The life of Jesus · Matthew 20
The Workers of the Eleventh Hour
After saying that “many that are first shall be last,” Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a landowner who goes out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard, at a denarius a day. He goes out again around the third, sixth, and ninth hours, and then around the eleventh, and finds still others standing idle in the marketplace: “no man hath hired us.” He sends them all into his vineyard. In the evening, the steward pays the workers, starting with the last: those hired at the eleventh hour each receive a denarius. The first, expecting to receive more, also receive a denarius, and they grumble against the landowner. He answers, “Friend, I do thee no wrong. . . . Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” So the last shall be first, and the first last.
What happens
- The landowner hires workers early in the morning for a denarius a day Matthew 20:1–2
- He sends out more at the third, sixth, and ninth hours Matthew 20:3–5
- At the eleventh hour: “No man hath hired us” Matthew 20:6–7
- In the evening, all receive a denarius, starting with the last Matthew 20:8–10
- The first grumble: “thou hast made them equal unto us” Matthew 20:11–12
- “Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” Matthew 20:13–15
Who is in this story
The lesson
In God’s kingdom, the wage is a gift of grace, not something owed: the master is fair to everyone and generous to all. Instead of envying God’s goodness to others, let’s rejoice that we ourselves are among those who receive it.
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
Quick quiz on this story
What wage does the landowner agree to pay the first workers?
The landowner “agreed with the labourers for a penny [denarius] a day” and sent them into his vineyard early in the morning. Matthew 20:2
What do the last workers answer when the landowner asks why they are standing there idle?
At the eleventh hour, they answer, “Because no man hath hired us.” The landowner tells them, “Go ye also into the vineyard.” Matthew 20:6–7
In what order does the landowner have the workers paid?
The landowner tells his steward, “Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.” Matthew 20:8
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