my Well-beloved a song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: my Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. ‘And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it.’ For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help."
VERSES 29-32
1. These guys are getting nailed here. The first son who first rejected the work, rejected God, later repented while the other son said he would work, but then did not. He rejected God. Thus, the religious leaders would be excluded because of their unbelief while the tax collectors, the sinners would be allowed in because they turned to God. Ouch! That had to hurt. It is as Paul said in Romans 10:3, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God." And Jesus is not done with these guys yet.
VERSE 33
1. The landowner is God and the vinedressers were the religious leaders who were to work the land and bring forth fruit in the lives of the people, bringing them to God.
VERSES 34-39
1. God sent forth His prophets whom they killed or persecuted. It is as Stephen said in Acts 7:51-52, "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers." And now comes the Son who was a threat to their way of life, so they put Him to death. That is exactly what took place. Now Jesus gives them a question which is going to expose their own sinfulness, it will indict them!
VERSES 40-41
1. You see, out of their own mouths they condemned themselves. Thus, the church is the "other vinedresser" which is made up primarily of gentiles. It is as Paul said in Romans 11:11, "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles." But, God is not done with Israel as I have said.
VERSE 42
1. Jesus takes them back to the Scriptures and that Stone, that Rock, which is Jesus, is going to be rejected by them. But, for all who come to Him He is a Rock, He brings stability to our lives. He is the Chief Cornerstone, the supporting structure of our lives. There is no other rock like our Rock!
VERSE 43
1. Peter, in speaking of the church, said "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." I Peter 2:9-10. God wants fruit in our lives, not just leaves!
VERSE 44
1. The Stone is Jesus, and if you fall on Him, you will be broken, but He will heal you. But, if you reject Him, this Stone will fall upon you and crush you to a powder!
VERSE 45
1. The light went on, "Hey, I think He is talking about us!" At least they got that right but they still missed the Messiah who was standing right before them.
VERSE 46
1. They are so mad at this point they want Him dead, and in a few days they will accomplish this task. What about you? Has God exposed something in your life that has made you mad at Him? Or are you just ignoring it? Don’t, He will keep bringing it up until you deal with it, confess it, get rid of it! Why? Because He loves you that much!