Matthew 20

Matthew 20 covers the final stage of Jesus' journey up to Jerusalem. It develops in parable form the saying at the end of Matthew 19, "many that are first shall be last" (Matthew 19:30), and it immediately precedes the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem in the following chapter.

Outline

• Verses 1–16: The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. A householder hires laborers early in the morning and again at the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours. When evening comes, he pays each of them a penny (denarius), beginning with the last. When those hired first complain, the householder replies that he has paid them as agreed.
• Verses 17–19: Jesus takes the Twelve Disciples aside and foretells his death and his resurrection on the third day.
• Verses 20–28: The mother of Zebedee's sons asks that her two sons may sit at his right hand and his left in his kingdom. When the other ten disciples are indignant, Jesus teaches that whoever would be great must become a servant.
• Verses 29–34: As they leave Jericho, two blind men sitting by the wayside cry out, "O Lord, thou son of David," and Jesus touches their eyes and heals them.

Key Verses

• Matthew 20:16, "So the last shall be first" — together with 19:30, this saying frames the parable on either side.
• Matthew 20:28, "to give his life a ransom for many" — Jesus' own statement of the meaning of his death, frequently cited as a basis for the doctrine of the atonement.

People and Places

• Jesus and the Twelve Disciples
• The mother of Zebedee's sons: the text does not give her name.
• James and John: in this chapter they appear only as "her sons."
• Two blind men: the men healed by the roadside at Jericho.
• Jerusalem and Jericho: Jericho is a city west of the Jordan River, on the road leading up to Jerusalem.

Points for Reflection

• The Parable of the Workers is widely read to mean that God's grace does not depend on the amount of work done. Some also read it as a story about the acceptance of latecomers such as Gentiles and sinners, or as an answer to Peter's question about reward (Matthew 19:27).
• Some manuscripts add at the end of verse 16, "for many be called, but few chosen," and the King James Version includes these words.
• In the parallel passage in Mark 10, the two brothers make the request themselves, and there is only one blind man, Bartimaeus. In Luke 18, Jesus heals one blind man as he draws near to Jericho.
• Some identify the brothers' mother as Salome by comparing Matthew 27:56 with Mark 15:40, but this identification is conjectural.

In Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is often used in sermons on grace, and verses 26–28 in sermons on service and church office.