The Parable of the Vineyard Workers
This week we’re uncovering the Parable of the Vineyard Workers found in Matthew 20:1-16. Check out this video as we learn about this week’s Bible study (also available as a podcast!).
This week we are studying the Parable of the Vineyard Workers in Matthew 20:1-16.
In this parable, Jesus included a twist ending as He revealed that all the laborers that worked in the vineyard received the same payment from the landowner, regardless of how much they worked. This parable was spoken directly to the disciples to teach them about God’s graciousness and the Kingdom of Heaven, yet this story of God’s grace and justice still applies to us today. God’s grace is not something that goes in and out based on the situation or how “good” we are. Everything God does demonstrates His grace, love, and mercy. His creation, His power, His acceptance of sinners no matter what they’ve done, His gift of eternal life with Him, are all examples of God's grace and His unending love for us. This is a message the disciples would not have wanted to miss, and neither should we.
DAY 1 - READ AND REFLECT
Let’s start by reading the Parable of the Vineyard Workers found in Matthew 20:1-16. Re-read the passage, preferably in a different translation to get a clearer perspective on what the passage is communicating.
Keep in mind a parable is a story that parallels a message Jesus was trying to communicate, which would've been more easily understood by the original audience. Without a deep connection to Jewish culture, Jesus’ point is often lost on us. To understand the heart of Jesus’ parables, ask the following questions, and watch as the parables of Jesus come to life!
Who is the audience and how would the original hearer have heard this?
What cultural reference points would the original hearer have known that I miss?
Does the parable have characters and how are they described?
Does the parable have an unexpected ending that highlights the point Jesus was trying to make?
If Jesus were to make this point today, what parable might He tell?
DAY 2 - AUTHOR
The AUTHOR of our passage this week is Matthew, also known as Levi. Read Matthew 9:9-13 and Luke 5:27-32. What do you learn about Matthew based on these passages? What do you observe about the attitude of the Pharisees toward tax collectors?
Matthew was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, but before Matthew preached the Word of God, he was a tax collector in Capernaum (Matthew 9:9). In Jesus’s time, most tax collectors were thought to be traitors and thieves. Israel was occupied by Rome, so all the taxes that were collected went back to Rome. Many of the greedy tax collectors would overcharge taxes to pocket money for themselves (Luke 3:13). What is worse is that Matthew was a Jewish tax collector. He worked for the very people oppressing his country and his people! But when Jesus called out for Matthew, he gave up everything and followed him.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 and Acts 10:34. Why do you think Jesus chose Matthew as a disciple? What did Matthew have to do to get access to God?
If Jesus was willing to choose Matthew what does that tell you about who ALL He is willing to accept?
Matthew is the only disciple to write down the Parable of the Vineyard Worker. He was also the only person to record the Parable of the Two Sons, another parable about vineyards. But instead of being directed at His disciples, the Parable of the Two Sons was directed toward the chief priests and Jewish elders. Read Matthew 21:28-32. What do you learn from this parable? What similarities do you see in this parable compared to the one we’re studying this week in Matthew 20:1-16?
How do you think each of the different audiences would have reacted to Jesus’ messages in each of these parables?
DAY 3 - HISTORY
In a vineyard, the vines are tended throughout the year so that the grapes can be harvested by laborers. During Biblical times, tending to the vineyards was a significant part of everyday life for many of those in Israel. So it is not shocking that the vineyard became a symbol Christ used to help explain spiritual truth and the Kingdom of God. Read John 15:1-5. How does Jesus make the connection to the vineyard here? Instead of working the vineyard, what does Jesus ask of His people (vs. 4)?
These verses give us an understanding that it’s not about what or how much we do, but it’s about saying, “Yes!” and remaining in God. The same applies to the parable in Mathew 20, as we consider our response to humbly serving Christ - not for a reward, but because we want to abide in Him. To abide in Jesus we need to love like Jesus loved - “love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12, ESV). Jesus loved selflessly and sacrificially. Read John 15:9-13. If the vineyard workers who had worked the longest loved like Jesus, by putting others first, how might that have changed their attitude toward the workers who worked the least amount of time (Matthew 20:9-12)?
HISTORICALLY, Palestinian landowners during the first century would typically wake up early in the morning and go to the marketplace. The marketplace is where the laborers congregated. Due to overcharged taxes inflicted on Jews by tax collectors, many of the small farmers had to leave their land and join other unemployed men in the market to hire themselves out as day laborers so they could pay the debt owed to the Roman government and provide for their families. Only those who were truly wealthy could pay the taxes and had permanent jobs. The workday was commonly split into 3-hour time blocks from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. The men still waiting at the eleventh hour (5:00 pm) had little chance of earning enough to buy food for their families that day. However, in this week’s parable, even those hired last were given a full day’s wage.
How would you feel if someone gave you a job when you were living day-to-day?
How would you feel if that person gave you the full day's wage regardless of the time you started?
What would you think of the landowner that hired you?
DAY 4 - CONTEXT
As we look at the CONTEXT of this week’s Parable of the Vineyard Workers, we will find that it is placed immediately following Jesus’ interaction with a rich young man who asked what he needed to do to achieve eternal life (Matthew 19:16-23). Jesus then told this young man to sell his possessions and follow Him. However, this wealthy man wouldn’t do it because he prized what he owned more than what Jesus could give. Read Matthew 19:23-24. What did Jesus tell His disciples, after the rich young man walked away? How hard would it be for you to walk away from everything to serve Christ?
Notice in Mathew 19 the rich young man earned more than most people and Christ wanted him to give it away to follow Him. It was not about what he had earned. It was about his attitude of what he was willing to give up for the sake of Christ.
In our parable this week, the worker at the eleventh hour, in normal circumstances, would not have earned as much as the worker who started in the early morning. Especially by his effort alone. But Jesus showed it wasn’t about the man’s efforts, it was only about the fulfillment of a promise. Read John 14:6 and Romans 10:9-10. What is Christ’s promise that leads to our true reward? How do you get the reward?
Further Reflection: The phrase in Matthew 20:16 is called chiasmus**. A chiasmus is a literary device that reveals an idea in a different way. We see it used in many places throughout the Bible, including right before our passage this week. In addition to Matthew 20:16, read Matthew 19:30, 23:12, and Mark 2:27. What do you notice about these phrases? Why do you think Jesus spoke in this style?
Day 5 - THE GENEROSITY OF THE LANDOWNER
As we look closer at the wage of each of the workers, notice that none of them were cheated. Not a single laborer in the vineyard was underpaid! The complaint from the early workers came from their sinful hearts of jealousy and discontent. The early workers received exactly what they agreed to work for, as did the later hires! They were all paid equally according to the landowners' generosity, but the early workers let envy and jealousy ruin their joy. Shouldn’t we be happy about the good things others receive? Of course, we should! When have you found yourself jealous when someone received something they didn’t deserve?
Read Matthew 20:14-15 and Romans 9:14-16. Why is it so hard for us to accept that God can show mercy however and on whomever He chooses?
The attitude of thinking we deserve more than others in the Kingdom of God because we worked longer or harder than someone else is a dangerous spot to be in. It means that we have forgotten how we get in to begin with. Read Titus 3:4-7 and Ephesians 2:8-9. What was God’s gift to everyone?
Read Matthew 20:16. What do you think Jesus meant when He said, “Many that are last shall be first, and the first last?”
Jesus is using this statement to teach the disciples that whatever time a person comes to God, they ALL will receive the same thing. Read Romans 6:23. What does everyone deserve? Yet, what is everyone offered or promised?
Think of what this means for us today. Isn’t it reassuring to know that the timing doesn’t affect our eternal reward? Read the following verses and note when these more prominent people in the Bible followed Christ:
1 Samuel 3:1-4. Samuel followed the Lord _________________
Matthew 4:18-20. Simon Peter and Andrew followed the Lord _________________
Luke 23:39-43. The criminal on the cross followed the Lord _________________
These are just examples, but notice something: They all received the gracious gift of eternity with God. No matter when they chose to follow God.
However, because tomorrow is not promised, it is better to choose to follow God sooner, rather than later. Many of us wished we would have known God as young children or as teens that grew up in the church. Now coming to know Christ in our 20s, 30s, 40s, or older, we may look back and feel as if we wasted precious time. However, it is not about the time wasted, rather the time that we have left to live for God. When there is life there is hope*. It is never too late to receive the true gift of eternal life through salvation in Jesus Christ.
Contributed by Guest Writer: Kristen Davis
*Henry, Matthew, and Martin H. Manser. The New Matthew Henry Commentary: The Classic Work with Updated Language. Zondervan, 2010.
**“What Is Chiastic Structure? What Is a Chiasm?” CompellingTruth.org, www.compellingtruth.org/chiasm-chiastic.html.
List of Parables
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