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+--- Thread: NT Doctrine -- Matthew 20:1-16 (/thread-1081.html)
NT Doctrine -- Matthew 20:1-16 - Ed Hurst - 05-14-2022
Finally, Jesus offers an explanation of His symbolic warning that the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Matthew is the only one who offers this parable.
There was a common trade of day laborers among the Hebrews. For centuries, the pay had been a half-shekel, but that worked out to be the same as one denarius in Jesus' day. The peasants who lived this way typically managed to make it through the year by working a little here and there on projects that required extra labor. But for most of their lives, the average peasant family survived on just what the men could make during the various seasonal harvests. Grapes ripened in mid-summer.
So the vineyard owner duly went out to the market square early in the morning and picked up all the available workers. They all agreed to work the standard 12-hour day for one denarius. We believe their workday was 6 AM to 6 PM. He told them where to report for work and went about his day's other business. Three hours into the workday (9 AM), he went and found another bunch, and directed them to his vineyard. As the day wore on, he did the same thing again at noon and 3 PM. Finally, he found more peasants standing idle at 5 PM that weren't there before, and so sent them off to his vineyard.
By custom, the pay of those who came later could be pro-rated. However, the owner was not like that. He knew that this was their livelihood, and cared about the Covenant welfare of his people. So, he had his paymaster call the last group first and pay them the whole day's wage. Those who had been working the whole twelve hours fussed about the obvious inequity.
The vineyard owner responded that he could be generous if he wanted. However, the Covenant provided for a certain shalom blessing, and that's what he wanted for everyone.
Too many people make the mistake of thinking this is about spiritual birth. That's missing the point. Jesus had just dealt with the Rich Young Ruler, and was teaching His disciples how to make sense of God's Covenant mercy and generosity, while at the same time being so hard on the wealthy and powerful. In the long run, the Covenant was to provide for a basic level of mortal welfare. Many have used the term "reasonable prosperity" to identify a part of what the Covenant promised in shalom.
The Law of Moses hammered hard on the issue of Covenant identity. The whole nation of Israel was one big family. While you might be a little guarded with folks you never met, and even your first cousins might try to defraud you, the Covenant was a great leveler. However, this moral principle was also something Jews commonly rejected, and this rejection was prominent in Jesus' day. It was especially so among those who had the wealth of the vineyard owner, but not his heart for the Lord. Thus, Jesus was warning that those who put themselves first in worldly terms would end up feeling short-changed by the actual covenant demands (as the Rich Young Ruler did). Those who were humble and just happy to be included in God's family were the ones who would come out ahead.
In the Kingdom of the Messiah, humility and service are the definition of leadership. Compassionate sacrifice is the true coin of the Realm.
Note: You need to understand that the way the paymaster gave the last to arrive their pay first does not explain the enigmatic statement Jesus used to introduce the parable; it's Hebrew humor injected into the answer. Puns and sarcasm are a critical part of the Hebrew sense of humor, and Jesus used them a lot.