Matthew 20 | The Wolfe Notes

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Our Notes on Matthew 20 include:

1. An Overview: Topic, Themes, and Summary.
2. An Outline Of our thoughts and questions.
3. Exploration Into the differences in versions.
4. A Reflection On service and suffering.
5. An Invitation to Respond To a God who serves.

Matthew 20

Crocus by NoName_13 at Pixabay

Overview

General Topic

The Kingdom's idea of fairness does not follow the rules of men.

Key Themes

Fairness. Service. Humility.

Summary

The first become last. We think our hard and faithful labor to the Kingdom earns us status - that the longer we serve, the higher on the favor ladder we climb. But, in the Kingdom of Heaven, all of us receive the same reward. Accepting this truth, humbles us: we are no greater than anyone else. John and James learn it is by God's authority alone that positions of honor are granted, but at a very high cost. Jesus demonstrates how high the cost through His faithful, sacrificial, compassionate, never-ending, service to us. The One who knew no sin became sin for us. And, so, the last one who deserved to pay the redemption price, becomes the firstfruit of all mankind. The last became first.

Outline

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, and ! a connection. Researched answers are in italics. *R communicates that in-depth research follows.

On the Parable of the Workers (Matthew 20:1-16)

1. In this Kingdom of Heaven parable, a Landowner searches for laborers. 
1. ? I wonder if each Kingdom of Heaven parable were combined, what we would learn about the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. * The laborers hired at the start of the day agree to the set wage. Likely represents the Jews.- Bible Hub
2. Throughout the day, He hires more. 
1. * God understands the effort required to tend:
1. ! And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes [grapes that grew bitter]. Isaiah 5:2 KJV [NLT] (See our research on God's vineyard.)
2. ! I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Isaiah 27:3 KJV (See cross references.)
2. * God is constantly gathering workers, yet, some work Jesus has to do alone (Isaiah 63:3 and our notes.). 
3. The idea of God hiring workers throughout the day could symbolize God calling us at different points in our life or different groups of people called throughout time. - Bible Hub
3. At day's end, the ones hired last receive payment first.
4. All are paid the same wage.
5. The ones who are hired first, object.
1. ! Reminds me of the oldest son in the prodigal son story: "...All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf." (Luke 15:29-30 NLT)
6. But, the Landowner says it is His right to decide how to show generosity.
1. ! For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. Isaiah 18:4 KJV (See cross references.)
2. ! And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, 'We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.'" Luke 17:9-10 NLT
7. And they should not be jealous because He shows kindness to others.
1. ! The KJV asks, "Is thine eye evil because I am good?" (Matthew 20:15), which causes me to remember I am the one seeing things wrongly. I am not equipped to judge between right and wrong. (See our exploration on judging.)
2. ! That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45 KJV (See our notes.)
3. ! Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Romans 12:15 KJV
8. Remember, God reverses everything we consider to be the natural order of things. Our ideas of fairness are not His.
1. ? Does this mean those who join the Kingdom last will live eternally with Him first, but all will receive eternal life? So, is it talking about deathbed confessions.
2. ! Then [one of the criminals on the cross beside Jesus] said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." And Jesus replied "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43 NLT
3. ! 🎵Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.🎶 ("Come, Now is the Time to Worship" performed by Phillips, Craig, and Dean)
4. ! Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. Matthew 9:15 NLT (See our notes.)
5. ! Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?  Isaiah 29:16 KJV (See cross references.)
6. ! Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. I Corinthians 2:12-13 KJV
7. ! In the ruler/servant [suzerain/vassal] covenant God makes with us, He vows to protect us, reminds us constantly of His promise, refrains from pouring out His wrath, and demands nothing in return. The complete opposite is true of typical covenants. In historical Suzerain-vassal covenants the one in power forces the oppressed to pay for protection, to provide proof that they are part of the arrangement, and to expect regular threats of vengeance. - Marty Solomon, in Asking Better Questions of the Bible. pp. 47-49.
8. ? In the KJV, Matthew 20:16 ends with "for many be called, but few chosen.", which is absent in the NLT. *R
1. ? What is the difference between called and chosen? That few answer the call, but all who do will receive the reward? Or many are called, but from those who show up, few will fully choose the Kingdom? 

On Jesus' Third Prediction of His Death  (Matthew 20:17-19)

1.  Then, Jesus predicts His death and resurrection for a third time.
1. * The last one who should die for our sins is the first to be resurrected.
2. ? How can I adapt this thought pattern as a habit to use in my own life? What do I put last that I should move to first? Last to be invited, last chore to be completed, last solution I would consider, etc.
3. ! Jesus offers seven descriptors of what He will go through, which interests me as seven is the number of completeness, perfection, fulfillment. (See more on the meaning of 7 at Christianity.com.)

On Earning Kingdom Honor (Matthew 20:20-28)

1. James' and John's mother kneels before Jesus to ask if her sons can sit on either side of Him in heaven.
1. * James' and John's mom clearly did not understand the point of the parable. But, then again, she may not have heard it. Matthew is not told sequentially, but topically. So placing this story here makes sense because they teach the same lesson: don't expect more just because you've worked harder, longer, or were called for service.
2. ! Reminds me of the parable of the wedding feast. Jesus advises us to take the seat of least honor. Then, if the host chooses to move you to the position of honor you accept it. (Luke 14:7-24)
2. Jesus tells her that she doesn't understand what she is asking for. That she doesn't understand what He will endure so He can ascend. (If she did, she wouldn't wish it for her sons.)
1. * To lack of faith, Jesus responds with frustration. But here, to pride, Jesus responds with bewilderment because they don't understand the price Jesus will have to pay to sit in the seat of honor.
2. ! And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. Matthew 19:29​ KJV
3. * To think then, what a high cost one would have to pay to sit on either side of Jesus. Surely, they also suffered greatly.
3. James and John respond that they would undergo anything for the honor.
4. Jesus affirms that indeed they will, too, endure suffering, but that who sits beside Him is God's decision to make.
1. ? KJV includes "baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with:", but it is omitted from the NLT. Why? *R
5. The remaining disciples were angered by the request.
6. But Jesus reminds them that James and John are responding to how they've been taught, but the Kingdom of Heaven works the opposite way. If you want to be first, be last. If you want to lead, be a servant. If you want to be great, humble yourself.
1. ! So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:4-5​ NLT
2. * Perhaps one reason we must become like children is because we get conformed into the thinking of this world. We must "unlearn what we have learned" to understand the way the Kingdom of Heaven works.

On Jesus, the Servant (Matthew 20:28-33)

1. That's why Jesus, came, after all. Not to be served, but to serve.
2. As they progress to Jerusalem, Jesus demonstrates His willingness to serve again by healing two blind men who call out to Him from the side of the road.
1. * Even as Jesus marches toward unthinkable sorrow, He feels compassion and takes time to heal others.
2. ! Jesus' enduring compassion and willingness to heal others is portrayed beautifully in The Chosen Season 2: Episode 3. (Read more about Jesus' enduring work.)

Exploration

Into the differences in Biblical translations.

Matthew 20:16

• KJV: So the last shall be first, and the first shall be last: for many be called, but few chosen.
• NLT: "So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last." 

Commentary

• Many of the most highly regarded manuscripts omit the final clause, as the NLT does.
• The statement has good authority, and is most likely genuine. 
• It is also recorded elsewhere in scripture.
• For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14 KJV & NLT (Identical in both.)
• Translations that include it offer it in explanation or justification of the preceding statement, but many translators find the statement inapplicable here, and better suited for its placement at the end of the wedding feast parable in Matthew 22.
• Judas is an example of one of the called, but not chosen. He had the wrong attitude, as did the early workers in this parable.

Cross References

• But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. Matthew 19:30 KJV (See also Mark 10:31 & Luke 13:30.)
• For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 14:11 NLT (See also I Samuel 2:7-8.)
• Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. I Corinthians 1:27 NLT
• For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV
• For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14 KJV & NLT (Identical in both.)
• "The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you..." Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NLT
• "You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. Matthew 7:13 NLT (Browse our notes on Matthew 7 & 8.)
• For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet. Luke 14:24 NLT

Matthew 20:22

• KJV: But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
• NLT: But Jesus answered by saying to them, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?" "Oh yes," they replied, "we are able!"

Commentary

• The baptism references the pains and persecutions in which He was about to be sunk:
• Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can't find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. Psalm 69:2 NLT 
• Don't let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me. Psalm 69:15 NLT
• ! "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you." Isaiah 43:2. (Explore cross references.)
• * He really does get our struggles; He's been through them Himself. He is well equipped to deal with all our problems.
• Together, the cup and the baptism, represent two sacraments by which we are symbolically made one with Christ.
• The baptism phrase is recorded in both Mark and Luke. Some translators, noticing it missing in Matthew, may have included it here, too. It is quite possible that Matthew did not record this phrase. Regardless, the words were spoken by Jesus and are recorded in both Mark 10:38 and Luke 12:50.

Cross References

• But Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?" John 18:11 NLT
• And he went a little father, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matthew 26:39 KJV (See also Matthew 26:42.)
• Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which has drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. Isaiah 51:17 KJV (See also Jeremiah 25:15.)
• Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again. Isaiah 51:22 KJV
• And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Romans 8:17 NLT (See also Philippians 3:10 & 2 Timothy 2:12.)
• To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Revelations 3:21 KJV

*Thoughts: Various translations and manuscripts get to decide whether or not they include or exclude a phrase. Both phrases are valid. They appear other places in the Bible as being spoken by Jesus. Whether or not they originally appeared here is irrelevant. The truth is, we still must grapple with the meaning of these phrases: Many are called, but few are chosen, and Jesus did undergo a baptism of suffering that we, too, will endure. 

Sources: 

• Matthew 20:16 at Bible Hub
• Matthew 20:22 at Bible Hub

Reflections

Logic dictates that the harder we try and the longer we work, the better our reward will be. But God's favor works differently. We don't have to work to earn favor with God, He already favors us. We just have to recognize what's already true and accept the invitation to work in His field.

Proverbs 24:27 states, "Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house." God's inviting you to work in His field. He wants you to dig up the hardened ground of unbelief and plant seeds of faith that He can nurture and grow. This is the work required for you to accept the mansion He's building for you. We start by turning over the hard conformities of this world, breaking up the lies, and transform the soil into fertile truths found in His word so His love can grow. The beauty is that for some of us, this work is a journey throughout our lifetime and shorter for others. Regardless of the time we take tending the soil, by answering the call, we're allow Him to build.

What's more, all are welcome who are willing to accept. We see that in the story of Ruth, a Gentile, who willingly did the work of gathering wheat in a kinsman's field and was accepted into the household of God by answering the call.

Answering the call may be the easy part, committing to it is hard: suffering is promised. As Jesus foretells His death again, in specific detail, it still seems lost on the disciples. In James and John asking to be enthroned next to Him, we're again reminded of the laborers in the field. We are so hungry for honor, glory, and recognition that we miss finding JOY in service. Perhaps, because service demands humility and often suffering. 

Our thirst for glory, honor, and recognition should be a call to us to turn the glory, honor, and recognition back to God in our own lives. We do this by humbling ourselves through service. Perhaps the most effective way to practice humility would be to invite the last person you want to invite over; to tackle the last chore around your house you would ever consider doing; to volunteer in the last place you want to be at; to pray for the last person you think deserves a blessing. Serving is what we are made to do.

If you need encouragement, picture Jesus. See Him walking toward Jerusalem, knowing His crucifixion awaits Him there, contemplating the suffering He is about to endure. Full of personal turmoil, watch as He stops, replacing His anguish with compassion, to heal two blind men on the side of the road. He knows His life is for others. So is yours.

Respond

Connect

God serves. How crazy is that? Our God serves. What other god does that? Why would you want to serve any other god knowing who our God is and what He does for us?

Reflect

1. What about life is unfair to you right now? Given the parable of the workers, how do you think God would respond to your idea of unfairness? What can help you set your mind on living for treasures in heaven instead of earthly rewards?
2. Have you accepted a position as a laborer in God's field? What work are you doing there and what is the desired result from it?
3. How does knowing God serves you empower you to serve others? 

Act

Arise, and serve.

Arise, recognize that God serves you.

In Closing

Father in heaven, we truly are honored to be laborers in Your field. As we break up clods of conformity, teach us to transform them into the fertile soil of Your truth. As sprouts of Your love spring up within us, gift us with others to share Your love with. When suffering comes, remind us who You are. You endured suffering for our sake. You understand our pain. You know our end, and are even now preparing our eternal home where we will reside with You. Teach us to serve others as You serve us: purposefully, compassionately, indiscriminately.

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