Chapter BY Chapter

Matthew 20 – Blind Men See What Pharisees Don’t See

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This passage is as follows:

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“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’  So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’  They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’  And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.  Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.  And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’  But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’  So the last will be first, and the first last.”

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And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

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Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.  And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”  Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”  He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”  And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.  And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”  The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”  And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”  They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”  And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

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(End of passage)

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In chapter 19, Jesus went to Judea beyond the Jordan.  This would be the area East of the Jordan, that was also called Perea.  Chapter 20 continues from that area, and then in this chapter, Jesus and his disciples start heading to Jerusalem. 

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What did we learn from Jesus in chapter 19?

1. The nature of marriage is centered on God’s creation.God made one man and one woman to become one flesh.

2. Do not hinder little children from coming to Jesus since the kingdom of heaven belongs to those that are like them.

3. You cannot do just one good deed to get to the kingdom of heaven.It is about following Jesus.

4. Whatever you give up for Jesus’ sake will be returned to you a hundred times over in the kingdom of heaven.

 

Jesus continues his teaching in chapter 20.  He tells us more about the kingdom of heaven.

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Verses 1-16,

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“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’  So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’  They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’  And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.  Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.  And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’  But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’  So the last will be first, and the first last.”

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This parable is only told in the gospel of Matthew.  This is a continuation of his answer to Peter’s question in Matthew 19:27, “We have left everything and followed you, what will we then have?”  What is Jesus telling Peter here in this parable?

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1. Not to begrudge what is given to you.A denarius was a Roman soldier’s daily wage and it would be generous to give that wage to a common laborer.

2. Basically we all get paid the same reward for following Jesus – eternal life.Anything after that is just small potatoes.

3. Both the thief on the cross, who only had a moment to live for Jesus while he could do nothing but hang on the cross, and the apostle Paul, who spent a lifetime of suffering and traveling for Jesus, will have the same reward – eternal life.

 

What does Jesus mean that the last will be first and the first last?

1. That the Gentiles, who did God’s work last, will be first above the Jews who did God’s work first?

2. That the last who get less work done get a higher proportion of wages for their work?

3. That those with the highest estimation of themselves will be the lowest in the kingdom of heaven.Those with the lowest estimation of themselves will be elevated.

4. That those that are the last to follow Jesus will be the first in the kingdom of heaven.

 

Remember that Jesus is still responding to Peter’s question, who had a high estimation of himself.  Peter wanted to know what he was going to get since he gave up everything to follow Jesus.  In the parable, one worker complains that those that worked less were paid the same.  He had a higher estimation of himself because he worked more.  This worker was put down by the owner of the vineyard.  So, in that way, the first was last.  Therefore, the way in which Jesus means this when he says the first will be last is that those that are first in their own estimation will be last in God’s eyes.

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Now, Jesus is going to go to Jerusalem.

 

Verses 17-19,

 

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

 

What is the significance of this?

1. We are getting near the end of the story.We are on chapter 20, and chapters 21-28 are going to be about the triumphant entry to Jerusalem.More than ¼ of the gospel will be devoted to the last week in the 2 ½ to 3 years of Jesus’ ministry.We will have to start a new book of the Bible soon, so start thinking what you might want to study next.

2. This is the third time in the gospel according to Matthew that Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to be crucified and be raised on the third day.

3. This was God’s plan all along.

4. This fulfills some of the Messianic prophesies.

   • Isaiah 53,

   • Psalm 22,

   • Zechariah 12:10.

5. This supports Matthew’s thesis, that Jesus is the Messiah.

 

So, now they are on the way to Jerusalem.  Maybe something great is going to happen.

 

Verses 20-28,

 

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.  And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.”  Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.”  He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”  And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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So, what is going on here?  Did James and John put their mother up to this, or did their mother drag them by the ears to ask for this? 

 

Why do you think that the mother of James and John asked for her sons to be at the right and left hand of Jesus?

1. Obviously, she noticed that something great was going on here.

2. Perhaps there were great crowds following Jesus and everyone loved him so much she thought they were all going to make him king by force.

3. This is just before the triumphant entry.Jesus’ popularity is at an all time high.In chapter 15, a Canaanite woman in the region of Tyre and Sidon calls Jesus the Son of David.Certainly, the idea that Jesus is the Messiah is widespread.Perhaps the mother of James and John anticipated that Jesus would take kingship of the nation at this time, and she would want her sons to be in authority of this new kingship.

 

Let’s see if this is idea is prevalent as Jesus travels to Jerusalem.

 

Verses 29-34,

 

And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.  And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”  The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”  And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”  They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”  And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

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So, as Jesus went out of Jericho this happens.  Jesus is moving close to Jerusalem.  Two blind men call out to him cry out for his mercy and even they can see that Jesus is the Son of David, a designation of Messiahship.  What is Matthew’s thesis again?

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That Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

 

The Pharisees couldn’t see that Jesus was the Messiah, but these two blind men could.

 

What did the blind men do after they received their sight?

 

They followed Jesus.

 

Song: Son of David by Ghost Ship