Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-2

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

Commentary

The first word, “For,” denotes that this is a continuation of the narrative from the end of chapter 19, during which the disciples asked Jesus who can be saved and what there would be for them in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In this parable, the landowner represents God, the day represents a lifetime, and the workers he found early in the morning could represent the disciples, who were among the first to come to faith during Jesus’s ministry, as well as any Christian who came to faith early in life. The work being done in the vineyard represents the Great Commission; the sharing of the gospel and inviting others to come to faith. These workers agreed to what they would receive from the landowner, and they went to work.

Verses 3-5a

About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.

Commentary

The third hour represents the Lord bringing to faith individuals who are a bit older. Since the third hour is still early in the day, these workers represent Christians who may have come to faith in their mid to late twenties or early thirties. Like the first workers, they agreed to what they would receive from God and went to work.

Verse 5b

He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.

Commentary

By the ninth hour, the day is getting late. These workers might represent people coming to faith in their 50’s or 60’s, likely gray-haired individuals, perhaps even grandparents.

Verses 6-7

About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked.

‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’

Commentary

It’s the eleventh hour and the day is essentially over. These workers represent people who come to faith in their 70’s, 80’s, perhaps even in their 90’s. The eleventh hour represents the waning years of someone’s life. Like the others, these people also go to the vineyard.

Verse 8-16

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’

The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.

On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’

But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Commentary

The day is over, representing the natural end of these Christians’ lives. They have all died. God then says to His angels, “Call the workers.”

The key to these verses is that the landowner instructed his foreman to line them up with those hired last at the front of the line and those hired first at the back. Had this not been done; if those hired first had received their pay and left; they would never have seen that those hired after them received the same as they did. In other words, they would have assumed they had earned what they were given and that those behind them earned less.

Instead, the landowner deliberately arranged the situation so that those hired first would see that those hired last received exactly the same reward. In doing so, he forced their awareness of the fact that what they were receiving was the result of his generosity, not something they had earned through hard work. God’s rewards are based on His grace, not human effort.

Verses 17-19

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn Him to death and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life.”

Commentary

Let’s look at what Jesus accurately predicted: 1) He would be delivered to the chief priests, 2) they would condemn Him to death, 3) they would deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and 4) on the third day, He would be raised to life. That was four events in Jesus’s future that He predicted with 100% accuracy.

There are many people today who think Jesus was just an ordinary man. But the reality is that Jesus is obviously not an average person. We’ve seen Him heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and raise the dead. We’ve seen Him transfigured on a mountain, and now we see that Jesus is omniscient, (a quality belonging to God).

Verses 20-28

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.

“What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.”

“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” the brothers answered.

“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Commentary

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem. Given the timing, it is reasonable to think that the mother of James and John assumes Jesus is going there to establish His reign as King of Israel. On that assumption, she asks for her sons to be placed in positions of honor and authority in His kingdom. What she is actually doing, however, is causing division among the disciples.

Jesus responds, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” He is referring to the flogging, beating, and crucifixion He is about to endure. Still not understanding, James and John answer, “Yes.”

Then Jesus says something ominous; something that goes over their heads, just as everything else has so far. He says, “You will indeed drink My cup.” By this, Jesus is telling James and John that if they follow Him, they too will one day be beaten, tortured, and killed.

If their mother had understood what Jesus was saying, she likely would have told her sons to leave Jesus at once and come home immediately.

Recall that earlier Jesus accurately predicted His own death. Now, He is accurately predicting the deaths of these two men. Once again, this demonstrates that Jesus is no ordinary man; He is omniscient.

I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’ (Isaiah 46:9b-10)

When the other ten disciples heard about this mother’s request, they were indignant with the two brothers. In this instance, James and John’s mother caused division within the church. I’ve heard many stories of people who, like her, attempt to make requests or demands of their pastor and elders in order to advance themselves. Some treat their church membership like a perks program at a hotel, treating their tithes as payment for services rendered. They believe that generous giving entitles them to authority in the church.

Here’s a word of advice: God values humility and hates pride. When you find a good church with leaders who are filled with the Holy Spirit, I encourage you to go in with a humble heart; ready to sit, listen, and learn.

Jesus called the disciples aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

There it is, ladies and gentlemen: You must serve others. If you’ve been a Christian for many years, you may find that Sunday sermons sometimes offer you little, especially when the pastor teaches on the fundamentals of Christianity, such as repentance from dead works, faith in God, baptism, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Your time in church may not always be for your benefit; often it is meant to serve those who are hearing these truths for the first time.

There are dozens of tasks that make a church service possible, and the pastor cannot do them all himself. From shoveling snow at the entrance to changing microphone batteries or pouring coffee for guests, every job is important. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve; and we are called to do the same.

Verses 29-34

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd admonished them to be silent, but they cried out all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked.

“Lord,” they answered, “let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and followed Him.

Commentary

This event is recorded in Matthew 20, as well as in Mark 10 and Luke 18. Mark and Luke mention only one blind man, while Matthew mentions two. This, however, is not a contradiction, because one is a subset of two. For example, imagine I walk out of a store and see a quarter and a penny on the ground. I pick them both up and put them in my pocket. Then I turn to my wife and say, “I just found a quarter.” Is my statement true? Yes, I did find a quarter. I also found a penny, but I didn’t feel it was worth mentioning. This is exactly what is happening here. Mark even gives us the name of one of the blind men: Bartimaeus. This suggests that Bartimaeus was someone worth noting; perhaps a well-known person in the community, or perhaps he later became close friends with the disciples, and his friendship merited the mention of his name.