This document provides commentary on Matthew 20 from multiple scholars. It begins by providing context and background for the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Several scholars then analyze different elements of the parable, including who the householder represents, the meaning of the vineyard, and themes around God rewarding people equally regardless of when they began following him. The commentary explores applying the parable both generally and specifically to the calling of Gentiles into the kingdom of God.

1. MATTHEW 20 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out early in the morning to hire workers
for his vineyard.
BAR ES, "For the kingdom of heaven ... - The word “for” shows that this
chapter should have been connected with the preceding. The parable was spoken
expressly to illustrate the sentiment in the last verse of that chapter: “Many that are first
shall be last, and the last shall be first.” The kingdom of heaven means here the church,
including, perhaps, its state here and hereafter. See the notes at Mat_3:2. It has
reference to rewards, and the meaning may be thus expressed: “Rewards shall be
bestowed in my kingdom, or on my followers, in the same manner as they were by a
certain householder - in such a way that the last shall be equal to the first, and the first
last.”
A householder - A master of a family. One at the head of family affairs.
His vineyard - No inconsiderable part of Judea was employed in the culture of the
grape. Vineyards are often used, therefore, to represent a fertile or well-cultivated place,
and hence the church, denoting the care and culture that God has bestowed on it. See the
notes at Isa_5:7. Compare Jer_12:10. For the manner of their construction, see the notes
at Mat_21:33.
CLARKE, "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man - a householder -
The very commencement of this chapter shows it to be connected with the preceding.
The manner of God’s proceeding under the Gospel dispensation resembles a
householder, who went out at day break, αµα πρωι, together with the morning; as the
light began to go out of its chambers in the east, so he went out of his bed-room to
employ laborers, that they might cultivate his vineyard. This was what was called, among
the Jews and Romans, the first hour; answering to six o’clock in the morning.
To hire laborers - Some workmen, των εργατων - for he had not got all that was
necessary, because we find him going out at other hours to hire more.

2. GILL, "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man,.... That is, the Gospel
dispensation, or times of the Messiah, may fitly be represented by a man
that is an householder, or master of a family, as Christ is; See Gill on Mat_10:25 He
is master of the whole family of God, in heaven, and in earth, of all the children of God,
and household of faith; his house they are, he is Father and master, son and firstborn,
priest and prophet there.
Which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard: by
"the vineyard" may be meant the church, which, like a vineyard, is separated by electing,
redeeming, and calling grace, and by the order and ordinances of the Gospel, from the
rest of the world; is set with various vines, with trees of righteousness, with pleasant
plants, both fruitful and profitable; and which are dear and valuable to Christ; and about
which much care is used to preserve, keep, and improve them. This may be called "his",
Christ's, being what he has chosen for himself, his Father has given him, and he is heir
of; which he has purchased with his blood, and which he plants, waters, takes care of,
and enjoys. The "labourers" design either the ministers of the Gospel, who labour in the
word and doctrine, who are, or at least ought to be, labourers in Christ's vineyard, and
not loiterers; whose work in study, meditation, and prayer, in the ministration of the
word and ordinances, and in performing other services they are called unto, is very
laborious; and made more so, through the wickedness of some, and weakness of others:
the employment of these labourers in the vineyard is various; the business of some is to
plant; they are chiefly made use of in conversion: the work of others is to water; these
are instruments in edification, and means of the growth of grace: others have a good
hand at pruning, giving reproofs and corrections, in a suitable manner, with success, to
the checking of sin, and bringing forth more fruit: others are useful in propping and
supporting the vines, comforting and strengthening weak believers; and others in
protecting and defending the outworks of the church, the doctrines and ordinances of it:
or else private Christians in general may be intended, who all are, or should be
labourers, both in the exercise of grace; for there is the work of faith, and the labour of
love, to God, Christ, and his people, in which they should be continually employed; and
in the discharge of duty, with regard to themselves; and in the care of their own
vineyard, with respect to their families, which are their charge, and also to the church of
Christ, of which they are members. These labourers are said to be "hired" by the
householder, or owner of the vineyard, Christ, not strictly and properly speaking; nor
does it mean that he had no prior right to their obedience, or that there is any merit in
their labour, or that that is the condition of their salvation; but it signifies the influence
of his grace, in making them willing to serve him cheerfully, and labour in his vineyard
freely; to encourage them in which, he makes them many gracious, and exceeding great
and precious promises, and particularly that of eternal life: for which purpose, it is said,
that he "went out", either from his Father as mediator, being sent by him; or from
heaven into this world, by the assumption of human nature; or by his Spirit, and the
influence of his grace, in the calls of his people, to their several services, in his church;
and that "early in the morning": some of them being very early called to labour there;
meaning either in the morning of the world, as Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, and others; or
in the morning of the Jewish church state, as Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and the like; or
in the morning of the Gospel dispensation, as the apostles of Christ, which seems most
likely; or in the morning of youth, as Timothy and others. Several things, in this first part
of the parable, might be illustrated from the Jewish writings. They have a parable
indeed, which, in the several parts of it, greatly resembles this, and begins thus (m);

3. "to what is R. Bon like? to a king that hath a vineyard, ‫פועלים‬ ‫עליו‬ ‫,ושכר‬ "and hires
labourers into it", &c.''
Out of which some other things will be remarked, in the following parts of this parable:
of a son's being sent, and going out to hire labourers into the vineyard, take the following
instance (n):
"it happened to R. Jochanan ben Matthia, that said to his son, ‫ושכר‬ ‫,צא‬ "go out, and hire
labourers" for us: "he went out", and agreed with them for their food.''
The time of hiring labourers, here mentioned, exactly agrees with the Jewish accounts
(o).
"Says R. Juda ben Bethira, when the face of all the east is light unto Hebron, all the
people go out, every man to his work; and when it is so light, it is good "to hire labourers
we say".''
Upon which the gloss says,
"every man goes out to his work, not for labourers, but the "householder", who ‫יותר‬ ‫משכים‬
, "rises earlier to find labourers to hire".''
Perhaps it may not be worth while to observe, how large a spot of ground, set with vines,
was, by them, called a vineyard: it is frequently said by them (p),
"that a vineyard planted by less than four cubits, is no vineyard; but R. Simeon, and the
wise men, say it is a vineyard.''
HE RY, "
This parable of the labourers in the vineyard is intended,
I. To represent to us the kingdom of heaven (Mat_20:1), that is, the way and method
of the gospel dispensation. The laws of that kingdom are not wrapt up in parables, but
plainly set down, as in the sermon upon the mount; but the mysteries of that kingdom
are delivered in parables, in sacraments, as here and ch. 13. The duties of Christianity
are more necessary to be known than the notions of it; and yet the notions of it are more
necessary to be illustrated than the duties of it; which is that which parables are
designed for.
II. In particular, to represent to us that concerning the kingdom of heaven, which he
had said in the close of the foregoing chapter, that many that are first shall be last, and
the last, first; with which this parable is connected; that truth, having in it a seeming
contradiction, needed further explication.
Nothing was more a mystery in the gospel dispensation than the rejection of the Jews
and the calling in of the Gentiles; so the apostle speaks of it (Eph_3:3-6); that the
Gentiles should be fellow-heirs: nor was any thing more provoking to the Jews than the
intimation of it. Now this seems to be the principal scope of this parable, to show that
the Jews should be first called into the vineyard, and many of them should come at the
call; but, at length, the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should
receive it, and be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews; should be

4. fellow-citizens with the saints, which the Jews, even those of them that believed, would
be very much disgusted at, but without reason.
But the parable may be applied more generally, and shows us, 1. That God is debtor to
no man; a great truth, which the contents in our Bible give as the scope of this parable. 2.
That many who begin last, and promise little in religion, sometimes, by the blessing of
God, arrive at greater attainments in knowledge, grace, and usefulness, than others
whose entrance was more early, and who promised fairer. Though Cushi gets the start of
Ahimaaz, yet Ahimaaz, choosing the way of the plain, outruns Cushi. John is swifter of
foot, and comes first to the sepulchre: but Peter has more courage, and goes first into it.
Thus many that are last shall be first. Some make it a caution to the disciples, who had
boasted of their timely and zealous embracing of Christ; they had left all, to follow him;
but let them look to it, that they keep up their zeal; let them press forward and
persevere; else their good beginnings will avail them little; they that seemed to be first,
would be last. Sometimes those that are converted later in their lives, outstrip those that
are converted earlier. Paul was as one born out of due time, yet came not behind the
chiefest of the apostles, and outdid those that were in Christ before him. Something of
affinity there is between this parable and that of the prodigal son, where he that returned
from his wandering, was as dear to his father as he was, that never went astray; first and
last alike. 3. That the recompence of reward will be given to the saints, not according to
the time of their conversion, but according to the preparations for it by grace in this
world; not according to the seniority (Gen_43:33), but according to the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ. Christ had promised the apostles, who followed him in
the regeneration, at the beginning of the gospel dispensation, great glory (Mat_19:28);
but he now tells them that those who are in like manner faithful to him, even in the latter
end of the world, shall have the same reward, shall sit with Christ on his throne, as well
as the apostles, Rev. 2:26-3:21. Sufferers for Christ in the latter days, shall have the same
reward with the martyrs and confessors of the primitive times, though they are more
celebrated; and faithful ministers now, the same with the first fathers.
We have two things in the parable; the agreement with the labourers, and the account
with them.
(1.) Here is the agreement made with the labourers (Mat_20:1-7); and here it will be
asked, as usual,
[1.] Who hires them? A man that is a householder. God is the great Householder, whose
we are, and whom we serve; as a householder, he has work that he will have to be done,
and servants that he will have to be doing; he has a great family in heaven and earth,
which is named from Jesus Christ (Eph_3:15), which he is Owner and Ruler of. God
hires labourers, not because he needs them or their services (for, if we be righteous,
what do we unto him?), but as some charitable generous householders keep poor men to
work, in kindness to them, to save them from idleness and poverty, and pay them for
working for themselves.
JAMISO , "Mat_20:1-16. Parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
This parable, recorded only by Matthew, is closely connected with the end of the
nineteenth chapter, being spoken with reference to Peter’s question as to how it should
fare with those who, like himself, had left all for Christ. It is designed to show that while
they would be richly rewarded, a certain equity would still be observed towards later
converts and workmen in His service.
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, etc.
— The figure of a vineyard, to represent the rearing of souls for heaven, the culture

5. required and provided for that purpose, and the care and pains which God takes in that
whole matter, is familiar to every reader of the Bible. (Psa_80:8-16; Isa_5:1-7; Jer_2:21;
Luk_20:9-16; Joh_15:1-8). At vintage time, as Webster and Wilkinson remark, labor
was scarce, and masters were obliged to be early in the market to secure it. Perhaps the
pressing nature of the work of the Gospel, and the comparative paucity of laborers, may
be incidentally suggested, Mat_9:37, Mat_9:38. The “laborers,” as in Mat_9:38, are
first, the official servants of the Church, but after them and along with them all the
servants of Christ, whom He has laid under the weightiest obligation to work in His
service.
CALVI , "As this parable is nothing else than a confirmation of the preceding
sentence, the last shall be first, it now remains to see in what manner it ought to be
applied. Some commentators reduce it to this general proposition, that the glory of
all; will be equal, because the heavenly inheritance is not obtained by the merits of
works, but is bestowed freely. But Christ does not here argue either about the
equality of the heavenly glory, or about the future condition of the godly. He only
declares that those who were first in point of time have no right to boast or to insult
others; because the Lord, whenever he pleases, may call those whom he appeared
for a time to disregard, and may make them equal, or even superior, to the first. If
any man should resolve to sift out with exactness every portion of this parable, his
curiosity would be useless; and therefore we have nothing more to inquire than
what was the design of Christ to teach. ow we have already said that he had no
other object in view than to excite his people by continual spurs to make progress.
We know that indolence almost always springs from excessive confidence; and this
is the reason why many, as if they had reached the goal, stop short in the middle of
the course. Thus Paul enjoins us to forget the things which are behind, (Philippians
3:13,) that, reflecting on what yet remains for us, we may arouse ourselves to
persevere in running. But there will be no harm in examining the words, that the
doctrine may be more clearly evinced.
Matthew 20:1.For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder. The meaning is, that
such is the nature of the divine calling, as if a man were, early in the morning, to
hire laborers for the cultivation of his vineyard at a fixed price, and were afterwards
to employ others without an agreement, but to give them an equal hire. He uses the
phrase, kingdom of heaven, because he compares the spiritual life to the earthly life,
and the reward of eternal life to money which men pay in return for work that has
been done for them. There are some who give an ingenious interpretation to this
passage, as if Christ were distinguishing between Jews and Gentiles. The Jews, they
tell us, were called at the first hour, with an agreement as to the hire; for the Lord
promised to them eternal life, on the condition that they should fulfill the law; while,
in calling the Gentiles, no bargain was made at least as to works, for salvation was
freely offered to them in Christ. But all subtleties of that sort are unseasonable; for
the Lord makes no distinction in the bargain, but only in the time; because those
who entered last, and in the evening, into the vineyard, receive the same hire with
the first Though, in the Law, God formerly promised to the Jews the hire of works,
(Leviticus 18:5,) yet we know that this was without effect, because no man ever

6. obtained salvation by his merits.
Why then, it will be said, does Christ expressly mention a bargain (643) in reference
to the first, but make no mention of it in reference to the others? It was in order to
show that, without doing injury to any one, as much honor is conferred on the last,
as if they had been called at the beginning. For strictly speaking, he owes no man
any thing, and from us, who are devoted to his service, he demands, as a matter of
right, all the duties which are incumbent on us. But as he freely offers to us a
reward, he is said to hire the labors which, on other grounds, were due to him. This
is also the reason why he gives the name of a hire to the crown which he bestows
freely. Again, in order to show that we have no right to complain of God, if he make
us companions in honor with those who followed us after a long interval, he
borrowed a comparison from the ordinary custom of men, who bargain about the
hire, before they send laborers to their work.
If any man infer from this, that men are created for the purpose of doing something,
and that every man has his province assigned him by God, that they may not sit
down in idleness, he will offer no violence to the words of Christ. (644) We are also
at liberty to infer, that our whole life is unprofitable, and that we are justly accused
of indolence, until each of us regulate his life by the command and calling of God.
Hence it follows, that they labor to no purpose, who rashly undertake this or that
course of life, and do not wait for the intimation of the call of God. Lastly, we learn
from the words of Christ, that those only are pleasing to God, who labor for the
advantage of their brethren.
A penny (which was rather more than four times the value of a French carolus,)
(645) was probably the ordinary hire for a day’s work. The third, sixth, and ninth
hour, are expressly mentioned, because, while the ancients were wont to divide the
day into twelve hours, from sunrise to sunset, there was another division of the day
into every three hours; as, again, the night was divided into four watches; and so the
eleventh hour means the close of the day.
COKE, "Matthew 20:1. For the kingdom of heaven, &c.— The true scope of this
parable is, to shew that the Jewish nation, who of all people were first in external
privileges, and particularlyin respect of the offer of the Gospel, wouldbe last in
accepting it; and that when they did receive it, they should enjoy no higher
privileges under that dispensation, than the Gentiles, who were called atthe eleventh
hour. The application of the parable suggests this interpretation, Matthew 20:16. So
the last shall be first, &c. The vineyard signifies the dispensations of religion in
general, which God gave to mankind in the different parts of the world. The hiring
of labourers early in the morning represents that interposition of Providence by
which the Jews were born members of God's visible church, and laid under
obligations to obey the law of Moses; "for the kingdom of heaven (the Master of the
kingdom of heaven) is like unto a man, or may be fitly represented by the similitude
of a man, who is an house holder, οικοδεσποτης, the master of a family." God's
bestowing the Gospel dispensation upon mankind, and the preparations previous
thereto, may be illustrated by a master of a family's sending labourers at different

7. hours of the day to work in his vineyard. See Macknight, and Petavius, Dogmat.
Theolog. vol. 1: p. 305.
BROADUS, "III. Matthew 20:1-16. Parable Of The Labourers Who Received The
Same Reward
Found in Matthew only. It is designed to illustrate the saying of Matthew 19:30,
which is repeated at the close, as the outcome of the illustration. (Matthew 20:16)
The terms of the parable itself are for the most part plain.
Matthew 20:1-6. The kingdom of heaven, the Messianic reign (see on "Matthew
3:2") is like, in some respects resembles, the following story (compare on Matthew
13:24) Unto a man, that is a householder. As the story is told in the past tense
throughout, the Amer. Revisers very naturally wish to insert 'that was', rather than
'that is', as in Matthew 13:22, where the present tense follows. 'Householder', or
housemaster, is the same word as in Matthew 10:25 (See on "Matthew 10:25");
Matthew 13:52, Matthew 13:57, and below in Matthew 21:21, Matthew 21:33,
Matthew 21:24, Matthew 21:43. He owns a house, and a vineyard. (Matthew 20:8) A
penny, denarius, about seventeen cents, see on Matthew 18:28. This was the
customary wages of a soldier or a labourer; Plin. XXXIII, 8; Tac., Ann. I, 17; Tobit
5:14; Talmud. The third hour. The Jews divided the day, from Sunrise to sunset,
into twelve parts. At the vernal and autumnal equinox these would be exactly as
long as an hour with us, but at other seasons would be longer or shorter. The sixth
hour would always be noon, the third and ninth would correspond loosely to our 9
A.M. and 3 P.M.; the eleventh hour loosely to an hour before sunset. In the market
place, or public square, where people came together for business or conversation.
Go ye also, 'ye' being expressed in the Greek and thus emphatic. Whatsoever is
right, no definite bargain as with the first set. In the supposed actual occurrence this
might result from haste, or from the fact that they would now be glad to find
employment at all, and would trust the employer's justice without s definite
arrangement. As to the illustration, this point prepares for the result, and the
peculiar application. About the eleventh hour. Here 'hour' is not expressed in the
correct Greek text, but naturally suggested. Others standing idle. The word 'idle' is
here wanting in very many of the earliest and best documents, and was obviously
drawn by copyists from Tobit 5:3 and the end of Tobit 5:6. Why stand ye here all
the day idle? This is often used homiletically as representing persons who are
slothful in neglecting to work in Christ's vineyard. But such application is
unwarranted, and alien to the tone of the parable. The reason given by these men is
treated as valid, and they are paid for a full day's work.
LIGHTFOOT, "[Who went out early in the morning to hire labourers.] You have
such a parable as this, but madly applied, in the Talmud: we will produce it here for
the sake of some phrases: "To what was R. Bon Bar Chaija like? To a king who
hired many labourers; among which there was one hired, who performed his work
extraordinary well. What did the king? He took him aside, and walked with him to
and fro. When even was come, those labourers came, that they might receive their

8. hire, and he gave him a complete hire with the rest. And the labourers murmured,
saying, 'We have laboured hard all the day, and this man only two hours, yet he
hath received as much wages as we': the king saith to them, 'He hath laboured more
in those two hours than you in the whole day.' So R. Bon plied the law more in
eight-and-twenty years than another in a hundred years."
[Early in the morning.] "The time of working is from sunrising to the appearing of
the stars, and not from break of day: and this is proved from the chapter the
president of the priests saith to them; where they say, 'It is light all in the east, and
men go out to hire labourers': whence it is argued that they do not begin their work
before the sun riseth. It is also proved from the tract Pesachin, where it is said that it
is prohibited on the day of the Passover to do any servile work after the sun is up;
intimating this, that that was the time when labourers should begin their work," &c.
[To hire labourers.] Read here, if you please, the tract Bava Mazia, cap. 7; which
begins thus, He that hireth labourers: and Maimonides, a tract entitled Hiring.
COFFMA , "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was an
householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.
(Matthew 20:1)
A ALOGIES I THE PARABLE OF THE LABORERS I THE VI EYARD
The householder is God.
The chief steward is Jesus Christ to whom the Father hath committed judgment.
The vineyard is the church.
The laborers who are hired to work in the vineyard are Christians.
The penny payment stands for the eternal reward in heaven.
The evening is the end of life, and, in a sense, the judgment.
The ones first hired represent the legalists and their "contract" with God.
The ones hired last, without any agreement, are those who rely on God's grace.
The generosity of the householder represents the goodness of God.
The complainers represent the self-righteousness of those who consider themselves
worth more than others.
The time sequence in hiring represents acceptance of the gospel call at early and
later times in the life cycle of Christians.

9. The work represents service Christians are expected to give God in his
church.SIZE>
Only the parable of the unjust steward has elicited more numerous and diverse
explanations by commentators than has this one. It will be seen from the above that
here indeed is another one; but, among so many and various opinions, O E MORE
could not possibly do any harm!
Many difficulties are seen no matter how the parable is explained; and yet a number
of the analogies are so plain and unmistakable as to make a very vivid impression on
the mind.
On this first verse, let it be noted that God expects workers, not shirkers, in his
kingdom. He hired laborers, not drones. The initiative, as always, rests with God
and not with man. From that remote day when God went seeking Adam in Paradise,
the Father still seeks people to worship and love him in order to redeem them (John
4:23). It is obvious also that God expects man to work in His farm, or vineyard; that
is, in HIS church! The laborers were hired into His vineyard. They were not told to
go to work in the vineyard of their choice! Complexities in the religious conditions
of the post-Reformation era, in which we live, do not relieve worshipers of the
solemn obligation to make certain that they truly work in the Lord's field, and not
in another's. The place to serve God is in the true church established by Jesus
Christ. o one can suppose that the householder (God) in this parable would have
rewarded the workers for labor in any field but His own.
The most difficult part of this parable is the time sequence, which is met in the first
line of it, continues all the way through it, is the point of contention at the end of it,
and which is obviously one of the very significant things in it. Many commentators
refuse to hazard an opinion as to what the "early morning" means; and some, of
course, would remand it to secondary status in the parable, viewing it as incidental
or inert matter. Those who have offered an explanation have made it the early part
of man's physical life, the morning of human history, the patriarchal dispensation,
the Abrahamic portion of Jewish history, the personal ministry of Christ, and just
about everything else. Following the view that the "evening" represents the end of
life, this writer would refer the time sequence events to various ages of converts;
thus, a young person accepts the call early in the morning, others later; and old
persons, nearly at the end of life, are said to come in at the eleventh hour.
ELLICOTT,"(1) For the kingdom.—The division of the chapter is here singularly
unfortunate, as separating the parable both from the events which gave occasion to
it and from the teaching which it illustrates. It is not too much to say that we can
scarcely understand it at all unless we connect it with the history of the young ruler
who had great possessions, and the claims which the disciples had made for
themselves when they contrasted their readiness with his reluctance.
To hire labourers into his vineyard.—The framework of the parable brings before

10. us a form of labour in some respects lower than that of the “servants,” or “slaves,”
who formed part of the household, and had been bought or born to their position.
The labourers here are the “hired servants” of Luke 15:17, engaged for a time only,
and paid by the day. Interpreting the parable, we may see in the householder our
Lord Himself. It was indeed a title which He seems to have, as it were, delighted in,
and which He applies directly to Himself in Matthew 10:25; Matthew 13:27;
Matthew 13:52. And the “vineyard” is primarily, as in Isaiah 5:1, the house of
Israel, which the Anointed of the Lord had come to claim as His kingdom. The
“early morning” answered accordingly to the beginning of our Lord’s ministry; the
“labourers” He then called were the disciples whom, at the outset of His ministry,
He had summoned to follow Him. He had promised them a reward. Though at the
best they were unprofitable servants, He yet offered them wages, and the wages
were the kingdom of heaven itself (Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:10); in other words,
“righteousness, and peace, and joy;” in other words, yet again, “eternal life, seeing
and knowing God” (Matthew 5:8; John 17:3). We may trace, I believe, something of
a subtle and peculiar fitness in our Lord’s choice of this form of labour, as distinct,
on the one side, from free and willing service, and, on the other, from the task-work
of slaves. It was not in itself the best or most adequate symbol of the relation of the
disciples to their Lord, but as their question, “What shall we have, therefore?”
implies, it was that on which their minds were dwelling, and therefore He chose it,
adapting Himself so far to their weakness, that He might teach them the lesson
which they needed.
ISBET, "THE HEAVE LY HOUSEHOLDER
‘An householder … went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his
vineyard.’
Matthew 20:1
Consider the details of this parable:
I. Labourers required.—The Lord requires labour, not idleness, on the part of those
whom He sends into His vineyard: for (a) He goes out early in the morning to hire
labourers (Matthew 20:1-2), and again and again hires more (Matthew 20:3;
Matthew 20:5-6), and (b) He chides those standing ‘idle’ in the market-place
(Matthew 20:3; Matthew 20:6).
II. ot the criterion of reward.—Yet labour is not the criterion of reward, for He
sets aside the supposition which the first-called entertained, that they should have
received more than the last, because (a) they had laboured so much longer, and (b)
had endured so much more hardship (Matthew 20:10; Matthew 20:12).
III. The reward is of grace.—It is a gift, not earned by labours, though accompanied
with loving labours: Matthew 20:14, ‘give.’ The gift flows from (a) God’s sovereign
will,—‘I will give’; (b) from God’s goodness,—‘I am good’ (Matthew 20:15); (c)
therefore bargaining hirelings have no real share in it (Matthew 20:2); nor boasters
who rely on their length of labour and sacrifices (Matthew 20:12); nor murmurers
against God, who also are grudgers towards their fellow-labourers (Matthew 20:11-

11. 12; compare Jude 1:16, James 5:9). They get their reward indeed, for God will be a
debtor to no man: ‘Take that thine is’; ‘Didst not thou agree with me for a penny?’
(Matthew 20:2; Matthew 20:13-14). But it is not the everlasting reward. So (d) the
warning and at the same time the comforting conclusion from the whole follows,
‘the last shall be first and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen’
(Matthew 20:16).
—Canon A. R. Fausset.
Illustration
‘Without attempting to apply every detail, it may well be pointed out how the
parable represents the rejection of the Jews and the call of the Gentiles; how the
Jews in the days of Abraham, Moses, and the prophets had repeated calls to work in
God’s vineyard, while the Gentiles, without knowledge of God, had stood idly
outside; how the Jews, by pride, hypocrisy, and self-seeking, merited rejection; how
the Gentiles at the eleventh hour were to be called, notwithstanding the envy and
opposition of the Jews. Thus, historically, the first were to be last, and the last first.’
PETT, "“For the kingly rule of heaven is like to a man who was a householder, who
went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.”
Here we have a further description of what the Kingly Rule of Heaven is like.
Compare Matthew 13:24; Matthew 13:31; Matthew 13:33; Matthew 13:44-45;
Matthew 13:47; Matthew 18:23-35; Matthew 22:1-14; Matthew 25:1-13. ote that it
is like something that is continual through the lifetimes of His listeners. In other
words the Kingly Rule of Heaven is being experienced as a present experience. This
is the obvious way of reading it unless we have to manipulate it in order to fit a
theory.
And what is the Kingly Rule of Heaven like? It is like a man who is a
householder/estate owner and owns a vineyard (compare and contrast Matthew
21:33). And this estate owner goes out early in the morning to hire labourers into
His vineyard. Thus He is calling them to come under the Kingly Rule of Heaven so
that they might serve Him. Here we have the indication that all His disciples are
now being recruited for His mission (Matthew 9:37-38), and will continue to be so.
They are to be sent out to bring in the harvest.
In those days those who had no strips of land, or insufficient strips of land, of their
own, would hire themselves out to the more wealthy landowners in order to earn a
living. And this was done by standing in the market place or the great square
around the gate of the city and waiting for the hirers to come along. This was
necessary for them so that they could earn money so as to put food into their
childrens’ mouths. And a denarius was a normal days pay for such workers. It was
in fact all that larger families could do to survive on such a small amount. And
workers like this were despised and looked down on. They were seen as almost
penniless and little better than slaves. They subsisted on whatever work they could

12. get.
‘Early in the morning.’ This would be at dawn, indicating the commencement of the
new Day. There is here a further indication of the commencement of the new age.
HAWKER 1-15, ""For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder,
which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. (2) And when he
had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. (3) And
he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, (4)
And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.
And they went their way. (5) Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did
likewise. (6) And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle,
and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? (7) They say unto him, Because
no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever
is right, that shall ye receive. (8) So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith
unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last
unto the first. (9) And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they
received every man a penny. (10) But when the first came, they supposed that they
should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. (11) And
when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, (12)
Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us,
which have borne the burden and heat of the day. (13) But he answered one of them, and
said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? (14) Take
that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. (15) Is it not
lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?"
The kingdom of heaven, means the kingdom of grace, leading to the kingdom of glory.
The man represented under the character of householder is God. Eph_3:16. The
vineyard is the Church. Isa_5:1, etc. The different seasons of hours intimate the different
ages of the world, as well as the different ages of life. And by the market place, is
intended the word and ordinances of the Gospel. Idle persons may be found under the
word and ordinances, as well as the diligent, who use the means of grace profitably. The
day of hire means the day of life. The evening the close of it: and the wages of a penny,
means not the merit of man but the gift of God. For the wages of sin is death: but it is the
gift of God which is eternal life; and this through Jesus CHRIST our Lord. Rom_6:23.
The equality of wages, is a beautiful illustration of the free and sovereign grace of God;
because, strictly and properly speaking, it is all free: no merit, no pretensions of merit, in
one more than another, making the smallest claim to favor. The Vineyard, the Church,
and the Laborers in the Church, all the gift of God the Father, the purchase of God the
Son, and the whole cultivation from the work of God the Holy Ghost. And however
different the measures of grace, and strength, and ability given; yet the whole is the
Lord’s not theirs; and everything speaks aloud that the whole efficiency is of him. Not by
might, nor b y power, but by my Spirit, said the Lord of hosts. Zec_4:6.
Now what a beautiful similitude is here, of the kingdom of grace! Such is the Church of
Jesus, as a vineyard gathered out of the world’s wide wilderness; chosen (as scripture
expresseth it) by God the Father; purchased by God the Son; and set apart in the
regenerating and purifying grace of God the Holy Ghost Reader! at what age are you
standing? Hath the Lord called you at the early morning of life, the mid-day, the
afternoon, or evening? Are you in the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts? or are you still idle

13. in the market-place? Oh! the unspeakable blessedness of knowing, under divine
teaching, that we are saved and called with an holy calling, not according to our works,
but according to his own purpose and grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began. 2Ti_1:9.
EBC 1-10, "The Labourers in the Vineyard.
I. This parable is directed against a wrong temper and spirit of mind, which was notably
manifested among the Jews, but one against which all men in possession of spiritual
privileges have need to be, and herein are, warned; this warning being primarily
addressed not to them, but to the Apostles, as the foremost workers in the Christian
Church, the earliest called to labour in the Lord’s vineyard, "the first" both in time and in
toil and pains. They had seen the rich young man go sorrowful away, unable to abide the
proof by which the Lord had mercifully revealed to him how strong were the bands by
which the world was holding him still. They (for Peter here, as so often, is spokesman for
all) would fain know what their reward should be, who had done this very thing from
which he had shrunk, and forsaken all for the Gospel’s sake. The Lord answers them first
and fully, that they and as many as should do the same for His sake should reap an
abundant reward.
II. But for all this the question, "What shall we have?" was not a right one; it put their
relation to their Lord on a wrong footing. There was a tendency in it to bring their
obedience to a calculation of—so much work, so much reward. There lurked, too, a
certain self-complacency in it. In this parable the Apostles are taught that, however long-
continued their work, abundant their labours, yet without charity to their brethren, and
humility before God, they are nothing; that pride and a self-complacent estimate of their
work, like the fly in the precious ointment, would spoil the work, however great it might
be, since that work stands only in humility, and from first they would fall to last. The
lesson taught to Peter, and through him to us all, is that the first may be altogether last;
that those who stand foremost as chief in labour, yet if they forget that the reward is of
grace and not of works, and begin to boast and exalt themselves above their fellow-
labourers, may altogether lose the things which they have wrought; while those who
seem last may yet, by keeping their humility, be acknowledged first and foremost in the
day of God.
R. C. Trench, Notes on the Parables, p. 168.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is
an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his
vineyard:
The labourers in the vineyard
1.
This story is on the face of it improbable. It is unusual for an employer to give as
much remuneration to those who have wrought one hour as to those who have
wrought nine or twelve. The householder was a peculiar character, and had his own
way of doing things, and did not care how people regarded him. He must be such an
one if he is to represent God and His dealing with men. “My thoughts are not your
thoughts,” etc. God’s kingdom is not of this world.
2. The act of the householder seems to be unjust. Some think that the late-comers

14. did as-much work in one hour as the others in nine; others that the late-comers were
paid with a brass denarius, the others with a silver one, or with a gold one; so they
say one heaven for all, yet of varied glory. But if the early workers had a gold
denarius they would not have complained. We have to admit the inequality of the
treatment; it is explained by the spirit of the workers, of which earthly employers
take no thought.
3. The difficulty of finding spiritual analogues for each of the particulars in the
parable. The grumbling workers are to be taken as the impersonations of an evil
principle that often exists in Christian hearts; they correspond to the elder brother in
the parable. There is much of the hireling disposition even in true disciples. Work in
this spirit, however great it may seem, is small in the sight of God. The “perfect” and
the “chosen” labour for love. The first bargained with the householder; the last
trusted to his generosity without question. To those late he was better than they
expected. To the hireling He shows Himself a hirer; to the trustful worthy of
confidence. The bargainers are filled with dissatisfaction, the confiding ones with joy.
The parable teaches a change of place between the first and the last; not unusual.
There will be first who shall remain first.
4. This view does not approve late coming into the vineyard. Service is not
determined by duration, but by spirit, Motive gives character to work. (W. M.
Taylor, D. D.)
The worth of work determined by the spirituality of its motive
The Church is composed, indeed, of those who have confessed Christ; but it is a society,
existing for certain purposes, and, as such, it has its machinery for the carrying out of
these purposes, like any other society that has been formed in the world. Now, the
keeping of any part of that machinery in motion is in itself no more a spiritual work than
the carrying-on of any other machinery; and if it is not done with a spiritual motive,
then, even though it be done for the Church, it is not spiritual work such as God can
value and reward. Thus, in a missionary society, the great object is spiritual; but it has to
be sustained and carried on like any other business society; its books have to be kept like
those of any commercial firm, and he who keeps them is not in that doing a spiritual
work, any more than a bookkeeper in a mercantile house is doing a spiritual work. The
mercantile bookkeeper may make his work spiritual by doing it as unto the Lord; but the
missionary bookkeeper will make his secular if he does it simply for his wages, and as
work. So, again, in the office of the ministry, there is much in common with ordinal”
departments of life. It gratifies literary tastes; it affords opportunities for study; it has
associated with it a certain honour and esteem in the eyes of others; it furnishes
occasions for the thrill that every real orator feels in the delivery of a message to his
fellow-men, and the like. Now, if a man is in the ministry simply for these kinds of
enjoyment, there is no more spirituality in his work, than there is in that of the
litterateur, or the political orator. Theirs may be spiritual, indeed, if they are doing it out
of love to God; but his must be merely secular if he does it only from such motives as
have place in ordinary literature or eloquence. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
God Himself the best reward
Beautiful exceedingly in this connection is the story-mythical, no doubt, in form, but

15. probably true in substance-that is told concerning Thomas Aquinas. Worshipping one
day in the chapel in which he was accustomed to perform his devotions, it is said that the
Saviour thus addressed him: “Thomas, thou hast written much and well concerning Me.
What reward shall I give thee for thy work? “ Whereupon he answered, “Nihil misi te,
Domine,”-“Nothing but Thyself, O Lord!” And in very deed He is Himself the best of all
His gifts. He is Himself the “ exceeding great reward “ of all His people. Let the spirit of
the angelic Doctor, as enshrined in this simple story, fill our hearts, and there will be no
room within us for the hireling’s selfishness. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Christian condition and Christian character
The eleventh-hour workmen are made to feel that envy is worse than idleness. One
exposition is that this parable refers to complete Christians, the reckoning at nightfall
being taken for entrance into the bliss of heaven. Such would not be serious
complainers; would not be sent away with humiliating rebuke; they would not regard
eternal life as a compensation for work done. Some say that its design is to show that the
judgment of Christian character does not depend on the length of service, but on its
energy and spirit. This inadmissible; nothing is said of the one-hour servants working
with more energy or a better spirit. Some imagine that our Lord teaches here that all
souls in heaven will be equally rewarded. Inadmissible; though every labourer take his
penny, some take it grudgingly and others cheerfully, some with envy and others with
charity. Some among the ancient Fathers suggest that Christ alluded by the several
hours of the working day, to the great periods in the world’s religious progress. Adam,
Noah, Moses, and the Prophets endured the burden and heat of the world’s great day.
No exclusive application to the Jews; Adam, Noah, etc., were not murmurers at the end;
their earthly service did not last to the gathering of the nations about the cross. Again it
has been said that these hours of the day stand for the different stages in men’s lives
when they make answer to the call of God. This fails as regards the judgment, when last
converts serving one hour will not enjoy equal reward with life-long Christians. The
word “Christian” is used in two senses. This is a “Christian” land:
1. This is the Christianity of condition It is the visible Christian estate or kingdom
that Christ has set up on the earth; it is a state of salvation. The heathen are outside
this.
2. There is the Christianity of character; not of provision, but of possession. We get
it by the channel of a living faith. Thus “ many are called, few are chosen.” “Give all
diligence to make your calling and election sure.” The call of Christ is impartial. The
night-fall is not death or judgment; but simply the end of one period of labour, of one
test of character-the one ultimate reckoning lying still far in the future. The early and
late workers have alike the promised penny, the common and open privilege of the
gospel and Church. But have you turned the Christianity of condition and privilege
into the personal Christianity of choice and character? The length of time you have
been in the Church is now of little consequence; all that is over. Are you Christ’s
men? What are your feelings toward the brother-souls that live and work near you?
The parable strikes a blow at the notion that any works of ours are profitable, to t
rod, or even to our salvation. The quality, not the performance, is the accepted thing,
the heart of faith and love, not any self-complacent operations. (Bishop Huntington.)

16. Septuagesima Sunday
I. Grace, in its movements toward man.
1. There is the constitution of a vineyard (Isa_5:1-7).
2. Having constituted a vineyard, the next movement of Divine grace is to call and
engage men as labourers in it.
3. Divine grace purposes to make active servants and labourers of men. Toil does not
save men without effort; a variety of work.
4. Nor is it a bootless service to which grace calls men. The householder has wages
for every labourer. Godliness is profitable (1Ti_4:8).
II. Thy conduct of men towards it. All were idlers at the commencement; man has
endowments for work which ought to be employed. Some prefer idleness and continue
in it. Many have entered the vineyard, but are not all satisfactory labourers. Some
however are good and faithful servants.
1. Let us learn to admire the glorious beneficence of God.
2. There is something for us to do.
3. Let us move forward and see how it will be with us when the bustle of this world is
over, and the Lord of the vineyard sends His steward to settle up our earthly
accounts. (J. A. Seiss, D. D.)
Diversity of reward imaged in nature
I suppose we have all noticed the curious diversity of the seeds we sow in the spring.
There are some that shoot out and grow up days before the others from the same paper,
sown in the same bed, and that seemed exactly like the rest. It is so with a number of
fruit trees in a young orchard. Each tree may get an equal care, and appear to have the
same natural advantages, but one will spring out into an early fruitfulness, while another
holds back, summer after summer, and perhaps, only when the husbandman begins to
despair of its ever doing any good, it bears fruit. (R. Collyer.)
The labourers in the vineyard
May we not then draw from this parable the lesson, that God takes into account not only
the work we do, but also our opportunities. He does not allow us to be discredited with
Him for not doing what we could not do, if only we show the disposition to do it. (A M.
Ludlow, D. D.)
Similarity of reward not equality
So, then, we do the work without any reference to the reward. You who came to Christ
full fifty years ago will have your penny-as well the dying thief that had to bring
yesternight only one foot out of hell. Will you, then, be placed on equal terms? It never
can be so. Can a man of fine capacity and mind go along any road and have as the result
of his walking only that which the common clodhopper has, who “ thought the moon no
bigger than his father’s shield, and the visual line that girt him round the world’s

17. extreme? “ Have they both equal enjoyment out of the same circumstances? It is
impossible. The walk to the philosopher is a walk in church, a climbing up the altar
stairs. He sees angels, he hears voices, he is touched by reverences, he is in the presence
and sanctuary of God. Yet the road the same, the day the same-the road through a
garden, the day the queenliest in all the summer train, yet in that walk one man found
Heaven, the other only a convenient road to a place to sleep in. (Dr. Parker.)
The vineyard labourers
I. Idling. Men who needed work. Whom work and its rewards would benefit. Waiting
according to custom to be hired. Important to be where the call of the Master may meet
us. There are many idlers in the world.
II. Calling. God calls men to work for Him in His vineyard. Some in early life-Josiah, etc.
He continues to call up to the eleventh hour. This call He sends in various ways. He
confers a great honour by calling. The honour of working for Him is a sufficient reward.
Very sinful to refuse to obey (Pro_1:24). There will be a last call-we know not how soon-
may be now.
III. Working. He calls to work.
1. For ourselves. To secure and work out our salvation. Follow after holiness, etc.
2. For others. We must do good, as well as get good. This work brings comfort to the
worker.
IV. Paying. God will be no man’s debtor. He will give what He has promised, More than
we deserve, more than the most sanguine expect. Learn-
1. All living without working for God, is but idling.
2. Now that God calls us to work, let us not refuse.
3. Our best works will not deserve heaven.
4. We all need the work of Divine grace in our souls. (J C. Gray.)
God’s sovereign grace
Certainly it is sovereign grace alone which leads the Lord God to engage such sorry
labourers as we are. Let us inquire-
I. How may the Lord be said to go out?
1. The impulse of grace comes, before we think of stirring to go to Him.
2. In times of revival, He goes forth by the power of His Spirit, and many are brought
in.
3. There are times of personal visitation with most men, when they are specially
moved to holy things.
II. What is the hour here mentioned? It represents the period between twenty-five and
thirty-five years of age, or thereabouts.
1. The dew of youth’s earliest and best morning hour is gone.

18. 2. Habits of idleness have been formed by standing in the marketplace so long.
Harder to begin at third hour than first. Loiterers are usually spoiled by their loafing
ways.
3. Satan is ready with temptation to lure them to his service.
4. Their sun may go down suddenly, for life is uncertain. Many a day of life has
closed at its third hour.
5. Fair opportunity for work yet remains; but it will speedily pass away as the hours
steal round.
6. As yet the noblest of all work has not been commenced; for only by working for
Christ can life be made sublime.
III. What were they doing to whom he spoke? Standing idle.
1. Many are altogether idling in a literal sense; mere loafers with nothing to do.
2. Many are idle with laborious business-industrious triflers, wearied with toils
which accomplish nothing of real worth.
3. Many are idle because of constant indecision.
4. Many are idle though full of sanguine intentions.
IV. What work would the Lord have them do? He would have them work by day in His
vineyard.
1. The work is such as many of the best of men enjoy.
2. The work is proper and fit for you.
3. For that work the Lord will find you tools and strength.
4. You shall work with your Lord, and so be ennobled.
5. Your work shall be growingly pleasant to you
6. It shall be graciously rewarded at the last.
V. What did they do in answer to his call? “Went their way.” May you, who are in a
similar time of the day, imitate them!
1. They went at once. Immediate service.
2. They worked with a will.
3. They never left the service, but remained till night.
4. They received the full reward at the day’s end. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Slothfulness condemned
I. A work supposed.
(1) Its object one of supreme importance;
(2) Proposed by highest authority;
(3) Requires long, steady, earnest application;
(4) Certain of ultimate success.

19. II. A state condemned-idleness.
(1) By limited time-a day;
(2) By analogy of worldly employments;
(3) By certainty of future reckoning.
III. A question urged: Why?
(1) Aversion to work;
(2) Indifference;
(3) Indecision;
(4) Procrastination. (J. C. Gray.)
The world a market-place
I. The ordinary walks of life are as a market-place to men whose highest aim is to buy
and sell and get gain.
II. Outside this market-place is a vineyard, which the great Owner of the world and
Proprietor of human life would have cultivated.
III. All hiring, and looking out for hire, is but a profitless idling till the Master calls to a
higher work.
IV. Call a man to labour when He will, He will give what He pleases of His own at the
end of life’s day. (J. C. Gray.)
Labourers
I. Idleness rebuked.
II. Service required.
III. Toil rewarded.
IV. Discontent manifested.
V. Murmuring silenced.
VI. Administration vindicated. (M. Braithwaite.)
I. There is a householder who has a vineyard. The householder-Jesus. The vineyard is
the Church.
II. The householder calls labourers into his vineyard at different hours in the day.
III. In the evening the labourers are called to receive their reward.
IV. The early labourers murmur against the householder.
V. The householder defends his conduct; and expostulates with the murmurers.
VI. The parable concludes with an awful inference to the Jewish nation. (J. Edmonson.)

20. Work and wages
I. The Church of God is brought before us as a place of work. By no means the ordinary
idea. Members, not workers.
II. There is much work to be done, and many kinds of work, and, therefore, that there is
room and need for many workers of many kinds.
III. That no work shall be left without wages.
IV. That the wages are not proportioned to the work. (Anon.)
I. Called to work.
1. Who calls?
2. Who are called?
3. When called?
II. Humility in work. Shown in obedience, hearty service, thankful spirit.
III. Reward for work. To the first. To the last. (G. M. Taft.)
The labourers in the vineyard
I. Our attention is called to an examination of the parable.
1. God hires labourers into his vineyard.
2. At different periods has God made Himself known to the children of men.
3. They labour until the evening arrives.
II. Enforce the truths which considered as a whole this parable was intended to teach.
1. That the rewards of Christianity being rewards of grace, and not of works, are
regulated only by the beneficent will of Him who is debtor to no man; and that such
conduct is consistent with strict equity.
2. To expose the hypocrisy of some professors of religion, and remind us of the
frailty which attaches even to those whose sincerity cannot be doubted.
3. To remind us of the real dignity of the work, independently of the reward annexed
to it.
4. To warn us of the period to our exertions, and the hour of final reckoning-
(1) Payment;
(2) Disappointment;
(3) Gladness.
5. To instruct us in the temper of real Christianity. (J. Styles, D. D.)

21. Love makes labour light
Two young girls were going to a neighbouring town, each carrying on her head a heavy
basket of fruit to sell. One of them was murmuring and fretting all the way, and
complaining of the weight of her basket. The other went along smiling and singing, and
seeming to be very happy. At last the first got out of patience with her companion, and
said, “How can you go on so merry and joyful? your basket is-as heavy as mine, and I
know you are not a bit stronger than I am. I don’t understand it.” “Oh,” said the other,
“it’s easy enough to understand. I have a certain little plant which I put on the top of my
load, and it makes it so light I hardly feel it.” “Indeed! that must be a very precious little
plant. I wish I could lighten my load with it. Where does it grow? Tell me. What do you
call it?” “It grows wherever you plant it, and give it a chance to take root, and there’s no
knowing the relief it gives. Its name is, love, the love of Jesus. I have found out that
Jesus loved me so much that He died to save my soul. This makes me love Him.
Whatever I do, whether it be carrying this basket or anything else, I think to myself, I am
doing this for Jesus, to show that I love Him, and this makes everything easy and
pleasant.” (Bible Jewels.)
Disadvantage of Envy
The benevolent have the advantage of the envious, even in this present life; for the
envious is tormented not only by all the ill that befalls himself, but by all the good that
happens to another; whereas the benevolent man is the better prepared to bear his own
calamities unruffled, from the complacency and serenity he has secured from
contemplating the prosperity of all around him. (Colton.)
Hired late in the day
By these labourers that were hired long after the morning, we are to understand men in
whom nothing appeared that should dispose any person to have a favourable opinion of
them, or who were at least destitute of anything truly good, whilst others made a figure
in the Church.
I. Speak of old sinners that need conversion.
1. There are some who have never thought seriously about the state of their souls; or
their serious thoughts, if ever any obtained possession of their minds, have left no
impression.
2. There are some who entertain a groundless opinion of the goodness of their state.
3. There are some who live in suspense about their condition.
4. There are some too well enlightened to flatter themselves with groundless hopes.
II. Show that old sinners may be converted.
1. God deals with them, by the gospel, as well as with sinners who are yet in the days
of their youth.
2. The long-suffering of the Lord is salvation to sinners. God spares long, to give
space for obtaining pardon and salvation.
3. From the grace of God bestowed upon transgressors in former days, it appears,

22. that there is mercy with him for old transgressors.
III. Consider the encouragement given to old sinners to repent. The gracious reward
promised to those who enter into the vineyard at the eleventh hour, must have a
powerful effect upon all who believe the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ. (George
Lawson,)
The festive evening time
The reward which the Lord will ultimately grant to His servants.
I. It is not arbitrary, but in accordance with the strictest justice.
1. He rewards only His labourers.
2. He rewards all His labourers.
3. He gives the same reward to all His labourers as such. The equality of the penny a
figure of the equality of God’s justice.
II. It is not limited, but free and rich, according to the fulness of His love.
III. It is not a mysterious and silent fate, but the ways of wisdom, which justify
themselves. (J. P. Lange, D. D.)
God a good paymaster
Consider His payments.
I. An easy conscience.
II. The comfort we have in doing something for Jesus.
III. The reward in watching first buddings of conviction in a soul.
IV. The joy of success.
V. The final entrance into the joy of our Lord. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Hiring labourers in the East
The most conspicuous building in Hamadan is the Mesjid Jumah, a large mosque, now
falling into decay, and before it a meidan, or square, which serves as a market-place.
Here we observed, every morning before the sun rose, that a numerous body of peasants
were collected with spades in their hands, waiting, as they informed me, to be hired for
the day to work in the surrounding fields. This custom forcibly struck us as a most happy
illustration of our Saviour’s parable of the labourers in the vineyard; particularly when,
passing by the same place late in the day, we still found others standing idle, and
remembered His words, “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” as most applicable to their
situation; for in putting the very same question to them, they answered us, “Because no
man hath hired us.” (Mr. Morier.)
Daring the whole season when vineyards may be dug, the common workmen to very

23. early in the morning to the Sock, or market-place of the village or city, where comestibles
are sold. While waiting to be hired, they take their morning cup of coffee, and eat a
morsel of bread. The owners of vineyards come to the place and engage the number of
labourers they need. These immediately go to the vineyard and work there until a little
while before the sun sets, which, according to Oriental time, is twelve o’clock, so that the
“ eleventh hour” means one hour before sunset. We have often seen men stand in the
market-place through the entire day without finding employment, and have repeatedly
engaged them ourselves at noon for half a day’s job, and later for one or two hours’ work
in our garden. In such a case the price has to be particularly bargained for, but it is more
often left to the generosity of the employer to give whatever backshish he feels disposed.
(Van Lennep.)
God’s bounty to those who trust
He promises not to us, as to those first labourers, a certain hire. Even while He would
wholly restore us in His mercy, He would keep in us the humility of penitents. He
seemeth to tell us thus, that we have forfeited our claim that we must labour on in faith,
and hope, and confiding trust, making no bargains, as it were, with Him, looking for
nothing again, but what He of His free bounty will give us. But so will He give us, not
what we could dare to ask or think, but “what is right;” not” right “ with regard to us, or
any poor claims or demerits of ours, but right in His sight whose mercy is over all His
works, right for Him who doth what He will with His own, Who is not stinted to any
measure of proportion, but giving us out of the largeness of His love; not what is “right “
for us, but for Him in whose right we receive what we deserve not, even His, Who gave
up that which was His right by nature, and emptied Himself, that, what is His right, we
might receive. This is our very hope, and trust, and gladness in our toil, that we labour,
not with any calculating spirit, or to set up for ourselves any claim with God; the rewards
of desert were finite; the reward of grace is infinite, even Himself, Who hath said, “I am
thine exceeding great reward.” (E. B. Pusey, D. D.)
God’s persevering activity
See how actively the householder employs himself. His loving heart is so comprehensive
that He cannot have enough labourers in His vineyard-not enough souls with which He
can, as it wore, share the joy and the glory of the extension of His kingdom. How many a
human being who has been troubled at having missed the first appearance of the
householder at daybreak, now rejoices at being called into the vineyard before the sun is
too high in the heavens. He does not think first of stipulating about his hire; the word of
the Lord, “Whatsoever is right, I will give you,” is even more than he requires, and at the
sixth hour he joyfully enters into his work in the Lord’s vineyard. It has been painful to
him to stand idle; to gaze for half a day upon that which is intended for working, and yet
to be unable to work at it. (R. Rothe, D. D.)
Idle
If we, with the eye of God, could look down upon the proceedings of this life, how
startled we should be at the host of idlers in the midst of the turmoil of life. The Lord
sees clearly that which our merely human understanding can also perceive, that there is

24. only one activity upon earth which is really activity, because it produces a real result-
activity for the kingdom of God and in His service. Every other effort of human strength,
if it has not a decided reference to the kingdom of God, and finds in its source as well as
its aim, is only a busy idleness, a sad and mournful unreality, with which the prince of
this world detains in its prison those who have fallen into its unhappy slavery. Every
other activity which does not build, only destroys, and the more noble the power is
which calls it forth, the more destructive is its working, until at last it destroys itself. (R.
Rothe, D. D.)
Never too late for God’s grace
An old sailor, who was very ragged, and whose white head spoke the lapse of many years,
was leaning against a post in conversation with another sailor. A member of the Bethel
Union spoke to them, and particularly invited the old man to attend the prayer-meeting.
His companion, after hearing the nature of the invitation, said, “Thomas, go in! Come!
come, man! go into the meeting; it won’t hurt you.” “Puh! puh!” cried the old seaman, “I
should not know what to do with myself. I never go to church or prayer-meetings;
besides, I am too old. I am upwards of seventy, and I am very wicked, and have always
been so; it is too late for me to begin, it is of no use; all is over with me, I must go to the
devil.” After a moment’s pause, the member, looking with pity upon the old veteran,
answered, “You are the very man the prayer-meeting is held for.” “How so?” (with much
surprise). “Because Jesus Christ came into the world to save the chief of sinners. When
young, I suppose, you were tempted to think it would be time enough to be religious
when you came to be old?” “Ah I that I did,” replied the sailor. “Now you are old you say
it is too late. Listen no longer to these suggestions; come with me: no time is to be lost,
for Jesus is waiting to save you, poor sinner, or He would have sent you to that place
where hope never comes, before this; your sins deserve it.” His companion then said,
“Thomas, go to the prayer-meeting. You have need, at your time of life, to prepare to
die.” He went, and attended regularly, and with the best results. Some time after he was
asked, “Well, my aged friend, do you think you are too much in years to be saved? too old
in sin for the blood of Christ to cleanse you? No, sir,” said he; “I bless God, I do feel a
hope, a blessed hope, which I would not give up for worlds; a hope which encourages me
to think that God will be merciful to me, and pardon me, old sinner as I am.”
The grudging spirit
It was now plain that the early-hired labourer had little interest in the work, and that it
was no satisfaction to him to have been able to do twelve times as much as the last hired.
He had the hireling’s spirit, and had been longing for the shadow and counting his wages
all day long. English sailors have been known to be filled with pity for their comrades
whose ships only hove in sight in time to see the enemy’s flag run down, or to fire the last
shot in a long day’s engagement. They have so pitied them for having no share in the
excitement and glory of the day, that they would willingly give them as a compensation
their own pay and prize money. And the true follower of Christ, who has listened to the
earliest call of his Master, and has revelled in the glory of serving Him throughout life,
will from the bottom of his heart pity the man who has only late in life recognized the
glory of His service, and has had barely time to pick up his tools when the dusk of
evening fails upon him. It is impossible that a man whose chief desire was to advance his
Master’s work, should envy another labourer who had done much less than himself. The
very fact that a man envies another his reward, is enough of itself to convict him of self-
seeking in His service. (M. Dods, D. D.)

25. Unto this last
I. The work to which all were called; and in which the first bore the heat, etc.
II. The reason of the idleness of those who were called at the eleventh hour.
III. The Lord’s justification of His ways. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)
Mine own
We have here:
I. The assertion of the absolute proprietorship. Both the whole world and every man
belong to God. They are His
(1) by creation;
(2) by providence;
(3) by grace.
II. A vindication of final decisions based on this absolute right.
III. A censure pronounced on all criticisms adverse to these decisions. (J. C. Gray.)
The evil eye
1. I have been good in that I hired you at all.
2. Hired you before you had shown what you could do.
3. I now give you all I promised, without criticising your work.
4. In being good to others I do not wrong you.
Learn, if one should say-“Since I shall be no better off in the end than those who began
late to work for God, and I may therefore delay,” he should reflect that this hour may be
his eleventh. (J. C. Gray.)
Waiting to be called
So, then, when I see a young man slow and backward, and in a poor place, whose soul I
know would expand in the sunshine of prosperity and fill a better place: or a woman,
waiting with her unfulfilled life in her heart, willing to give it in any high, pure fashion to
the Lord, if He will but come and take it; or a preacher, with a mighty power to preach
somewhere in his nature, if he could only find the clue to it; or a man who has waited
through his lifetime for the Lord to show him the true church, the place where he can
feel that the religious heart of him is at rest;-if in these things or in any of them, I feel I
have found my place, and am doing my work, I must feel very tenderly, and judge very
generously, all the waiters in all these ways; must call up this picture of the faces so
wistful in the old market-place, watching for the coming of the Lord: “Who has made me
to differ, who has called me at the first hour, why do I succeed where others fail? “ It is

26. the gift of God; it is not of works, lest any man should boast. It is the difference between
the seed the husbandman, for his own good reason, will leave dark and still in the
granary, and the seed he sows which can spring at once to the sun and the sweet airs of
the summer. It is the difference in the home, in our conduct towards our children, when
we know it is best to let one go forward in the school and keep another backward. (R.
Collyer.)
The call of nations
This is true, finally of our country. England and Germany begin in the early morning,
and in the wild woods of Britain and Gaul, to earn their penny; and it is their lot for long
centuries to toil, winning, as they can, this and that from the wilderness,-trial by jury,
Magna Charta, free speech, free press, free pulpit,-and when many hours are past, and
much hard work is done, a voice comes to a new nation, and tells of a new world, and
says, “Go work there;” and when the old world looks up, the new is abreast of those
nations that have borne the burden and heat of the day, and will have its penny. And in
this new world itself, there are men living here in Chicago, who can remember very well
when our great prairies lifted their faces wistfully to the sun, and cried, “No man hath
hired us; “ when our streets, now so full of life, sounded only to the voice of the mighty
waters and the cry of the savage. Now the whole civilized world has to come and see
what has been done. Not many years more will pass, we who live here believe, before this
new worker will be abreast of the oldest, and will win her penny. (R. Collyer.)
Reward given during work as well as after it is done
I think the most heart-whole man I ever knew, was a man who had waited and watched,
breaking stones through all weathers on the cold shoulder of a Yorkshire hill, and he
could hardly see the stones he had to break he was so sand blind. His wife was dead and
all his children; his hut was open to the sky, and to the steel-cold stars in winter; but
when once one said to comfort him, “Brother, you will soon be in heaven!” he cried out
in his rapture, “I have been there this ten years!” And so when at last the angel came to
take him, he was not unclothed, but clothed upon; mortality was swallowed up of life.
(R. Collyer.)
Disinterested service
Christ nowhere offers us heaven as a price for good behaviour, as foolish parents, or
rather wicked parents, lure their children to obey with sweetmeats and toys. It is in no
such sense as this that He engages to be a Rewarder of them that seek Him. The very
passage just quoted discredits such a thought; for it says, “If ye love them that love you,
what reward have ye?” There must be spontaneous service. The heart must go into it,
uncalculating and ungrudging. You must love your enemies, do good to them that hate
you, and bless them that curse you, and lend, hoping for nothing again. Then you will be
the children of the Highest; and, precisely because you expected no reward at all, verily
your reward shall be great. There is a striking legend of saintly old Bishop Ivo, who
walked with God, and saw through the self-seeking religionists of his time, and longed
for larger faith. He describes himself as meeting one day, a figure in the form of a
woman, of a sad, earnest aspect, like some prophetess of God, who carried a vessel of fire

27. in one hand, and of water in the other. He asked her what these things were for. She
answered, the tire is to burn up Paradise, the water is to quench Hell-that men may
henceforth serve their Maker, not from the selfish hope of the one, nor from the selfish
fear of the other, but for love of Himself alone. God does not consume paradise, nor
quench hell. He keeps the fountains of sweet and living waters leaping and flowing in the
one; He keeps the awful fires of the other burning. But surely all this promise and
penalty do not mean that we are to stop in their discipline, and calculate the price of our
obedience. Oh, no! not while the glorious voice of the apostle rings out over the
centuries: “The love of Christ constraineth me; I count all things loss for the excellency
of the knowledge of Him.” Not while the Saviour says to the aspiring heart of the world,
“Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect;” hoping for nothing again.
(Bishop Huntingdon.)
The thought of reward does not enter into the higher aspects of service
The reward is in doing them; in the inevitable feeling that goes along with them, far
enough from being set about as the end, but interwoven with them by the gracious
bounty that ever surprises faithful souls. With all these true acts and emotions of the
really spiritually minded man, it is precisely as it is with any of those acts of common life
that the heart goes most into. You cannot speak of any rewards for the love that is the
bond of a true marriage, without insulting those to whom you speak. You cannot connect
the notion of compensation, pay, with the affection that twines a child’s arms about the
mother’s neck, or that keeps her waiting in vigils that outwatch the patient stars, over
the child’s pain or sin, without profaning that affection. You cannot associate the
prospect of a reward with the heroic humanity which keeps the friendly vessels hanging
close, many days and nights, in the frightful companionship of a common peril, to take
off the passengers of the imperilled and sinking ship; nor with any generous and brave
rescue or sacrifice. Now, to any spiritual estimate, the services of daily piety are as full of
the charm and fascination and glory of self-forgetting devotion as any of these. Christ is
nearer than wife or husband. The Father in heaven is more real, and infinitely holier and
tenderer, than the human mother. All fellow-souls in moral misery or sin need help more
urgently than the shipwrecked company. And so, if our piety is real, like Christ’s piety, it
must be just as self-oblivious, as hearty, as spontaneous and free, as that. And then it
will leave a more unspeakable, glorious, infinite reward. (Bishop Huntingdon.)
Cheerfulness in work
“Are you not wearying for the heavenly rest?” said Whitefield to an old minister. “No,
certainly not:” he replied. “Why not?” was the surprised rejoinder. “Why, my good
brother,” said the aged saint, “if you were to send your servant into the fields to do a
certain portion of work for you, and promised to give him rest and refreshment in the
evening, what would you say if you found him languid and discontented in the middle of
the day, and murmuring, ‘Would to God it were evening’? Would you not bid him be up
and doing, and finish his work, and then go home and enjoy the promised rest? Just so
does God require of you and me, that, instead of looking for Saturday night, we do our
day’s work in the day.” The eleventh, hour:-
I. The time mentioned may represent an advanced period of human life.
II. Men are to be found in this period, inattentive to the concerns of true religion.

28. III. They who are found inattentive in this period, are involved in peculiar perils.
Hardness of heart, etc.
IV. Divine grace sometimes displays itself, by making this period to be one of true and
saving conversion. (J. Parsons.)
Conversion postponed to old age
Many men put off their conversion, and at twenty send religion afore them to thirty;
then post it off to forty, and yet not pleased to overtake it, they promise it entertainment
at threescore. At last death comes, and he allows not one hour. In youth men resolve to
afford themselves the time of age to serve God: in age they shuffle it off to sickness;
when sickness comes, care to dispose their goods, lothness to die, hope to escape,
martyrs that good thought, and their resolution still keeps before them. If we have but
the lease of a farm for one-and-twenty years, we make use of the time, and gather profit.
But in this precious farm of time we are so bad husbands that our lease comes out before
we are one pennyworth of grace the richer by it. (T. Adams.)
2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day
and sent them into his vineyard.
BAR ES, "A penny a day - The coin here referred to was a Roman coin, equal in
value, at different periods, to 15 cents or 17 cents (7 1/2 d. to 8 1/2 d.) (circa 1880’s). The
original denotes the Roman denarius δηνάριον dēnarion, a silver coin, which was
originally equivalent to ten ases (a brass Roman coin), from which it gets its name. The
consular denarius bore on one side a head of Rome, and an X or a star, to denote the
value in ases, and a chariot with either two or four horses. At a later period the casts of
different deities were on the obverse, and these were finally superseded by the heads of
the Caesars. Many specimens of this coin have been preserved.
It was probably at that time the price of a day’s labor. See Tobit 5:14. This was the
common wages of a Roman soldier. In England, before the discovery of the mines of gold
and silver in South America, and consequently before money was plenty, the price of
labor was about in proportion. In 1351 the price of labor was regulated by law, and was a
penny a day; but provisions were of course proportionally cheap, and the avails of a
man’s labor in articles of food were nearly as much as they are now.
CLARKE, "A penny - A Roman coin, as noted before, Mat_18:28, worth about
seven-pence halfpenny or seven-pence three farthings of our money, and equal to the
Greek drachma. This appears to have been the ordinary price of a day’s labor at that

29. time. See Tobit 5:14. In 1351 the price of labor was regulated in this country by
parliament; and it is remarkable that “corn-weeders and hay-makers, without meat,
drink, or other courtesy demanded,” were to have one penny per day! In 1314 the pay of
a chaplain to the Scotch bishops, who were then prisoners in England, was three
halfpence per day. See Fleetwood’s Chronicon Precios, p. 123, 129. This was miserable
wages, though things at that time were so cheap that twenty-four eggs were sold for a
penny, p. 72; a pair of shoes for four-pence, p. 71; a fat goose for two-pence halfpenny, p.
72; a hen for a penny, p. 72; eight bushels of wheat for two shillings, and a fat ox for six
shillings and eight-pence! Ibid. In 1336, wheat per quarter, 2s.; a fat sheep 6d.; fat goose,
2d. and a pig, 1d., p. 75.
GILL, "And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day,....
These labourers were of that sort that were called ‫יום‬ ‫,שכיר‬ "hired for a day"; concerning
whom is the following rule (q):
"he that is hired for a day, may demand it all the night; and he that is hired for a night
may demand it all the day: he that is hired for hours, may demand it all the night, and all
the day; he that is hired for a week, he that is hired for a month, he that is hired for a
year, he that is hired for seven, if he goes out in the day, may demand all the day; and if
he goes out in the night, he may demand it all the night, and all the day.''
And the wages of a day were usually ‫דינר‬ "a penny"; which, if understood of a Roman
penny, was seven pence halfpenny of our money. One of their canons runs thus (r):
"he that hires a labourer in the winter, to work with him in the summer, ‫יום‬ ‫,בכל‬ "for a
penny every day", and he gives him his hire; and, lo! his hire is alike to that in the winter,
a "sela" every day, this is forbidden; because it looks as if he chose that time to lessen his
wages; but if he says to him, work with me from this day, to such a time, "for a penny
every day", though his hire is the same, a "sela" every day, this is lawful.''
By the penny a day agreed for with the labourers, may be meant external privileges; or
the free promise made, whether to ministers, or private believers, of a sufficient supply
of grace daily, that as their day is, their strength shall be; together with that of eternal
life and happiness at last.
He sent them into his vineyard; to labour there: for none have any business there,
but such who are called and sent by the owner of it; and where sons are sent, and work,
as well as servants; see Mat_21:28.
JAMISO , "And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny — a
usual day’s hire.
he sent them into his vineyard.
LIGHTFOOT, "[Agreed for a penny a day.] A penny of silver, which one of gold
exceeded twenty-four times; for A penny of gold is worth five-and-twenty of silver.
The canons of the Hebrews concerning hiring of labourers distinguish, as reason

30. requires, between being hired by the day, and being hired (only) for some hours:
which may be observed also in this parable: for in the morning they are hired for all
the day, and for a penny, but afterward for certain hours; and have a part of a
penny allotted them, in proportion to the time they wrought
COFFMA , "The KJV uses "penny" instead of shilling for the coin. Inconsistency
may appear in the fact that it is not always the young who take an attitude of
"bargaining" with the Lord, so much work for so much pay. However, if our
analogies be allowed, they were the ones who DID make that mistake here.
Furthermore, the temptation to that very attitude is greater on the part of one who
contemplates giving his whole life to God and who brings relative innocence and
purity of youth to the vineyard. Conversely, the temptation is diminished in those
who come later in life, scarred and broken by sin, and realizing their plight of
unworthiness and hopelessness far more keenly than any young person could
possibly realize it.
COKE, "Matthew 20:2. For a penny a-day— A denarius, or Roman penny, in value
about seven-pence halfpenny of our money,—which hence it seems was the usual
price of a day's service among the Jews, as Tacitus tells us it was among the
Romans, Annal. Matthew 1:17. It is therefore justly mentioned, Revelation 6:6 as a
proof of the great scarcity of provisions, when a measure, or choenix of wheat,
which was the usual allowance to one man for a day, and was about an English
quart, was sold at that price. See Doddridge.
ELLICOTT, "(2) A penny a day.—Measured by its weight, the “penny—i.e., the
Roman denarius, then the common standard of value in Palestine—was, as nearly as
possible, sevenpence-halfpenny of our coinage. Its real equivalent, however, is to be
found in its purchasing power, and, as the average price of the unskilled labour of
the tiller of the soil, it may fairly be reckoned as equal to about half-a-crown of our
present currency. It was, that is, in itself, an adequate and just payment.
PETT, "In this case the estate owner agreed with the workers whom He hired from
those who were standing there, a fair wage for a day’s work, one denarius. Then He
sent them to work in His vineyard, no doubt under His manager (Matthew 20:8).
The labourers were quite satisfied. He had offered them the usual rate for the job.
That was important. God cheats or underrates no man.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw
others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

31. BAR ES, "About the third hour - The Jews divided their days into twelve equal
parts, or hours, beginning at sunrise and ending at sunset. This was, therefore about
nine o’clock in the morning.
Standing idle in the market-place - A place where provisions are sold in towns.
Of course, many resort to such places, and it would be the readiest place to meet persons
and find employers. They were not, therefore, disposed to be idle, but were waiting in
the proper place to find employers.
CLARKE, "The third hour - Nine o’clock in the morning.
Market-place - Where laborers usually stood till they were hired. I have often seen
laborers standing in the market places of large towns in these countries, waiting to be
employed.
GILL, "And he went out about the third hour,.... About nine o'clock in the
morning,
and saw others standing idle in the market place: the place where labourers used
to be hired: and may design the world, because a place full of people, and of great
wickedness, for the whole world lies in it; a place of trade and traffic in worldly things,
and likewise of worldly and carnal pleasure, and also of idleness. Now God's elect before
calling, are in this place: they are natives of it, have their conversation according to it:
here Christ came in person, and here he sends his ministers, his Gospel, to find them
out, and by his Spirit and grace he calls them from hence; so that afterwards they are no
more of it, though they are in it: but before conversion they belong to it, and their
posture then is standing idle; being sluggish, and slothful in business, unwilling to work,
and afraid of a little danger and trouble, sauntering away their time in carnal pleasures,
and so clothed with rags, and in a starving, famishing condition: but Christ's eye is upon
them; he observes, and takes notice of them in this disagreeable position and situation,
and speaks of them in the following manner.
HE RY, "[2.] Whence they are hired? Out of the market-place, where, till they are
hired into God's service, they stand idle (Mat_20:3), all the day idle (Mat_20:6). Note,
First, The soul of man stands ready to be hired into some service or other; it was (as all
the creatures were) created to work, and is either a servant to iniquity, or a servant to
righteousness, Rom_6:19. The devil, by his temptations, is hiring labourers into his
field, to feed swine. God, by his gospel, is hiring labourers into his vineyard, to dress it,
and keep it, paradise-work. We are put to our choice; for hired we must be (Jos_24:15);
Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. Secondly, Till we are hired into the service of
God, we are standing all the day idle; a sinful state, though a state of drudgery to Satan,
may really be called a state of idleness; sinners are doing nothing, nothing to the
purpose, nothing of the great work they were sent into the world about, nothing that will
pass well in the account. Thirdly, The gospel call is given to those that stand idle in the
market-place. The market-place is a place of concourse, and there Wisdom cries (Pro_
1:20, Pro_1:21); it is a place of sport, there the children are playing (Mat_11:16); and the
gospel calls us from vanity to seriousness; it is a place of business, of noise and hurry;

32. and from that we are called to retire. “Come, come from this market-place.”
[3.] What are they hired to do? To labour in his vineyard. Note, First, The church is
God's vineyard; it is of his planting, watering, and fencing; and the fruits of it must be to
his honour and praise. Secondly, We are all called upon to be labourers in this vineyard.
The work of religion is vineyard-work, pruning, dressing, digging, watering, fencing,
weeding. We have each of us our own vineyard to keep, our own soul; and it is God's and
to be kept and dressed for him. In this work we must not be slothful, not loiterers, but
labourers, working, and working out our own salvation. Work for God will not admit of
trifling. A man may go idle to hell; but he that will go to heaven, must be busy.
[4.] What shall be their wages? He promises, First, A penny, Mat_20:2. The Roman
penny was, in our money, of the value of a sevenpence half-penny, a day's wages for a
day's work, and the wages sufficient for a day's maintenance. This doth not prove that
the reward of our obedience to God is of works, or of debt (no, it is of grace, free grace,
Rom_4:4), or that there is any proportion between our services and heaven's glories; no,
when we have done all, we are unprofitable servants; but it is to signify that there is a
reward set before us, and a sufficient one. Secondly, Whatsoever is right, Mat_20:4-7.
Note, God will be sure not to be behind-hand with any for the service they do him: never
any lost by working for God. The crown set before us is a crown of righteousness, which
the righteous Judge shall give.
[5.] For what term are they hired? For a day. It is but a day's work that is here done.
The time of life is the day, in which we must work the works of him that sent us into the
world. It is a short time; the reward is for eternity, the work is but for a day; man is said
to accomplish, as a hireling, his day, Job_14:6. This should quicken us to expedition
and diligence in our work, that we have but a little time to work in, and the night is
hastening on, when no man can work; and if our great work be undone when our day is
done, we are undone for ever. It should also encourage us in reference to the hardships
and difficulties of our work, that it is but for a day; the approaching shadow, which the
servant earnestly desireth, will bring with it both rest, and the reward of our work,
Job_7:2. Hold out, faith, and patience, yet a little while.
[6.] Notice is taken of the several hours of the day, at which the labourers were hired.
The apostles were sent forth at the first and third hour of the gospel day; they had a first
and a second mission, while Christ was on earth, and their business was to call in the
Jews; after Christ's ascension, about the sixth and ninth hour, they went out again on the
same errand, preaching the gospel to the Jews only, to them in Judea first, and
afterward to them of the dispersion; but, at length, as it were about the eleventh hour,
they called the Gentiles to the same work and privilege with the Jews, and told them that
in Christ Jesus there should be no difference made between Jew and Greek.
But this may be, and commonly is, applied to the several ages of life, in which souls are
converted to Christ. The common call is promiscuous, to come and work in the vineyard;
but the effectual call is particular, and it is then effectual when we come at the call.
First, Some are effectually called, and begin to work in the vineyard when they are very
young; are sent in early in the morning, whose tender years are seasoned with grace, and
the remembrance of their Creator. John the Baptist was sanctified from the womb, and
therefore great (Luk_1:15); Timothy from a child (2Ti_3:15); Obadiah feared the Lord
from his youth. Those that have such a journey to go, had need set out betimes, the
sooner the better.
Secondly, Others are savingly wrought upon in middle age; Go work in the vineyard,
at the third, sixth, or ninth hour. The power of divine grace is magnified in the
conversion of some, when they are in the midst of their pleasures and worldly pursuits,

33. as Paul. God has work for all ages; no time amiss to turn to God; none can say, “It is all
in good time;” for, whatever hour of the day it is with us, the time past of our life may
suffice that we have served sin; Go ye also into the vineyard. God turns away none that
are willing to be hired, for yet there is room.
Thirdly, Others are hired into the vineyard in old age, at the eleventh hour, when the
day of life is far spent, and there is but one hour of the twelve remaining. None are hired
at the twelfth hour; when life is done, opportunity is done; but “while there is life, there
is hope.” 1. There is hope for old sinners; for if, in sincerity, they turn to God, they shall
doubtless be accepted; true repentance is never too late. And, 2. There is hope of old
sinners, that they may be brought to true repentance; nothing is too hard for Almighty
grace to do, it can change the Ethiopian's skin, and the leopard's spots; can set those to
work, who have contracted a habit of idleness. Nicodemus may be born again when he is
old, and the old man may be put off, which is corrupt.
Yet let none, upon this presumption, put off their repentance till they are old. These
were sent into the vineyard, it is true, at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them,
or offered to hire them, before. The Gentiles came in at the eleventh hour, but it was
because the gospel had not been before preached to them. those that have had gospel
offers made them at the third, or sixth hour, and have resisted and refused them, will
not have that to say for themselves at the eleventh hour, that these had; No man has
hired us; nor can they be sure that any man will hire them at the ninth or eleventh hour;
and therefore not to discourage any, but to awaken all, be it remembered, that now is the
accepted time; if we will hear his voice, it must be today.
JAMISO , "And he went out about the third hour — about nine o’clock, or
after a fourth of the working day had expired: the day of twelve hours was reckoned from
six to six.
and saw others standing idle in the market place — unemployed.
COFFMA , "God's invitation to men is constant and not confined to any age or
condition of life. Morning, noon, evening and twilight, the Master calls men to work
in his vineyard. otice too the Master's evaluation of the work men do outside the
church. Those not working in the vineyard are simply standing around "idle." All is
lost except what is done for Christ and at his direction. All frenzied human
endeavor is the grossest idleness when contrasted with work in the vineyard of the
Lord.
COKE, "Matthew 20:3-7. He went out about the third hour, &c.— The hiring of
labourers at the subsequent third, sixth, and ninth hours, signifies the various
interpositions of Providence, by which many of the Gentiles in the different ages of
the world were converted, either in whole or in part, to the knowledge of the true
God; becoming some proselytes of righteousness, others proselytes of the gate. The
invitation given at the eleventh hour signifies God's calling the Gentiles to the
Gospel dispensation, when the Gospel was preached in every civilized nation of the
world.—The Jews were ready to look upon themselves with complacency, as a
people who had for manyages adhered to the worship of the true God, and in some
periods had endured great extremities out of a regard to it: and it seems natural to
interpret what is said, Matthew 20:12 of bearing the burden and heat of the day,

34. with a reference to this, rather than to any peculiar hardship which the earlier
converts among the Jews might have endured, more than the believing Gentiles,
many of whom met with much the same treatment on their embracing Christianity.
See 1 Thessalonians 2:14. The hours are mentioned according to the ordinary
division of the day among the Jews, the third hour being nine in the morning, and so
on. The word δικαιον, Matthew 20:4 rendered right, signifies not only what a
person may legally claim, but what he might equitably expect from a person of
honour and humanity; whatsoever is reasonable. See Macknight, and Doddridge.
The word αργους, rendered idle, Matthew 20:6 should rather be rendered
unemployed; for they were willing to work.
ELLICOTT, "(3) About the third hour.—Reckoning the day after the Jewish mode,
as beginning at 6 A.M., this would bring us to 8 A.M. The “market-place” of a town
was the natural place in which the seekers for casual labour were to be found
waiting for employment. In the meaning which underlies the parable we may see a
reference to those who, like St. Matthew (Matthew 9:9) and the disciples called in
Matthew 8:19-22, were summoned after the sons of Jonas and of Zebedee.
PETT, "Presumably the work was falling behind with the result that His manager
informed Him that more workers were needed. Or perhaps we are to see in it simply
the goodness of heart of the estate owner although in that case why not hire all at
once? But the purpose of the details is not in order to explain the estate owner’s
reasons but in order to get over the idea of a gradually ongoing situation. So He
again goes out to look for labourers, this time at roughly 9:00 am. And in the
marketplace He finds that there are still many labourers who have not found work.
So He again selects out some workers. They would have been there from early
morning, but no one had previously hired them (Matthew 20:7). To these He
promises that He will pay ‘whatever is right’. To this they agree, for they know that
they cannot expect a full denarius, and they are desperate to get work. And like the
others they go to work in His vineyard. ote the deliberate emphasis on the fact that
they are to trust the estate manager to do what is right.
4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my
vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’
BAR ES, "Whatsoever is right - Whatsoever it shall appear you can earn. The
contract with the first was definite; with this one it depended on the judgment of the
employer.

35. GILL, "And said unto them, go ye also into the vineyard,.... Expressive of a call
of divine grace out of the world, into the church; and which arises from mere grace, and
good will, without any merit in, or motive from man, as the case here shows: for the
householder went out to these men, not they to him; he puts the question to them, and
calls them, and bids them go into his vineyard; they do not ask him to hire them, nor
desire to be in his service. Moreover, the persons called were a parcel of idle, mean,
vulgar people, as market folks commonly are; the weak, base, and foolish things of the
world. The encouragement given them follows,
and whatsoever is right I will give you which is to be understood, not of strict
justice; for in this sense nothing could be given to sinful mortals, for their services; but
of grace, for what is had on this score, whether in this, or in the other world, is in a way
of giving and receiving, which are the phrases used here, and in the context. It properly
signifies what is meet and convenient, and will be satisfying; and since it is not expressed
what he would give them, and they should receive, it calls for faith and dependence on
divine goodness: for it does not yet appear, what the faithful labourers in Christ's
vineyard will want, and shall receive in this life, nor what will be their happiness in the
world to come: the glories and joys of heaven are unseen things; and eternal life is a
hidden one at present, and must be trusted for:
and they went their way: into the vineyard, the church, to labour there; which shows,
that the call was powerful and efficacious; they were powerfully wrought upon by it;
were at once inclined, and made willing to, and did go cheerfully, without standing to
dispute about their work or wages.
HE RY, "(2.) Here is the account with the labourers. Observe,
[1.] When the account was taken; when the evening was come, then, as usual, the day-
labourers were called and paid. Note, Evening time is the reckoning time; the particular
account must be given up in the evening of our life; for after death cometh the judgment.
Faithful labourers shall receive their reward when they die; it is deferred till then, that
they may wait with patience for it, but no longer; for God will observe his own rule, The
hire of the labourers shall not abide with thee all night, until the morning. See Deu_
24:15. When Paul, that faithful labourer, departs, he is with Christ presently. The
payment shall not be wholly deferred till the morning of the resurrection; but then, in
the evening of the world, will be the general account, when every one shall receive
according to the things done in the body. When time ends, and with it the world of work
and opportunity, then the state of retribution commences; then call the labourers, and
give them their hire. Ministers call them into the vineyard, to do their work; death calls
them out of the vineyard, to receive their penny: and those to whom the call into the
vineyard is effectual, the call out of it will be joyful. Observe, They did not come for their
pay till they were called; we must with patience wait God's time for our rest and
recompence; go by our master's clock. The last trumpet, at the great day, shall call the
labourers, 1Th_4:16. Then shalt thou call, saith the good and faithful servant, and I will
answer. In calling the labourers, they must begin from the last, and so to the first. Let
not those that come in at the eleventh hour, be put behind the rest, but, lest they should
be discouraged, call them first. At the great day, though the dead in Christ shall rise
first, yet they which are alive and remain, on whom the ends of the world (the eleventh
hour of its day) comes, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds; no

36. preference shall be given to seniority, but every man shall stand in his own lot at the end
of the days.
JAMISO , "And said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and
whatsoever is right — just, equitable, in proportion to their time.
I will give you. And they went their way.
ELLICOTT, "(4) Whatsoever is right.—The absence of a definite contract in hiring
the labourers who did less than the day’s work obviously involved an implicit trust
in the equity of the householder. They did not stipulate for wages, or ask, as the
disciples had asked, “What shall we have therefore?” The implied lesson thus
suggested is, that a little work done, when God calls us, in the spirit of trust, is better
than much done in the spirit of a hireling.
5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in
the afternoon and did the same thing.
BAR ES, "The sixth and ninth hour - That is, about twelve o’clock and three
o’clock.
CLARKE, "The sixth hour - Twelve o’clock. Ninth hour - three o’clock in the
afternoon.
GILL, "Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour,.... About twelve
o'clock, or at noon, and three o'clock in the afternoon. These three last mentioned
seasons of the day, were the hours of prayer; see Act_2:15 and did likewise: seeing
others in the same place, and posture, he called them, and sent them into his vineyard,
to labour there, giving them the same promise he did to others.
JAMISO , "Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour — about noon,
and about three o’clock in the afternoon.
and did likewise — hiring and sending into his vineyard fresh laborers each time.
PETT, "Again perhaps His manager twice warns Him that with the workforce that

37. they have the work will not be finished by the evening. But whatever the reason He
goes out around noon and then again around 3:00 pm. (15:00 hours). And again He
hires labourers on the same terms as the previous ones at 9:00 am, the terms of trust
and obedience. His operations are to go on all through the day.
6 About five in the afternoon he went out and
found still others standing around. He asked
them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day
long doing nothing?’
BAR ES, "The eleventh hour - About five o’clock in the afternoon, or when there
was but one working hour of the day left.
CLARKE, "
Eleventh - Five o’clock in the evening, when there was only one hour before the end
of the Jewish day, which, in matters of labor, closed at six.
GILL, "And about the eleventh hour he went out,.... About five o'clock in the
afternoon. The Persic version reads it, "the twelfth hour", which was six o'clock in the
afternoon, the last hour of the day. The Jews divided their day into twelve hours, Joh_
11:9 and these twelve hours into four parts; Neh_9:3 each part containing three hours,
to which division there is a manifest respect in this parable. These different seasons of
the husbandman's going out to hire labourers, may have regard either to the several
periods of time, and ages of the world, as before the law, under the law, the times of the
Messiah, and the last days; or the various dispensations of the Gospel, first by Christ,
and John the Baptist to the Jews, then by the apostles to the same in their first mission,
afterwards when their commission was renewed, first to the Jews in Judea, and then to
the same among the nations of the world, and last of all to the Gentiles; or to the several
stages of human life, and may regard Christ's call of persons in childhood, youth,
manhood, and old age; which last may be signified by the eleventh hour, as also the
Gentiles, and the remainder of God's elect in the last day:
and found others standing idle; in the same place and position as before: for the
state and condition of God's elect, by nature, as it is the same with others, it is the same
with them all. The word "idle" is omitted here by the Vulgate Latin, the Arabic, and

38. Ethiopic versions, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; but is retained in the Syriac and
Persic versions; and stands in the Greek copies:
and saith unto them, why stand ye here all the day idle? for being about the
eleventh hour, the day was far spent, it was almost gone, a small portion of it remained,
but one hour, as appears from Mat_20:12.
JAMISO , "And about the eleventh hour — but one hour before the close of the
working day; a most unusual hour both for offering and engaging
and found others standing idle, and saith, Why stand ye here all the day
idle? — Of course they had not been there, or not been disposed to offer themselves at
the proper time; but as they were now willing, and the day was not over, and “yet there
was room,” they also are engaged, and on similar terms with all the rest.
SBC, "I. If we would hear, surely we might rather say that God calls us, at all times, in
all places; by all things, persons, deeds, words; by night and by day, all our lives long,
than dare to say for ourselves before God’s all-searching eye: "No man hath heard us."
For so it is when persons have heard the first call; everything calls them when the heart
is awake; every, the lowest, whisper calls it. The world is one great mirror. As we are who
look into it or on it, so it is to us. It gives us back ourselves. It speaks to us the language
of our own hearts; our inmost self is the key to all. The heart where God dwelleth is in all
things called anew by God. His blessed presence draws it by its sweetness; or His
seeming absence may, by the very void, absorb it yet more, by the vehemence of longing,
into Himself.
II. He bids us "Go work in My vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you." He
promises not to us, as to those first labourers, a certain hire. Even while He would
wholly restore us to His mercy He would keep us in the humility of penitents. He seems
to tells us thus: that we have forfeited our claim, that we must labour on in faith and
hope and confiding trust, making no bargains, as it were, with Him, looking for nothing
again but what He of His free bounty will give us. This is our very hope and trust and
gladness in our toil, that we labour not with any calculating spirit, or to set up for
ourselves any claim with God; the rewards of desert were finite; the reward of grace
infinite, even Himself, who hath said, "I am thine exceeding great reward."
III. He calleth thee now: He calleth thee, that in death He may again call thee to place
thee near Himself: He calleth thee that He may save thee from the pit where His voice is
not heard, to place thee above the stars, with cherubim and seraphim, there to sing
everlastingly, "Holy, holy, holy." Such is the hire which God offereth thee. What were it,
could Satan offer thee not this earth only, but countless worlds? Things out of God may
take thee up; nought but God can fill thee. He calleth thee, "Son, give Me thine heart;"
and He will give thee His own all-encompassing, unencompassed love
E. B. Pusey, Sermons for the Church’s Seasons, p. 133.
COFFMA , "One of the mysteries is why these men were not hired earlier. If, as
the householder suggested, they had been standing around all day, why had they not
been hired already? The householder was then on his fifth trip to the marketplace;
laborers were urgently needed; and it may not be supposed that the householder
had deliberately passed them by without an invitation; and yet they alleged that the

39. reason for their unemployment was their lack of opportunity to work, or lack of an
employer. Difficult as that may appear, however, the analogy Jesus sought to convey
in this situation, and as it applies to spiritual things, is far easier to understand. God
is calling people all the time; but, through the influence of Satan, some do not hear,
or hearing do not believe, or believing yield to various seductive deterrents.
Therefore, we reject the view that those eleventh hour workers were justified in
their day-long idleness on the grounds that they had had no chance to work. True,
that is what THEY said the reason was; but we appeal to the words of the
householder as a complete refutation of their flimsy alibi. It is quite easy to believe
men rather than God, as witnessed by the commentators who accept the paper-thin
alibi of those late workers. Would the wise and generous householder (standing here
for God Himself) have charged those men with idleness unless he in fact had seen
them on his repeated trips to the marketplace? o, we dare not disallow the charge
of the householder on the basis of the weak excuse they gave. It is a further
commentary on the love, fairness; and goodness of God, that the householder
accepted them anyway.
This view should not be embarrassing. The attempt to show that the eleventh-hour
workers responded as soon as they had a chance is an unconscious effort to lend
merit where none existed. The groundless view that this interpretation might
encourage one to wait until the evening of life to respond to the gospel call is negated
when it is remembered what a frightful chance those late workers took. Who could
have dared to suppose that the householder would again appear in the twilight on
his fifth mission to the market place? The gospel abounds with warnings that the
first call should be heeded. "Behold, OW is the accepted time."
ELLICOTT, "(6) About the eleventh hour.—The working day, which did not
commonly extend beyond twelve hours (John 11:9), was all but over, and yet there
was still work to be done in the vineyard, all the more urgent because of the lateness
of the hour. The labourers who had been first hired were not enough. Is there not an
implied suggestion that they were not labouring as zealously as they might have
done? They were working on their contract for the day’s wages. Those who were
called last of all had the joy of feeling that their day was not lost; and that joy and
their faith in the justice of their employer gave a fresh energy to their toil.
ISBET, "THE REFORM OF THE IDLER
‘Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired
us.’
Matthew 20 part Matthew 20:6-7
This parable is one of the most difficult in the ew Testament, because, at first
sight, there seems to have been a serious miscarriage of justice. But the householder
represents God, and such an imputation is therefore impossible. Two considerations
diminish the difficulty.
I. Motive of sacrifice.—Our Lord taught that God estimates sacrifice by (a) the
motive which prompts it, (b) the spirit that graces it, (c) the ‘character’ that is

40. evolved from it. The first labourers who came forward had to be bargained with; a
definite agreement was struck—and adhered to—a penny a day. Those who came at
the eleventh hour seem to have been of different character; less mercenary, more
trustful; and they are treated generously in return.
II. Lack of opportunity.—Listen to their reason for being idle—‘because no man
hath hired us.’ Here, then, is a conspicuous instance, not of injustice, but the great
and infinite justice of God, Who will not treat a lack of opportunity as a lack of
service. If you have had no chance, but have longed, and sought, and hoped to serve
Him, but failed to find opportunity, when the hour comes, God will accept your
good intentions and sincere desires; there is only one thing He will not accept, but
punish, that is lack of willingness to do anything.
III. ‘Go, work.’—If there is one aspect of the Gospel more than another put before
us in this parable, it is the aspect of work. It is not ‘Come and save your souls,’ but
‘Go ye and work!’ The world is full of unflagging energy; the one anomaly is the
man who is idle. A man may not have to work for his living, and yet he may ‘work
in God’s vineyard,’ by devoting his money, talents, time, and himself to the service
of his country, the Church, and God. Idleness, in the Bible sense of the word, is the
non-realisation that life is a service. All have not the same, some not many, some
very few, gifts; but the honest doing of the smallest service for God, if according to
our power, will hallow all the life.
IV. The hire given.—‘Call the labourers and give them their hire.’ When the quick
and dead shall answer to that call, God grant that we may appear before Him, not
as idlers, but as labourers, even though we be the last amongst the last.
Prebendary J. Storrs.
Illustration
‘“Why stand ye here all the day idle?” Very few of us can say, “Because no man
hath hired us.” We are living in the midst of a thousand necessities. The cry, calling
for us to work for God, comes from all sides, from undermanned parishes, from the
underfed masses, and indeed the overfed classes; from many of our own clergy,
crushed by penury, to the breaking of the spirit and the clouding of the brain; from
the countless thousands of the lost and tempted, the sick and the suffering. It is for
us to keep ears and eyes open, and hearts in touch with our fellows, and then the
opportunity will arise, the call, in some form, will come.’
(SECO D OUTLI E)
A PARABLE WITHI A PARABLE
This fragment of the parable is itself a parable. Let us separate from the rest of the
parable these five words: ‘ o man hath hired us.’
I. God’s care.—The text shows us that there is a God Who concerns Himself about
us, Who comes in, as it were, day by day to notice and to question—nay, who rather
does not need to come in, for He is here—here in necessity of a Divine omnipresence.

41. II. God’s call.—God has a work going on everywhere. The work for which He
employs men is the work of man’s moral culture. He has to form in man a God-like
character. All His redeemed are the workmen. The work which God permits to
every man is a twofold work.
(a) Each individual soul is a vineyard, and he has charge of it—the weeding and
tending of that heart out of which issues the life.
(b) Life itself is a vineyard—the life of a man as it is lived amongst his fellows. The
life of the family in which each one of us is a son, a brother, a daughter, a sister—
here is a sheltered spot of the vineyard in which God bids us work, and in which
many stand in God’s sight all the day idle.
III. What answer are we making?—We are here some of us in the early morning of
life, and some have reached the eleventh hour. Still the same call, patient and long-
suffering, is in all our ears. Honestly, are we really at work in God’s vineyard, or
are we in God’s sight still standing idle? The selfish life is an idle life.
The Rev. A. Clark.
Illustration
‘There must of necessity be great variety in the work to be done by each in the
vineyard of life, but amidst all this variety there is unity. Go where you may, you
cannot escape the call to be God’s workman. God bids clergyman to go into the
vineyard, but call to him is not substantially different from the call to any other
man. God calls the soldier, the lawyer, the business man to work in His vineyard.
either is sex any restriction. God calls the woman in her many duties to work in
His vineyard. God bids us set before ourselves in youth as in age this one object—so
to live as to make others better, so to live as to make God known.’
Verse 6-7
THE REFORM OF THE IDLER
‘Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired
us.’
Matthew 20 part Matthew 20:6-7
This parable is one of the most difficult in the ew Testament, because, at first
sight, there seems to have been a serious miscarriage of justice. But the householder
represents God, and such an imputation is therefore impossible. Two considerations
diminish the difficulty.
I. Motive of sacrifice.—Our Lord taught that God estimates sacrifice by (a) the
motive which prompts it, (b) the spirit that graces it, (c) the ‘character’ that is
evolved from it. The first labourers who came forward had to be bargained with; a
definite agreement was struck—and adhered to—a penny a day. Those who came at
the eleventh hour seem to have been of different character; less mercenary, more
trustful; and they are treated generously in return.

42. II. Lack of opportunity.—Listen to their reason for being idle—‘because no man
hath hired us.’ Here, then, is a conspicuous instance, not of injustice, but the great
and infinite justice of God, Who will not treat a lack of opportunity as a lack of
service. If you have had no chance, but have longed, and sought, and hoped to serve
Him, but failed to find opportunity, when the hour comes, God will accept your
good intentions and sincere desires; there is only one thing He will not accept, but
punish, that is lack of willingness to do anything.
III. ‘Go, work.’—If there is one aspect of the Gospel more than another put before
us in this parable, it is the aspect of work. It is not ‘Come and save your souls,’ but
‘Go ye and work!’ The world is full of unflagging energy; the one anomaly is the
man who is idle. A man may not have to work for his living, and yet he may ‘work
in God’s vineyard,’ by devoting his money, talents, time, and himself to the service
of his country, the Church, and God. Idleness, in the Bible sense of the word, is the
non-realisation that life is a service. All have not the same, some not many, some
very few, gifts; but the honest doing of the smallest service for God, if according to
our power, will hallow all the life.
IV. The hire given.—‘Call the labourers and give them their hire.’ When the quick
and dead shall answer to that call, God grant that we may appear before Him, not
as idlers, but as labourers, even though we be the last amongst the last.
Prebendary J. Storrs.
Illustration
‘“Why stand ye here all the day idle?” Very few of us can say, “Because no man
hath hired us.” We are living in the midst of a thousand necessities. The cry, calling
for us to work for God, comes from all sides, from undermanned parishes, from the
underfed masses, and indeed the overfed classes; from many of our own clergy,
crushed by penury, to the breaking of the spirit and the clouding of the brain; from
the countless thousands of the lost and tempted, the sick and the suffering. It is for
us to keep ears and eyes open, and hearts in touch with our fellows, and then the
opportunity will arise, the call, in some form, will come.’
(SECO D OUTLI E)
A PARABLE WITHI A PARABLE
This fragment of the parable is itself a parable. Let us separate from the rest of the
parable these five words: ‘ o man hath hired us.’
I. God’s care.—The text shows us that there is a God Who concerns Himself about
us, Who comes in, as it were, day by day to notice and to question—nay, who rather
does not need to come in, for He is here—here in necessity of a Divine omnipresence.
II. God’s call.—God has a work going on everywhere. The work for which He
employs men is the work of man’s moral culture. He has to form in man a God-like
character. All His redeemed are the workmen. The work which God permits to

43. every man is a twofold work.
(a) Each individual soul is a vineyard, and he has charge of it—the weeding and
tending of that heart out of which issues the life.
(b) Life itself is a vineyard—the life of a man as it is lived amongst his fellows. The
life of the family in which each one of us is a son, a brother, a daughter, a sister—
here is a sheltered spot of the vineyard in which God bids us work, and in which
many stand in God’s sight all the day idle.
III. What answer are we making?—We are here some of us in the early morning of
life, and some have reached the eleventh hour. Still the same call, patient and long-
suffering, is in all our ears. Honestly, are we really at work in God’s vineyard, or
are we in God’s sight still standing idle? The selfish life is an idle life.
The Rev. A. Clark.
Illustration
‘There must of necessity be great variety in the work to be done by each in the
vineyard of life, but amidst all this variety there is unity. Go where you may, you
cannot escape the call to be God’s workman. God bids clergyman to go into the
vineyard, but call to him is not substantially different from the call to any other
man. God calls the soldier, the lawyer, the business man to work in His vineyard.
either is sex any restriction. God calls the woman in her many duties to work in
His vineyard. God bids us set before ourselves in youth as in age this one object—so
to live as to make others better, so to live as to make God known.’
PETT, "But still the workers prove insufficient and the call comes for more workers
(compare Matthew 9:38). So at around 5 pm (17:00 hours), at ‘the eleventh hour’,
He goes out and He still find labourers whom no one has hired. And He asks them
why no one has hired them. The purpose of the question is in order to demonstrate
that they are not layabouts, but have genuinely been there all day waiting for work.
By this time they were aware that for that day at least, their children would go
hungry.
It should be noted here that the assumption is that those who are not labouring for
the estate owner are ‘idle’ (not working). It visualises only one occupation that is
worthwhile in this coming new age, that of serving the Lord of the vineyard.
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my

44. vineyard.’
CLARKE, "No man hath hired us - This was the reason why they were all the day
idle.
And whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive - Ye may expect payment in
proportion to your labor, and the time ye spend in it; but this clause is wanting in some
of the best MSS., versions, and fathers.
GILL, "They say unto him, because no man hath hired us,.... This may be fitly
applied to the Gentiles, who hundreds of years were neglected by God; he overlooked the
times of their ignorance, took no notice of them in their state of stupidity, blindness, and
irreligion; but suffered them to walk in their own ways, sent no prophets to instruct
them, nor messages, nor messengers to them; till at length the Jews, having rejected and
crucified the Messiah, and persecuted his apostles, and contradicted, and blasphemed
the Gospel, they were ordered to go to the Gentiles, and preach it to them:
he saith unto them, go ye also into the vineyard: the Gospel was made the power
of God unto salvation to them; they were called by grace, became of the same body the
church, were fellow heirs with the believing Jews, partakers of the same promises and
privileges, in a Gospel church state, and were equally labourers in the Lord's vineyard:
and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive; with the rest of the labourers in it.
This clause is left out in the Vulgate Latin, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; nor is it in
Beza's most ancient Greek copy, though in all the rest; nor is it in the Persic version,
which has added, "and they went", as they were bidden, into the vineyard, the call being
effectual; but is retained in the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:7. Go ye also, 'ye' emphatic, as in Matthew 20:4 (1)
Obviously this employer of labour acts very peculiarly. (Compare Bruce.) It is not
necessary to seek parallel cases, nor wise to propose his course as a model in
ordinary business (as Ruskin does in "Unto this last," the title being drawn from
Matthew 20:12.) The thing is possible, and the story is meant as an illustration of
God's course, who is other and higher than man. (Isaiah 55:8 f.)
PETT, "So they inform the landowner that the reason that they are still there,
(having stood there be it noted through the heat of the day), is because no one has
hired them. We can imagine how they were feeling, and even more their great
delight when the landowner hires them at a time when they were past hope. Their
pay for work at the end of the day might be small, but it will be better than nothing,
and they are grateful. It may at least buy some stale barley bread for their families
to feed on.

45. 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard
said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay
them their wages, beginning with the last ones
hired and going on to the first.’
BAR ES, "They say unto him, because no man hath hired us,.... This may be
fitly applied to the Gentiles, who hundreds of years were neglected by God; he
overlooked the times of their ignorance, took no notice of them in their state of stupidity,
blindness, and irreligion; but suffered them to walk in their own ways, sent no prophets
to instruct them, nor messages, nor messengers to them; till at length the Jews, having
rejected and crucified the Messiah, and persecuted his apostles, and contradicted, and
blasphemed the Gospel, they were ordered to go to the Gentiles, and preach it to them:
he saith unto them, go ye also into the vineyard: the Gospel was made the power
of God unto salvation to them; they were called by grace, became of the same body the
church, were fellow heirs with the believing Jews, partakers of the same promises and
privileges, in a Gospel church state, and were equally labourers in the Lord's vineyard:
and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive; with the rest of the labourers in it.
This clause is left out in the Vulgate Latin, and in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; nor is it in
Beza's most ancient Greek copy, though in all the rest; nor is it in the Persic version,
which has added, "and they went", as they were bidden, into the vineyard, the call being
effectual; but is retained in the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions.
CLARKE, "When the even was come - Six o’clock, the time they ceased from
labor, and the workmen came to receive their wages.
Steward - Επιτρωπος. A manager of the household concerns under the master. The
rabbinical writers use the very same word, in Hebrew letters, for the same office,
‫אפיטרופוס‬ epitropos. See Kypke.
GILL, "So when even was come,.... At six o'clock, or when the sun was set, which
was the time of paying labourers their wages: thus in the parable of the Jews, before
referred to, which bears some resemblance to this, it is said,
"bre tel, (s) that "at evening time" the labourers came to take their wages.''
Sooner than this, one that was hired for a day, could not demand it; nor was the master

46. of the vineyard, who hired him, obliged to pay him till the sun was set (t), which was the
time of his going forth from his labour (u). This even may be understood, either of the
evening of the Jewish state, upon the calling of the Gentiles; or of the end of the world,
the close of the Gospel dispensation; when the work of it will be over, when all the elect
of God, Jews and Gentiles, shall be called and gathered in, and all brought to repentance
towards God, and faith in Christ.
The lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward: by the lord of the vineyard may
be meant God the Father, who has chosen and separated the vineyard of the church for
himself; and has made it the care and charge of his Son Jesus Christ; who, as mediator,
may be designed by "his steward"; who has not only all the stores of grace in his hand, to
distribute to his people, in this life, as their cases require; but has also eternal life and
happiness in his possession for them; not only the promise of it, but that itself; and has a
power of giving it to as many as the Father hath given him; and which he, the righteous
judge, and faithful steward, will give at the day of judgment, to all that love his
appearing.
Call the labourers, and give them their hire; the proper time being come: for the
Jews say (w).
"it is an affirmative precept to give the wages of an hired person in its time; as it is said,
Deu_24:15 at "his day thou shalt give him his hire"; and if it is prolonged after its time, it
is transgressing a negative precept, as it is said, (in the same place,) "neither shall the
sun go down upon it."''
So Jews and Gentiles were called to partake of the same Gospel privileges; and so will all
the faithful labourers in the Lord's vineyard be called together, and have the reward of
eternal life bestowed upon them, and be bid to enter into the joy of their Lord, and
inherit the kingdom prepared for them, as they before were ordered to go into the
vineyard, and work. And though eternal life may be called hire or reward, because as hire
is given to labourers, so is eternal life; and as that is given at the even and close of the
day, and when the labourer has done his work, so everlasting glory will be given to the
saints at the end of life, and when they have done the will and work of God: yet it will not
be bestowed by way of merit, or, as if there was a just proportion between the work,
labour, and services of the saints, and the glory that shall be revealed in them. Their
purest services, even their sufferings for Christ, are not worthy to be compared with
that; nor are there any that are done by them, but what are due to God, what he has a
right unto, and are their duty to perform; so that when they are done by them in the best
and most perfect manner, they are but unprofitable servants: nor can they, by anything
they do, be profitable to God, or give anything to him, which can be obligatory upon him,
to do anything for them, or be a valuable consideration for anything they should receive
from him; and therefore they cannot merit anything at his hand, and much less eternal
life: besides, their services are impure and imperfect, and whenever anything is well
done by them, it is done not by their own strength and might, but by the assistance and
grace of God; and therefore they can have no demand upon him for what they do: eternal
life, though a reward, is not a reward of debt, but of grace; it is the free gift of God
through Christ; God has graciously promised it in the covenant of his grace, before the
world began; he has given it into the hands of his Son for his people, with whom it is
sure; and he gives it freely to all the sheep the Father has given him.
Beginning from the last unto the first; beginning with the last that was called and

47. sent into the vineyard, and so proceeding on to the next to them; giving them their
wages as he went along, till he came to the first, who were early in the morning hired
into this service; intimating, that some such method will be taken in the introducing of
the saints into the kingdom of the Messiah here, and into his everlasting kingdom
hereafter; whereby that saying of our Lord's which occasioned this parable, will be also
fulfilled, "the first shall be last, and last first".
JAMISO , "So when even was come — that is, the reckoning time between
masters and laborers (see Deu_24:15); pointing to the day of final account.
the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward — answering to Christ Himself,
represented “as a Son over His own house” (Heb_3:6; see Mat_11:27; Joh_3:35; Joh_
5:27).
Call the labourers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto
the first — Remarkable direction this - last hired, first paid.
CALVI , "8.And when the evening was come. It would be improper to look for a
mystery in the injunction of the householder to begin with the last, as if God
crowned those first who were last in the order of time; for such a notion would not
at all agree with the doctrine of Paul. They that are alive, he says, at the coming of
Christ will not come before those who previously fell asleep in Christ, but will
follow, (1 Thessalonians 4:15.) But Christ observes a different order in this passage,
because he could not otherwise have expressed — what he afterwards adds — that
the first murmured, because they did not receive more (646)
Besides, he did not intend to say that this murmuring will take place at the last day,
but merely to affirm that there will be no occasion for murmuring The
personification ( προσωποποΐα) which he employs throws no small light on this
doctrine, that men have no right to complain of the bounty of God, when he honors
unworthy persons by large rewards beyond what they deserve. There is no
foundation, therefore, for what some have imagined, that these words are directed
against the Jews, who were full of malice and envy towards the Gentiles; for it
would be absurd to say that such persons receive an equal hire with the children of
God, and this malignity, which leads men to exclaim against God, does not apply to
believers. But the plain meaning is, that, since God defrauds no man of a just hire,
He is at liberty to bestow on those whom He has lately called an undeserved reward.
LIGHTFOOT, "[Call the labourers.] For "it is one of the affirmative precepts of the
law, that a hired labourer should have his wages paid him when they are due, as it is
said, 'You shall pay him his wages in his day': and if they be detained longer, it is a
breach of a negative precept; as it is said, 'The sun shall not go down upon him,'"
&c.
COFFMA , "The chief steward in this analogy is Christ our Lord to whom the
Father hath committed judgment; he is the head of the church and shall preside at
the judgment of the Great Day. Christ shall mete out to the wicked and to the
righteous their just dues.

48. When even was come indicates the end of earthly life; and, due to the association of
judgment with life's end, it has a dual significance, applying not only to the end of
life in the earthly phase of the kingdom but having an application to the eternal
judgment also. In any case, no pay until evening. That is the big message here. Men
may never abandon their labors in the church on the assumption that they have
done enough. Those in advancing years should take sharp notice of this. Payment
will come at the end of the day; and it may be dogmatically assumed that any who
abandoned work earlier received nothing at all for their labors. It corresponds to
Bible teaching that these men were paid at the end of the day (see Deuteronomy
24:15; Leviticus 19-13; Job 7:2; Malachi 3:5; James 5:4).
PETT, "Then when evening comes the Estate Owner calls to His manager and tells
him to line up the labourers so that they can receive their pay. Paying at the end of
the day, on the same day, was a requirement of the Law (Leviticus 19:13). And He
tells him to pay the last who were employed first. His gracious treatment continues
to the end.
ELLICOTT,"(8) When even was come.—It was one of the humane rules of the
Mosaic law that the day-labourer was to be paid by the day, and not made to wait
for his wages (Deuteronomy 24:15). This law the householder keeps, and his doing
so is a feature in his character.
Beginning from the last unto the first.—The order is not without its significance. It
was a practical illustration of the words which had introduced the parable, that the
last should be the first.
COKE, "Matthew 20:8-9. Call the labourers, &c.— The equal reward bestowed on
all,—the penny given to each labourer as his wages, signifies the Gospel, with its
privileges and advantages, which they all enjoyed on an equal footing. The steward
who called the labourers to receive this reward, represents the Apostles and first
preachers, by whom the Gospel was offered both to Jews and Gentiles; and the
rewards being first bestowed on the labourers who came at the eleventh hour,
signifies, that the idolatrous Gentiles and proselytes would enjoy the Gospel with its
privileges, before the Jewish nation would accept of it, the condition not of a few
individuals, but of great bodies of men being represented in the parable.
ISBET, "AT EVE TIDE
‘When even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the
labourers and give them their hire.’
Matthew 20:8
The householder goes out early in the morning, and then, when eventide is come, he,
the owner of the vast and beautiful vineyard, calls the labourers.
I. The call.—The voice and the call of the Householder have come to us. They came
in the morning of life. Can you remember that morning, you who are stricken in
years, you who are toiling in mid-day life? Can you not remember when your

49. dreams, like Joseph’s, were made of such stuff as godly ambition is made of; when
you felt that the whole world was before you, and you heard God’s voice bidding
you, ‘Go, work,’ in His vineyard. Illustrate from Moses, Samuel, Isaiah. You may
remember faintly still how you went forth. But behind it all you feel that the great
Householder was He Who determined your lot, and the decision was with the Lord.
II. The work.—Are there not twelve hours of the day in which it behoveth man to
work? You went forth to your work, and now each season asks, ‘How are you doing
it? ow that one hour and another and another are striking over your head, are you
fulfilling the work which you then, with best resolves, intended to do?’
III. The unity in life.—Our early feelings and joys blend with our later ones. At any
hour, ‘something attempted, something done’ gives joy.
IV. At eventide.—There is such a thing as a dark, dreary, godless old age; a sunset
dark with gathering clouds. The eventide is coming. The Householder is continually
calling. Keep the eventide in your thoughts, the reckoning in your faith, that you
may hear the Master’s ‘Well done.’
—Canon Rowsell.
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the
afternoon came and each received a denarius.
BAR ES, "They received every man a penny - There was no agreement how
much they should receive, but merely that justice should be done, Mat_20:4-5, Mat_
20:7. The householder supposed they had earned it, or chose to make a present to them
to compensate for the loss of the first part of the day, when they were willing to work,
but could not find employment.
GILL, "And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour,.... Who
were the last that were hired; and signify either such, as are called in their last days, in
old age; or Gentile sinners; or the last of God's elect, that will be called by grace, in the
end of the world:
they received every man a penny: the same they first agreed for, that were hired
early into the vineyard; and all, and every man alike, not one more and another less. So
the same church privileges and immunities are common to all believers, Jews or
Gentiles, sooner or later called; and equal title give to the same eternal life and
happiness, which will be enjoyed alike, by one saint as another: they are all loved with

50. the same everlasting love by God; they are chosen alike by him in his Son, at the same
time, in the same way and manner, and to the same grace and glory; they are interested
in the same covenant, in all the promises and blessings of it; they are bought with the
same price of a Redeemer's blood, are justified by the same righteousness, and are called
in one hope of their calling; they are equally the sons of God, and their glory and
happiness are always expressed by the same thing, as a kingdom, a crown, and
inheritance, &c. They are all equally heirs of the same kingdom and glory, and are born
again to the same incorruptible inheritance, of which they will all be partakers; they will
all be called to inherit the same kingdom, they will sit on the same throne of glory, and
wear the same crown of righteousness, and enjoy the same uninterrupted communion
with Father, Son, and Spirit. Now, indeed, they have not the same measures of grace;
some have more, others less; but in heaven, it will be alike, complete and perfect in all;
and even now, they have the same grace for nature and kind, only it is not in all in the
same exercise; now the saints are distinguished by the several stations and places in
which they are; though they are members of the same body, they have not the same
office, and have gifts differing from one another; but in the other state, all such offices
and gifts will cease, and all will be upon an equal foot; be where Christ is, and behold his
glory, and will stand in no need of each other's instruction and help. Now the capacities
of man are different, according to the different temperament of their bodies, their
different education, opportunities, advantages, and stations in life, but in the other
world, where this difference will be no more, every vessel of mercy being prepared for
glory, will be equally capable of receiving it: and though there will be degrees of
punishment in hell, proportionate to the sins of men, which the justice of God requires,
yet it follows not, that there will be degrees in glory; since that is not proportioned to the
works of men, but springs from the grace of God, and yet in a way of justice too, through
the blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ: and since the saints have an equal
interest in these things, it seems that upon the foot of justice, they should equally enjoy
all that happiness which these entitle them to.
HE RY, "[2.] What the account was; and in that observe,
First, The general pay (Mat_20:9, Mat_20:10); They received every man a penny.
Note, All that by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, honour, and
immortality, shall undoubtedly obtain eternal life (Rom_2:7), not as wages for the
value of their work, but as the gift of God. Though there be degrees of glory in heaven,
yet it will be to all a complete happiness. They that come from the east and west, and so
come in late, that are picked up out of the highways and the hedges, shall sit down with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, at the same feast, Mat_7:11. In heaven, every vessel will be
full, brimful, though every vessel is not alike large and capacious. In the distribution of
future joys, as it was in the gathering of the manna, he that shall gather much, will have
nothing over, and he that shall gather little, will have no lack, Exo_16:18. Those whom
Christ fed miraculously, though of different sizes, men, women, and children, did all eat,
and were filled.
The giving of a whole day's wages to those that had not done the tenth part of a day's
work, is designed to show that God distributes his rewards by grace and sovereignty,
and not of debt. The best of the labourers, and those that begin soonest, having so many
empty spaces in their time, and their works not being filled up before God, may truly be
said to labour in the vineyard scarcely one hour of their twelve; but because we are
under grace, and not under the law, even such defective services, done in sincerity, shall
not only be accepted, but by free grace richly rewarded. Compare Luk_17:7, Luk_17:8,
with Luk_12:37.

51. JAMISO , "And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour,
they received every man a penny — a full day’s wages.
COFFMA , "The representation of eternal life by so small a consideration as a
day's wages raises a question and certainly stands opposite from the usual analogies
employed by the Lord, such as the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, and the
banquet in the king's house. However, special considerations that required the
approach adopted here is discovered in the events and conversations that concluded
Matthew 19. The great wealth of the rich young ruler and his inability to give it up
to follow Christ, and the subsequent fixation of the apostles' attention on the
problem of rewards and sacrifices, and the Saviour's elaboration of the believer's
great reward (see on Matthew 19:29) - all these things had contrived to throw the
whole problem out of perspective. This parable is a reduction of the whole economy
of redemption to such a minute scale that those apostles, accustomed to dealing with
small things, would have no difficulty at all grasping the truth. Eternal life, together
with all spiritual blessings, is made to correspond to so simple and ordinary a thing
as a shilling, a day's pay; and all the sacrifices, labors, and exertions of men to attain
eternal life are made to appear as a day's work, or even a very small fraction of a
day's work. Suppose that some incredibly wealthy and fabulous city, such as ew
York, should be sold for fifteen cents, or fifteen dollars! Who could quibble about
the price either way? Price simply bears no relationship whatever to the purchase in
such supposition. That is exactly what Christ was teaching in this parable.
Whatever people do, however long or short their service to God, whatever of
sacrifice, blood, or tears, however soon or late they began to serve him, the reward is
so fantastically great that the conditions for obtaining it, whether more or less in
certain cases, must forever appear utterly and completely insignificant. or is the
shilling, or penny, a problem in this view. Christ had just elaborated the rewards at
the end of the last chapter; and the shilling appears in the parable as the symbol of
those rewards simply because that was the usual day's pay in that age. Even so, it is
not inappropriate, because a day's wage is the support of life, not only in that age
but in every age. Even a geographer knows the device of making a cipher stand for
the world itself!
ELLICOTT, "(9) Every man a penny.—The scale of payment rested on the law of a
generous equity. The idleness of the labourers had been no fault of theirs, and the
readiness with which they came at the eleventh hour implied that they would have
come as readily had they been called at daybreak, and therefore they received a full
day’s wages for their fraction of a day’s work. The standard of payment was
qualitative, not quantitative. In the interpretation of the parable, the “penny,” as
before, represents the eternal life of the kingdom of heaven. o true labourer could
receive less; the longest life of labour could claim no more.
PETT, "When the men who had been employed at the eleventh hour came forward
they expected very little, and they must have been astounded when He paid them a

52. denarius. This was not what they had anticipated at all. They had expected only a
fraction of a denarius. But we are to gather that the estate owner was a good and
righteous man, and recognised that they had been without work through no fault of
their own. And He also recognised that they would have families to feed. Thus He
had determined to pay them enough to feed their families. The generosity of heart is
intended to indicate that he is like God (compare Matthew 5:45), and that He will
meet sufficiently the needs of all His people (compare Matthew 6:30). We are left to
imagine the overflowing gratitude and praise that would fill their hearts.
10 So when those came who were hired first, they
expected to receive more. But each one of them
also received a denarius.
BAR ES, "They supposed that they should have received more - They had
worked longer - they had been in the heat; they supposed that it was his intention to pay
them, not according to contract, but according to the time of the labor.
GILL, "But when the first came,.... Who were early hired into the vineyard; and
design either the first saints that were in the world; or the Jews that first believed in
Christ, either really or nominally; or such, who were called by grace in their early days:
they supposed, or "hoped", as the Syriac version renders it,
that they should have received more; than a penny, a greater reward: not that they
could expect it on the foot of their agreement, or on account of their work; but because
they observed, that they that came last into the vineyard, had as much as they agreed for;
and therefore hoped, from the goodness of their Lord to them, that they should receive
more:
and they likewise received every man a penny; the selfsame privileges of the
Gospel, and a title to the selfsame reward of free grace, the selfsame glory and happiness.
JAMISO , "But when the first came, they supposed that they should have
received more — This is that calculating, mercenary spirit which had peeped out -
though perhaps very slightly - in Peter’s question (Mat_19:27), and which this parable
was designed once for all to put down among the servants of Christ.

53. COFFMA , "The expectation of those men was groundless because they had firmly
agreed with the householder for a shilling a day. Their expectation of more resulted
from the comparison they made between themselves and the ones who came to work
later. It was that very thing, the envy, jealousy, and petty attention to little
differences - it was all that Jesus was trying to remove from the apostles' hearts. The
perverse and sinful judgments and rankings of themselves among themselves, with
the consequent jockeying and maneuvering for position and advantage - these things
constitute one of man's most shameful and hurtful patterns of behavior. Paul paid
his respects to that vice in these words:
For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that
commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves,
and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding (2
Corinthians 10:12).
The workers first employed fell into that same foolish trap. As a result, they
developed a conceit that turned to outrage when the householder made them equal
to the latecomers/
ELLICOTT,"(10) But when the first came, they supposed that they should have
received more.—Up to this time we may think of the disciples as having listened
with an eager interest, yet only half-perceiving, if at all, the drift of the parable,
looking, it may be, for some payment to the first-called labourers proportionate to
the duration of their service. ow, unless they were altogether blind, they must have
seen their own thoughts reflected in the parable. They too, as their question showed,
had been expecting to receive more. Eternal life was not enough for them, without
some special prerogative and precedence over others. The fact that the first
labourers were paid their wages gives a touch of gentleness to what would otherwise
have seemed the severity of the parable. The presence of a self-righteous, self-
seeking spirit mars the full blessedness of content; but if the work has been done, it
does not deprive men altogether of their reward. The labourers who murmured are,
in this respect, in the same position as the elder son in the parable of the Prodigal,
who was told, in answer to his complaints, that all that his father had was his (Luke
15:31).
PETT, "When the men who had worked all day saw this their eyes would glisten.
Clearly they would be paid much more than a denarius. And they came forward
confidently to receive their due. But they too only received a denarius.
The intermediate workers are not mentioned in the final payout, and the
assumption is that they too were paid a denarius. But their importance in the
parable is in the indication that the estate owner continued to call on people to work
in His vineyard all through the day, and called on them to trust Him to deal rightly
with them in the end.
We must remember that this is a parable. It is not saying that all who commence
work at the very beginning will be dissatisfied at the end, or that none of the others
will be dissatisfied. It is using extremes to bring out a lesson. We may in fact happily

54. assume that some would in real life be content with their denarius.
11 When they received it, they began to grumble
against the landowner.
BAR ES, "Murmured - Complained; found fault with.
The goodman of the house - The original here is the same word which in Mat_
20:1 is translated householder, and should have been so translated here. It is the old
English way of denoting the father of a family. It expresses no moral quality.
CLARKE, "They murmured - The Jews made the preaching of the Gospel to the
Gentiles, a pretense why they should reject that Gospel; as they fondly imagined they
were, and should be, the sole objects of the Divine approbation. How they murmured
because the Gentiles were made partakers of the kingdom of God; see Act_11:1, etc., and
Act_15:1, etc. There are many similitudes of this kind among the Jews, where the
principal part even of the phraseology of our Lord’s parable may be found. Several of
them may be seen in Schoettgen. Our Lord, however, as in all other cases, has greatly
improved the language, scope, design, and point of the similitude. He was, in all cases,
an eminent master of the sentences.
GILL, "And when they had received it,.... The external privileges of the Gospel
dispensation, an inheritance among them that are sanctified, and a right unto it, on the
foot of free grace,
they murmured against the good man of the house; who had been so kind and
liberal, to those who came last into the vineyard, and had done no injury to them, but
gave them a full reward. So the Jews that first believed in Christ, were at first uneasy at
the Gospel being preached to the Gentiles, at the calling of them, and their partaking of
the same privileges in a Gospel church state with them, without submitting to the
ceremonies of the law, as they had done; just as the Pharisees, in Christ's time,
murmured against him; for receiving sinners, and eating with them: though in the latter
day, the envy of Ephraim shall depart, and in the ultimate glory there will be no
murmuring at each other's happiness.
HE RY, "Secondly, The particular pleading with those that were offended with this
distribution in gavel-kind. The circumstances of this serve to adorn the parable; but the
general scope is plain, that the last shall be first. We have here,
1. The offence taken (Mat_20:11, Mat_20:12); They murmured at the good man of the

55. house; not that there is, or can be, any discontent or murmuring in heaven, for that is
both guilt and grief, and in heaven there is neither; but there may be, and often are,
discontent and murmuring concerning heaven and heavenly things, while they are in
prospect and promise in this world. This signifies the jealousy which the Jews were
provoked to by the admission of the Gentiles into the kingdom of heaven. As the elder
brother, in the parable of the prodigal, repined at the reception of his younger brother,
and complained of his father's generosity to him; so these labourers quarrelled with their
master, and found fault, not because they had not enough, so much as because others
were made equal with them. They boast, as the prodigal's elder brother did, of their good
services; We have borne the burthen and heat of the day; that was the most they could
make of it. Sinners are said to labour in the very fire (Hab_2:13), whereas God's
servants, at the worst, do but labour in the sun; not in the heat of the iron furnace, but
only in the heat of the day. Now these last have worked but one hour, and that too in the
cool of the day; and yet thou hast made them equal with us. The Gentiles, who are newly
called in, have as much of the privileges of the kingdom of the Messiah as the Jews have,
who have so long been labouring in the vineyard of the Old Testament church, under the
yoke of the ceremonial law, in expectation of that kingdom. Note, There is a great
proneness in us to think that we have too little, and other too much, of the tokens of
God's favour; and that we do too much, and others too little, in the work of God. Very
apt we all are to undervalue the deserts of others, and to overvalue our own. Perhaps,
Christ here gives an intimation to Peter, not to boast too much, as he seemed to do, of
his having left all to follow Christ; as if, because he and the rest of them had borne the
burthen and heat of the day thus, they must have a heaven by themselves. It is hard for
those that do or suffer more than ordinary for God, not to be elevated too much with the
thought of it, and to expect to merit by it. Blessed Paul guarded against this, when,
though the chief of the apostles, he owned himself to be nothing, to be less than the least
of all saints.
JAMISO , "And when they had received it, they murmured against the
goodman of the house — rather, “the householder,” the word being the same as in
Mat_20:1.
COFFMA , "That the human race needed this parable is perfectly evident from the
fact that most people can find a feeling of sympathy for the viewpoint of the
"firsters"! There are many in all generations who would have been just as outraged
as were they. And why were they angry? The householder had interfered with and
upset their petty schedule of ranks and values. The inflated evaluation of themselves
as compared with the latecomers had been unceremoniously kicked in the teeth.
They had no case, but their spiteful anger flared just the same. Every minister of the
gospel has heard this same murmuring in the church when someone says, "Why
should he be a deacon; I've been in this congregation twenty years!" "Why should
that man be an elder or on the building committee? My Uncle Charlie started this
church in a schoolhouse; we've all been members here since it started? This is
exactly what Christ was fighting in this parable.
"Thou hast made them equal to US!" There is the bull's eye of the trouble. WE are
the people. WE have done the work, shouldered the load, borne the heat, and
carried the mail. Those latecomers ought to be away down on the scale compared to

56. US! Every church on earth has the US problem. It existed among the sacred
numbers of the twelve apostles. But wherever the problem exists, nothing solves it
like getting things in the proper perspective. That is what Jesus sought to do with
this parable. The FIRST ones became last by their very bitterness and pettiness and
their self-righteous preferment of themselves above others; and those LAST became
first by their loving trust of the householder. That is the principal point Christ
himself drew from the parable. See Matthew 19:29 and Matthew 20:16..
COKE, "Matthew 20:11. They murmured against the good man, &c.— The
οικοδεσποτης, or master of the family. That this was the case with the Jews, upon a
general notion of the Gentiles being, according to the Christian scheme, intended to
be partakers with them in the same church privileges, is plain from a variety of
Scriptures; particularly Acts 11:2-3; Acts 13:45-50; Acts 17:5; Acts 17:13; Acts 18:6;
Acts 18:13; Acts 22:21-22; Acts 28:29. 1 Thessalonians 2:16. Since no murmurings
can happen among the blessed, this must refer to the unbelieving Jews; but as it is
certain they will have no place in the kingdom of heaven, we plainly see that it
would be very absurd to pretend to draw doctrinal consequences from every
incidental circumstance of the parable.
PETT, "The workers who had worked all day were furious and muttered among
themselves, pointing out to each other that they had worked throughout the whole
day, bearing the burden of the greater part of the work, and working even when the
sun was hottest. And yet this mean-minded, ungrateful rich estate owner had only
paid them the same as He had paid those who had only worked from 5:00 pm to
nightfall. (They ignored the fact that these others had waited hopelessly in the sun
all day with only despair in their hearts). They did not consider it fair. And our
hearts are so hardened that we tend to agree with them, for we all like to think in
terms of what we deserve, failing to recognise that if we too got what we deserved
our case would be hopeless. But the question that will now be answered is, was their
attitude right? ( ote that this is not a parable about wage negotiations and fairplay.
It is a parable about a gracious and good Estate Owner in His dealings with
unfortunates and the fact that our attitude should be the same).
12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one
hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal
to us who have borne the burden of the work and
the heat of the day.’

57. BAR ES, "The burden and heat of the day - The burden means the heavy labor,
the severe toil. We have continued at that toil in the heat of the day. The others had
worked only a little while, and that in the cool of the evening, and when it was fax more
pleasant and much less fatiguing.
GILL, "Saying, these last have wrought but one hour,.... Thinking it hard, that
they should have the same reward for the service of one hour, others had for the service
of many. This is grudged by the Jews (x);
""Bath Kol", a voice from heaven, went out and said, "Ketiah bar Shallum", is prepared
for the life of the world to come; Rabbi wept, and said, there is that obtains his world (or
the world to come for himself) ‫אחת‬ ‫,בשעה‬ "in one hour"; and there is that obtains it in
many years.''
The same observation is also made by the same person, on account of R. Eleazar ben
Durdia (y). So in the parable of the Jews above mentioned, which is the broken remains
of a common proverb among them like (z) this; it is observed, that there being one
labourer among those that were hired, who did his work better than all the rest, and who
was taken notice of by the king; that when
"at even the labourers came to take their wages, this labourer also came to take his; and
the king gave him his wages equal with them, (or, as in another place, a perfect one,) the
labourers began to press him with difficulty, (or as elsewhere (a) ‫,מתרעמין‬ "they
murmured",) and said, Oh! our Lord, the king, "we have laboured all the day"; but this
man has not laboured but two or three hours in the day, and he takes his wages, even as
ours, or a perfect reward.''
And so it follows here,
and thou hast made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and heat
of the day; of all the Jewish rites and ceremonies, which were burdensome and
intolerable. The ceremonial law was a burden to the Jewish people; the multitude of
sacrifices enjoined them, and the frequent repetition of them, together with the great
number of other ordinances and institutions, produced a weariness in them; especially
in the carnal part of them, who saw not the things typified by them, the use and end of
them, and so did not enjoy spiritual pleasure in them, Mal_1:13. It was a yoke, and a
yoke of bondage to them, which brought on them a spirit of bondage, through the fear of
death, which was the penalty annexed to it; and it was an insupportable one, which
neither they, nor their forefathers, were able to bear, because it made them debtors to
keep the whole law: and this was made still more burdensome, by the traditions of the
elders, which were added to it, and which the Scribes and Pharisees obliged to the
observance of; to which they themselves still added, and bound heavy burdens, and
grievous to be borne, and laid them on men's shoulders. The law was a fiery law, and the
dispensation of it was a hot and scorching one; it was uncomfortable working under the

58. flashes of a mount, that burned with fire: the law worked wrath, and possessed the
minds of men with a fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation. This may also
be applied to such Christians, who are called to more severe service or sufferings for
Christ, than others are; who are almost pressed down without measure, and endure fiery
trials, are scorched, and made black, with the sun of persecution beating upon them; as
the saints under the ten persecutions of the Roman emperors, and as the confessors and
martyrs in the times of papal power and cruelty; and who, it might be thought, will have
a greater degree of glory and happiness hereafter; and so some have been of opinion,
that these are they that shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years, Rev_20:4 But it
rather seems, that others will be made equal with them, who have not endured what they
have done; for all the dead in Christ, all that have part in the first resurrection, when
Christ comes, as all the saints will then rise, will share in that glory; even the
innumerable company, chosen, redeemed, and called, out of every nation, tongue, and
people, and will be admitted to the same honour and happiness, Rev_7:9 And this
character will also agree with many other servants of Christ, who are called to harder
and more laborious service than others are, and labour more abundantly in the Lord's
vineyard than others do, and are longer employed in it; as for instance, the Apostle Paul;
and yet the same crown of righteousness that is laid up for him, and given to him, will be
given to all that love the appearance of Christ, though they have not laboured for his
name's sake, as he has done.
JAMISO , "Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast
made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat — the
burning heat.
of the day — who have wrought not only longer but during a more trying period of
the day.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:12. Have wrought but one hour. Spent is the meaning,
rather than 'wrought'. The heat, the same word as in Luke 12:55, James 1:11. The
Rev. Ver. renders 'scorching heat' in this v. and Luke, and 'scorching wind' in
James and puts 'hot wind' in the margin of Matthew and Luke. The word means
'burner', and is applied sometimes to burning heat in general, but more frequently
in Septuagint to the burning east wind. (See Grimm.) The order of the words, 'the
burden of the day and the scorching heat', (kauson), as well as the more frequent
use in that sense, renders it likely that the hot wind is here intended. Mere heat is so
common in Palestine that it would scarcely be worth remark: but the dry and
scorching east wind is something terrible. Even in February (1871) this dry east
wind, having come across the desert sands and lost all its moisture, in an hour so
parched the mouth and nostrils as to make breathing painful and speech difficult.
The position of the article in the Greek makes it impossible to render, 'the burden
and heat of the day' (as in Tyn. and followers.)

59. 13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being
unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for
a denarius?
BAR ES, "Friend, I do thee no wrong - I have fully complied with the contract.
We had an agreement: I have paid all that I promised. If I choose to give a penny to
another man if he labors little or not at all if I should choose to give all my property away
to others, it would not affect this contract with you: it is fully met; and with my own with
that on which you have no further claim I may do as I please. So, if Christians are just,
and pay their lawful debts, and injure no one, the world has no right to complain if they
give the rest of their property to the poor, or devote it to send the gospel to the pagan, or
to release the prisoner or the captive. It is their own. They have a right to do with it as
they please. They are answerable, not to people, but to God, and infidels, and worldly
people, and cold professors in the church have no right to interfere.
CLARKE, "Friend, I do thee no wrong - The salvation of the Gentiles can in itself
become no impediment to the Jews; there is the same Jesus both for the Jew and for the
Greek. Eternal life is offered to both through the blood of the cross; and there is room
enough in heaven for all.
GILL, "But he answered one of them,.... Who was the forwardest and loudest in his
complaints, and represented the rest;
and said, friend, I do thee no wrong; by giving all alike, the same privileges and
blessings to the last, as to the first, since nothing was withheld from him. And indeed the
Lord does no wrong to any, by the distinction which he makes among his creatures: he is
righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works: he does no injury to the evil angels, by
choosing the good angels, and confirming them in the estate in which they were created;
when the others are reserved in chains of darkness, to the judgment of the great day; or
by choosing fallen men, in Christ, and making provisions of grace for them, and not
devils: and so there is no unrighteousness in him, nor does he do any wrong to any,
when, like the potter, out of the same clay, he makes one vessel to honour, and another
to dishonour; any more than when, in a providential way, he gives riches and wealth to
some, and withholds them from others; or sends his Gospel, the means of grace to one,
and not to another: and still less can he be thought to do wrong to the sons of men, by
giving to them alike the same grace and privileges here, and the same happiness and
glory hereafter; since neither have any right to what they have, or shall enjoy, and no one
has the less for what is given to the other.
Didst thou not agree with me for a penny? That is, to labour in the vineyard all the
day for a penny; yea, this agreement was made personally with him, not with a servant,
or messenger of his; though if it had, it ought, according to the Jewish canons, to have
been abode by, which run thus (b):

60. "A man says to his messenger, or servant, go and hire workmen for me for three pence;
he goes and hires them for four pence: if the messenger says to them, your wages be
upon me, he gives them four pence, and takes three pence of the master of the house; he
looses one out of his own purse: if he says to them, your hire be upon the master of the
house, the master of the house gives them according to the custom of the province: if
there are one in the province that hired for three pence, and others that are hired for
four pence, he gives them but three pence, "and the murmuring" is against the
messenger; in what things? When the work is not known, but when the work is known,
and it is worth four pence, the master of the house gives them four pence; but if his
messenger does not say to them four pence, they do not labour and do what deserves
four pence. The householder says to him, hire me for four pence, and the messenger goes
and hires for three pence, though the work deserves four pence, they have but three
pence; because that ‫עצמן‬ ‫על‬ ‫,קבלו‬ "they took it upon themselves", (i.e. they agreed for so
much,) and their murmuring is against the messenger.''
Thus the argument in the parable proceeds upon the agreement, which ought to be
abode by.
HE RY, "2. The offence removed. Three things the master of the house urges, in
answer to this ill-natured surmise.
(1.) That the complainant had no reason at all to say he had any wrong done to him,
Mat_20:13, Mat_20:14. Here he asserts his own justice; Friend, I do thee no wrong. He
calls him friend, for in reasoning with others we should use soft words and hard
arguments; if our inferiors are peevish and provoking, yet we should not thereby be put
into a passion, but speak calmly to them. [1.] It is incontestably true, that God can do no
wrong. This is the prerogative of the King of kings. Is there unrighteousness with God?
The apostle startles at the thought of it; God forbid! Rom_3:5, Rom_3:6. His word
should silence all our murmurings, that, whatever God does to us, or withholds from us,
he does us no wrong. [2.] If God gives that grace to others, which he denies to us, it is
kindness to them, but no injustice to us; and bounty to another, while it is no injustice to
us, we ought not to find fault with. Because it is free grace, that is given to those that
have it, boasting is for ever excluded; and because it is free grace, that is withheld from
those that have it not, murmuring is for ever excluded. Thus shall every mouth be
stopped, and all flesh be silent before God.
To convince the murmurer that he did no wrong, he refers him to the bargain: “Didst
not thou agree with me for a penny? And if thou hast what thou didst agree for, thou
hast no reason to cry out of wrong; thou shalt have what we agreed for.” Though God is a
debtor to none, yet he is graciously pleased to make himself a debtor by his own
promise, for the benefit of which, through Christ, believers agree with him, and he will
stand to his part of the agreement. Note, It is good for us often to consider what it was
that we agreed with God for. First, Carnal worldlings agree with God for their penny in
this world; they choose their portion in this life (Psa_17:14); in these things they are
willing to have their reward (Mat_6:2, Mat_6:5), their consolation (Luk_6:24), their
good things (Luk_16:25); and with these they shall be put off, shall be cut off from
spiritual and eternal blessings; and herein God does them no wrong; they have what they
chose, the penny they agreed for; so shall their doom be, themselves have decided it; it is
conclusive against them. Secondly, Obedient believers agree with God for their penny in
the other world, and they must remember that they have so agreed. Didst not thou agree
to take God's word for it? Thou didst; and wilt thou go and agree with the world? Didst

61. not thou agree to take up with heaven as thy portion, thy all, and to take up with nothing
short of it? And wilt thou seek for a happiness in the creature, or think from thence to
make up the deficiencies of thy happiness in God?
He therefore, 1. Ties him to his bargain (Mat_20:14); Take that thine is, and go thy
way. If we understand it of that which is ours by debt or absolute propriety, it would be
a dreadful word; we are all undone, if we be put off with that only which we can call our
own. The highest creature must go away into nothing, if he must go away with that only
which is his own: but if we understand it of that which is ours by gift, the free gift of
God, it teaches us to be content with such things as we have. Instead of repining that we
have no more, let us take what we have, and be thankful. If God be better in any respect
to others than to us, yet we have no reason to complain while he is so much better to us
than we deserve, in giving us our penny, though we are unprofitable servants. 2. He tells
him that those he envied should fare as well as he did; “I will give unto this last, even as
unto thee; I am resolved I will.” Note, The unchangeableness of God's purposes in
dispensing his gifts should silence our murmurings. If he will do it, it is not for us to
gainsay; for he is in one mind, and who can turn him? Neither giveth he an account of
any of his matters; nor is it fit he should.
JAMISO , "But he answered one of them — doubtless the spokesman of the
complaining party.
and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a
penny? etc.
LIGHTFOOT, "[Didst not thou agree with me for a penny?] In hiring of labourers,
the custom of the place most prevailed; hence came that axiom, Observe the custom
of the city; speaking of this very thing. There is also an example, "Those of Tiberias
that went up to Bethmeon to be hired for labourers, were hired according to the
custom of Bethmeon," &c. By the by also we may observe that which is said by the
Babylonians in the place cited...as the Gloss renders it, " otice must be taken
whether they come from several places; for at some places they go to work sooner,
and at some later."
Hence two things may be cleared in the parable before us: 1. Why they are said to
be hired at such different hours; namely, therefore, because they are supposed to
have come together from several places. 2. Why there was no certain agreement
made with those that were hired at the third, sixth, and ninth hours, as with those
that were hired early in the morning; but that he should only say, "Whatsoever is
right I will give you": that is, supposing that they would submit to the custom of the
place. But, indeed, when their wages were to be paid them, there is, by the favour of
the lord of the vineyard, an equality made between those that were hired for some
hours, and those that were hired for the whole day; and when these last murmured,
they are answered from their own agreement, You agreed with me. ote here the
canon; "The master of the family saith to his servant, 'Go, hire me labourers for
fourpence': he goes and hires them for threepence; although their labour deserves
fourpence, they shall not receive but three, because they bound themselves by
agreement, and their complaint is against the servant."

62. COKE, "Matthew 20:13-15. Friend, I do thee no wrong— "Seeing I have given thee
the hire which I promised thee, thou hast no reason of complaint; and if I choose to
give unto those who came last into the vineyard as much hire as I have given to thee,
who can find fault with it? I own it is an act of generosity; but am I not free to
bestow what is mine own as I see proper? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
Because I am liberal and bountiful, art thou envious and covetous?" A malignant
aspect is generally the attendant of a selfish envious temper, which was very
characteristic of the Jews; this part of the parable, therefore, is a striking
representation of God's goodness in bestowing upon the Gentiles the Gospel
dispensation, without subjecting them to the grievous burden of the Mosaic yoke. In
Matthew 20:14. The original words Αρον το σον, might be rendered, take up that is
thine; and implies that they not only murmured, but in their passion threw down
upon the ground the money which they had received.
ELLICOTT, "(13) Friend.—The word so translated (literally, comrade, companion)
always carries, with it in our Lord’s lips a tone of reproof. It is addressed to the man
who had not on a wedding garment (Matthew 22:12), and to the traitor Judas
(Matthew 26:50).
I do thee no wrong.—The answer of the house holder is that of one who is just
where claims are urged on the ground of justice, generous where he sees that
generosity is right. Had the first-called labourers shared this generosity, they would
not have grudged the others the wages that they themselves received, and would
have found their own reward in sympathy with their joy. This would be true even in
the outer framework of the parable. It is à fortiori true when we pass to its spiritual
interpretation. o disciple who had entered into his Master’s spirit would grudge
the repentant thief his rest in Paradise (Luke 23:43). o consistent Christian thinks
that he ought to have some special reward because he sees a death-bed repentance
crowned by a peace, the foretaste of eternal life, as full and assured as his own.
14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one
who was hired last the same as I gave you.
BAR ES, "Take that thine is - Take what is justly due to you what is properly your
own.
GILL, "Take that thine is,.... By agreement, and go thy way; out of my sight, give me
no more trouble on this head; which looks like a dismissal from his service, and after

63. privileges; and was true of many among the Jews, who were only nominal professors,
and from whom the Gospel and ordinances of it were taken:
I will give unto this last man that was called, and sent into the vineyard,
even as unto thee; the same outward privileges, besides special grace, and eternal
glory, which it looks as if the other had not.
BROADUS, "14. Take, take up, or 'take away.' They had received the pay, but
perhaps had laid it down again, or stood holding it in the hand, unwilling to go off
with it. I will give. The Rev. Ver., It is my will to give, conveys the meaning well. The
Greek is expressed in English by 'will to' or 'wish to', (Matthew 15:32, Matthew
16:24, Matthew 19:17) according to the nature of the case; compare Matthew 20:15,
1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9.
COFFMA , " ote the words, "take up." Can it be that some of those disgruntled
workers had even thrown their pay on the ground at the chief steward's feet? The
words do certainly suggest that. What an insight such conduct affords. What a
wreckage of human personality comes of envy and jealousy! Envy, pride, self-
righteousness, and egotism had so embittered those men that they repudiated a fair
and honorable bargain, turned on their benevolent employer, murmured against
him, and threw their wages on the ground!
Here, of course, is the point that most commentators find so difficult. Ancient and
modern expositors alike seem to stumble on the problem, "How can people like that
be represented as redeemed?" The complainers in the parable actually appear as
having their wages thrust upon them after having thrown their pay on the ground.
They were the ones who worked all day in the vineyard, and they were the ones who
went home with their just pay. How can salvation be justly ascribed to men with
such a pattern of behavior and with such an attitude?
To be sure, the difficulty might be avoided by making this incident an inert or
inactive part of the parable; but it received too much stress for that. This writer
views it as another example of the Father's goodness, just like that represented by
the father of the prodigal son who received him, and later went and entreated the
elder brother also. We conclude that God will save even people like that if they give
Him half a chance to do so. If we disallow such a possibility, we fall into the same
error as the "firsters" in supposing that we meek and gentle trusters of God's grace
are better than THEY, and that the good householder would in some way injure US
(there's that word again) if he saved sinners like them! In any case, the solemn
warning in the next verse is squarely directed at all the "Us-es" in either category.
ELLICOTT,"(14) Take that thine is, and go thy way.—The tone of dismissal is
natural and intelligible in the parable. The question, What answers to it in God’s
dealings with men? is not so easy to answer. If the “penny” which each received was
the gift of eternal life, did those who answered to the murmuring labourers receive
that, or were they excluded by their discontent from all share in it? Was the money

64. which they received as “fairy-gold” that turned to a withered leaf in the hands of its
thankless possessor? The answer is, perhaps, to be found in the thought that that
reward lies in the presence of God to the soul of the disciple, and that this depends
for its blessedness on the harmony between the character of the believer and the
mind of God. Heaven is not a place, but a state, its happiness is not sensual but
spiritual, and those who are in it share its blessedness in proportion as they are like
God and see Him as He is. It is only perfect when their charity is like His.
15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with
my own money? Or are you envious because I am
generous?’
BAR ES, "Is thine we evil because I am good? - The Hebrews used the word
evil, when applied to the eye, to denote one envious and malicious, Deu_15:9; Pro_23:6.
The eye is called evil in such cases, because envy and malice show themselves directly in
the eye. No passions are so fully expressed by the eye as these. “Does envy show itself in
the eye? is thine eye so soon turned to express envy and malice because I have chosen to
do good?”
CLARKE, "Is it not lawful for me - As eternal life is the free gift of God, he has a
right to give it in whatever proportions, at whatever times, and on whatever conditions
he pleases.
Is thine eye evil - An evil eye among the Jews meant a malicious, covetous, or
envious person.
Most commentators have different methods of interpreting this parable. Something
was undoubtedly designed by its principal parts, besides the scope and design
mentioned at the conclusion of the last chapter. The following, which is taken principally
from the very pious Quesnel, may render it as useful to the reader as any thing else that
has been written on it.
The Church is a vineyard, because it is a place of labor, where no man should be idle.
Each of us is engaged to labor in this vineyard - to work out our salvation through him
who worketh in us to will and to perform. Life is but a day, whereof childhood, or the
first use of reason, is the day-break or first hour, Mat_20:1, in which we receive the first
Call.
The promise of the kingdom of glory is given to all those who are workers together
with him, Mat_20:2.
The second call is in the time of youth, which is most commonly idle, or only employed
in dissipation and worldly cares, Mat_20:3.

65. The third call is at the age of manhood.
The fourth, in the decline of life, Mat_20:5.
The fifth, when sickness and the infirmities of life press upon us. How many are there
in the world who are just ready to leave it, before they properly consider for what end
they were brought into it! Still idle, still unemployed in the things which concern their
souls; though eternal life is offered to them, and hell moving from beneath to meet them!
Mat_20:6.
Others consider the morning the first dawn of the Gospel; and the first call to be the
preaching of John Baptist.
The second call, the public preaching of our Lord; and that of the apostles when they
got an especial commission to the Jews, Mat_10:5, Mat_10:6, together with that of the
seventy disciples mentioned Luk_10:1.
The third call, which was at mid-day, represents the preaching of the fullness of the
Gospel after the ascension of Christ, which was the meridian of evangelic glory and
excellence.
The fourth call represents the mission of the apostles to the various synagogues of the
Jews, in every part of the world where they were scattered; the history of which is
particularly given in the Acts of the Apostles.
The fifth call, or eleventh hour, represents the general call of the Gentiles into the
Church of Christ, when the unbelieving Jews were finally rejected.
What makes this interpretation the more likely is, that the persons who are addressed
at Mat_20:7, say, No man hath hired us, i.e. We never heard the voice of a prophet
announcing the true God, nor of an apostle preaching the Lord Jesus, until now. The
Jews could not use this as an argument for their carelessness about their eternal
interests.
GILL, "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?.... External gifts
and outward privileges, such as enjoying the word and ordinances, are God's own; and
he may, as he does, bestow them on whom he will, and when and where he pleases; as he
gave them to the Jews, and continued them many hundred years, when the Gentiles
were utterly with them destitute of them; and as he has bestowed them in a more
abundant manner for a long time on the Gentiles, whilst the Jews despise and reject
them. Special grace is his own, which he gives to whom he pleases; it is by his own grace,
and not the merits of men, that any are chosen, adopted, justified, pardoned,
regenerated, and called; that they have faith, hope, love, repentance, or perform new
obedience from a new heart, and new principles. Heaven and glory is his own, of his own
preparing and giving; and both grace and glory are disposed of, and that very rightly and
lawfully, according to his sovereign good will and pleasure: he chooses, adopts, justifies,
pardons, regenerates, calls, and sanctifies whom he pleases; and brings what sons to
glory he thinks fit, and bestows it equally upon them: and in so doing, does no wrong, or
any injustice to any of his creatures; not to the fallen angels, by choosing some of their
species, and confirming them in their original constitution; and by leaving them, the
fallen angels, in their apostasy; nor by making provision for fallen man, and not them,
nor by punishing them with everlasting destruction; nor do they ever complain of any
wrong being done them: nor to non-elect men; for none of Adam's race have any right to
grace or glory, and therefore no wrong is done to any of them, by withholding them from
them, whereby nothing is taken from them, and given to others; and by punishing them
for sin; nor to any elect men, by making others partners with them; since they are all
alike by nature, unworthy of grace and glory, and deserving of wrath: what is enjoyed by

66. any of them, is of mere grace, and not through merit; and one has not a whit the less, for
what the other is possessed of; so that there is no room for envy, murmuring, and
complaint:
is thine eye evil because I am good? An "evil eye", is opposed to a good eye,
frequently in Jewish writings, as a "good eye" signifies beneficence and liberality; hence
it is said (c).
"He that gives a gift, let him give it ‫יפה‬ ‫בעין‬ "with a good eye"; bountifully and generously;
and he that devoteth anything, let him devote it with a "good eye",''
cheerfully and freely: so an "evil eye" intends envy and covetousness, as it does here: and
the sense is, art thou envious at the good of others, and covetous and greedy to
monopolize all to thyself, because I am liberal, kind, and beneficent? Men are apt to
complain of God, and charge his procedures in providence and grace, with inequality
and injustice; whereas he does, as he may, all things according to his sovereign will, and
never contrary to justice, truth, and goodness; though he is not to be brought to man's
bar, and men should submit to his sovereignty.
HE RY, "(2.) He had no reason to quarrel with the master; for what he gave was
absolutely his own, Mat_20:15. As before he asserted his justice, so here his sovereignty;
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Note, [1.] God is the Owner of all
good; his propriety in it is absolute, sovereign, and unlimited. [2.] He may therefore give
or withhold his blessings, as he pleases. What we have, is not our own, and therefore it is
not lawful for us to do what we will with it; but what God has, is his own; and this will
justify him, First, In all the disposals of his providence; when God takes from us that
which was dear to us, and which we could ill spare, we must silence our discontents with
this; May he not do what he will with his own? Abstulit, sed et dedit - He hath taken
away; but he originally gave. It is not for such depending creatures as we are to quarrel
with our Sovereign. Secondly, In all the dispensations of his grace, God gives or
withholds the means of grace, and the Spirit of grace, as he pleases. Not but that there is
a counsel in every will of God, and what seems to us to be done arbitrarily, will appear at
length to have been done wisely, and for holy ends. But this is enough to silence all
murmurs and objectors, that God is sovereign Lord of all, and may do what he will with
his own. We are in his hand, as clay in the hands of a potter; and it is not for us to
prescribe to him, or strive with him.
(3.) He had no reason to envy his fellow servant, or to grudge at him; or to be angry
that he came into the vineyard no sooner; for he was not sooner called; he had no reason
to be angry that the master had given him wages for the whole day, when he had idled
away the greatest part of it; for Is thine eye evil, because I am good? See here,
[1.] The nature of envy; It is an evil eye. The eye is often both the inlet and the outlet of
this sin. Saul saw that David prospered, and he eyed him, 1Sa_18:9, 1Sa_18:15. It is an
evil eye, which is displeased at the good of others, and desires their hurt. What can have
more evil in it? It is grief to ourselves, anger to God, and ill-will to our neighbour; and it
is a sin that has neither pleasure, profit, nor honour, in it; it is an evil, an only evil.
[2.] The aggravation of it; “It is because I am good.” Envy is unlikeness to God, who is
good, and doeth good, and delighteth in doing good; nay, it is an opposition and
contradiction to God; it is a dislike of his proceedings, and a displeasure at what he does,
and is pleased with. It is a direct violation of both the two great commandments at once;
both that of love to God, in whose will we should acquiesce, and love to our neighbour,

67. in whose welfare we should rejoice. Thus man's badness takes occasion from God's
goodness to be more exceedingly sinful.
JAMISO , "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is
thine eye evil, because I am good? — that is, “You appeal to justice, and by that
your mouth is shut; for the sum you agreed for is paid you. Your case being disposed of,
with the terms I make with other laborers you have nothing to do; and to grudge the
benevolence shown to others, when by your own admission you have been honorably
dealt with, is both unworthy envy of your neighbor, and discontent with the goodness
that engaged and rewarded you in his service at all.”
COFFMA , "Let it be remembered that all have sinned and fallen short of God's
glory. This parable shows that men may forget this in two ways: (1) They may forget
it like the ones who worked all day and supposed that they were better than the ones
who came later; (2) and they may forget it like the eleventh-hour workers would
have forgotten it if they had objected to the householder's payment of the "firsters"
on the grounds that the "firsters" had the wrong attitude! Although such a
development did not occur in the parable, such an objection against the householder
is found in the writings of commentators from Origen and Irenaeus to Alford and
Trench. Let no man object to God's saving men on any grounds whatsoever: (1)
whether from the allegation that some have not worked like "US," or (2) from the
allegation that their ATTITUDE makes them inferior to "US," or from whatever
premise, real or imaginary, true or false. It is altogether righteous and lawful for
God to do what he wills.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:15. Is it not lawful, permissible. (See on Matthew 14:4) To
do what I will with mine own? The Saviour here illustrates his sovereignty in the
whole matter of rewarding his followers. Or, Is thine eye evil, here expresses
jealousy and hate, (Mark 7:22, Deuteronomy 15:9, Proverbs 28:22) quite different
from the meaning in Matthew 6:23. 'Or' is in the correct Greek text.
ELLICOTT,"(15) Is it not lawful . . .?—The question is not that of one who asserts
an arbitrary right; it appeals tacitly to a standard which none could question. As far
as the labourer was concerned, the householder had a right to give freely of what
was his own. He was responsible to God only. In the interpretation of the parable,
God was Himself the Householder, and men ought to have sufficient faith in Him to
accept the gifts to some which wrought no wrong to others as in harmony with
absolute righteousness.
Is thine eye evil?—The “evil eye” was, as in Proverbs 28:22, that which looked with
envy and ill will at the prosperity of others. In Mark 7:22, it appears among the
“evil things” that come from the heart. Popularly, as the derivation of the word
“envy” (from invidere) shows, such a glance was thought to carry with it a kind of
magic power to injure, and was to be averted, in the superstitious belief which still
lingers in the East and many parts of Europe, by charms and amulets.

68. PETT, "Then He explained His purpose. His money was lawfully His, so that He
could do with it what He would. And because He was a good man He had decided to
pay the unfortunates who had not been able to find work until late sufficient to feed
their families. This was an act of His own goodness, not a matter of what was
deserved. (He had not withheld part of their denarius with which to help others).
For His purpose had been in order to ensure that none went without. Thus He had
performed His will, and He had done what was right, but He had also gone further.
He had done what was more than right, He had done what was ‘good’ (compare
Matthew 19:17). This clearly identifies him as representing God, and not just any
benefactor.
‘Is your eye evil.’ This metaphor almost certainly has in mind Deuteronomy 15:9
where it represents the eye that is ungenerous towards the needy. It is a rebuke
indicating that with all their claims to what was lawful their hearts were not set to
obey the Law as promulgated in Deuteronomy 14:28 to Deuteronomy 15:11, the
Law of generosity to the poor. It also brings out the principle on which the Estate
Owner was working, that of benefiting and providing for the poor and needy. The
evil eye, ungenerous itself, was looking at One Who was truly good, and therefore it
could not understand. But how glad we should be that God is like this. For few of
us, even if we survive the burden and heat of the day, do it without some failure.
How wonderful then it is to know that in the end we will still hear His ‘well done’.
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be
last.”
BAR ES, "So the last shall be first ... - This is the moral or scope of the parable.
“To teach this it was spoken.” Many that, in the order of time, are brought last into the
kingdom, shall be first in the rewards. Higher proportionate rewards shall be given to
them than to others. “To all justice shall be done.” To all to whom the rewards of heaven
are promised they shall be given. Nothing shall be withheld that was promised. If,
among this number who are called into the kingdom, I choose to raise some to stations
of distinguished usefulness, and to confer on them special talents and higher rewards, I
injure no other one. They shall enter heaven, as was promised. If, amid the multitude of
Christians, I choose to signalize such men as Paul, and Martyn, and Brainerd, and
Spencer, and Summerfield - to appoint some of them to short labor but to wide
usefulness, and raise them to signal rewards, I injure not the great multitude of others
who live long lives less useful and less rewarded. All shall reach heaven, and all shall
receive what I promise to the faithful.
Many be called, but few chosen - The meaning of this, in this connection, I take to
be simply this: “Many are called into my kingdom; they come and labor as I command

69. them; many of them are comparatively unknown and obscure; yet they are real
Christians, and shall all receive the proper reward. A few I have chosen for higher
stations in the church. I have endowed them with apostolic gifts or with superior talents,
and suited them for wider usefulness. They may not be as long in the vineyard as others;
their race may be sooner run; but I have chosen to honor them in this manner, and I
have a right to do it. I injure no one, and have a right to do what I will with my own.”
Thus explained, this parable has no reference to the call of the Gentiles, nor to the call of
aged sinners, nor to the call of sinners out of the church at all. It is simply designed to
teach that in the church, among the multitudes who will be saved, Christ makes a
difference. He makes some more useful than others, without regard to the time which
they serve, and he will reward them accordingly. The parable teaches one truth, and but
one; and where Jesus has explained it, we have no right to add to it, and say that it
teaches anything else. It adds to the reason for this interpretation, that Christ was
conversing about the rewards that should be given to his followers, and not about the
numbers that should be called, or about the doctrine of election. See Mat_19:27-29.
CLARKE, "So the last shall be first, and the first last - The Gentiles, who have
been long without the true God, shall now enjoy all the privileges of the new covenant;
and the Jews, who have enjoyed these from the beginning, shall now be dispossessed of
them; for, because they here rejected the Lord, he also hath rejected them.
Many are called, etc. - This clause is wanting in BL, one other, and in the Coptic
and Sahidic versions. Bishop Pearce thinks it is an interpolation from Mat_22:14. The
simple meaning seems to be: As those who did not come at the invitation of the
householder to work in the vineyard did not receive the denarius, or wages, so those who
do not obey the call of the Gospel, and believe in Christ Jesus, shall not inherit eternal
life.
This place seems to refer to the ancient Roman custom of recruiting their armies.
Among this celebrated people, no one was forced to serve his country in a military
capacity; and it was the highest honor to be deemed worthy of thus serving it. The youth
were instructed, almost from their cradle, in military exercises. The Campus Martius was
the grand field in which they were disciplined: there, they accustomed themselves to
leaping, running, wrestling, bearing burdens, fencing, throwing the javelin, etc., and
when, through these violent exercises, they were all besmeared with dust and sweat, in
order to refresh themselves, they swam twice or thrice across the Tyber! Rome might at
any time have recruited her armies by volunteers from such a mass of well-educated,
hardy soldiers; but she thought proper, to use the words of the Abbe Mably, that the
honor of being chosen to serve in the wars should be the reward of the accomplishments
shown by the citizens in the Campus Martius, that the soldier should have a reputation
to save; and that the regard paid him, in choosing him to serve, should be the pledge of
his fidelity and zeal to discharge his duty. The age of serving in the army was from
seventeen to forty-five, and the manner in which they were chosen was the following: -
After the creation of consuls, they every year named twenty-four military tribunes,
part of whom must have served five years at least, and the rest eleven. When they had
divided among them the command of the four legions to be formed, the consuls
summoned to the capitol, or Campus Martius, all the citizens who, by their age, were
obliged to bear arms. They drew up by tribes, and lots were drawn to determine in what
order every tribe should present its soldiers. That which was the first in order chose the
four citizens who were judged the most proper to serve in the war; and the six tribunes
who commanded the first legion chose one of these four, whom they liked best. The

70. tribunes of the second and third likewise made their choice one after another; and he
that remained entered into the fourth legion. A new tribe presented other four soldiers,
and the second legion chose first. The third and fourth legions had the same advantage
in their turns. In this manner, each tribe successively chose four soldiers, till the legions
were complete. They next proceeded to the creation of subaltern officers, whom the
tribunes chose from among the soldiers of the greatest reputation. When the legions
were thus completed, the citizens who had been called, but not chosen, returned to their
respective employments, and served their country in other capacities. None can suppose
that these were deemed useless, or that, because not now chosen to serve their country
in the field, they were proscribed from the rights and privileges of citizens, much less
destroyed, because others were found better qualified to serve their country at the post
of honor and danger. Thus many are called by the preaching of the Gospel, but few are
found who use their advantages in such a way as to become extensively useful in the
Church - and many in the Church militant behave so ill as never to be admitted into the
Church triumphant. But what a mercy that those who appear now to be rejected may be
called in another muster, enrolled, serve in the field, or work in the vineyard? How many
millions does the long-suffering of God lead to repentance!
GILL, "So the last shall be first, and the first last,.... As he had asserted in Mat_
19:30 and which is clearly illustrated by this parable, as it may be applied to Jews or
Gentiles, or to nominal and real Christians:
for many be called; externally, under the ministration of the Gospel, as the Jews in
general were, by Christ and his apostles; but
few chosen; in Christ from all eternity, both to grace and glory; and in consequence,
and as an evidence of it, but few among the Jews; as also in the Gentile world,
comparatively speaking: and even but a few of those that are outwardly called, are
inwardly and effectually called by the powerful grace of God, out of darkness into
marvellous light, into the grace and liberty of the Gospel, into communion with Christ,
and to the obtaining his kingdom and glory, according to the eternal purpose of God. It
is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai (d).
"I have seen the children of the world to come (elsewhere (e) it is, of the chamber), ‫והן‬
‫,מועטין‬ "and they are few".''
Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son.
HE RY, "Lastly, Here is the application of the parable (Mat_20:16), in that
observation which occasioned it (Mat_19:30); So the first shall be last, and the last first.
There were many that followed Christ now in the regeneration, when the gospel
kingdom was first set up, and these Jewish converts seemed to have got the start of
others; but Christ, to obviate and silence their boasting, here tells them,
1. That they might possibly be outstripped by their successors in profession, and,
though they were before others in profession, might be found inferior to them in
knowledge, grace, and holiness. The Gentile church, which was as yet unborn, the
Gentile world, which as yet stood idle in the market-place, would produce greater
numbers of eminent, useful Christians, than were found among the Jews. More and

71. more excellent shall be the children of the desolate than those of the married wife, Isa_
54:1. Who knows but that the church, in its old age, may be more fat and flourishing
than ever, to show that the Lord is upright? Though primitive Christianity had more of
the purity and power of that holy religion than is to be found in the degenerate age
wherein we live, yet what labourers may be sent into the vineyard in the eleventh hour
of the church's day, in the Philadelphian period, and what plentiful effusions of the
Spirit may then be, above what has been yet, who can tell?
2. That they had reason to fear, lest they themselves should be found hypocrites at last;
for many are called but few chosen. This is applied to the Jews (Mat_22:14); it was so
then, it is too true still; many are called with a common call, that are not chosen with a
saving choice. All that are chosen from eternity, are effectually called, in the fulness of
time (Rom_8:30), so that in making our effectual calling sure we make sure our election
(2Pe_1:10); but it is not so as to the outward call; many are called, and yet refuse (Pro_
1:24), nay, as they are called to God, so they go from him (Hos_11:2, Hos_11:7), by
which it appears that they were not chosen, for the election will obtain, Rom_11:7. Note,
There are but few chosen Christians, in comparison with the many that are only called
Christians; it therefore highly concerns us to build our hope for heaven upon the rock of
an eternal choice, and not upon the sand of an external call; and we should fear lest we
be found but seeming Christians, and so should really come short; nay, lest we be found
blemished Christians, and so should
JAMISO , "So the last shall be first, and the first last — that is, “Take heed
lest by indulging the spirit of these murmurers at the penny given to the last hired, ye
miss your own penny, though first in the vineyard; while the consciousness of having
come in so late may inspire these last with such a humble frame, and such admiration of
the grace that has hired and rewarded them at all, as will put them into the foremost
place in the end.”
for many be called, but few chosen — This is another of our Lord’s terse and
pregnant sayings, more than once uttered in different connections. (See Mat_19:30;
Mat_22:14). The “calling” of which the New Testament almost invariably speaks is what
divines call effectual calling, carrying with it a supernatural operation on the will to
secure its consent. But that cannot be the meaning of it here; the “called” being
emphatically distinguished from the “chosen.” It can only mean here the “invited.” And
so the sense is, Many receive the invitations of the Gospel whom God has never “chosen
to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” (2Th_2:13). But
what, it may be asked, has this to do with the subject of our parable? Probably this - to
teach us that men who have wrought in Christ’s service all their days may, by the spirit
which they manifest at the last, make it too evident that, as between God and their own
souls, they never were chosen workmen at all.
HAWKER, ""So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few
chosen."
See the Note on Mat_22:14.
CALVI , "16.So the first shall be last. He does not now compare the Jews to the
Gentiles, (as in another passages) nor the reprobate, who swerve from the faith, to
the elect who persevere; and therefore the sentence which is introduced by some

72. interpreters, many are called, but few are chosen, does not apply to that point.
Christ only meant to say that every one who has been called before others ought to
run with so much the greater alacrity, and, next, to exhort all men to be modest, not
to give themselves the preference above others, but willingly to share with them a
common prize. As the apostles were the first-fruits of the whole church, they
appeared to possess some superiority; and Christ did not deny that they would sit as
judges to govern the twelve tribes of Israel. But that they might not be carried away
by ambition or vain confidence in themselves, it was necessary also to remind them
that others, who would long afterwards be called, would be partakers of the same
glory, because God is not limited to any person, but calls freely whomsoever He
pleases, and bestows on those who are called whatever rewards He thinks fit.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:16. The latter clause of this verse in the common Greek
text, for many be (are) called, but few chosen, is wanting in leading early documents,
and evidently brought in from Matthew 22:14, where there is no variation in the
reading.(1) Our Lord here repeats the saying of Matthew 19:30, which he
introduced the parable to illustrate. It is very natural that it should be repeated in a
general form, without the restrictive 'many' of the first statement. Some able writers
(Meyer, Weiss, others) urge that the parable and this statement teach that in the
consummated Messianic kingdom all will have an equal reward. But this is
inconsistent with the first statement, and with the distinct intimation of Matthew
19:28 f. that there will be difference of reward. The general thought of the parable is
that the assignment of individual rewards will be a matter of divine sovereignty,
precisely as in Matthew 20:23, Acts 1:7. We have seen on Matthew 19:30 that this
had a special application for the disciples, but as a general principle may be
variously applied. It is very true, as some commentators urge, and it may be
properly recalled here, that God will reward men more according to aim and spirit
than to time spent or results achieved: but the Saviour does not here say that, or
distinctly imply it.
COFFMA , "It was with this declaration that the parable began and ended. The
grand lesson is that men do not deserve or merit salvation. In the case of the
laborers, those who worked all day did not deserve their pay after having thrown it
on the ground. That act forfeited their further right to it. In spite of their lack of
merit, the good householder required them to pick it up, thus giving it to them in
spite of their forfeiture. The ones who labored only an hour did not deserve their
pay either. They had certainly done nothing to merit a day's wages. ot even their
wonderful "attitude" entitled them to a day's pay. Their reward was as much of
grace as was that of the bitter "firsters"! Some of the people of our own day who
fancy that their sweet and pious attitude in some way entitles them to God's favor
should take note of this. The householder had every right to have cut them off with a
trifle instead of a whole day's pay.
People simply do not and cannot MERIT salvation. People do not merit salvation
either by works or by attitudes of trust. The meek and trustful spirit is to be
desired; so also is the worker; but neither class of people, nor yet another class
combining the virtues of both, can in any degree merit salvation. It is all of grace

73. and not of debt; nor does that exclude obedience.
COKE, "Matthew 20:16. For many are called, &c.— A proverbial expression,
which, as it is here stated, imports that the Jews should all be called by the Apostles
and first preachers to receive the Gospel;—"They shall have the Gospel preached to
them;" but that few of them, in comparison, would obey the call or become chosen
servants, the generalityof the nation wilfully remaining in infidelity and wickedness:
wherefore, this branch of the parable very fitly represents the pride of the Jews in
rejecting the Gospel, when they found the Gentiles admitted to its privileges without
becoming subject to the institutions of Moses. In the mean time, we must not urge
the circumstance of the reward so, as to fancy that either Jew or Gentile merited of
the blessings of Gospel by their having laboured faithfully in the vineyard, or
having behaved well under their several dispensations. The Gospel, with its
blessings, was bestowed of God's free grace, and without any thing in man meriting
it: besides, it was offered promiscuously to all, whether good or bad, and was
embraced by persons of all characters. See Macknight, Wetstein, and the Inferences.
ELLICOTT, "(16) So the last shall be first.—This, then, is the great lesson of the
parable, and it answers at once the question whether we are to see in it the doctrine
of an absolute equality in the blessedness of the life to come. There also there will be
some first, some last, but the difference of degree will depend, not on the duration of
service, nor even on the amount of work done, but on the temper and character of
the worker. Looking to the incident which gave rise to the parable, we can scarcely
help tracing a latent reference to the “young ruler” whom the disciples had hastily
condemned, but in whom the Lord, who “loved” him (Mark 10:21), saw the
possibility of a form of holiness higher than that which they were then displaying, if
only he could overcome the temptation which kept him back when first called to
work in his Master’s vineyard in his Master’s way. His judgment was even then
reversing theirs.
For many be called, but few chosen.—The warning is repeated after the parable of
the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:14), and as it stands there in closer relation with
the context, that will be the fitting place for dwelling on it. The better MSS., indeed,
omit it here. If we accept it as the true reading, it adds something to the warning of
the previous clause. The disciples had been summoned to work in the vineyard. The
indulgence of the selfish, murmuring temper might hinder their “election” even to
that work. Of one of the disciples, whose state may have been specially present to
our Lord’s mind, this was, we know, only too fatally true. Judas had been “called,”
but would not be among the “chosen” either for the higher work or for its ultimate
reward-Interpreting the parable as we have been led to interpret it, we cannot for a
moment imagine that its drift was to teach the disciples that they would forfeit their
place in the kingdom. A wider interpretation is, of course, possible, and has been
often applied, in which the first-called labourers answer to the Jews, and those who
came afterwards to converts in the successive stages of the conversion of the
Gentiles. But this, though perhaps legitimate enough as an application of the
parable, is clearly secondary and subordinate, and must not be allowed to obscure
its primary intention.

74. PETT, "And thus the story tells us that because of God’s goodness and
graciousness, and because our spirits can so easily become jealous and hardened, it
is often the last who become first, while the first become last. This is a warning, not
a threat. The sad thing in the parable is that it was the men who had worked
hardest who came out worst, not because they were not fairly paid, but because they
were ungracious and mean-spirited and finished up dissatisfied.
It is interesting how often commentators at this point cite stories where a man who
only worked a short time did as much in that short time as those who had worked
all day. It emphasises our sense of fair play. But that is almost to cancel out the
point of the story. For the point of the story is not that we get what is due because of
what we have accomplished, but that if we have done our best God is so gracious
that we all get far more than we deserve, regardless of how much we have done. The
point is that God is generous beyond deserving to those who seek to serve Him and
that we should not be looking at what others get, but wondering at His graciousness
in giving us so much when we are the least deserving.
For the real emphasis of the story is not the workforce, nor on what they received,
but is on how we should conceive the goodness and graciousness of God, and on the
fact that we will all come out of His vineyard with far more than we deserve,
because of how good and generous He is. It is that our rating does not depend on
what we deserve, but on His goodness alone. Once again they learn that the new
world is upon them, a world unlike any known before, a world where the only
criterion is the good, and where men receive far more than they deserve. (In fact, of
course, God had always been like this, but now it is revealed as the very basis of the
new age).
Thus the idea that ‘the last will be first, and the first last’ warns against
presumption when we are dealing with Someone Who is the very opposite of all our
reasoning, because He does not think in terms of what we deserve, but in terms of
love. Thus none can set himself up above any other, and the Apostles least of all. If
this was not intended to prevent the Apostles getting the wrong idea about their
‘thrones’ we do not know what else would have been. And shortly we shall learn
how necessary it was (Matthew 20:20-28).
ISBET, "CALLED A D CHOSE
‘So the last shall be first, and the first last; for many be called, but few chosen.’
Matthew 20:16
St. Peter tells us there are many things in the Bible hard to be understood. This is
one of them. It is necessary to read the whole discourse in the midst of which it
comes. The young man’s question, ‘What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’
led to the Lord’s warning of the danger of earthly riches. He explained to the
disciples the reward of those who fully follow Him, and added, ‘Many, therefore,
that are first shall be last, and the last first.’ This solemn truth He explained by the
homely parable of the labourers in the vineyard.

75. I. The dangerous practical perversion to which the parable is liable is twofold. It
may foster sloth (people saying, ‘I must wait till I am called before I set to work at
all’) or presumption (people thinking that they will fare just as well at the great
payment of wages if they begin to work at the eleventh hour).
II. Every baptized Christian is ‘called,’ and the Apostle in his exhortation ‘to walk
worthy,’ etc. gives the practical rules for daily life and work. Who then can say that
God has not given him enough to do? God has called us to Holiness: our duties
await us every morning.
III. God measures our claims upon His favour by our earnestness and our
opportunities. He will not ask us how long we have known His will, but whether,
since we have known it, we have done it.
IV. Your work never done.—In spiritual things a day is a lifetime. On this side of
the grave it is all work; on the other it will be all rest.
—Bishop Fraser.
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
17 ow Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the
way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them,
BAR ES, "See also Mar_10:32-34; Luk_18:31-34.
And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem - That is, doubtless, to the Passover. This
journey was from the east side of Jordan. See the notes at Mat_19:1. At this time he was
on this journey to Jerusalem, probably not far from Jericho. This was his last journey to
Jerusalem. He was going up to die for the sins of the world.
Took the twelve disciples apart - All the males of the Jews were required to be at
this feast, Exo_23:17. The roads, therefore, on such occasions, would probably be
thronged. It is probable, also, that they would travel in companies, or that whole
neighborhoods would go together. See Luk_2:44. By his taking them apart is meant his
taking them aside from the company. He had something to communicate which he did
not wish the others to hear. Mark adds: “And Jesus went before them, and they were
amazed; and as they followed they were sore afraid.” He led the way. He had told them
before Mat_17:22 that he should be betrayed into the hands of people and be put to
death. They began now to be afraid that this would happen, and to be solicitous for his

76. life and for their own safety, and they were amazed at his boldness and calmness, and at
his fixed determination to go up to Jerusalem in these circumstances.
GILL, "And Jesus going up to Jerusalem,.... Which was situated (f) in the highest
part of the land of Israel: the land of Israel, is said to be higher than any other land
whatever; and the temple at Jerusalem, higher than any part of the land of Israel;
wherefore Christ's going to Jerusalem, is expressed by going up to it. Whither he came
either from the coasts of Judea, from beyond Jordan, Mat_19:1 where he had been some
time healing diseases, disputing with the Pharisees, discoursing with the young ruler,
and instructing his disciples; or from a country near to the wilderness, from a city called
Ephraim, Joh_11:54 where he continued some time with his disciples, after the
sanhedrim had took counsel to put him to death; for this was his last journey to
Jerusalem.
Took the twelve disciples apart in the way: into some private place, which lay near
the road; for it seems that there were others that followed him, besides the twelve; when
he was not willing they should hear what he had to say to them, concerning the issue of
this, journey; lest either they should be discouraged and desert him, or it should be
made public, and methods be used to prevent it: and said unto them; the disciples,
whom he thought fit once more to remind of his sufferings and death, and to prepare
them for the same; and though they would not so thoroughly understand all that he
should say, yet when it was come to pass, they would remember it, and which would be
of service to confirm their faith in him, as the true Messiah. See Gill on Mar_10:32.
HE RY, "This is the third time that Christ gave his disciples notice of his
approaching sufferings; he was not going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the passover, and
to offer up himself the great Passover; both must be done at Jerusalem: there the
passover must be kept (Deu_12:5), and there a prophet must perish, because there the
great Sanhedrim sat, who were judges in that case, Luk_13:33. Observe,
I. The privacy of this prediction; He took the twelve disciples apart in the way. This was
one of those things which were told to them in darkness, but which they were afterward
to speak in the light, Mat_10:27. His secret was with them, as his friends, and this
particularly. It was a hard saying, and, if any could bear it, they could. They would be
more immediately exposed to peril with him, and therefore it was requisite that they
should know of it, that, being fore-warned, they might be fore-armed. It was not fit to be
spoken publicly as yet, 1. Because many that were cool toward him, would hereby have
been driven to turn their backs upon him; the scandal of the cross would have frightened
them from following him any longer. 2. Because many that were hot for him, would
hereby be driven to take up arms in his defense, and it might have occasioned an uproar
among the people (Mat_26:5), which would have been laid to his charge, if he had told
them of it publicly before: and, besides that such methods are utterly disagreeable to the
genius of his kingdom, which is not of this world, he never countenanced any thing
which had a tendency to prevent his sufferings. This discourse was not in the synagogue,
or in the house, but in the way, as they travelled along; which teaches us, in our walks or
travels with our friends, to keep up such discourse as is good, and to the use of edifying.
See Deu_16:7.
JAMISO , "Mat_20:17-28. Third explicit announcement of His approaching
sufferings, death, and resurrection - The ambitious request of James and John, and the
reply. ( = Mar_10:32-45; Luk_18:31-34).

77. For the exposition, see on Mar_10:32-45.
HAWKER 17-19, ""And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in
the way, and said unto them, (18) Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man
shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn
him to death, (19) And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to
crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again."
I pray the Reader not to overlook our Lord’s delight in speaking of his approaching
death. This is the third time the Lord reminds his disciples of it within a few Chapters.
Mat_16:21, and Mat_17:22-23. And again in this place. Every act of Jesus testified his
promptness to the work, as though he longed for it. Lo? I come (said Jesus,) to do thy
will: O God. I delight to do it: yea, thy law is in the midst of my bowels; And when Peter
out, of love (though a mistaken love) for his master, wished it to be otherwise; Jesus
rebuked him, yea, called him Satan, for what he said. Never did the meek and loving
Savior ever drop such an expression before: so very intent was he on finishing the work
his Father gave him to do, and so much displeased was he with anyone who wished it to
be otherwise. Precious Lord Jesus! was this thine ardent love to thy spouse the Church,
as one longing to bring her out of the prison-house of sin and Satan, though all the
cataracts of divine wrath for sin. Were broken up, to be poured on thy sacred head!
CALVI , "Though the apostles had been previously informed what kind of death
awaited our Lord, yet as they had not sufficiently profited by it, he now repeats
anew what he had frequently said. He sees that the day of his death is at hand; nay
more, he is already in a state of readiness to offer himself to be sacrificed; and, on
the other hand, he sees the disciples not only afraid, but overwhelmed by blind
alarm. He therefore exhorts them to steadiness, that they may not immediately yield
to temptation. ow there are two methods by which he confirms them; for, by
foretelling what would happen, he not only fortifies them, that they may not give
way, when a calamity, which has arisen suddenly and contrary to expectation, takes
them by surprise, but meets the offense of the cross by a proof of his Divinity, that
they may not lose courage at beholding his short abasement, when they are
convinced that he is the Son of God, and therefore will be victorious over death. The
second method of confirmation is taken from his approaching resurrection.
But it will be proper to look more closely at the words. Mark states — what is
omitted by the other two Evangelists — that, before our Lord explained to his
disciples in private that he was going straight to the sacrifice of death, not only they,
but also the rest of his followers, were sorrowful and trembli ng. ow why they were
seized with this fear it is not easy to say, if it was not because they had already
learned that they had dangerous adversaries at Jerusalem, and would therefore
have wished that Christ should remain in some quiet retreat beyond the reach of the
darts, rather than voluntarily expose himself to such inveterate enemies. Although
this fear was in many respects improper, yet the circumstance of their following
Christ is a proof of no ordinary respect and obedience. It would indeed have been
far better to hasten cheerfully and without regret, wheresoever the Son of God chose
to lead them; but commendation is due to their reverence for his person, which

78. appears in choosing to do violence to their own feelings rather than to forsake him.
Matthew 20:17.Took the twelve disciples apart in the way It may appear surprising
that he makes the twelve alone acquainted with his secret, since all have need of
consolation, for all had been alike seized with fear. I consider the reason why he did
not publish his death to have been, that the report might not spread too widely
before the time. Besides, as he did not expect that the warning would be of
immediate advantage, he reckoned it enough to entrust it to a few, who were
afterwards to be his witnesses. For, as the seed thrown into the earth does not
immediately spring up, so we know that Christ said many things to the apostles
which did not immediately yield fruit. And if he had admitted all indiscriminately to
this discourse, it was possible that many persons, seized with alarm, might flee, and
fill the ears of the public with this report; and thus the death of Christ would have
lost its glory, because he would have appeared to have rashly brought it on himself.
Secretly, therefore, he addresses the apostles, and does not even select them as
qualified to receive profit by it, but, as I lately hinted, that they may afterwards be
witnesses.
On this subject Luke is more full than the others; for he relates not only that Christ
predicted the events which were near at hand, but also that he added the doctrine,
that those things which had been written by the prophets would be accomplished in
the Son of man. It was an excellent remedy for overcoming temptation, to perceive
in the very ignominy of the cross the marks by which the Prophets had pointed out
the promised Author of salvation. There can be no doubt that our Lord pointed out
also from the Prophets what kind of fruit they ought to expect from his death; for
the Prophets do not only teach that Christ must suffer, but add the reason, that he
may reconcile the world to God.
BROADUS, "Verses 17-28
Matthew 20:17-28.
Jesus Again Foretells His Death And Resurrection. Ambitious Request Of James
And John
Found also in Mark 10:32-45; and (in part) in Luke 18:31-34. This passage seems in
Matthew, Mark, and Luke to follow immediately upon the foregoing matters,
(Matthew 19:3 to Matthew 20:16) and to precede by only a few days the triumphal
entry. (Matthew 21:1) The phrase 'going up', 'we go up to Jerusalem', does not
prove that they had crossed the river, and were now ascending from its valley, as in
Luke 19:28. Since Jerusalem was reached by ascent both from east and west, it
became customary to speak of 'going up' to Jerusalem from all parts of the country,
Luke 2:42, John 2:13, John 5:1, John 11:55, Acts 15:2, Acts 25:1, Galatians 1:17 f.;
Galatians 2:1. It is after this that Jesus and his followers reach Jericho, Matthew
20:29, Mark 10:46. The scene is somewhat more likely to have been in Perea, than
between the river and Jericho, which was only a few miles; but the question cannot
be determined, and does not affect the exegesis. This section contains two parts,
Matthew 20:17-19 and Matthew 20:20-28

79. I. Matthew 20:17-19. Jesus A Third Time Foretells His Death And Resurrection,
compare re and just after the Transfiguration, (Matthew 16:21, Matthew 17:22) and
at least six months earlier than this. We cannot judge whether he had spoken of it
distinctly in the mean time, but there is in Luke 12:49 ff., an indication that his own
mind had been all the while turning towards what awaited him, turning with a
feeling of constraint and pressure, but not of grief or discouragement. Going up to
Jerusalem.(1) What follows was said in the way, on the road. Mark 10:32 tells that
his followers here meaning more than the Twelve, were 'amazed' and 'afraid' as
they walked after him along the road, probably because of what he had said about
the difficulty of saving the rich, (Matthew 19:23 ff.) and about the Messianic
rewards for sacrifices in his service; (Matthew 19:28 ff.) perhaps also there was an
absorbed and fixed look in the Master's face as he pressed on to his terrible baptism
of suffering, that was new, and filled them with wonder and alarm. Took the twelve
disciples apart, from the throng that were accompanying him to the Passover.
(Matthew 20:29, Luke 18:36) Only the Twelve were in the least prepared to
understand such predictions concerning the Messiah. Even at Jerusalem, some six
months earlier, the people did not at all understand "Yet a little while am I with
you, and I go unto him that sent me", John 7:33-36, Rev. Ver. We go up to
Jerusalem, etc. Origen remarks that Paul exactly imitated Christ when he went up
to Jerusalem in full view of peril. Acts 21:10-13. The prediction our Lord here gives
is substantially the same as in Matthew 16:21 (See on "Matthew 16:21"). Some new
particulars are now added, as is natural in the nearer approach to the event, and
when their minds have been somewhat prepared by the previous predictions. The
Sanhedrin will formally condemn him to death; and not only will he 'be delivered
into the hands of men', as foretold on the second occasion (Matthew 17:22, with
Mark and Luke), but delivered to the Gentiles (Mark and Luke also), to mock, and
to scourge, and to crucify; Mark and Luke add 'spit upon', and Luke generally that
he shall be 'shamefully treated'. Tyndale, Cram, Gen., King James, all here render
the same word, 'betrayed' in Matthew 16:18 and 'deliver' in Matthew 16:19, a
useless and misleading variation, compare on Matthew 17:22, and Matthew 10:4.
Still, after this renewed and detailed prediction, the Twelve "understood none of
these things ". (Luke 18:34) It was utterly contrary to all their ideas of Messiah and
his work; these things could not be literally true of the king what did it all mean?
otice how Luke dwells upon their inability: "and this saying was hid from them,
and they perceived not the things that were said." Compare on Matthew 16:21.
Hanna : "This only proves what a blinding power preconception and misconception
have in hiding the simplest things told in the simplest language—a blinding power
often exercised over us now as to the written, as it was then exercised over the
apostles as to their Master's spoken, words... They had made up their minds, on the
best of evidence, that he was the Messiah. But they had their own notions of the
Messiahship. With these, such sufferings and such a death as actually lay before
Jesus were utterly inconsistent. His expressions, then, must be figurative, intended,
perhaps, to represent some severe struggle with his adversaries, through which he
had to pass before his kingdom was set up and acknowledged."

80. COFFMA , "THE THIRD PROPHETIC A OU CEME T OF JESUS'
PASSIO
In the two previous prophetic announcements of his impending Passion, in Matthew
16:21 and Matthew 17:22,23, Christ had revealed the following details of his
approaching death and resurrection:
Death would be accomplished in Jerusalem.
Scribes would have a part in it.
Chief priests would be involved.
The elders of the people would also be instruments of his death.
He would suffer many things from them.
He would not merely die, but be killed, a far different thing.
He would rise from the dead.
His resurrection would occur on the third day.
He would fall into their hands by being "delivered up," that is, betrayed.SIZE>
In the place before us, Christ added the following supplemental details:
He would be condemned to death, indicating a trial by tribunal.
The Gentiles would have a part in it.
Gentiles would mock him.
Gentiles would scourge him.
Gentiles would crucify him.SIZE>
Thus, no less than 14 pertinent and significant details of the approaching Passion
were pinpointed by Christ. In these three prophetic announcements of his Passion, it
is plain that every circumstance of those awful events was fully known by the Lord
BEFORE it occurred.
It is stated that Jesus took the apostles "apart." Throughout his ministry, there
were numbers of occasions when Christ withdrew from the hustle and bustle of
daily work to engage in prayer, meditation, contemplation, and quietness. It was in
such an hour that he gathered strength to approach the cross. Disciples in all ages
should not neglect the ministry of the quiet hour in which the soul may take its
soundings, the true perspective be ascertained, and in which the resources of the
spirit may be replenished at the fountain of prayer and meditation. Vance Havner

81. put it like this, "`Come ye yourselves apart ... and rest awhile' (Mark 6:31). This is a
MUST for Christians. If you don't come apart, you WILL come apart."[1]
E D OTE:
[1] Vance Havner, Pepper and Salt (Westwood, ew Jersey, Fleming H. Revell
Company, 1966), p. 9.
ELLICOTT, "(17) And Jesus going up to Jerusalem.—The narrative is not
continuous, and in the interval between Matthew 20:16-17 we may probably place
our Lord’s “abode beyond Jordan” (John 10:40), the raising of Lazarus, and the
short sojourn in the city called Ephraim (John 11:54). This would seem to have been
followed by a return to Persea, and then the journey to Jerusalem begins. The
account in St. Mark adds some significant facts. “Jesus went” (literally, was going—
implying continuance) “before them.” It was as though the burden of the work on
which He was entering pressed heavily on His soul. The shadow of the cross had
fallen on Him. He felt something of the conflict which reached its full intensity in
Gethsemane, and therefore He needed solitude that He might prepare Himself for
the sacrifice by communing with His Father; and instead of journeying with the
disciples and holding “sweet converse” with them, went on silently in advance. This
departure from His usual custom, and, it may be, the look and manner that
accompanied it, impressed the disciples, as was natural, very painfully. “They were
amazed, and as they followed, were afraid.” It was apparently as explaining what
had thus perplexed them that He took the Twelve apart from the others that
followed (including probably the Seventy and the company of devout women of
Luke 8:2) and told them of the nearness of His passion.
PETT, "‘As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem.’ Matthew does not want us to miss the
context. What is to follow must be seen in the light of that fact that Jesus had His
eyes fixed on a cross in Jerusalem.
Eager that His chosen twelve Apostles should be prepared for what was coming, He
took them to one side on the journey and again emphasised what His fate was going
to be. And He makes clear that it will happen to Him as ‘the Son of Man’. The
picture of the Son of Man emerging from suffering and going on the clouds of
Heaven to receive kingship and glory was by now well known to them. But He
stresses it again. And again reminds them that it will be at the hands of the Jewish
leaders, the Chief Priests and the Scribes, those upstanding leaders of religion in
Jerusalem. Such a suggestion was in accordance with the Scriptures - see Isaiah
50:6; Isaiah 53:7-8. It would have caused no surprise to Jeremiah (e.g. Jeremiah
19:1; Jeremiah 20:1-2; Jeremiah 26:11).
‘Will be delivered.’ The verb is impersonal. It thus probably signifies that it is God
Who will deliver Him up. All that is happening is within the will and purpose of
God.
‘And they will condemn him to death.’ Jesus knew what His fate must be for He was

82. walking in the way of the Suffering Servant (Matthew 20:28; Isaiah 53). He is
indicating that this will be an official sentence of the Sanhedrin. This is suggested
both by the verb and by the Chief Priests and the Scribes sharing one definite
article, demonstrating that in spite of their enmity towards each other they would be
acting together. While they could not carry out the sentence, they could certainly
pass such a sentence, and regularly did.
Verses 17-28
Those Who Follow Jesus Are ot To Be Self-seeking But Selflessly Seeking To Serve
All, In The Same Way As He As The Servant Is Doing Among Them, Something
Especially Revealed In His Giving Of His Life As A Ransom For Many (20:17-28)..
Had the evangelists not been fully truthful in all that they wrote this story would
have been passed over. Here are two of the greatest of the Apostles and they behave
so abominably that we can only blush for them and hang our heads in shame. And it
is not hidden in a footnote. Matthew in fact milks it for all he is worth, not out of a
spirit of jealousy, but in order to bring out the great contrast at this point between
the Apostles and Jesus. As He was going forward to a cross of shame, their eyes
were fixed on their own glory. They would let Him down to the end. And we have
been letting Him down in the same way ever since.
The account is to be read in the context of Jesus’ words about the twelve sitting on
twelve thrones (Matthew 19:28), which enflamed their imaginations so that they had
to be put sharply right (Matthew 20:25-27), and the parable of the labourers in the
vineyard which they blatantly ignored (Matthew 19:30 to Matthew 20:16),
accentuated by the fact that Jesus has set His face to go to Jerusalem (Matthew
20:17) and has just informed His Apostles again of the terrible end that awaits Him
there (Matthew 20:18-19), something which has clearly passed them by. For us the
readers it is quite clear which words of Jesus were prominent in their minds, and
which words should have been.
Indeed their perfidy is brought out even more by their use of their mother as their
messenger. She was well known to Jesus (and would later behave much more nobly)
and they probably hoped that her influence would sway things their way. So little
were they aware of the momentous things that they were dealing with.
But what the story does bring out most of all is the total contrast between their own
self-seeking and what Jesus was calling on them to be. For He brings out that He
does not want them to be thinking about prestigious thrones. He wants them to be
thinking about true service, and that in terms of His own service as the Suffering
Servant. If this does not indicate that His words about twelve thrones have at this
point been totally misinterpreted we do not know what could. (After all if they were
to be taken literally there is some excuse for the behaviour of the two, they were
after all two of the chosen three. All they would then be doing was pre-empting
Peter. But this was not what Jesus had meant at all).
Analysis.

83. a As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples apart, and on the
way He said to them, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be
delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death”
(Matthew 20:17-18).
b “And will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify, and
the third day He will be raised up” (Matthew 20:19).
c Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, worshipping
him, and asking a certain thing of him (Matthew 20:20).
d And He said to her, ‘What is your wish?’ She says to him, ‘Command that these
my two sons may sit, one on your right hand, and one on your left hand, in your
kingly rule’ (Matthew 20:21).
e But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you
able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” (Matthew 20:22 a).
f They say to Him, “We are able” (Matthew 20:22 b).
e He says to them, “You will indeed drink my cup” (Matthew 20:23 a).
d “But to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give, but it is for
those for whom it has been prepared of my Father” (Matthew 20:23 b).
c And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation concerning the two
brothers (Matthew 20:24).
b But Jesus called them to Him, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles
lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be
so among you. But whoever would become great among you shall be your servant,
and whoever would be first among you shall be your slave (Matthew 20:25-27).
· “Even as the Son of man came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give His
life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
ote that in ‘a’ we are told that Jesus was voluntarily going up to Jerusalem to be
condemned to death and in the parallel that he has come to give His life as a ransom
for many. In ‘b’ we learn of the behaviour and ways of the Gentiles, and in the
parallel the disciples are to be the very opposite of that. In ‘c’ the mother of ‘my two
sons’, the sons of Zebedee exposes her self-seeking, and in the parallel the Apostle
reveal their self-seeking (they were not angry at the request, they were angry at its
implications for them) and their anger at ‘the two brothers’. In ‘d’ she pleads that
they may sit on His right hand and His left, and in the parallel He says that to sit on
His right hand and His left is not His to give. In ‘e’ He points out that they do not
know what they are asking. They are asking to share His cup. And in the parallel He
declares that they will indeed share His cup. And in ‘f’ the writer brings out
emphatically the total unawareness of the Apostles of what they are asking, for they
boldly declare that they ‘are able’, when we all know that they will actually forsake
Him and flee (Matthew 26:56). Although, of course, in the end they did come
through triumphantly and serve Him nobly regardless of the cost.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve
disciples apart in the way.
A Palm Sunday discourse
Year by year let us go up to Jerusalem on the Palm Sunday with Christ.

84. 1. Some go up without any special interest.
2. Others are moved by curiosity.
3. There are those who hate Him and His servants.
4. Some who believe in Christ but fear the world.
5. Some are in dark despair thinking that the cause of religion is about to perish
because of organized opposition.
6. Others, a faithful few, like the small group around the cross. (M. Dix, D. D.)
Christ coming to Jerusalem
What an approach! The cities are the strongholds of the world-Babylon-Nineveh-Tyre,
the centre of commerce. To none of these could our God have come expecting a joyous
reception. They were of the world. But He came to Jerusalem, the city of God, the centre
of true religion; a beautiful city for situation, renowned for its great age and greater
history. It was a consecrated city, above whose roofs arose, day by day, clouds of smoke
from the morning and evening sacrifice; an awful city, in which God had, from time to
time, appeared. It held for awhile the place of the throne of the living God! It is to this
city Jesus approaches. Surely to Him the gates will open and He will be greeted with
songs of joy. (M. Dix, D. D.)
Going up to Jerusalem
Who shall hereafter “ have right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the
city” (Psa_24:3 and Rev_22:14). Those whose conduct shows that they are going up to
Jerusalem. This may be said to imply-
I. A growth and an advancement in those things which are good. Those who “go up” to
the heavenly Jerusalem gradually increase in holiness by a diligent use of the appointed
means.
II. Another evidence that we are “ going up to Jerusalem” is love to God.
III. If our faces are indeed turned to Jerusalem, like travellers who have a long journey
to accomplish, we shall be most anxious to lay aside any unnecessary weight, and to
overcome the corrupting influence of our besetting sins. We cannot be going up to
Jerusalem if our affections are rooted in the earth; we must be conscious that our course
is turned thitherward. Why this loitering by the way. Let us refresh our souls with
spiritual food. Let the world offer what attractions it may, our purpose is firmly fixed “to
go up to Jerusalem.” (J. H. Norton.)
Jesus betrayed and condemned
I. The language of the text is the testimony of our great Prophet concerning His own
sufferings. You see it is a prophecy; the event had not yet taken place.
1. His suffering was substitutional.
2. Acceptable.

85. 3. Covenanted.
II. The hands employed.
1. The ruthless traitor.
2. The infidel priesthood.
3. The far-famed literary men.
III. The end accomplished. “They shall condemn Him to death.” (J. Irons.)
How the faithfulness of Christ toward His disciples appears in the announcement of His
impending sufferings.
I. It is seen in the gradual manner in which He makes the fact known. From the first He
had intimated that His path was one of suffering; but, while putting an end to their
spurious hopes, He had never said anything to cast them down.
II. He now set it before them in all its terrors. He dealt candidly with them. Return was
still possible for them, though, from their former decision, He no longer asked them
whether they would forsake Him.
III. He placed before their view the promise awaiting them at the end, thus establishing
and encouraging them by this blessed prospect. (J. P. Lange, D. D.)
Why Christ saw His cross afar off
1. It was predetermined from the beginning, and He saw it everywhere throughout
His course.
2. From the first He prepared for it, and experienced its bitterness in many
preliminary trials.
3. It was the harbinger of His exaltation, and ever and anon He anticipated His
coming glory. (J. P. Lange, D. D.)
Communion with Jesus
I. The party-Jesus and His disciples. The great Head of the Church and His members.
1. Their interests were mutual.
2. They are a united company.
3. They were distinct from the world.
4. Are you of the party?
II. Their union and communion-Jesus took the twelve disciples apart.
1. We sometimes try to take Christ apart, it is better that Christ should take us.
2. This communion has love for its origin.
3. He would not have them associated with the world, He was about to touch on
matters He wished His disciples to know.

86. 4. He not only invites His Church apart as an act of love, but every grace of His Holy
Spirit’s implanting is then called into exercise.
5. He took them apart to talk about the atonement.
III. Mark now the travelling itself-“going up to Jerusalem.” Ours is not a stand-still
religion. We have no continuing city. We are in company with Jesus.
1. Decision is implied.
2. Progress is implied.
3. There was expectation as they journeyed.
4. Jesus was going up to Jerusalem for the accomplishment of redemption; and we
must go to the Jerusalem above in order to fully enjoy them. (J. Irons.)
Christ’s sufferings and ours
What are all our sufferings to His? And yet we think ourselves undone if but touched,
and in setting forth our calamities we add, we multiply, we rise in our discourse, like him
in the poet, “I am thrice miserable, nay, ten, twenty, an hundred, a thousand times
unhappy.” And yet all our sufferings are but as the slivers and chips of that cross upon
which Christ, nay, many Christians, have suffered. In the time of Adrian the emperor ten
thousand martyrs are said to have been crucified in the Mount of Ararat, crowned with
thorns, and thrust into the sides with sharp darts, after the example of the Lord’s
passion. (John Trapp.)
The resurrection of Christ
He wraps up the gall of the passion in the honey of the resurrection. (Lapide.)
The saddest yet happiest event in human history
Our Lord’s last journey to Jerusalem. The prediction of the sufferings of Christ a great
evidence
(1) of His prophetical character;
(2) of His willingness, as a Priest, to offer Himself a sacrifice for sin;
(3) of His confident expectation of victory as a King. (J. P. Lange, D. D.)
The sufferings of Christ
As the precious stone called the carbuncle to look at is like a hot burning coal of fire,
shining exceeding brightly, the which feeleth no fire, neither is it molten, changed, or
mollified therewith; if thou shalt take it, and close it fast in a ring of lead, and cast it into
the fire, thou shalt see the lead molten and consume before thy face, but the carbuncle
remaining sound and perfect without blemish as before, for the fire worketh upon the
lead, but upon the carbuncle it cannot work; even so Christ, our Saviour, being in the
hot, scorching fire of His torments, suffered and died as He was man, but as He was God

87. He neither suffered nor died. The fire of His afflictions wrought, then, upon His
manhood, but His Divinity and Godhead continued perfect and utterly untouched.
(Cawdray.)
Crucifixion of Christ
The cross was the perfect manifestation of
(1) the guilt of the world;
(2) the love of Christ;
(3) His obedience;
(4) the grace of God. (J. P. Lange, D. D.)
Christ’s sufferings were foreseen
As astronomers know when none others think of it, that travelling through the heavens
the vast shadow is progressing towards the sun which ere long shall clothe it and hide it,
so Christ knew that the great darkness which was to overwhelm Him was approaching.
(Beecher.)
Christ’s resurrection
His resurrection was necessary to His being believed in as a Saviour. As Christ by His
death paid down a satisfaction for sin, so it was necessary that it should be declared to
the world by such arguments as might found a rational belief of it, so that men’s unbelief
should be rendered inexcusable. But how could the world believe that He fully had
satisfied for sin so long as they saw death, the known wages of sin, maintain its full force
and power over Him, holding Him like an obnoxious person in captivity? When a man is
once imprisoned for debt none can conclude the debt either paid by him or forgiven to
him but by the release of his person. Who could believe Christ to have been a God and a
Saviour while He was hanging upon the tree? A dying, crucified God, a Saviour of the
world who could not save Himself would have been exploded by the universal consent of
reason as a horrible paradox and absurdity. (R. South.)
18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of
Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and
the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to
death

88. BAR ES, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem - Jesus assured them that what they
feared would come to pass, but he had, in some measure, prepared their minds for this
state of suffering by the promises which he had made to them, Mat_19:27-30; 20:1-16.
In all their sufferings they might be assured that eternal rewards were before them.
Shall be betrayed - See Mat_17:22. “Unto the chief priests and scribes.” The high
priest, and the learned men who composed the Sanhedrin or the Great Council of the
nation. He was thus betrayed by Judas, Mat_26:15. He was delivered to the chief priests
and scribes, Mat_26:57.
And they shall condemn him to death - They had not power to inflict death, as
that power had been taken away by the Romans; but they had the power of expressing an
opinion, and of delivering him to the Romans to be put to death. This they did, Mat_
26:66; Mat_27:2.
Shall deliver him to the Gentiles - That is, because they have not the right of
inflicting capital punishment, they will deliver him to those who have to the Roman
authorities. The Gentiles here means Pontius Pilate and the Roman soldiers. See Mat_
27:2, Mat_27:27-30.
To mock - See the notes at Mat_2:16.
To scourge - That is, to whip. This was done with thongs, or a whip made for the
purpose, and this punishment was commonly inflicted upon criminals before
crucifixion. See the notes at Mat_10:17.
To crucify him - That is, to put him to death on a cross - the common punishment of
slaves. See the notes at Mat_27:31-32.
The third day ... - For the evidence that this was fulfilled, see the notes at Mat_
28:15. Mark and Luke say that he would be spit upon. Spitting on another has always
been considered an expression of the deepest contempt. Luke says Luk_18:31, “All
things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be
accomplished.” Among other things, he says he shall be “spitefully entreated;” that is,
treated with spite or malice; malice, implying contempt. These sufferings of our Saviour,
and this treatment, and his death, had been predicted in many places. See Isa_53:1-12;
Dan_9:26-27.
CLARKE, "The Son of man shall be betrayed - Or, will be delivered up. This is
the third time that our Lord informed his disciples of his approaching sufferings and
death. This was a subject of the utmost importance, and it was necessary they should be
well prepared for such an awful event.
GILL, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem,.... This is the last time of our going thither;
observe, and take notice of what I am about to say; some extraordinary things will come
to pass, and, as Luke relates that he said,
all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man, shall
be accomplished; everything that is recorded in Psa_22:1, and in Isa_53:1, or in any

89. other prophecies of the Old Testament, relating to the ill treatment the Messiah should
meet with, to his sufferings and death, and all the circumstances attending them, shall
be exactly fulfilled in every point: and that they might not be at a loss about what he
meant, he gives an account of various particular things, which should befall him;
and the Son of man shall be betrayed: he does not say by whom, though he knew
from the beginning who should betray him, that it would be one of his disciples, and that
it would be Judas; but the proper time was not yet come to make this discovery: the
persons into whose hands he was to be betrayed, are mentioned;
unto the chief priests, and unto the Scribes; who were his most inveterate and
implacable enemies; and who were the persons that had already taken counsel to put
him to death, and were seeking all advantages and opportunities to execute their design:
and they shall condemn him to death; which is to be understood not of their
declaring it as their opinion, that he was guilty of death, and ought to die by a law of
their's, which declaration they made before Pilate; nor of their procuring the sentence of
death to be pronounced by him, upon him; but of their adjudging him to death among
themselves, in the palace of the high priest; which was done by them, as the sanhedrim
and great council of the nation; though either they could not, or did not, choose to
execute it themselves, and therefore delivered him up to the Romans; for this act of
condemning him to death, was to be, and was, before the delivery of him up to the
Gentiles, as is clear from what follows.
HE RY, "II. The prediction itself, Mat_20:18, Mat_20:19. Observe,
1. It is but a repetition of what he had once and again said before, Mat_16:21; Mat_
17:22, Mat_17:23. This intimates that he not only saw clearly what troubles lay before
him, but that his heart was upon his suffering-work; it filled him, not with fear, then he
would have studied to avoid it, and could have done it, but with desire and expectation;
he spoke thus frequently of his sufferings, because through them he was to enter into his
glory. Note, It is good for us to be often thinking and speaking of our death, and of the
sufferings which, it is likely, we may meet with betwixt this and the grave; and thus, by
making them more familiar, they would become less formidable. This is one way of dying
daily, and of taking up our cross daily, to be daily speaking of the cross, and of dying;
which would come neither the sooner nor the surer, but much the better, for our
thoughts and discourses of them.
2. He is more particular here in foretelling his sufferings than any time before. He had
said (Mat_16:21), that he should suffer many things, and be killed; and (Mat_17:22),
that he should be betrayed into the hands of men, and they should kill him; but here he
adds; that he shall be condemned, and delivered to the Gentiles, that they shall mock
him, and scourge him, and crucify him. These are frightful things, and the certain
foresight of them was enough to damp an ordinary resolution, yet (as was foretold
concerning him, Isa_42:4) he did not fail, nor was discouraged; but the more clearly he
foresaw his sufferings, the more cheerfully he went forth to meet them. He foretels by
whom he should suffer, by the chief priests and the scribes; so he had said before, but
here he adds, They shall deliver him to the Gentiles, that he might be the better
understood; for the chief priests and scribes had no power to put him to death, nor was
crucifying a manner of death in use among the Jews. Christ suffered from the malice
both of Jews and Gentiles, because he was to suffer for the salvation both of Jews and
Gentiles; both had a hand in his death, because he was to reconcile both by his cross,

90. Eph_2:16.
3. Here, as before, he annexes the mention of his resurrection and his glory to that of
his death and sufferings; The third day he shall rise again. He still brings this in, (1.) To
encourage himself in his sufferings, and to carry him cheerfully through them. He
endured the cross for the joy set before him; he foresaw he should rise again, and rise
quickly, the third day. He shall be straightway glorified, Joh_13:32. The reward is not
only sure, but very near. (2.) To encourage his disciples, and comfort them, who would
be overwhelmed and greatly terrified by his sufferings. (3.) To direct us, under all the
sufferings of this present time, to keep up a believing prospect of the glory to be
revealed, to look at the things that are not seen, that are eternal, which will enable us to
call the present afflictions light, and but for a moment.
CALVI , "18.Lo, we go up to Jerusalem. Hence we perceive that Christ was endued
with divine fortitude for overcoming the terrors of death, for he knowingly and
willingly hastens to undergo it. (649) For why does he, without any constraint,
march forward to suffer a shocking murder, but because the invincible power of the
Spirit enabled him to subdue fear, and raised him above all human feelings? By a
minute detail of the circumstances, he gives a still more evident proof of his Divinity.
For he could not — as man — have foreseen that, after having been condemned by
the chief priests and scribes, he would be delivered up to the Gentiles, and spat on,
and mocked in various ways, and scourged, and at length dragged to the
punishment of the cross Yet it must be observed that, though our Lord was fully
acquainted with the weakness of his disciples, he does not conceal from them a very
grievous offense. For — as we have said on a former occasion (650) — nothing could
at that time have happened more powerfully calculated to shake the minds of the
godly, than to see the whole of the sacred order of the Church opposed to Christ.
And yet he does not spare their weakness by deceiving them, but, candidly declaring
the whole matter, points out the way to overcome temptation; namely, by looking
forward with certainty to his resurrection. But as it was necessary that His death
should go before, he makes their triumph, in the meantime, to consist in hope.
COKE, "Matthew 20:18. Shall be betrayed unto the chief priests— The original
word παραδοθησεται, is the same both here and in St. Mark 10:33 and plainly
includes both our Saviour's being treacherously discovered by Judas, and given up
into the hands of his enemies. He foretels that they should mock him, as if he was a
fool, scourge him, as if he was a knave; spit on him, (Mark 10:34.) to express their
abhorrence of him, as a blasphemer; and crucify him, as a criminal slave. This
prediction, being built upon the ancient prophesies concerning the Messiah,
certainly contained matter of great encouragement to the disciples, had they
understood and applied it in a proper manner; and it is a remarkable proof of the
prophetic spirit which dwelt in Christ; for, humanly speaking, it was much more
probable that he would have been privately assassinated, or stoned, as was once
attempted, by some zealous transport of popular fury, than that he should have
been thus solemnly condemned, and delivered up to crucifixion: a Roman
punishment, with which we do not that find he had ever been threatened. Indeed,
when the Jews condemned him for blasphemy, for which the punishment appointed

91. in the law was stoning, and Pilate at last gave them a general permission to take
him, and judge him according to their own law, (Matthew 26:65-66. John 18:31;
John 19:7.) it is wonderful that they did not choose to stone him. But all this was
done, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. Compare Matthew 26:56 and John
19:36.
ELLICOTT, "(18) Behold, we go up to Jerusalem.—The words repeat in substance
what had been previously stated after the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:22), but
with greater definiteness. Jerusalem is to be the scene of His suffering, and their
present journey is to end in it, and “the chief priests and scribes” are to be the chief
actors in it, and “the Gentiles” are to be their instruments in it. The mocking, the
spitting (Mark 10:34), the scourging, the crucifixion, all these are new elements in
the prediction, as if what had before been presented in dim outline to the disciples
was now brought vividly, in every stage of its progress, before His mind and theirs.
19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be
mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third
day he will be raised to life!”
CLARKE, "Deliver him to the Gentiles to mock - This was done by Herod and
his Roman soldiers. See Luk_23:11.
To scourge, and to crucify - This was done by Pilate, the Roman governor. The
punishment of the cross was Roman not Jewish; but the chief priests condemned him to
it, and the Romans executed the sentence. How little did they know that they were, by
this process, jointly offering up that sacrifice which was to make an atonement for the
Gentiles and for the Jews; an atonement for the sin of the whole world? How often may
it be literally said, The wrath of man shall praise thee!
GILL, "And shall deliver him to the Gentiles,.... To Pilate, an Heathen governor,
and to the Roman officers and soldiers under him; see Joh_18:35.
To mock him, as they did, by putting on him a scarlet robe, platting a crown of thorns,
and placing it on his head, and a reed in his hand; and then bowed the knee to him, and
cried, hail, king of the Jews!
and to scourge him: as he was by Pilate, at least by his orders: Mark adds, "and spit
upon him"; as not only did the Jews in the palace of the high priest, but also the

92. Gentiles, the Roman soldiers, after they had mocked him in the manner before
described:
and to crucify him: which, as it was a cruel and shameful death, such as slaves and the
worst of malefactors were put to, so it was a Roman one; for which reason, the Jews
choose to deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. The Persic version here adds, "and
put him into the grave": which though it followed his crucifixion, was not done by the
Gentiles, but by Joseph of Arimathea, a Jew, and a disciple of Jesus; and that not in a
contemptuous, but honourable manner
and the third day he shall rise again: this he said for the comfort of his disciples;
but now, though these things were so clearly and distinctly expressed by Christ, and
which show his omniscience, and give proof both of his deity and Messiahship, yet Luke
observes of the disciples, "that they understood none of these things, and this saying was
hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken": the words were plain,
the grammatical sense of them was easy, but they could not imagine that they were to be
taken literally; which was such a glaring contradiction to their received and rooted
principles of the temporal kingdom of the Messiah, and the grandeur of it, that they
fancied these expressions carried a mystical, secret meaning in them, which they were
not masters of: and certain it is, that what our Lord now said, was so far from
destroying, or weakening these prejudices of theirs, that it rather confirmed them in
them; particularly, what he said about rising again, which seemed to have put them
afresh in mind, and to excite their hopes of this external felicity, as appears from the
following case.
ELLICOTT, "(19) And the third day he shall rise again.—This, as before, came as a
sequel of the prediction that seemed so terrible. The Master looked beyond the
suffering to the victory over death, but the disciples could not enter into the
meaning of the words that spoke of it. St. Luke, indeed (as if he had gathered from
some of those who heard them what had been their state of feeling at the time),
reports that “they understood none of these things, and this saying was hid from
them, neither understood they the things that were spoken” (Luke 18:34). All was to
them as a dark and dim dream, a cloud upon their Master’s soul which time, they
imagined, would disperse.
PETT, "The fact that He must die means that Jesus is aware from the beginning
that it will be at the hands of the Romans, for they alone had the power to carry out
the death sentence. But here it is spelled out for the first time, as is the fact that His
death will be by crucifixion. This would come as no surprise to One who had
constantly spoken of taking up the cross. Indeed the whole process simply indicates
the normal expectation for a condemned Jewish criminal, mockery, scourging and
crucifixion. Jesus would have heard of it being carried out on the followers of Judas
the Galilean when He was a lad, and He may well have witnessed such incidents
Himself. The only unusual feature, given that He is to be executed, is that He will be
raised on the third day. For this see on Matthew 16:21. The resurrection of the
Suffering Servant is assumed in Isaiah 53:10-12, and implied in Daniel 7:13-14.

93. A Mother’s Request
20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to
Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a
favor of him.
BAR ES, "Then came to him give mother of Zebedee’s children ... - This
was probably Salome, Mar_15:40; Mar_16:1.
With her sons - The names of these sons were James and John, Mar_10:35
Mark says they came and made the request. That is, they made it, as appears from
Matthew, through the medium of their mother; they requested her to ask it for them. It
is not improbable that she was an ambitious woman, and was desirous to see her sons
honored.
Worshipping him - Showing him respect; respectfully saluting him. In the original,
kneeling. See the notes at Mat_8:2.
CLARKE, "The mother of Zebedee’s children - This was Salome.
GILL, "Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children,.... Whose name
was Salome, as may be concluded from Mat_27:56 compared with Mar_15:40. She is
not called the wife of Zebedee, who might be now dead, but the mother of his children,
his two sons, as the Arabic version renders it: James and John, and who were the
disciples of Christ: it is not certain, that Zebedee was ever a follower of him; and
therefore the woman is described by her relation to her children, and not her husband;
and the rather, because it was in their name, and on their account, that she came to
Jesus. She is said to be the sister of Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of our
Lord; and if so, might hope to succeed in her request, on the foot of relation; as also,
since she herself had been a constant follower of, and attendant on him; and especially,
inasmuch as her sons were his favourite disciples;
with her sons; her two sons, James and John, whom Mark mentions by name:
worshipping him,
and desiring a certain thing of him; that is, she came in a very submissive manner
to him, either bowed unto him, or kneeled down before him, or threw herself at his feet,
and signified that she had a single favour, and a very considerable one, to ask of him.
Mark represents the case thus, that her two sons, James and John, came to Christ, and
that they themselves spoke to him, and addressed him in this manner: "Master, we

94. would that thou shouldest do for us, whatsoever we shall desire": which was a very odd
request, both as to the matter and manner of it; that they should ask; and insist upon
everything to be done for them, they desired; and suggest, that they expected that he
would promise them this, before they declared the particular favour they had to ask of
him. The matter may be reconciled thus. These two disciples, having observed what
Christ had said concerning the twelve disciples sitting on twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel, and what he had just related, concerning his rising again the third
day, which they might understand of some display of his glory; and concluding from all
this, that the setting up of his temporal monarchy was at hand, inform their mother of it,
and move to her, to use her interest with Christ, in their favour: and which they did,
partly to shun the envy and ill will of the rest of the disciples; and partly, to conceal their
own pride and vanity; as also, they might think a request from her, on their behalf,
would be more easily granted: accordingly, she agreeing to the motion, they all three
came, as Matthew relates, and the mother is the mouth, and speaks for her sons; so that
they may be said to make such a request by her, she representing them; or they joined in
the petition with her; or as soon as she had made it, they seconded it, and made it their
own.
HE RY, "Here, is first, the request of the two disciples to Christ, and the rectifying of
the mistake upon which that was grounded, Mat_20:20-23. The sons of Zebedee were
James and John, two of the first three of Christ's disciples; Peter and they were his
favourites; John was the disciple whom Jesus loved; yet none were so often reproved as
they; whom Christ loves best he reproves most, Rev_3:19.
I. Here is the ambitious address they made to Christ - that they might sit, the one on
his right hand, and the other on his left, in his kingdom, Mat_20:20, Mat_20:21. It was
a great degree of faith, that they were confident of his kingdom, though now he appeared
in meanness; but a great degree of ignorance, that they still expected a temporal
kingdom, with worldly pomp and power, when Christ had so often told them of
sufferings and self-denial. In this they expected to be grandees. They ask not for
employment in this kingdom, but for honour only; and no place would serve them in this
imaginary kingdom, but the highest, next to Christ, and above every body else. It is
probable that the last word in Christ's foregoing discourse gave occasion to this request,
that the third day he should rise again. They concluded that his resurrection would be
his entrance upon his kingdom, and therefore were resolved to put in betimes for the
best place; nor would they lose it for want of speaking early. What Christ said to comfort
them, they thus abused, and were puffed up with. Some cannot bear comforts, but they
turn them to a wrong purpose; as sweetmeats in a foul stomach produce bile. Now
observe,
1. There was policy in the management of this address, that they put their mother on
to present it, that it might be looked upon as her request, and not theirs. Though proud
people think well of themselves, they would not be thought to do so, and therefore affect
nothing more than a show of humility (Col_2:18), and others must be put on to court
that honour for them, which they are ashamed to court for themselves. The mother of
James and John was Salome, as appears by comparing Mat_27:61, with Mar_15:40.
Some think she was daughter of Cleophas or Alpheus, and sister or cousin german to
Mary the mother of our Lord. She was one of those women that attended Christ, and
ministered to him; and they thought she had such an interest in him, that he could deny
her nothing, and therefore they made her their advocate. Thus when Adonijah had
reasonable request to make to Solomon, he put Bathsheba on to speak for him. It was
their mother's weakness thus to become that tool of their ambition, which she should

95. have given a check to. Those that are wise and good, would not be seen in an ill-favoured
thing. In gracious requests, we should learn this wisdom, to desire the prayers of those
that have an interest at the throne of grace; we should beg of our praying friends to pray
for us, and reckon it a real kindness.
It was likewise policy to ask first for a general grant, that he would do a certain thing
for them, not in faith, but in presumption, upon that general promise; Ask, and it shall
be given you; in which is implied this qualification of our request, that it be according to
the revealed will of God, otherwise we ask and have not, if we ask to consume it upon
our lusts, Jam_4:3.
2. There was pride at the bottom of it, a proud conceit of their own merit, a proud
contempt of their brethren, and a proud desire of honour and preferment; pride is a sin
that most easily besets us, and which it is hard to get clear of. It is a holy ambition to
strive to excel others in grace and holiness; but it is a sinful ambition to covet to exceed
others in pomp and grandeur. Seekest thou great things for thyself, when thou hast just
now heard of thy Master's being mocked, and scourged, and crucified? For shame! Seek
them not, Jer_45:5.
HAWKER, ""Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons,
worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. (21) And he said unto her, What
wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right
hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom."
It is probable that this mother of Zebedee’s children was Salome. Mat_27:46; Mar_
15:40. Both the mother and sons had no views at this time of any kingdom but a
kingdom of this world. It is remarkable that the poor woman asked nothing for herself,
but for her sons. Oh! how the feelings of nature exceed those of grace! How much more
anxious parents are, to see their children rise to the enjoyment of the things of this
world, than they are to see them made wise unto salvation for those to come.
SBC, "(with Mar_10:35-40)
I. Comparing St. Matthew’s and St. Mark’s accounts, we see that it was the mother and
sons together who made the request. It is a homely human picture of ambition—hers for
them and herself in them; theirs for themselves though with an eagerness, stimulated it
may be by the desire to delight and elevate her. The childlike simplicity with which the
request is made, in evident unconsciousness of its deep and solemn connections, is very
notable and attractive. They wanted the promise beforehand. They wanted, as it might
seem, to surprise Him into granting their request, as a confiding child may seek, half in
earnest, half in sport, to entrap a tender and indulgent parent. They knew not what they
asked, but there is a charm, there is even something of example, in the freedom of their
asking.
II. There is no favouritism, no partiality, no promotion by interest in the kingdom of
Christ. There is no caprice in the placing of the highest and lowest in it. The answer to
the question, to whom the precedence in the kingdom shall be given, is one and the same
with that to the question for whom the kingdom of heaven is prepared. The inheritance
belongs to a certain character, so does the precedence; every single citizen of the
heavenly Jerusalem has his place prepared for him, not only for what, but by what he is.
There is a character now forming amid the turmoil and conflict of this lower world, for
which eternal precedence is prepared by the necessary self-executing law of spiritual life
in which the will—that is, the character—of the Father of spirits is reflected. The nearest

96. to Christ in His glory will be those who are nearest Him in action and character.
III. This incident as a whole contains no condemnation of ambition. There is an
ambition which belongs to the true disciple, which exercises the Christian virtues and
does Christ’s work in the world. It is an ambition not for place, but for character. It
aspires not to have, but to be; and to be that it may work, that it may serve, that it may
impart even of its very self. If it be the case that many of us are wanting in this ambition,
if aspiration after the closest possible nearness to Christ, under the sense that nearness
means likeness, be almost unknown to us, if we are satisfied with the hope of freedom
from suffering and enjoyment of happiness, this will go far to account for the insufficient
power of Christianity to leaven society, as well as for the poverty of individual Christian
life.
W. Romanes, Oxford and Cambridge Journal, March 2nd, 1882.
CALVI , "Matthew 20:20.Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children.
This narrative contains a bright mirror of human vanity; for it shows that proper
and holy zeal is often accompanied by ambition, or some other vice of the flesh, so
that they who follow Christ have a different object in view from what they ought to
have. They who are not satisfied with himself alone, but seek this or the other thing
apart from him and his promises, wander egregiously from the right path. or is it
enough that, at the commencement, we sincerely apply our minds to Christ, if we do
not stead-lastly maintain the same purity; for frequently, in the midst of the course,
there spring up sinful affections by which we are led astray. In this way it is
probable that the two sons of Zebedee were, at first, sincere in their adherence to
Christ; but when they see that they have no ordinary share of his favor, and hear his
reign spoken of as near at hand, their minds are immediately led to wicked
ambition, and they are greatly distressed at the thought of remaining in their
present situation. If this happens to two excellent disciples, with what care ought we
to walk, if we do not wish to turn aside from the right path! More especially, when
any plausible occasion presents itself, we ought to be on our guard, lest the desire of
honors corrupt the feeling of piety.
Though Matthew and Mark differ somewhat in the words, yet they agree as to the
substance of the matter. Matthew says that the wife of Zebedee came, and asked for
her sons that they might hold the highest places in the kingdom of Christ. Mark
represents themselves as making the request. But it is probable that, being
restrained by bashfulness, they had the dexterity to employ their mother, who would
present the request with greater boldness. That the wish came originally from
themselves may be inferred from this circumstance, that Christ replied to them, and
not to their mother. Besides, when their mother, bowing down, states that she has
something to ask, and when themselves, according to Mark, apply for a general
engagement,that whatever they ask shall be granted to them, this timid insinuation
proves that they were conscious of something wrong. (654)
BROADUS, "II. Matthew 20:20-28. Ambitious Request Of The Mother Of James
And John
Mark 10:35-45. Luke does not give this, though parallel to Matt. and Mark, just

97. before and just after; but he gives similar teaching on another occasion, Luke 22:24-
30. Mark represents James and John as themselves saying, in almost exactly
identical words, what Matt. ascribes to their mother. The case is precisely like that
of the centurion (see on "Matthew 8:5 ff."), and in accordance with the law maxim,
"He who does a thing through another, does it himself." Our Lord so takes it, for he
presently addresses the sons themselves as making the request. 'ye' Luke 22:22 f.
Then came, does not necessarily (see on "Matthew 3:13"), but does naturally
indicate that this followed closely upon the preceding; Mark simply 'and', as in
Matthew 19:13. The request seems to have been made privately, when the other ten
apostles were not present, Matthew 19:24. The mother of Zebedee's children with
her sons. Tyndale and followers rendered 'Zebedee's children', probably to avoid
the immediate repetition of 'sons'; but the effect is to suggest that there were other
children besides the sons. As to Zebedee and Salome, and their sons, see on Matthew
10:2. We have no knowledge whether Zebedee was in the company, or was still
living. It is clear that the mother here shares the ambition of her sons, and so it is
not unlikely that from her it was inherited. If, as many suppose (see on "Matthew
27:56"), she was the sister of the Saviour's mother, that would explain her boldness
in personally approaching him and preferring so grave a request. Compare
Bathsheba coming to David for Solomon, 1 Kings 1:11 ff. Worshipping him here
evidently means paying homage as to a king, (compare on Matthew 2:2), for it is
precisely as such that they approach him. 'Worshipping' and 'asking' are in the
singular number, but it is implied that the sons united with her. A certain thing, or
'something,' Wyc., Rheims, Bib. Union, and so Meyer. Mark says they first wished
him to promise that he would do whatsoever they should ask—which was
presumptuous indeed. Grant—or command, that, for the Greek construction see
on Matthew 5:29. She is thinking of the two highest places in an earthly kingdom.
Could not the solemn prediction of his death and resurrection which he had just
before made correct their unspiritual conception? ay, even after the death and
resurrection had actually occurred, the Twelve retained the same expectation. (Acts
1:6) In fact the prediction seems on several other occasions also to have been
immediately followed by a dispute as to greatness in the kingdom; see on "Matthew
18:1", and hereafter Matthew 26:2. (Luke 22:24) They seem to have lost sight of the
suffering and death, and fixed their minds only upon the thought that somehow or
other the splendid Messianic kingdom was about to be established; compare Luke
just afterward (Luke 19:11),"they supposed that the kingdom of God was
immediately to appear." Our Lord had shortly before, (Matthew 19:28) perhaps the
same day, spoken of himself as the Messiah who would 'in the regeneration sit on
the throne of his glory', and had promised that the Twelve should then occupy
'twelve thrones'. Salome and her sons seem to have fastened upon that thought.
Why not ask that her two sons may sit on the two chief thrones? To place the most
distinguished persons on the right and left of a sovereign or presiding personage
was common among the Greeks and Romans, as well as the Jews (Wet.), and is
practiced among us at banquets, etc. As to the dignity of being on the right hand,
compare Psalms 16:11, Psalms 45:9, Psalms 110:1; Mark 14:52, Acts 7:55 f., etc.
Salome's two sons, with Peter, have already been treated with special distinction at
the raising of Jairus' daughter and at the Transfiguration, and this might encourage
their present high ambition. They had also shown a fiery and self-assertive nature in

98. forbidding the man who followed not with them, (Mark 9:38) and in wishing to call
down fire from heaven on the Samaritan village; (Luke 9:54) compare above on
Matthew 10:2.
COFFMA , "Christ had not yet succeeded in eliminating the "me first" virus from
the hearts of the Twelve. James and John, aided by their mother, pressed him for a
decision that would leave out Peter and the others. Repeated announcements of
Christ's impending death (and resurrection which they continued to ignore) only
kindled greater enthusiasm on their part for solving the problem of "head man" in
the church after Jesus' death. The wife of Zebedee did a noble thing in worshipping
Jesus; but her request was founded in ignorance of what his kingdom would be.
PETT, "In the context of His speaking of His death the mother of two of His
disciples, James and John, seeks Him out, accompanied by her two sons. She bows
humbly before Him and indicates that she has a request to make. The mother of the
two sons of Zebedee (see Matthew 27:56) was probably called Salome (Mark 15:40).
She may well have been Jesus’ aunt (John 19:25). This last would explain why she
feels that she can intervene here, and why Jesus commits His mother to his cousin’s
care at the cross.
Matthew has no motive for introducing their mother here (Mark does not mention
it) and it therefore suggests an eyewitness testimony by one who was there. ‘Asking
a certain thing of Him’ indicates that he had noticed the delicacy of her approach.
She had probably learned of Jesus’ comment about the Apostles as soon to sit on
twelve thrones overseeing Israel, and like all mothers she no doubt felt that no one
could be more suitable than her boys for a place of honour. So she seeks to ensure
that they will have every opportunity. The act is typical of a strongminded mother
and she may well have been Mary’s elder sister (I could visualise my mother doing
the same). But Matthew makes quite clear that James and John are deeply involved,
and it is with them that Jesus discusses the matter.
COKE, "Matthew 20:20-21. Then came to him, &c.— Our Saviour's predictions
respecting his sufferings were either not understood by his disciples, or at least they
apprehended that, whatever difficulties lay in the way, those sufferings certainly
would end in his
temporaltriumphandglory.Uponthispresumption,themotherofZebedee'schildren,
with her sons James and John, and at their instigation, came to Jesus with a
peculiar request, which discovered in the clearest manner the temper of mindthey
were in: see Mark 10:35. It seems Salome, for that was her name, (compare ch.
Matthew 27:56 with Mark 15:40.) was now in our Lord's train, having followed him
from Galilee with other pious women, who attended him in his journey, and
ministered unto him; that is, supplied him with money, and took care to have him
accommodated with lodging and other necessaries. Salome could the more easily
give this attendance, as her husband seems now to have been dead, and to have left
her in good circumstances, according to his station; for we learn from the Gospels
that he had a vessel of his own, and hired servants. Salome, therefore being
particularlyacquainted with our Lord, and having always shewn him great respect,

99. thought herself entitled to distinguished favour, and on that account readily
undertook, at the desire of her sons, to intercede with him in their behalf. Ever since
Christ's transfiguration the two brothers had conceived very high notions of the
glory of his kingdom, and, it may be, of their own merit also, because they had been
admitted to behold that miracle. They formed the project, therefore, of securing to
themselves the chief places by his particular promise, and embraced this as a fit
opportunityof accomplishing their purpose. There is probably an allusion in the
words of their request to a circumstance which the Talmudical writers relate
concerning the Sanhedrim,—that there were two officers of distinction, who sat on
each side of the asi, or president of the court;—the one called Ab-bethdin, or, "the
father of the justiciary," who sat on the right hand of the president; the other
Chacham, or the sage, who sat on the left. See Witsius. Miscel. Sacra, vol. 1: lib. 2:
diss. 3 and Bishop Bull's works, vol. 1: p. 286.
ELLICOTT, "(20) Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children.—The state
of feeling described in the previous ote supplies the only explanation of a request
so strange. The mother of James and John (we find on comparing Matthew 27:56
and Mark 15:40, that her name was Salome) was among those who “thought that
the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (Luke 19:11); and probably the
words so recently spoken, which promised that the Twelve should sit on thrones
judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28) had fastened on her thoughts, as
on those of her sons, to the exclusion of those which spoke of suffering and death.
And so, little mindful of the teaching of the parable they had just heard, they too
expected that they should receive more than others, and sought (not, it may be,
without some jealousy of Peter) that they might be nearest to their Lord in that
“regeneration” which seemed to them so near. The mother came to ask for her sons
what they shrank from asking for themselves, and did so with the act of homage
(“worshipping Him”) which implied that she was speaking to a King.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR 20-28, "Then came to Him the mother of Zebedee’s
children with her sons.
Nearest to Christ
Christ does not put aside the granting of places at His right and left hand as not being
within His province, but states the principles and conditions on which He does make
such a grant. Again, our Lord does not put aside the prayer of His apostles as if they
were seeking an impossible thing. He does not say, “You are asking what cannot be.” He
does say, “There are men for whom it is prepared of My Father.” He does not condemn
the prayer as indicating a wrong state of mind. He did not rebuke their passion for
reward. They should have the reward if they fulfilled the conditions.
I. The principle, that some will be nearer Christ than others in that heavenly kingdom.
Varied degrees of reward are prepared by God. They asked for earth; Christ answered for
heaven. Heaven is a place the corporeality of our future life is essential to the perfection
of it. Christ will wear for ever a human frame. That involves locality, circumstances,
external occupations. But if we stop there we have no true idea of the glory that makes
the blessedness. For what is heaven? Likeness to God! Love, purity, fellowship with
Him; the condition of the soul. Hence heaven can be no dead level. All will be like Jesus;

100. this does not exclude infinite variety. Perfect bliss belongs to each; but the capacity to
receive may differ. Does not the idea of endless progress involve that variety in degree.
There are those for whom it is prepared of His Father, that they shall sit in special
nearness to Him.
II. These words rightly understood assert the truth, which, at first sight, our English
rendering seems to make them contradict, viz., That Christ is the giver to each of these
various degrees of glory and blessedness. “It is not mine to give, save to them for whom
it is prepared.” Then it is thine to give it to them. To deny this is to destroy all the
foundations upon which our hopes rest. There is nothing within the compass of God’s
love to bestow of which Christ is not the Giver. We read that He is the Judge of the whole
earth. He clothes in white robes. Christ is the bestower of the royalties of heaven.
III. These glorious places are not given to mere wishing, nor by here arbitrary will, but a
piece of favouritism. There are conditions which must precede such elevation. Some
people imagine the desire enough. Our wishes are meant to impel us to the appropriate
forms of energy, by which they can be realized. When a pauper becomes a millionaire by
wishing that he were rich, when ignorance becomes learning by standing in a library and
wishing that all the contents of the books were in its head, there will be seine hope that
the gates of heaven will fly open to your desire. Does your wish lead you to the
conditions’: Some of heaven’s characteristics attract you. You wish to escape punishment
for sin; you would like rest after toil; do you wish to be pure? The happiness draws you?
does the holiness? Would it be joyful to be near Christ?
IV. These glorious places are given as the result of a divine preparation. The Divine
Father and Son have unity of will and work in this respect. There is a twofold
preparation.
1. That is the eternal counsel of the Divine love “prepared for you before the
foundation of the world.”
2. The realization of that counsel in time. His death and entrance into heaven made
ready for us the eternal mansions. Faith in Christ alone, the measure of our faith,
and growing Christ-likeness here will be the measure of our glory hereafter. (Dr.
McLaren.)
Nearness to Christ in heaven
As in the heavens there be planets that roll nearer and nearer the central sun, and others
that circle further out from its rays, yet each keeps its course, and makes music as it
moves, as well as planets whose broader disc can receive and reflect more of the light
than the smaller sister spheres, and yet each blazes over its whole surface, and is full to
its very rim with white light; so round that throne the spirits of the just made perfect
shall circle in order and peace-every one blessed, every one perfect, every one like Christ
to begin with, and becoming like through every moment of the eternities. Each perfected
soul looking in his brother’s shall see there another phase of the one perfectness that
blesses and adorns him too, and all taken together shall make up, in so far as finite
creatures can make up, the reflection and manifestation of the fulness of Christ. “Having
then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us” is the law for the
incompleteness of earth. “Having then gifts differing according to the glory that is given
to us” will be the law for the perfection of the heavens. (Dr. McLaren.)

101. Nearness to Christ in heaven not mere favouritism
Nor can such a place be given by mere arbitrary will. Christ could not, if He would, take a
man to His fight hand whose heart was not the home of simple trust and thankful love,
whose nature and desires were unprepared for that blessed world. It would be like taking
one of those creatures-if there be such-that live on the planet whose orbit is furthest
from the sun, accustomed to cold, organized for darkness, and carrying it to that great
central blaze, with all its fierce flames and tongues of fiery gas that shoot up a thousand
miles in a moment. It would crumble and disappear before its blackness could be seen
against the blaze. (Dr. McLaren.)
The Divine preparation of heaven for men
As one who precedes a mighty host, provides and prepares rest for their weariness, and
food for their hunger, in some city on their line of march, and having made all things
ready, is:. at the gates to welcome their travel-stained ranks when they arrive, and guide
them to their repose; so He has gone before, our forerunner, to order all things for us
there. It may be that unless Christ were in heaven, our brother as well as our Lord, it
were no place for mortals. It may be that we need to Lave His glorified bodily presence in
order that it should be possible for human spirits to bear the light, and be at home with
God. Be that as it may, this we know, that the Father prepares a place for us by the
eternal counsel of His love, and by the all-sufficient work of Christ, by whom we have
access to the Father. And as His work is the Father’s preparation of the place for us by
the Son, the issue of His work is the Father’s preparation of us for the place, through the
Son by the Spirit. “He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God.” (Dr.
McLaren.)
Divine rewards
Zebedee’s two sons are following Christ, but following half unconsciously for a personal
reward. Christ’s answer is not for these seekers of office only, not for place-hunters in
our day only, but for all men who would think of being Christians for a compensation, in
whatever form we give that compensation shape. Christ’s answer introduces the doctrine
of Divine rewards. Is not one of the main reasons why Christian faith exercises such an
imperfect power among men that, they misapprehend the sort of advantage they may
expect to get from it?
I. There appear to be three principal desires which direct attention to religious truth-
1. A want of personal comfort.
2. The want of moral guidance, or a rule to act by, and is of a much higher grade than
the first.
3. The want of giving and loving-of giving to the Lord what the soul feels belongs to
Him-affection and gratitude, etc. It is a spiritual aspiration. It does not stop to
inquire about advantages. It is the desire of a harmonious and affectionate union
with God in the reconciling and forgiving spirit of the Saviour.
II. These three different wants spring up from different places or faculties in our nature.

102. 1. The first comes from a mixture of natural instinct and shrewdness-self-interest.
2. The second comes from the region of the conscience. It refers to a law, etc.
obedience as, obedience-duty as duty; second only to the life of love.
3. The third originates in the soul-its love, trust, gratitude. This is the Christian
religion. Out of these three fountains flow three sorts of religious life, as distinct
from one another as their sources are.
III. The rewards God promises to those that diligently seek him, depend, in each case,
on the motive and spirit in which we serve him.
1. Religion will never yield its true rewards to those who seek it for the sake of its
rewards.
2. If sought to obtain relief from sorrow, etc., God may lead the soul on, through this
half-selfish state, into serving Him for some more disinterested affection. But such
will fail of any glorious reward.
3. God will reward every man “according to his works”-in the-line of his works, in
the kind of them-love for love, etc.
(1) In this honourable quality man’s Christian service is not disconnected from
his best acts in other lines of life. Legitimate in Christianity. Its universal
sentiment is love. All its apparatus is to educate us to that mark. This is the
distinctive ministry, which the Christian revelation brings: in Christ this is
embodied.
(2) The same principle must be applied to die desire of going to heaven as a
motive to religious endeavour.
(3) We come up at last to those acts of true religion which are done in the faith of
the heart; and here we reach the highest view of the Divine rewards, simply
because God has made these to be their own reward. They are rewards in kind.
They are large just according to the spirituality of our lives, the zeal of our
worship, the strength of our faith. They are interior, not visible. They are
incidental, not sought. They are of nobleness rather than of happiness. He
rewards us sometimes only by setting us to the performance of larger and harder
tasks, etc. When he would give His greatest reward, He gives Himself, the Holy
Spirit, in His Son. The brave and lofty hymn of Francis Xavier: “My God, I love
Thee, not because,” etc. Of our Christian religion the badge is a cross-even as
self-forgetfulness is the spirit, love is the motive, disinterestedness is the
principle, faith is the inmost spring. (Bishop Huntingdon, D. D.)
Can ye drink of My cup?-
I. Christ had cup and a baptism.
1. Christ had a cup. This cup contained the death which, as our Redeemer, He had to
die. Its ingredients were, all that He suffered. The time during which He drank it-His
lifetime.
2. Christ had a baptism. The baptism of the text was alluded to, when He said, “I
have a baptism,” etc. It anointed Him and set Him apart to His priestly and kingly
offices.

103. II. Believers partake of the cup and the baptism of Christ.
1. In many particulars, the cup and baptism of Christ were His own-and peculiar.
2. Yet the experience of believers sufficiently exhausts these words. Scripture
testimony. The events of Providence.
3. The sufferings of believers, a cup. Because, punishment by the world. Because,
death to the flesh.
4. The sufferings of believers a baptism. Because, they are purigying. Because, they
are qualifying.
5. The sufferings of believers are the cup and the baptism of Christ. In many
particulars-the same. They are inflicted on Christ-in believers. They are
acknowledged by Christ.
6. That, which to Christ and His people is but a cup, is to the wicked an exhaustless
ocean.
III. The offices and honours of Christ’s kingdom are distributed by himself.
1. As the cup and baptism of Christ were succeeded by glory to Him, so they are to
His people.
2. Some of the moral glory of heaven visible even amid the sufferings of earth.
3. The sufferings endured here prepare and fit for the high employments of heaven.
4. The fitness having been acquired, the dignities are given by Christ. He bestows
that which He purchased.
5. This fulfils the promise, “He shall see of the travail of His soul,” etc.
IV. Christ gives the honours and dignities of his kingdom to those for whom they have
been appointed of the father.
1. This brings out the place occupied by Christ in the arrangements of the plan of
redemption.
2. It brings to light the original source of redemption.
3. It shows the perfect security of the believer.
4. It illustrates the order of God’s procedure.
5. It furnishes a proof of the unchangeableness of God.
Conclusion.
1. If you are believers, you shall drink of Christ’s cup, and be baptized with His
baptism.
2. But you shall not suffer till prepared-fitness for suffering provokes persecution.
3. Your sufferings shall be-
(1) Limited-a cup.
(2) Purifying-a baptism.
(3) Joyous-Christ’s.
(4) Honourable-a crown. (J. Stewart.)

104. Elevation
Ambition is an instinct of our nature, and capable of good. The request of Zebedee was
right, though no doubt mixed with ignorance. Jesus did not reprove her desire, but
stated the stern conditions upon which such honours were to be attained. Court and
pray for great things.
1. In your inner life and personal character.
2. Take a high estimate of the work you have to do for God in this world.
3. Do not think it wrong to strive for a high place in heaven. (J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Salome’s petition for her two
sons:-
I. It had reference to a glorious temporal kingdom. This request showed some faith in
Jesus, for He had announced His death. We must not indulge dreams of worldly honour.
II. The answer which Jesus gave to this unseasonable request-
1. Our Lord declared their ignorance.
2. As Jesus knew they meant the end without the means, He asked them about their
fidelity.
3. They answered as men of courage without hesitation or delay.
4. The final answer Jesus gave to their ambitious prayer.
5. The highest place in heaven is most to love God. (B. W. Noel, M. A.)
Christ’s answer to Salome’s petition
“While admitting the potency of the prayer of faith, it is not to be supposed that every
petition which may be presented will be complied with:-
1. God in His Providence ordinarily acts within fixed laws, and with these He rarely
dispenses. A high place in the kingdom of the future will not be an arbitrary gift, but
the result of the course pursued here.
2. The important thing for us is attention to our duty, and leave the rest to
Providence.
3. No envious speculations can assist our progress heavenward. (H. B. Moffat, M. A.)
Ignorant requests
Ye know not
(1) of what sort My kingdom is-viz., a spiritual and heavenly one, not carnal and
earthly;
(2) because ye are asking for the triumph before the victory;

105. (3) because ye suppose that this kingdom is given by right of blood to those who
seek it, whereas it is given only to those who deserve and strive. (Lapide.)
Right and wrong prayers
A prayer for things not lawful begs nothing hut a denial. The saints have their prayers
out, either in money or money’s worth, provided they bring lawful petitions and honest
hearts. (John Trapp.)
Was there ever a more unseasonable request, than for them to be suitors for great places
to Him, when He had but now told them He was going to be spit upon, scourged,
condemned, crucified? Yet there was this good in it; they by it discovered a faith in Him,
that notwithstanding all this He should be exalted and have a kingdom. But how carnal
are our conceptions of spiritual and heavenly things, till we are taught by God a right
notion of them! (Matthew Pool.)
Men sometimes know not what they ask
I. These two disciples sought the place of the two malefactors.
II. They requested, so to speak, something which had only existence in their own
imagination (worldly honours in the kingdom of Christ).
III. They sought something which, in its higher import, had already been given away-
perhaps to themselves, perhaps to others-viz., special degrees of election. (J. P. Lange,
D. D.)
Like Master, like servant
Christ, like a good and wise physician, first drank the draught Himself which He was
preparing for His own. He underwent His passion and death, and so He became
immortal and impassible; thus teaching His own how they might confidently drink the
draught which produces soundness and life. (St. Bernard.)
The Church sphere
It shall not be so among you. The Church and the world have different spheres. As every
other association or body, so the Church has its appropriate organization, corresponding
to its nature. The plant would die if it were subject to the conditions of the crystal; the
animal, if to those of the plant; man, if to those of the animal; and the Church, if to those
of the world. Or rather, the plant has burst through the conditions of the crystal, and
passed beyond it, etc.; and the kingdom of heaven through the conditions and forms of
this world. (J. P. Lange, D. D.)
Ye know not what ye ask

106. There is a heathen story which tells that once a man asked for this gift-not to die; and it
was granted to him by the Fates. He was to live on for ever. But he had forgotten to ask
that his youth and health and strength might last for ever also; and so he lived on till age
and its infirmities and weakness were weighing him down, and his life grew to be a
weariness and a burden to him. Existence (for it could hardly be called life)was one long
torment to him; and then he wished to die. He wished to die, and could not. He had
asked for a thing which he was totally unfit to enjoy, but he had to take the consequences
of it when it was once given. It was a curse to him, not a blessing.
The law of rank and position in God’s kingdom
The notion of rank in the world is like a pyramid; the higher you go up, the fewer are
there who have to serve those above them, and who are served more than these
underneath them. All who are under serve those who are above, until you come to the
apex, and there stands some one who has to do no service, but whom all the others have
to serve. Something like that is the notion of position-of social standing and rank. And if
it be so in an intellectual way, even-to say nothing of mere bodily service-if any man
works to a position that others shall all look up to him and that he may have to look up
to nobody, he has just put himself precisely into the same condition as the people of
whom our Lord speaks-as those who exercise dominion and authority, and really he
thinks it a fine thing to be served. But it is not so in the kingdom of heaven. The figure
there is entirely reversed. As you may see a pyramid reflected in the water, just so, in a
reversed way altogether, is the thing to be found in the kingdom of God. It is in this way:
the Sen of Man lies at the inverted apex of the pyramid; He upholds, and serves, and
ministers unto all, and they who would be high in His kingdom must go near to Him at
the bottom, to uphold and minister to all that they may or can uphold and minister unto.
There is no other law of precedence, no other law of rank and position in God’s kingdom.
And, mind, that is the kingdom. The other kingdom passes away-it is a transitory,
ephemeral, passing, bad thing, and away it must go. It is only there on sufferance,
because in the mind of God even that which is bad ministers to that which is good; and
when the new kingdom is built the old kingdom shall pass away. But the man who seeks
this rank of which I have spoken, must be honest to follow it. It will not do to say, “I
want to be great, and therefore I will serve.” A man will not get at it so. He may begin so,
but he will soon find that that will not do. He must seek it for the truth’s sake, for the
love of his fellows, for the worship of God, for the delight in what is good. (Geo.
Macdonald, M. A.)
Place-seeking parents
Mothers should be cautious about seeking places of honour for their sons. Doing this,
they seldom know what they ask. They may be seeking the ruin of their children. It is not
posts of honour that secure happiness or salvation As the purest and loveliest streams
often flow in the retired grove, far from the thundering cataract or the stormy ocean, so
is the sweet peace of the soul; it dwells oftenest far from the bustle of public life, and the
storms and tempests of ambition. (A. Barnes, D. D.)
Ambition insatiable
Ambition is like the sea which swallows a]l the rivers and is none the fuller; or like the
grave whose insatiable maw for ever craves for the bodies of men. It is not like an

107. amphora, which being full receives no more, but its fulness swells it till a still greater
vacuum is formed. In all probability Napoleon never longed for a sceptre till he had
gained a batton, nor dreamed of being Emperor of Europe till he had gained the crown
of France. Caligula, with the world at his feet, was mad with a longing for the moon, and
could he have gained it, the imperial lunatic would have coveted the sun. It is in vain to
feed a fire which grows the more vivacious the more it is supplied with fuel; he who lives
to satisfy his ambition has before him the labour of Sisyphus, who rolled up hill an ever
rebounding stone, and the task of the daughters of Danaus, who are condemned for ever
to attempt to till a bottomless vessel with buckets full of holes. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
21 “What is it you want?” he asked.
She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of
mine may sit at your right and the other at your
left in your kingdom.”
BAR ES, "Grant that these my two sons may sit ... - They were still looking for
a temporal kingdom.
They expected that he would reign on the earth with great pomp and glory. They
anticipated that he would conquer as a prince and a warrior. They wished to be
distinguished in the day of his triumph. To sit on the right and left hand of a prince was
a token of confidence, and the highest honor granted to his friends, 1Ki_2:19; Psa_110:1;
1Sa_20:25. The disciples, here, had no reference to the kingdom of heaven, but only to
the kingdom which they supposed he was about to set up on the earth.
CLARKE, "Grant that these my two sons - James and John. See Mar_15:40. In
the preceding chapter, Mat_19:28, our Lord had promised his disciples, that they should
sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes. Salome, probably hearing of this, and
understanding it literally, came to request the chief dignities in this new government for
her sons; and it appears it was at their instigation that she made this request, for Mark,
Mar_10:35, informs us that these brethren themselves made the request, i.e. they made
it through the medium of their mother.
One on thy right hand, and the other on (Thy) left - I have added the pronoun
in the latter clause on the authority of almost every MS. and version of repute.
That the sons of Zebedee wished for ecclesiastical, rather than secular honors, may be
thought probable, from the allusion that is made here to the supreme dignities in the
great Sanhedrin. The prince of the Sanhedrin (Ha-Nasi) sat in the midst of two rows of
senators or elders; on his right hand sat the person termed AB (the father of the
Sanhedrin); and on his left hand the Chacham, or sage. These persons transacted all

108. business in the absence of the president. The authority of this council was at some
periods very great, and extended to a multitude of matters both ecclesiastical and civil.
These appear to have been the honors which James and John sought. They seem to have
strangely forgot the lesson they had learned from the transfiguration.
SBC, "(with Luk_9:38)
These are two examples of intercessory prayer. All the principles on which we explain or
defend prayer, as the communing in Christ’s spirit of submission, refer also to those
prayers which we offer for others.
I. Take first the prayer of Salome for her sons. There were two entirely false conceptions
lying at the root of her prayer. (1) She was wrong as to the nature of the kingdom of their
Lord. She thought of it as an earthly kingdom, like that of David. (2) She was mistaken,
also, as to the principles of Divine election and reward in Christ’s kingdom. She
evidently thought that places of high honour—the right and left hand of some real
throne—were to be bestowed according to some caprice of favouritism. And her idea of
prayer was, that it could win something of this kind from the Lord.
It may have seemed to the mother at the moment as if her prayer had been refused. It
was not granted according to her own narrow, fatal estimate of what she desired for her
sons. It was granted with a fulness and a power that she did not conceive then, but which
may have dawned upon her as, with Mary, she stood beside the cross on Calvary. The
opportunity of serving and suffering for Christ was given them. That was the only way
the prayer could be granted. St. James was the first Apostle Martyr and St. John the last.
II. There were petitions for others offered to Christ while on earth of a different kind to
those which Salome presented for her sons—prayers that were answered and granted by
the Lord just as they were prayed.
In that other instance of a parent’s prayer, given in St. Luk_9:38, it was, indeed, for a
child to be delivered only from bodily infirmity; but yet as we fondly believe that all
Christ’s healing of bodily diseases has a sacramental significance, and points to the
deeper healing of the sickness of the soul, we may trust that He will ever thus still answer
our prayers for others.
T. T. Shore, Some Difficulties of Belief, p. 61.
CALVI , "21.In the kingdom. It was worthy of commendation in the sons of
Zebedee, that they expected some kingdom of Christ, of which not even the slightest
trace was then visible. They see Christ exposed to contempt under the mean aspect
of a servant; nay more, they see him despised and loaded with many reproaches by
the world; but they are convinced that he will soon become a magnificent king, for
so he had taught them. It is unquestionably a noble specimen of faith; but hence we
perceive how easily the pure seed is no sooner implanted in our hearts than it
becomes degenerate and corrupted; for they imagined to themselves a kingdom
which had no existence, and presently committed the folly of desiring the highest
places. Since, therefore, this wicked ambition flowed from a general principle of
faith, which in itself was highly commendable, we ought to pray, not only that the
Lord would open the eyes of our mind, but that he would give us continual
direction, and keep our minds fixed on the proper object. We ought also to pray, not
only that he would bestow faith upon us, but that he would keep it pure from all

109. mixture.
COFFMA , "The request of the wife of Zebedee meant that she wanted James and
John to be the first and second ministers in the coming kingdom, envisioning such
offices, no doubt, as those of Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer!
Some have found a mystical fulfillment of her request in the fact that James was the
first apostle to die and John was the last.
If one wonders why the apostles thus behaved, it should be remembered that they
were still sold under sin. The great redemption had not yet taken place.
COKE, "Matthew 20:22. Ye know not what ye ask— "You are ignorant of the
nature of the honour that you are asking: however, since you desire to partake with
me in my glory, I would know if you be willing to share with me in my sufferings,
for the sake of the Gospel;" insinuating that the road to greatness in his kingdom
lay through the depth of affliction and persecution on account of truth. It was
customary among the ancients to assign to each guest at a feast a particular cup, as
well as dish, and by the kind and quantity of the liquor contained in it, the respect of
the entertainer was expressed. Hence cup came in general to signify a portion
assigned, whether of pleasure or sorrow; and many instances occur in which it
refers to the latter. See ch. Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:42.
ELLICOTT, "(21) The one on thy right hand.—The favour which had already been
bestowed might, in some degree, seem to warrant the petition. John was known
emphatically as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; John 19:26; John
20:2), and if we may infer a general practice from that of the Last Supper (John
13:23), he sat near Him at their customary meals. James was one of the chosen three
who had been witnesses of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1). Both had been
marked out for special honour by the new name of the Sons of Thunder (Mark
3:17). The mother might well think that she was but asking for her sons a
continuance of what they had hitherto enjoyed. The sternness of our Lord’s words
to Peter (Matthew 16:23) might almost justify the thought that his position had been
forfeited.
ISBET, "A MOTHER’S PRAYER
‘Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on
the left, in Thy kingdom. 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?’
Matthew 20:21-22
This mother of the two sons who had such high expectations for her boys was the
type of many a mother before and since,
I. The purpose of life is character.—The purpose of life is not what the world calls
happiness, but character. The real purpose, then, of the training of the boys on
whom we think to-day is far higher than appears at first sight. To be successful

110. barristers, brave soldiers, useful administrators is one thing: to be characters fitted
to live for ever with God and the holy angels is not contradictory to the first, but is
quite another.
II. Christ the pattern.—Having once grasped the first truth, it is not very difficult to
grasp the second. Christ was the Pattern for all ages of the training of a perfect son
for a deathless future. He learned obedience, we are told, by the things that He
suffered. He was perfected through suffering. ‘For their sakes I sanctify myself,’ He
said Himself, ‘that they also might be sanctified through the truth’; and here is the
second great truth of life. In not a single instance is a son to-day asked to drink any
cup which the Perfect Son did not drink first Himself.
III. Heaven-sent discipline.—There must be, then, some connection between
drinking of cups and sitting on the right hand of God, and good reason for our
belief that the mother’s prayer was not disregarded but answered, as so often
happens, in a different way; and the connection is this: If heaven is formed by
character, character is formed by discipline, and the drinking of the cups is heaven-
sent discipline which perfects the character. O mother at thy prayers, O father
whose heart is set upon the future of your boy, look not thou down but up! Leave
him in the Lord’s hand to mould him.
And what is the spirit of that prayer as applied to our own time? Surely it is, that
our boys may have grace given to them that they may day by day live near to Jesus
Christ. The storms of temptation may break upon them, but if they are living in the
realised Presence of Jesus all will be well with them—well with them here and well
with them hereafter.
Bishop A. F. Winnington-Ingram.
Illustration
‘ one of the mothers of to-day need fear to pray the Lord to let their boys be as
near Him as they can, and as high up in the Kingdom of Grace, and afterwards of
Glory, as it is possible for them to be. He gives the mother’s love, He hears the
mother’s prayers, and knows that nine-tenths of the goodness among men in the
world to-day is due to the faith, and prayer, and influence of their mothers who
have made them what they are.
PETT, "When Jesus indicates His willingness to hear what she has to say she asks
Him to ‘command’ that her two sons have the places of privilege when He takes up
His kingship, one on the right hand and the other on the left. She assumes that He
will have autonomous power, and will be able to command what He wants. This
suggestion fits well with Jesus having mentioned twelve thrones, for it indicates that
she is not seeking a unique position for them, only one of special privilege among
‘equals’, which even now they appear partly to enjoy (and John will have the
favoured place at the Last Supper). After all someone has to have them, why not
then her sons? Her very request brings out the growing sense that was permeating
the wider group that Jesus was planning something special when He arrived at

111. Jerusalem.
For the idea of being on the right hand and on the left hand compare ehemiah 8:4.
See also Psalms 16:11; Psalms 45:9; Psalms 110:1; Matthew 26:64; Acts 7:55-56. In
Josephus there is an example of a king whose eldest son sits on his right hand, and
his army commander sits on his left. Matthew probably intends his readers to
compare these words with his words in Matthew 27:38, where those who are on His
right hand and His left may be seen as sharing in His sufferings. o wonder Jesus
says, ‘you do not know what you are asking’.
The request indicates that at this stage at least, the Apostles had no conception of
Peter as being in a settled position as their official leader, and the two might well
have felt that his gaffes (Matthew 16:22-23; Matthew 17:4; Matthew 19:27) had
opened up the way for them.
ote the mention of ‘two sons’ which parallels in the section chiasmus the later
parable of the ‘two sons’ (Matthew 21:28), and in the local chiasmus the ‘two
brothers’ (Matthew 20:24). While possibly a little embarrassed they are standing by
hoping for the best. And it is therefore to them that Jesus turns in order to dispose
of the question once for all. For He knows that they have been very much involved
in their mother coming to Him.
22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus
said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going
to drink?”
“We can,” they answered.
BAR ES, "Ye know not what ye ask - You do not know the nature of your
request, nor what would be involved in it.
You suppose that it would be attended only with honor and happiness if the request
was granted, whereas it would require much suffering and trial.
Are ye able to drink of the cup ... - To drink of a cup, in the Scriptures, often
signifies to be afflicted, or to be punished, Mat_26:39; Isa_51:17, Isa_51:22; Psa_73:10;
Psa_75:8; Jer_25:15; Rev_16:9. The figure is taken from a feast, where the master of a
feast extends a cup to those present. Thus God is represented as extending to his Son a
cup filled with a bitter mixture - one causing deep sufferings, Joh_18:11. This was the

112. cup to which he referred.
The baptism that I am baptized with - This is evidently a phrase denoting the
same thing. Are ye able to suffer with me - to endure the trials and pains which shall
come upon you and me in endeavoring to build up my kingdom? Are you able to bear it
when sorrows shall cover you like water, and you shall be sunk beneath calamities as
floods, in the work of religion? Afflictions are often expressed by being sunk in the floods
and plunged in deep waters, Psa_69:2; Isa_43:2; Psa_124:4-5; Lam_3:54.
CLARKE, "Ye know not what ye ask - How strange is the infatuation, in some
parents, which leads them to desire worldly or ecclesiastical honors for their children!
He must be much in love with the cross who wishes to have his child a minister of the
Gospel; for, if he be such as God approves of in the work, his life will be a life of toil and
suffering; he will be obliged to sip, at least, if not to drink largely, of the cup of Christ.
We know not what we ask, when, in getting our children into the Church, we take upon
ourselves to answer for their Call to the sacred office, and for the salvation of the souls
that are put under their care. Blind parents! rather let your children beg their bread than
thrust them into an office to which God has not called them; and in which they will not
only ruin their souls, but be the means of damnation to hundreds; for if God has not sent
them, they shall not profit the people at all.
And to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized, etc. - This clause in
this, and the next verse, is wanting in BDL, two others, (7 more in Mat_20:23), Coptic,
Sahidic, Ethiopic, Mr. Wheelock’s Persic, Vulgate, Saxon, and all the Itala, except two.
Grotius, Mill, and Bengel, think it should be omitted, and Griesbach has left it out of the
text in both his editions. It is omitted also by Origen, Epiphanius, Hilary, Jerome,
Ambrose, and Juvencus. According to the rules laid down by critics to appreciate a false
or true reading, this clause cannot be considered as forming a part of the sacred text. It
may be asked, Does not drink of my cup, convey the same idea? Does the clause add any
thing to the perspicuity of the passage? And, though found in many good MSS., is not
the balance of evidence in point of antiquity against it? Baptism among the Jews, as it
was performed in the coldest weather, and the persons were kept under water for some
time, was used not only to express death, but the most cruel kind of death. See Lightfoot.
As to the term cup, it was a common figure, by which they expressed calamities,
judgments, desolation, etc.
They say unto him, We are able - Strange blindness! You can? No: one drop of
this cup would sink you into utter ruin, unless upheld by the power of God. However, the
man whom God has appointed to the work he will preserve in it.
GILL, "But Jesus answered, and said,.... To her two sons,
ye know not what ye ask. They were ignorant of the nature of Christ's kingdom,
which is spiritual, and not of this world: or they would never have asked such a question,
or sued for that which will never be enjoyed by any and supposing that Christ's kingdom
had been such as they imagined, yet in asking for honours and riches, they might not
know what they asked for; they might promise themselves much pleasure and happiness
in the enjoyment of them, and yet, if indulged with them, might be disappointed, and
find unexpected troubles and uneasiness. It would have been much more proper and
seasonable, on hearing of Christ's being mocked, scourged, spit upon, and crucified, if
they had put such a question to themselves, Christ here directs to,

113. are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with
the baptism I am baptized with? meaning his reproaches, sorrows, sufferings, and
death; which because of the disagreeableness of them, he compares to a bitter cup of
vengeance, wrath, fury, and indignation; and because they were appointed to him, and
allotted for him, they were his portion, therefore he expresses them by a "cup"; and
because they were so many and great, of such an overwhelming nature, that he seemed
to be plunged into them, and covered with them, therefore he likens them to a "baptism"
and which the ordinance of water baptism, performed by immersion, is a lively
representation of. Now Christ suggests to these disciples, that instead of indulging their
ambitious desires of worldly grandeur, that they would do well to consider what a bitter
cup he had to drink of, and what a sea of sorrows and sufferings he was about to be
plunged into, and drenched in; and whether they could think of enduring anything of the
like kind, for his sake, which was most likely to be in a short time, what they would be
called unto, and not to honours, ease, and pleasure; and what they must be sure, more or
less, to undergo, before they entered the everlasting kingdom of glory:
they say unto him, we are able; not considering the nature of these sufferings, and
their own weakness; but partly through ignorance of themselves, and a vain confidence
which possessed them; and chiefly through a vehement desire of the places in his
kingdom, they asked for, and which they thought drinking his cup, and being baptized
with his baptism, were the condition, and the means of enjoying; and so rashly affirm
their ability, and which includes their willingness to comply herewith.
HE RY, "II. Christ's answer to this address (Mat_20:22, Mat_20:23), directed not
to the mother, but to the sons that set her on. Though others be our mouth in prayer, the
answer will be given to us according as we stand effected. Christ's answer is very mild;
they were overtaken in the fault of ambition, but Christ restored them with the spirit of
meekness. Observe,
1. How he reproved the ignorance and error of their petition; Ye know not what ye
ask. (1.) They were much in the dark concerning the kingdom they had their eye upon;
they dreamed of a temporal kingdom, whereas Christ's kingdom is not of this world.
They knew not what it was to sit on his right hand, and on his left; they talked of it as
blind men do of colours. Our apprehensions of that glory which is yet to be revealed, are
like the apprehensions which a child has of the preferments of grown men. If at length,
through grace, we arrive at perfection, we shall then put away such childish fancies:
when we come to see face to face, we shall know what we enjoy; but now, alas, we know
not what we ask; we can but ask for the good as it lies in the promise, Tit_1:2. What it
will be in the performance, eye has not seen, nor ear heard. (2.) They were much in the
dark concerning the way to that kingdom. They know not what they ask, who ask for the
end, but overlook the means, and so put asunder what God has joined together. The
disciples thought, when they had left what little all they had for Christ, and had gone
about the country awhile preaching the gospel of the kingdom, all their service and
sufferings were over, and it was now time to ask, What shall we have? As if nothing were
now to be looked for but crowns and garlands; whereas there were far greater hardships
and difficulties before them than they had yet met with. They imagined their warfare was
accomplished when it was scarcely begun, and they had yet but run with the footmen.
They dream of being in Canaan presently, and consider not what they shall do in the
swellings of Jordan. Note, [1.] We are all apt, when we are but girding on the harness, to
boast as though we had put it off. [2.] We know not what we ask, when we ask for the

114. glory of wearing the crown, and ask not for grace to bear the cross in our way to it.
2. How he repressed the vanity and ambition of their request. They were pleasing
themselves with the fancy of sitting on his right hand, and on his left, in great state; now,
to check this, he leads them to the thoughts of their sufferings, and leaves them in the
dark about their glory.
(1.) He leads them to the thoughts of their sufferings, which they were not so mindful
of as they ought to have been. They looked so earnestly upon the crown, the prize, that
they were ready to plunge headlong and unprepared into the foul way that led to it; and
therefore he thinks it necessary to put them in mind of the hardships that were before
them, that they might be no surprise or terror to them.
Observe, [1.] How fairly he puts the matter to them, concerning these difficulties
(Mat_20:22); “You would stand candidates for the first post of honour in the kingdom;
but are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of? You talk of what great things
you must have when you have done your work; but are you able to hold out to the end of
it?” Put the matter seriously to yourselves. These same two disciples once knew not what
manner of spirit they were of, when they were disturbed with anger, Luk_9:55; and now
they were not aware what was amiss in their spirits when they were lifted up with
ambition. Christ sees that pride in us which we discern not in ourselves.
Note, First, That to suffer for Christ is to drink of a cup, and to be baptized with a
baptism. In this description of sufferings, 1. It is true, that affliction doth abound. It is
supposed to be a bitter cup, that is drunk of, wormwood and gall, those waters of a full
cup, that are wrung out to God's people (Psa_73:10); a cup of trembling indeed, but not
of fire and brimstone, the portion of the cup of wicked men, Psa_11:6. It is supposed to
be a baptism, a washing with the waters of affliction; some are dipped in them; the
waters compass them about even to the soul (Jon_2:5); others have but a sprinkling of
them; both are baptism, some are overwhelmed in them, as in a deluge, others ill wet, as
in a sharp shower. But, 2. Even in this, consolation doth more abound. It is but a cup,
not an ocean; it is but a draught, bitter perhaps, but we shall see the bottom of it; it is a
cup in the hand of a Father (Joh_18:11); and it is full of mixture, Psa_75:8. It is but a
baptism; if dipped, that is the worst of it, not drowned; perplexed, but not in despair.
Baptism is an ordinance by which we join ourselves to the Lord in covenant and
communion; and so is suffering for Christ, Eze_20:37; Isa_48:10. Baptism is “an
outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace;” and so is suffering for Christ,
for unto us it is given, Phi_1:29.
Secondly, It is to drink of the same cup that Christ drank of, and to be baptized with
the same baptism that he was baptized with. Christ is beforehand with us in suffering,
and in that as in other things left us an example. 1. It bespeaks the condescension of a
suffering Christ, that he would drink of such a cup (Joh_18:11), nay, and such a brook
(Psa_110:7), and drink so deep, and yet so cheerfully; that he would be baptized with
such a baptism, and was so forward to it, Luk_12:50. It was much that he would be
baptized with water as a common sinner, much more with blood as an uncommon
malefactor. But in all this he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, and was made sin
for us. 2. It bespeaks the consolation of suffering Christians, that they do but pledge
Christ in the bitter cup, are partakers of his sufferings, and fill up that which is behind
of them; we must therefore arm ourselves with the same mind, and go to him without
the camp.
Thirdly, It is good for us to be often putting it to ourselves, whether we are able to
drink of this cup, and to be baptized with this baptism. We must expect suffering, and
not look upon it as a hard thing to suffer well and as becomes us. Are we able to suffer
cheerfully, and in the worst of times still to hold fast our integrity? What can we afford to

115. part with for Christ? How far will we give him credit? Could I find in my heart to drink of
a bitter cup, and to be baptized with a bloody baptism, rather than let go my hold of
Christ? The truth is, Religion, if it be worth any thing, is worth every thing; but it is
worth little, if it be not worth suffering for. Now let us sit down, and count the cost of
dying for Christ rather than denying him, and ask, Can we take him upon these terms?
[2.] See how boldly they engage for themselves; they said, We are able, in hopes of
sitting on his right hand, and on his left; but at the same time they fondly hoped that
they should never be tried. As before they knew not what they asked, so now they knew
not what they answered. We are able; they would have done well to put in, “Lord, by thy
strength, and in thy grace, we are able, otherwise we are not.” But the same that was
Peter's temptation, to be confident of his own sufficiency, and presume upon his own
strength, was here the temptation of James and John; and it is a sin we are all prone to.
They knew not what Christ's cup was, nor what his baptism, and therefore they were
thus bold in promising for themselves. But those are commonly most confident, that are
least acquainted with the cross.
HAWKER, ""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. (23) And he saith unto them, Ye shall
drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to
sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for
whom it is prepared of my Father."
What a tender answer of Christ! And true enough both James and John drank of the
same cup though not to the dregs, as Jesus did in the alter exercises of their life. James
was the first of the Apostles who bore testimony to Christ by his blood, Act_12:2. And
John tells the Church in his banishment, of his sufferings for the testimony of Jesus.
Rev_1:9. I beg the Reader not to overlook our Lord’s expressions, concerning the sitting
at his right hand in glory. It is not mine to give but for whom it is prepared of my Father.
For I beg the Reader to notice, that the words put in between those words of Christ, it
shall be given to them, are not in the original, neither ought they to have been
introduced in the translation. And the doctrine without them is the pure doctrine of the
Gospel. It is not mine to give but to those whom the Father hath given to me, in an
everlasting covenant which cannot be broken. But all whom the Father hath given me
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. And elsewhere
Jesus expresseth the same blessed truth: for speaking to his Father he saith: A s thou
hast given him power over all flesh: that he should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him. Joh_6:37; Joh_17:2.
And what a glorious consideration is it that such a provision is made for the Lord’s
redeemed ones in the eternal purpose, council, and will of Jehovah: Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost: nothing disposing to the gift of such unequalled mercy but the divine
favour: and neither depending upon the merit of man, nor any of the after arrangements
of life. Oh! the glories of grace! Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!
SBC, "Even these great Apostles whom, from the ardent glow of their impetuous love,
our Lord calls "Sons of Thunder," were, before the descent of the Holy Ghost, deceived
in two ways. (1) They thought that our Lord would bestow by favour the glories of His
kingdom and nearness to Himself. (2) They were mistaken as to themselves, and their
own power to endure that hardness through which they were to enter into eternal bliss.

116. In a word, they knew fully neither their master nor themselves.
I. The last thing in heaven or earth, which man by nature desires to know, is that which
most concerns him: himself, his very self. Man will interest himself about all things
around him. He will be curious to know the news of the day, what is passing in other
countries, or perhaps the works of God, the courses of the stars or of the winds, the
history of past ages, the structure of the world or even of the human mind, or the evil of
his neighbour. One thing, unless touched by the grace of God, he will not wish to know—
nay, he will strive to forget, to bury it amid the knowledge of the things which he
knows—the state of his own soul.
II. If we know not ourselves we cannot know God, nor love God, nor become like Him. If
we know not what is so nigh to us as our own souls, made in His image, how can we
know Him who made them, who made, and who fills heaven and earth? If we
understand not the least how can we understand the Infinite?
III. Men think that they know themselves because they are themselves. And yet of others
we are all ready to think that they do not know themselves. Surely, if many so saw their
own faults as others see them, they would be at more pains, by God’s grace, to subdue
them. Thou must examine thyself—not by the examples of those around thee, nor by the
maxims of the world; not heeding the praise which men give thee, but by the light of
God’s endowments.
E. B. Pusey, Selected Occasional Sermons, p. 61.
References: Mat_20:22.—J. E. Vaux, Sermon Notes, 3rd series, p. 70; Clergyman’s
Magazine, vol. xvii., p. 18; R. W. Evans, Parochial Sermons, vol. iii., p. 173.
Matthew 20:22-23
Law and Prayer.
To think that nothing can be too good for their children is an amiable weakness few
mothers can resist. Salome had heard Christ discourse of a kingdom which He was about
to establish. There would be places and preferments at His disposal, and who so lit to
possess them as her own sons? A little forwardness in asking might secure a prize, and
so she said to Jesus, "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand,
the other on the left, in Thy kingdom." Our Lord answers, "To sit on My right hand and
on My left is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My
Father." In other words, our Lord says, "It is Mine to give to these, but it is not Mine to
give without regard to the will of My Father; not Mine to give to any who may ask for it,
but who have not the proper preparation."
I. From these words of our Lord we get a principle, which the students of physical
phenomena are perpetually asserting as though it were their peculiar discovery, that the
Almighty has chosen to proceed in His dealings with His creatures according to a regular
and uniform order; that He does not break this order, or interfere with this method, or
give up His will, simply because a frail foolish mortal may ask Him to do so. The text
reveals to us a law or regular method of Divine action, and by consequence that there are
things which do not belong to the region of prayer.
II. The question is not of God’s omnipotence, but of His will. The existence of God being
granted, every man, whether he be a Christian or not, makes no doubt that God can do

117. whatsoever pleaseth Him. In our ignorance we often make the mistake which was made
by Salome, and ask for that which may not be ours. If our ignorance be our misfortune
and not our fault, He who looks "with larger, other eyes than ours," to make allowance
for us all, will not treat us sternly because we have made a child’s blunder. But when, by
one way or another, from the Bible, or from the world around us, we have discovered
God’s purpose and will, then we do not ask Him to change it, but to help us to bear or to
fulfil it. Until we clearly and distinctly know what God’s good pleasure is concerning us,
it remains our soothing and hopeful privilege to tell Him everything, our secret wishes
and desires, the things we so much long for.
III. Prayer is not a mere piece of mental machinery for obtaining some temporal
advantage for which material appliances are insufficient. The kingdom of heaven is not a
mere union-house, from which the idle and the improvident, and indeed all comers, may
get a passing relief. Prayer is the communion of the soul with God, its repose upon
infinite love. In a new joy as well as in a blinding reverse, in the weariness and rustiness
of too often repeated pleasures, in the gnawing dissatisfaction of conscious failure, and
on the high places of success, to poor humble people as well as the solitary great ones of
earth, there comes the need of prayer and the crying for God: "O God, Thou art my God:
early will I seek Thee. My soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh also longeth after Thee: in a
barren and dry land, where no water is."
W. Page Roberts, Law and God, p. 14.
CALVI , "22.You know not what you ask. Their ignorance was worthy of blame on
two accounts; first, because their ambition led them to desire more than was proper;
and, secondly, because, instead of the heavenly kingdom of Christ, they had formed
the idea of a phantom in the air. As to the first of those reasons, whoever is not
satisfied with the free adoption of God, and desires to raise himself, such a person
wanders beyond his limits, and, by unseasonably pressing himself forward beyond
what was proper for him to do, is ungrateful to God. ow to estimate the spiritual
kingdom of Christ according to the feeling of our flesh is highly perverse. And,
indeed, the greater the delight which the mind of man takes in idle speculations, the
more carefully ought we to guard against them; as we see that the books of the
sophists are stuffed with useless notions of this sort.
Can you drink the cup which I shall drink? To correct their ambition, and to
withdraw them from this wicked desire, he holds out to them the cross, and all the
annoyances which the children of God must endure. As if he had said, “Does your
present warfare allow you so much leisure, that you are now making arrangements
for a triumphal procession?” For if they had been earnestly employed in the duties
of their calling, they would never have given way to this wicked imagination. In
these words, therefore, those who are desirous to obtain the prize before the proper
time are enjoined by Christ to employ themselves in attending to the duties of piety.
And certainly this is an excellent bridle for restraining ambition; for, so long as we
are pilgrims in this world, our condition is such as ought to banish vain luxuries. We
are surrounded by a thousand dangers. Sometimes the enemy assails us by ambush,
and that in a variety of ways; and sometimes he attacks us by open violence. Is he
not worse than stupid who, amidst so many deaths, entertains himself at his ease by
drawing pictures of a triumph?

118. Our Lord enjoins his followers, indeed, to feel assured of victory, and to sing a
triumphal song in the midst of death; for otherwise they would not have courage to
fight valiantly. But it is one thing to advance manfully to the battle, in reliance on
the reward which God has promised to them, and to labor with their whole might
for this object; and it is another thing to forget the contest, to turn aside from the
enemy, to lose sight of dangers, and to rush forward to triumph, for which they
ought to wait till the proper time. Besides, this foolish speed, for the most part,
draws men aside from their calling; for as in battle the greatest coward is the
keenest to seize the booty, so in the kingdom of Christ none are more eager to obtain
the superiority than those who shrink from all the annoyance which attends toil.
Most properly, therefore, does Christ enjoin those who were puffed up with vain
glory to keep by their post. (655) The sum of the whole is, that for none but him who
has fought lawfully is the crown prepared; and especially, that none will be a
partaker of the life and the kingdom of Christ who has not previously shared in his
sufferings and death.
In the word baptism the force of the metaphor is very evident; for we know that by
baptism believers are instructed to deny themselves, (Matthew 45:24;) to crucify the
old man, ( Romans 6:6;) and, in short, to bear the cross It is uncertain if, by the
word cup, ( ποτήριον, ) our Lord alluded to the mystery of the Holy Supper; but as
it had not yet come into use, I choose to interpret it more simply as denoting the
measure of afflictions which God appoints to every one. For as it is his right to lay
on every one his own burden according to his pleasure, in the same manner as a
householder distributes and allots the portions of the members of his family, so He is
said to give them a cup to drink (656)
These words contain no ordinary consolation for alleviating the bitterness of the
cross, when in the cross Christ associates himself with us. And what could be more
desirable than to have every thing in common with the Son of God? for thus are
those things which at first sight appear to be deadly made to yield to us salvation
and life. On the other hand, how shall he be reckoned among the disciples of Christ,
who desires to be wholly exempted from the cross? For such person refuses to
submit to the baptism of Christ, which is nothing else than to withdraw from the
earliest lessons. (657) ow whenever baptism is mentioned, let us recollect that we
were baptized on this condition, and for this purpose, that the cross may be attached
to our shoulders.
The boast made with so much confidence by John and James, that they are
prepared to drink the cup, manifests the presumption of the flesh; for, when we are
beyond the reach of darts, we think nothing impossible. And not long afterwards,
the melancholy result exposed their rashness; but in so far it was good in them that,
when they were free to make a choice, they presented themselves to bear the cross.
COFFMA , "The word "cup" as used above refers to the bitterness of Jesus'
sufferings. He prayed in Gethsemane that "this cup" might pass from him. The
ready response of James and John showed how little they understood the

119. implications of what the Master had just said.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:22 f. Our Lord treats the request as that of the sons
themselves. Ye know not what ye ask. To ask that they might reign with him was
asking that they might suffer with him; compare 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 3:21,
Romans 8:17. The cup that I shall drink, a familiar image for great suffering, as in
Matthew 26:39, John 18:11, Psalms 75:8, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 49:12. Be baptized
with the baptism that I am baptized, to be plunged in the same sufferings, compare
Luke 12:50, and see above on Matthew 3:6. This comes from Mark 10:38, and was
added to Matthew here and in the next verse by many copies.(1) We are able. This
was excessive self-confidence, but not mere arrogance. They were ignorant what the
cup would contain, but sincere and resolute in their devotion, as they afterwards
showed. Probably (Alexander) they thought of having to fight for the Messianic
kingdom, and the ardent spirit of the "Sons of Thunder" would swell at the
thought. Peter, the other of the three chosen disciples, made a like confident
expression soon after, Luke 22:33. Our Lord's reply is not severe, but kind. Drink
indeed of my cup, the particle rendered 'truly' in Matthew 9:37 and there explained,
indicating that this statement is placed in contrast with something to follow. Ye shall
drink indeed of my cup,... but, etc. They were not appointed to suffer as profound
mental anguish as the Master, nor would their suffering have any atoning
character; but in his service James would die as the first apostolic martyr, (Acts
12:2) and John would as a living martyr suffer persecution, (Revelation 1:9) and
sore trouble in conflict with error (Epistles of John). The legends that John was
made to drink poison, and was plunged in boiling oil, are likely (Meyer) to have
been suggested by this saying. ot mine to give. He thus lifts their minds away from
the idea of a human sovereign bestowing earthly honours to that of divine gifts. He
speaks of himself (compare John 14:28) as officially subordinate to the Father in his
office as the God-man, the Mediator, in which he has derived all his authority and
power from the Father, (Matthew 28:18) and will at length return it to him. (1
Corinthians 15:28) Compare, Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32 . The English word 'but'
might here seem to mean 'except' "not mine to give except to those for whom it has
been prepared," but the Greek word (alla) cannot have that sense. For whom it is
prepared of my Father. All the arrangements of the Messianic kingdom have been
already made by the Father, indeed made "from the foundation of the world,"
Matthew 25:34 , compare, Acts 1:7.
LIGHTFOOT, "[The baptism that I am baptized with.] The phrase that goes before
this, concerning the cup, is taken from divers places of Scripture, where sad and
grievous things are compared to draughts of a bitter cup. You may think that the
cup of vengeance, of which there is mention in Bab. Beracoth, means the same thing,
but it is far otherwise: give me leave to quote it, though it be somewhat out of our
bounds: "Let them not talk (say they) over their cup of blessing; and let them not
bless over their cup of vengeance. What is the cup of vengeance? The second cup,
saith R. achman Bar Isaac." Rabbena Asher and Piske are more clear: "If he shall
drink off two cups, let him not bless over the third." The Gloss, "He that drinks off
double cups is punished by devils." But to the matter before us.

120. So cruel a thing was the baptism of the Jews, being a plunging of the whole body
into water, when it was never so much chilled with ice and snow, that, not without
cause, partly, by reason of the burying as I may call it under water, and partly by
reason of the cold, it used to signify the most cruel kind of death. The Jerusalem
Talmudists relate, that "in the days of Joshua Ben Levi, some endeavoured quite to
take away the washings [baptisms] of women, because the women of Galilee grew
barren by reason of the coldness of the waters"; which we noted before at the sixth
verse of the third chapter.
ELLICOTT, "(22) Ye know not what ye ask.—The words come to us as spoken in a
tone of infinite tenderness and sadness. That nearness to Him in His glory could be
obtained only by an equal nearness in suffering. Had they counted the cost of that
nearness?
To drink of the cup that I shall drink of.—The words that follow, “to be baptised
with the baptism that I am baptised with,” are not found in many of the best MSS.,
and have probably been added to bring St. Matthew’s narrative into harmony with
St. Mark’s. For the sake of completeness, however, they will be examined here. And
(1) we have the question, How did the two disciples understand our Lord’s words?
We are familiar with their meaning. Was it equally clear to them? As far as the cup
is concerned, there can be little doubt that any reader of the Old Testament would
at once recognise it as the symbol of a good or evil fortune. There was the “cup
running over” of Psalms 23:5, the “wine-cup of fury” of Jeremiah 25:15, the “cup of
astonishment and desolation” of Ezekiel 23:33. The meaning of the “baptism” was,
perhaps, less obvious (see ote on Matthew 20:29, on our Lord’s use of the
symbolism), yet here also there were the overwhelming “proud waters” of Psalms
124:5, the “waves and billows” of Psalms 42:7. The very verb, “to baptize” (i.e., to
plunge into the deep), was used by Josephus for the destruction of a city (Wars, iv.
3, § 3), by the LXX. for “terrifying” in Isaiah 21:4. Our Lord Himself had already
used it in dim mysterious reference to His coming passion (Luke 12:50, where see
ote). There was enough, then, to lead them to see in their Master’s words an
intimation of some great suffering about to fall on Him, and this is, indeed, implied
in the very form of their answer. “We are able,” they say, in the tone of those who
have been challenged and accept the challenge. That their insight into the great
mystery of the passion went but a little way as compared with their Master’s, lies, of
course, in the very nature of the case. When the beloved disciple, in after years,
taught by his own experience and by his brother’s death (Acts 12:2), thought over
the words, “Let this cup pass from Me” (26:39), he must have seen somewhat more
clearly into its depth of meaning.
PETT, "Jesus then turns to the two young men who are standing there, possibly a
little embarrassed, but certainly hopeful. They are totally involved with the request.
And He points out to them that they do not know what they are asking. For if they
did they would have recognised that they were now seeking places of intense and
continual suffering.

121. So He asks them whether they think that they really will be able to drink the cup
that lies immediately ahead for Him (the ‘I’ is emphatic), the cup that He is about to
drink and of which He must drink (Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:42). This picture of
the cup as a symbol of the drinking of suffering and of the undergoing of the wrath
of God is a regular one in the Old Testament. The Psalmist declares, ‘In the hand of
the Lord there is a cup and the wine is red’ and it is for all the wicked of the earth
(Psalms 75:8). Isaiah tells us that Jerusalem had ‘drunk at the hand of the Lord the
cup of His fury’ (Isaiah 51:17). God tells Jeremiah to ‘Take the cup of the wine of
this fury at my hand and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it’
(Jeremiah 25:15). See also Jeremiah 49:12; Lamentations 4:21; Ezekiel 23:31-34;
Habakkuk 2:16; Psalms 60:3; Isaiah 51:17; Isaiah 63:6; Obadiah 1:16). In the words
of Job, ‘let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty’ (Job 21:20). A similar picture is
taken up in the ew Testament (Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:42; Revelation 14:10;
Revelation 16:19; Revelation 18:6). It is the cup that Jesus must drink to the full and
it is to be given to Him by His Father (John 18:11). It is a cup the content of which
we will never be able to appreciate in spite of all the information that we have been
given and the passage of two thousand years of study.
But the two eager young men who stand before Him have no inkling of this. They
think rather, either of the cup of the exertions and trials that will be involved in
establishing the Messianic Rule, or the cup of authority and power which they will
drink at the King’s table. And they feel capable of drinking both. So they boldly
declare, ‘we are able’. The one thing that they had no thought of was an
ignominious cup. However, these words will soon catch up with them, when they
will be given the opportunity to prove them, for in a few days time, at the first whiff
of His cup, they will forsake Him and flee along with the others. That at least the
twelve were united about. But this must be said for them, that they remained
together and did not flee from Jerusalem.
ISBET, "THE CUP I SERVICE
Are ye able to drink of the cup …? They say unto Him, We are able.’
Matthew 20:22
It is a grand answer. Both these disciples are accepted. There is no promise given of
crown or rule, but they shall be with Him in His sufferings.
I. The promise fulfilled.—Both had the cup. Was it more bitter to one than the
other? St. James was called to drink very soon after the Lord was gone, killed by the
sword of Herod. By the baptism of blood he went to Jesus. St. John’s reward was
different. It was his lot to wait, until when he was a hundred years old the call name,
and he entered into the kingdom for which he had so long before desired. They
drank, they were baptized, and they are with their Lord.
II. Its modern application.—Jesus Christ is in the world still, and still He calls men
to follow Him. Some have the thought of serving Him in His priesthood, others of
entering the religious life as Sisters or Brothers. Some may have in mind service in
the missions of the Church, not held back by the knowledge that many have there

122. suffered and died. Others whose life is to be lived at home may have seen a light that
pointed them to more faithful service there in devotion to Jesus, in the lot where He
has called them. It is the cup of Jesus they all desire; it is work, suffering, danger for
Him, and He will be with them in it. There is a thought for us all, not to be afraid of
enthusiasm in our religion, not to be ready to check it in ourselves or others. Many
fail; they have not learnt to say, ‘We are able.’ And how many there are who have
not responded to some special vocation of God we shall never know.
III. ot always the same cup.—The cup was not the same for both the Sons of
Thunder. So now there are different ways in which prayers are answered, and the
gifts of God come in different ways. If another seems to have a special call, do not be
jealous. God has a call for you, whether greater or less you do not know. Be true to
your own call.
—Bishop E. W. Osborne.
Illustration
‘The night before his consecration a Bishop of Mashonaland was presented with a
beautiful cross engraved with the Greek word Dunametha, “We are able.” o man
has greater need of enthusiasm in his work, far off in the interior of Africa. Think
what that cross must be to him. In long journeys by train or in bullock-waggons, by
the side of gold mines, amid, perhaps, reckless Europeans, or in native kraals, amid
untaught, copper-coloured men and women; in heat by day and freezing cold by
night, when baptizing with joy many followers of Christ, or hearing some sad story
of dejection or disappointment, the cross and its message are ever there, “We are
able.” It tells him of the two great souls who first said the words, and were accepted.
It tells him of the call that came to him, and of his response when God chose him for
a bishop, and so awakes in him, again and again, the spirit of enthusiasm, of
devotion. And if ever in weariness and sorrow he waits on his knees for help, the
cross upon his breast will tell him of the nearness of Him for whom he carries it, and
he too will hear the voice, “You shall indeed drink of My cup; but fear not, for I am
with you.” Will he not again rise up, and, joining himself in spirit with the other
two, say humbly and confidently, “We are able”?’
23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink
from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not
for me to grant. These places belong to those for
whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

123. BAR ES, "Ye shall indeed drink of my cup ... - You will follow me, and you will
partake of my afflictions, and will suffer as I shall.
This was fulfilled. James was slain with the sword by Herod, Act_12:2. John lived
many years; but he attended the Saviour through his sufferings, and was himself
banished to Patmos, a solitary island, for the testimony of Jesus Christ - a companion of
others in tribulation, Rev_1:9.
Is not mine to give ... - The translation of this place evidently does not express the
sense of the original. The translation expresses the idea that Jesus has nothing to do in
bestowing rewards on his followers. This is at variance with the uniform testimony of the
Scriptures, Mat_25:31-40; Joh_5:22-30. The correct translation of the passage would
be, “To sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, except to those for whom
it is prepared by my Father.” The passage thus declares that Christ would give rewards to
his followers, but only to such as should be entitled to them according to the purpose of
his Father. Much as he might be attached to these two disciples, yet he could not bestow
any such signal favors on them out of the regular course of things. Rewards were
prepared for his followers, and in due time they should be bestowed. He would bestow
them according as they had been provided from eternity by God the Father, Mat_25:34.
The correct sense is seen by leaving out that part of the verse in italics, and this is one of
the places in the Bible where the sense has been obscured by the introduction of words
which have nothing to correspond with them in the original. See a similar instance in
1Jo_2:23.
CLARKE, "Is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for wham it is
prepared of my Father - The common translation, in which the words, it shall be
given to them; are interpolated by our translators, utterly changes and destroys the
meaning of the passage. It represents Christ (in opposition to the whole Scriptures) as
having nothing to do in the dispensing of rewards and punishments; whereas, our Lord
only intimates that, however partial he may be to these two brethren, yet seats in glory
can only be given to those who are fitted for them. No favor can prevail here; the
elevated seat is for him who is filled with the fullness of God. The true construction of
the words is this: - ουκ ε̣ιν εµον δουναι, αλλ’ ᆇις ητοιµυ̣αι ᆓπο του πατρος µου, To sit on my
right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, except to them for whom it is prepared of
my Father. According to the prediction of Christ, these brethren did partake of his
afflictions: James was martyred by Herod, Act_12:2; and John was banished to Patmos,
for the testimony of Christ, Rev_1:9.
GILL, "And he saith unto them, ye shall drink indeed of my cup,.... Not of the
selfsame, but of what was like unto it; meaning, that they should endure much
persecution for his name's sake, as all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must expect in
one shape or another. Thus James, who was one of these persons, was slain with the
sword by Herod; John, the other, was imprisoned, and beaten by the order of the Jewish
sanhedrim, was banished into the isle of Patmos by Domitian; and, some say, was cast
into a cauldron of boiling oil, though saved in it: so that these words seem to be a
prophecy of what they should suffer for Christ, instead of enjoying places of worldly

124. honour and profit under him, they were seeking for.
And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: this clause is here,
and in the former verse, omitted by the Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions, and in
some Greek copies, and is thought to be transcribed hither out of Mark's Gospel; but the
Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions have it, and so has Munster's Hebrew Gospel, and it
appears in many Greek copies. James, being bathed in his own blood, when killed with
the sword, and John being cast into a vessel of scalding oil, these are fitly expressed by a
baptism.
But to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine, to give; in the sense in
which they asked it, since he was no temporal prince; nor was his kingdom of this world;
nor had he any such external favours, or worldly honours: and as to the true and
spiritual sense of such a phrase, it was not a point to be fixed now by him, as man, and
according to his own will; as who should reign with him in the kingdom of heaven, who
should sit down on the same throne with him, and enjoy all the glories and happiness of
the world to come; and though, as mediator, all this glory was given to him, and he had it
in his hands to give to others, yet to none
but those
for whom, says he,
it is prepared of my Father: for this is the true reading and sense of the last clause;
signifying, that eternal life, or the heavenly glory, is a kingdom prepared by his Father,
from the foundation of the world, and not for anybody, and every person, but for some
only, according to his Father's sovereign will and pleasure; and that this is an affair that
was fixed by him, in his eternal counsels and purposes, and in the covenant of his grace,
and not to be adjusted now; nor was the designation of it to be, nor will the distribution
of it be according to the merits of men, but the free grace of God; and though he, as
mediator, was appointed to bestow both grace and glory on men, yet only on those the
Father had given to him, for whom grace was laid up in him, and glory prepared.
HE RY, "[3.] See how plainly and positively their sufferings are here foretold (Mat_
20:23); Ye shall drink of my cup. Sufferings foreseen will be the more easily borne,
especially if looked upon under a right notion, as drinking of his cup, and being baptized
with his baptism. Christ began in suffering for us, and expects we should pledge him in
suffering for him. Christ will have us know the worst, that we may make the best of our
way to heaven; Ye shall drink; that is, ye shall suffer. James drank the bloody cup first of
all the apostles, Act_12:2. John, though at last he died in his bed, if we may credit the
ecclesiastical historians, yet often drank of this bitter cup, as when he was banished into
the isle of Patmos (Rev_1:9), and when (as they say) at Ephesus he was put into a
caldron of boiling oil, but was miraculously preserved. He was, as the rest of the
apostles, in deaths often. He took the cup, offered himself to the baptism, and it was
accepted.
(2.) He leaves them in the dark about the degrees of their glory. To carry them
cheerfully through their sufferings, it was enough to be assured that they should have a
place in his kingdom. The lowest seat in heaven is an abundant recompence for the
greatest sufferings on earth. But as to the preferments there, it was not fit there should
be any intimation given for whom they were intended; for the infirmity of their present
state could not bear such a discovery with any evenness; “To sit on my right hand and

125. on my left is not mine to give, and therefore it is not for you to ask it or to know it; but it
shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.” Note, [1.] It is very
probable that there are degrees of glory in heaven; for our Saviour seems to allow that
there are some that shall sit on his right hand and on his left, in the highest places. [2.]
As the future glory itself, so the degrees of it, are purposed and prepared in the eternal
counsel of God; as the common salvation, so the more peculiar honours, are appointed,
the whole affair is long since settled, and there is a certain measure of the stature, both
in grace and glory, Eph_4:13. [3.] Christ, in dispensing the fruits of his own purchase,
goes exactly by the measures of his Father's purpose; It is not mine to give, save to them
(so it may be read) for whom it is prepared. Christ has the sole power of giving eternal
life, but then it is to as many as were given him, Joh_17:2. It is not mine to give, that is,
to promise now; that matter is already settled and concerted, and the Father and Son
understand one another perfectly well in this matter. “It is not mine to give to those that
seek and are ambitious of it, but to those that by great humility and self-denial are
prepared for it.”
CALVI , "23.You shall indeed drink my cup. As they were disciples, it was proper
that they should be assimilated to their Master. Christ warns them of what will take
place, that they may be prepared to endure it with patience; and, in the persons of
two men, he addresses all his followers. For though many believers die a natural
death, and without violence or shedding of blood, yet it is common to all of them, as
Paul informs us, (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18,) to be conformed to the image of
Christ; and, therefore,
during their whole life, they are sheep appointed to the slaughter,
(Romans 8:36.)
Is not mine to give (658) By this reply Christ surrenders nothing, but only states that
the Father had not assigned to him this office of appointing to each person his own
peculiar place in the kingdom of heaven. He came, indeed, in order to bring all his
people to eternal life; but we ought to reckon it enough that the inheritance obtained
by his blood awaits us. As to the degree in which some men rise above others, it is
not our business to inquire, and God did not intend that it should be revealed to us
by Christ, but that it should be reserved till the latest revelation. We have now
ascertained Christ’s meaning; for he does not here reason as to his power, but only
desires us to consider for what purpose he was sent by the Father, and what
corresponds to his calling, and therefore distinguishes between the secret purpose of
God and the nature of that teaching which had been enjoined on him. It is a useful
warning, that we may learn to be wise with sobriety, and may not attempt to force
our way into the hidden mysteries of God, and more especially, that we may not
indulge excessive curiosity in our inquiries about the future state; for
It hath not yet appeared what we shall be,
till God shall make us like himself, (1 John 3:2.
It is also worthy of our notice, that these words do not imply that there will be
equality among the children of God, after they have been admitted to the heavenly
glory, but rather that to each is promised that degree of honor to which he has been

126. set apart by the eternal purpose of God.
COFFMA , "Christ did not reveal who would have such honors. All such things
had been prepared and predetermined by the Father in the foreknowledge of God's
eternal purpose. The whole drama of human redemption was planned "before the
world was"; and the important places in his kingdom were in no sense up for grabs
under the press of human ambitions. The prophecy that James and John would
indeed drink of the Saviour's cup was fulfilled when James was martyred under the
sword of Herod (Acts 12), and as, in all probability, John suffered at a much later
date.
Christ did far more than merely deny the request of that ambitious woman on
behalf of her sons. He went much further and explained that the usual concept of
some men ruling over others would not be allowed in the kingdom of God under any
circumstance.
COKE, "Matthew 20:23. And be baptized with the baptism— That is, "shall
partake of my afflictions." This metaphorical sense of the word baptism, is derived
from the
figurativeexpressionsoftheOldTestament,inwhichafflictionsarerepresentedunder the
notion of great waters passing over, and being ready to overwhelm a person. In this
view of the matter James and John were baptised with Christ's baptism; for James
was put to death by Herod, Acts 12:2 being the first of all the Apostles who suffered
martyrdom for Christ; and though the account which some gave of John's being
cast into a cauldron of boiling oil at Rome has been called in question by many, it is
not to be doubted that he had his share in the persecutions, from which none of
Christ's Apostles were exempted. He was imprisoned and scourged by order of the
council at Jerusalem, Acts 5:18; Acts 5:40 and banished to the isle of Patmos for the
word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ, Revelation 1:9. The last clause
of this verse, is not mine to give, &c. should be translated, is not mine to give, unless
to them for whom it is prepared, &c; ' Αλλα being put here for ει µη, as it is Mark
9:8 see also Matthew 17:8. Our Saviour meant that it was not in his power,
consistently with his perfections, to give the chief places to any, but to those who
were most eminent in their graces, particularly for their faith and fortitude; such
only having a right to the chief places in the kingdom of heaven, according to the
unalterable laws of the divine administration. "I can give the chief places of my
kingdom to none, but to those, who, according to the immutable laws of my Father,
are capable of enjoying them:" And in this view of the text, how poor a support does
it afford to the Arian or Socinian cause!
ELLICOTT, "(23) Is not mine to give.—The words in italics are, of course, not in
the Greek, and they spoil the true construction of the sentence. Our Lord does not
say that it does not belong to Him to give what the disciples asked, but that He could
only give it according to His Father’s will and the laws which He had fixed.
Considered as a prediction, there was a singular contrast in the forms of its
fulfilment in the future of the two brothers. James was the first of the whole

127. company of the Twelve to pass through the baptism of blood (Acts 12:2). For John
was reserved the weariness and loneliness of an old age surviving all the friendships
and companionships of youth and manhood, the exile in Patmos, and the struggle
with the great storm of persecution which raged throughout the empire under ero
and Domitian.
To them for whom it is prepared of my Father.—He does not say who these are; but
the reappearance of the same words in Matthew 25:34, throws some light on its
meaning here. The kingdom is reserved for those who do Christ-like deeds of love;
the highest places in the kingdom must be reserved for those whose love is like His
own, alike in its intensity and its width.
PETT, "All this Jesus knows. But as He looks at them, He loves them, and He is
indeed aware of what they must suffer for His ame’s sake. So instead of pointing
out that they are mistaken and have no idea what they are promising, He descends
to a certain extent to their level and acknowledges that they will indeed drink of His
cup, at least to some extent. For both will in future be called on to suffer in the cause
of Christ. Both will shortly endure regular imprisonment and beatings (Acts 4:3;
Acts 5:18; Acts 5:40), and James will later be beheaded by Herod Agrippa 1 (Acts
12:2), while John will suffer in other ways, as will all the disciples. It would be a
bold person indeed who would suggest that John would pass through the
tribulations of the first century AD and remain unscathed, and the traditions of
John’s sufferings in the mines on the Isle of Patmos may well contain some truth
(compare Revelation 1:9).
This kind of enigmatic reply by Jesus is His regular way of avoiding going into
detail over things about which the disciples are mistaken, (compare also Luke 22:38;
Acts 1:6-7), but concerning which there is no point in giving an immediate
explanation. He knew that there was much that they still had to learn and
appreciate before they could be taught more fully.
But then He points out that, whatever they may feel themselves capable of, the
privilege of being those closest to Him in authority is not within His gift. It is for
those for whom the Father has prepared it. Initially at least we may well think that
Acts reveals that it was Peter and Paul who were allocated these positions, with
John taking one up once they were dead. But they did not see themselves in that
way. And that was in a future that was at present not yet known. Jesus’ point,
however, is that it is God Who will choose the future church leadership, not man,
not even Himself. God prepares each man for the task that he has to do (John 15:16;
Acts 13:2; Galatians 1:15).
24 When the ten heard about this, they were

128. indignant with the two brothers.
BAR ES, "The ten heard it - That is, the ten other apostles.
They were moved with indignation - They were offended at their ambition, and
at their desire to be exalted above their brethren.
The word “it” refers not to what Jesus said, but to their request. When the ten heard
the request which they had made they were indignant.
CLARKE, "When the ten heard it, they were moved - The ambition which
leads to spiritual lordship is one great cause of murmurings and animosities in religious
societies, and has proved the ruin of the most flourishing Churches in the universe.
GILL, "And when they ten heard it,.... The other ten apostles, who either were
within hearing the request made, and Christ's answer, or had by some means
information of it:
they were moved with indignation against the two brethren; the two sons of
Zebedee, James and John: they were not so much displeased with the mother of them,
who asked the favour for them, as with her sons, knowing that they have put her upon
making this motion to Christ; nor were they so much moved with indignation at the
action, detesting all notions of superiority and preeminence; for they were all tinctured
with the same carnal principle, and each was desirous of the chief place for himself; but
they were angry, and out of all temper, that these two brethren should move for that,
which they thought they had as good a right unto, as any of them: wherefore, as Mark
says, "they began to be much displeased with" them, and to show their resentment, not
only by their looks and gestures, but by words; and very probably they would have rose
to very high words, and a downright quarrel, had not Christ interposed; as, from the
following verse, it appears he did.
HE RY, "III. Here are the reproof and instruction which Christ gave to the other ten
disciples for their displeasure at the request of James and John. He had much to bear
with in them all, they were so weak in knowledge and grace, yet he bore their manners.
1. The fret that the ten disciples were in (Mat_20:24). They were moved with
indignation against the two brethren; not because they were desirous to be preferred,
which was their sin, and for which Christ was displeased with them, but because they
were desirous to be preferred before them, which was a reflection upon them. Many
seem to have indignation at sin; but it is not because it is sin, but because it touches
them. They will inform against a man that swears; but it is only if he swear at them, and
affront them, not because he dishonours God. These disciples were angry at their
brethren's ambition, though they themselves, bay because they themselves, were as
ambitious. Note, It is common for people to be angry at those sins in others which they
allow of and indulge in themselves. Those that are proud and covetous themselves do
not care to see others so. Nothing makes more mischief among brethren, or is the cause
of more indignation and contention, than ambition, and desire of greatness. We never

129. find Christ's disciples quarreling, but something of this was at the bottom of it.
2. The check that Christ gave them, which was very gentle, rather by way of instruction
what they should be, than by way of reprehension for what they were. He had reproved
this very sin before (Mat_18:3), and told them they must be humble as little children; yet
they relapsed into it, and yet he reproved them for it thus mildly.
He called them unto him, which intimates great tenderness and familiarity. He did
not, in anger, bid them get out of his presence, but called them, in love, to come into his
presence: for therefore he is fit to teach, and we are invited to learn of him, because he is
meek and lowly in heart. What he had to say concerned both the two disciples and the
ten, and therefore he will have them all together. And he tells them, that, whereas they
were asking which of them should have dominion a temporal kingdom, there was really
no such dominion reserved for any of them. For,
(1.) They must not be like the princes of the Gentiles. Christ's disciples must not be like
Gentiles, no not like princes of the Gentiles. Principality doth no more become ministers
than Gentilism doth Christians.
HAWKER 24-28, ""And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation
against the two brethren. (25) But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that
the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise
authority upon them. (26) But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great
among you, let him be your minister; (27) And whosoever will be chief among you, let
him be your servant: (28) Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
In the conduct of the disciples towards James and John, we behold a renewed instance
of the effects of our fallen nature. No man hath ever calculated, or can indeed calculate,
the vast injury sustained by Satan’s seduction of our first parents, and the whole race of
human nature in them. Oh! how doth the thought of it tend to heighten the immense
mercies in the recovery of the Church by Christ. Reader! see in the disciples of Jesus, the
proof of a body of sin and death, though the soul he renewed by grace. They were men of
like passions with ourselves. How many heart aches would it have saved me in days past,
had I learnt of Jesus the humbling lesson he here taught them, in what the growth of
grace consists: namely, in being more and more lowly in heart, from a conviction of
unworthiness, and more and more to see my need of Jesus. Precious example in this
minister of salvation; who came not to be ministered unto, but though Lord of all,
became servant of all, and who gave his life a ransom for many. Joh_13:14; Php_2:7;
1Ti_2:6.
CALVI , "Matthew 20:24.And when the ten heard it. (660) Luke appears to refer
this dispute to a different time. But any one who shall carefully examine that
twenty-second chapter will plainly see that discourses delivered at different times
are there brought together, without any regard to order. The dispute about the
primacy, therefore which Luke mentions, flowed from this source, that the sons of
Zebedee aspired to the first places in the kingdom of Christ. And yet the displeasure
of the rest was far from being well-founded; for, while the foolish ambition of the
two disciples was so severely blamed, that they retired from Christ with disgrace,
what injury was it to the other ten, that those disciples foolishly wished what they

130. did not obtain? (661) For though they had a good right to be offended at the
ambition of those disciples, yet when it was put down they ought to have been
satisfied. But our Lord intended to seize on this occasion for laying open a disease
which was lurking within them; for there was not one of them who would willingly
yield to others, but every one secretly cherished within himself the expectation of the
primacy; in consequence of which, they envy and dispute with one another, and yet
in all there reigns wicked ambition. And if this fault was found to be natural to
uneducated men of ordinary rank, and if it broke out on a slight occasion, and
almost without any occasion at all, how much more ought we to be on our guard,
when there is abundance of fuel to feed a concealed flame? We see then how
ambition springs up in any man who has great power and honors, and sends out its
flames far and wide, unless the spirit of modesty, coming from heaven, extinguish
the pride which has a firm hold of the nature of man.
COFFMA , "Why this indignation against James and John? Was it not their
mother who had made the request? Yes. But without doubt, James and John had
also desired top honors and had enlisted the good offices of their mother to help
procure the coveted positions. The indignation of the ten was properly directed.
Thus, Satan used human ambition to split the very heart of Jesus' chosen cadre of
followers.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:24. When the ten heard it. They had not been present at
the time, but heard, apparently soon after, what had occurred. Moved with
indignation against the two brethren, not 'against' but concerning, about their
whole course in the matter. Mark has the same expression. Their feeling is more
easily accounted for from the fact mentioned by Matthew, that the request was
made through Salome. Here was not only an ambitious attempt to gain the
advantage over the rest, and to forestall matters by a promise in advance, but it may
have seemed an unworthy thing to use a woman's plea; all the more if she was near
of kin to the future sovereign. So near the end, and they are still thinking of a
worldly kingdom, and full of selfish scheming and unkindness.
PETT, "When news reached the ears of the ten about this attempt to pre-empt the
allocation of the most important positions, they were furious. Each of them felt that
they had a right to stake a claim, and felt that this was an underhand way of going
about it. But it was merely in each case an act of selfishness. All wanted to be equal,
as long as they were among those who were more equal than others. For each
wanted the most important ‘throne’ for themselves. And it is then that Jesus makes
clear what is actually involved in occupying one of the thrones that He is offering.
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You
know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over

131. them, and their high officials exercise authority
over them.
BAR ES 25-27, "But Jesus called them unto him - That is, he called all the
apostles to him, and stated the principles on which they were to act.
The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them - That is, over their
subjects. “You know that such honors are customary among nations. The kings of the
earth raise their favorites to posts of trust and power they give authority to some over
others; but my kingdom is established in a different manner. All are to be on a level. The
rich, the poor, the learned, the unlearned, the bond, the free, are to be equal. He will be
the most distinguished that shows most humility, the deepest sense of his unworthiness,
and the most earnest desire to promote the welfare of his brethren.”
Gentiles - All who were not Jews - used here to denote the manner in which human
governments are constituted.
Minister - A servant. The original word is deacon - a word meaning a servant of any
kind; one especially who served at the table, and, in the New Testament, one who serves
the church, Act_6:1-4; 1Ti_3:8. Preachers of the gospel are called minister’s because
they are the servants of God and of the church 1Co_3:5; 1Co_4:1; 2Co_3:6; 2Co_6:4;
Eph_4:12; an office, therefore, which forbids them to lord it over God’s heritage, which
is the very opposite of a station of superiority, and which demands the very lowest
degree of humility.
CLARKE, "Exercise dominion - and - exercise authority upon them - They
tyrannized and exercised arbitrary power over the people. This was certainly true of the
governments in our Lord’s time, both in the east and in the west. I have endeavored to
express, as nearly as possible, the meaning of the two Greek verbs, κατακυριευουσιν, and
κατεξουσιαζουσιν; and those who understand the genius of the language will perceive
that I have not exhausted their sense, however some may think that no emphasis was
intended, and that these compound verbs are used for the simple κυριευειν, and
εξουσιαζειν. See Wakefield and Rosenmuller.
The government of the Church of Christ is widely different from secular governments.
It is founded in humility and brotherly love: it is derived from Christ, the great Head of
the Church, and is ever conducted by his maxims and spirit. When political matters are
brought into the Church of Christ, both are ruined. The Church has more than once
ruined the State; the State has often corrupted the Church: it is certainly for the interests
of both to be kept separate. This has already been abundantly exemplified in both cases,
and will continue so to be, over the whole world, wherever the Church and State are
united in secular matters.
GILL, "But Jesus called them unto him,.... All his twelve disciples, perceiving that
the same ambitious views prevailed in them all: to discourage which, and to prevent
their quarrelling one with another, he called them to him, and made use of the following

132. reasonings:
and said, ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over
them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them; appealing to them in a case
that was well known by them, what the princes of the Gentiles did; or, as Mark expresses
it, "they which are accounted", or "seem to rule over the Gentiles": who know not God,
the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who neither serve and obey him, or have any
dependence on him, but assume a power of governing others, take upon them to rule the
nations of the world, and are acknowledged as such by them: these claim a superiority
over others, and exercise lordly power over them; and they that are their great ones,
their lords, and nobles under them; these also assert a preeminence, and exercise
authority on those that are below them; which they have received from those that are
above them: this is the usual way and method of the governments of the kingdoms of
this world: wherefore, for the apostles to affect and desire a superiority to each other, in
the kingdom of Christ, was to imitate the Gentiles, and to act according to worldly forms
of government; which is very unsuitable to the followers of the meek and lowly Jesus,
whose kingdom is spiritual, and not of this world.
HE RY, "(1.) They must not be like the princes of the Gentiles. Christ's disciples
must not be like Gentiles, no not like princes of the Gentiles. Principality doth no more
become ministers than Gentilism doth Christians.
Observe, [1.] What is the way of the princes of the Gentiles (Mat_20:25); to exercise
dominion and authority over their subjects, and (if they can but win the upper hand
with a strong hand) over one another too. That which bears them up in it is, that they are
great, and great men think they may do any thing. Dominion and authority are the great
things which the princes of the Gentiles pursue, and pride themselves in; they would
bear sway, would carry all before them, have every body truckle to them, and every sheaf
bow to theirs. They would have it cried before them, Bow the knee; like
Nebuchadnezzar, who slew, and kept alive, at pleasure.
JAMISO , "
CALVI , "25.You know that the princes of the Gentiles rule over them. It is first
said that Christ called them to him, that he might reprove them in private; and next
we learn from it that, being ashamed of their ambition, they did not openly
complain, but that a sort of hollow murmur arose, and every one secretly preferred
himself to the rest. He does not explain generally how deadly a plague ambition is,
but simply warns them, that nothing is more foolish than to fight about nothing.
(662) He shows that the primacy, which was the occasion of dispute among them,
has no existence in his kingdom. Those persons, therefore, who extend this saying
indiscriminately to all the godly are mistaken; for Christ only takes occasion from
the present occurrence to show that it is absurd in the apostles to dispute about the
degree of power and honor in their own rank, because the office of teaching, to
which they were appointed, has no resemblance to the governments of the world. I
do acknowledge that this doctrine applies both to private persons and to kings and
magistrates; for no man deserves to be reckoned one of Christ’s flock, unless he has
made such proficiency under the teacher of humility, as to claim nothing for
himself, but condescend to cultivate brotherly love. This is, no doubt, true; but the
design of Christ was, as I have said, to distinguish between the spiritual government
of his Church and the empires of the world, that the apostles might not look for the

133. favors of a court; for in proportion as any of the nobles is loved by kings, he rises to
wealth and distinction. But Christ appoints pastors of his Church, not to rule, but to
serve
This reflects the error of the Anabaptists, who exclude kings and magistrates from
the Church of God, because Christ declares (663) that they are not like his disciples;
though the comparison is here made not between Christians and ungodly men, but
between the nature of their offices. Besides, Christ did not look so much at the
persons of men as at the condition of his Church. For it was possible that one who
was governor of a village or of a city might, in a case of urgent necessity, discharge
also the office of teaching; but Christ satisfied himself with explaining what belongs
to the apostolic office and what is at variance with it.
But a question arises, Why does Christ, who appointed separate orders in his
Church, disown in this passage all degrees? For he appears to throw them all down,
or, at least, to place them on a level, so that not one rises above the rest. But natural
reason prescribes a very different method; and Paul, when describing the
government of the Church, (Ephesians 4:11,) enumerates the various departments
of the ministry, in such a manner as to make the rank of apostleship higher than the
office of pastors. Timothy and Titus also, are unquestionably enjoined by him to
exercise authoritative superintendence over others, according to the command of
God. I reply, if we carefully examine the whole, it will be found that even kings do
not rule justly or lawfully, unless they serve; but that the apostolic office differs
from earthly government in this respect, that the manner in which kings and
magistrates serve does not prevent them from governing, or indeed from rising
above their subjects in magnificent pomp and splendor. Thus David, Hezekiah, and
others of the same class, while they were the willing servants of all, used a scepter, a
crown, a throne, and other emblems of royalty. But the government of the Church
admits nothing of this sort; for Christ allowed the pastors nothing more than to be
ministers, and to abstain entirely from the exercise of authority. Here, to it ought to
be observed, that the discourse relates to the thing itself rather than to the
disposition. Christ distinguishes between the apostles and the rank of kings, not
because kings have a right to act haughtily, but because the station of royalty is
different from the apostolic office. While, therefore, both ought to be humble, it is
the duty of the apostles always to consider what form of government the Lord has
appointed for his Church.
As to the words which Matthew employs, the princes of the Gentiles rule over them,
Luke conveys the same import by saying, they are called benefactors; which means,
that kings possess great wealth and abundance, in order that they may be generous
and bountiful. For though kings have greater delight in their power, and a stronger
desire that it should be formidable, than that it should be founded in the consent of
the people, still they desire the praise of munificence. (664) Hence, too, they take the
name in the Hebrew language, ‫,נדיבים‬ (nedibim ) They are so called from bestowing
gifts; (665) for taxes and tributes are paid to them for no other purpose than to
furnish the expense necessary to the magnificence of their rank.

134. COFFMA , "This statement of Christ does not merely repeat a well-known fact for
emphasis. This is not a case of poetry in which the meaning of the first clause is
exactly duplicated in the second. The full meaning appears when the pyramidal
quality of Gentile government is observed.
Their Great Ones
The Rulers of the Gentiles
The Gentiles
There are three ranks (tiers) of authority. Thus, the rulers of the Gentiles lord it
over the Gentiles, and their great ones exercise authority upon the rulers of the
Gentiles. Christ categorically denied any such pyramidal system of government any
place whatsoever in his kingdom. "All of you are brethren" (Matthew 23:8). True
greatness in Christ's kingdom lies not in office but in service. Jesus very wisely
identified such pyramided governments as "Gentile," thus indicating their rejection
in his kingdom of love and service, rather than of strutting power. That such Gentile
forms of power exist in so-called Christian religions today does not nor cannot make
it right.
PETT, "He points out to them that it is the way of the world, and especially of the
Gentiles who are the very ones who will exercise their power against Him (Matthew
20:19), that rulers lord it over people, and great ones vaunt their authority over
people. This is what sitting on a ‘throne’ means to them, and it is true even of the
most benevolent. Thus anyone who seeks for such a position is behaving like the
Gentiles, and behaving like the Gentiles is synonymous with the worst possible type
of irreligious behaviour (Matthew 5:47; Matthew 6:7; Matthew 6:32; Matthew 7:6).
It is to behave as one not involved in the Kingly Rule of Heaven.
COKE, "Matthew 20:25. The princes of the Gentiles— Of the nations around. For
God had prescribed to the children of Israel a just and equitable form of
government. See Deuteronomy 17:14., to the end. The word rendered, have
dominion over them, Κατακυριευουσιν, signifies sometimes to use an immoderate
and arbitrary power. See Mark 10:42. It imports the abuse of royal authority (see 1
Samuel 8:11., &c.) which God sometimes is pleased to permit for the punishment of
men's iniquities. Jesus, solicitous to cure that pride, which made some of his
disciples ambitious, and others jealous, called them unto him, and told them that his
kingdom was not, as they imagined, of the same nature with the kingdoms of the
world; and that the greatness of his disciples was not the greatness of secular
princes, which consists in reigning over others with absolute and despotic sway. See
Grotius, and Beausobre and Lenfant.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:25-28. What a sorrowful task for the loving Saviour, to
repress these ambitions and asperities. Called them unto him. The two may have
been still with him, or all may have been summoned together. He refers to the fact
that high places of authority and dominion belong to worldly kingdoms. It shall not

135. be so among you, or more likely, not so it is among you.(1) Will be, or wishes to
become; and so 'wishes to be.' For minister and servant, or more exactly 'bond
servant' (Rev. Ver. margin), compare on Matthew 8:6. Alas! how easily human
ambition can use these very words and yet retain its own spirit. The "great ones" in
a kingdom are called "ministers." Even the Christian "minister" will sometimes
'lord it' over his charge; (1 Peter 5:8, same word as here) and the often arrogant
despot in the Vatican calls himself "the servant of servants of the servants of God."
Even as the Son of man (see on "Matthew 8:20"), the Messiah himself did not come
to enthrone himself in an earthly kingdom, with higher and lower officials to wait
on him. How different from all this his life had been they knew; and he here
declares that such was the purpose of his coming. Compare Luke 22:27; Philippians
2:5; Romans 15:8. And now comes a phrase of the highest moment, such as the
Saviour has not before employed. He has spoken repeatedly of his approaching
death (Matthew 16:21, Matthew 17:22, Matthew 20:19; compare John 7:33), but
now it is added that his death will be redeeming and vicarious, and that this was the
design of his coming. Mark 10:45 has precisely the same expression. This
remarkable statement must have been quite beyond the comprehension of the
disciples, till afterwards brought to their remembrance by the Holy Spirit. (John
14:26) His life, compare on Matthew 16:25. A ransom (Greek lutron). The Greek
verb (luo) means to loose, release, e. g., a prisoner, Acts 22:30. (termination—tron)
is the means or instrument of releasing, and this in the case of a captive is naturally
a ransom. The word is often used in the classics and the Septuagint (Liddell and
Scott, Cremer) to denote a ransom in money, and in corresponding figurative senses.
So here Christ's life is given as 'a ransom,' serving to redeem men from captivity,
from the power of sin and spiritual death. From this word lutron are formed the
words translated in the ew Testament 'redeem' and 'redemption'. Our English
word ransom is the French rangon, contracted from the Latin redemptio, which we
afterwards borrowed separately as redemption. The Old Latin and Vulgate here
render redemptionem; so Cranmer and Rheims, 'a redemption for many'. The
preposition rendered 'for' (anti) necessarily means 'instead of,' involving
substitution, a vicarious death. The preposition in Mark 14:24 and commonly
employed by Paul in speaking of Christ's death for us (compare John 11:51) is
huper, which means 'in behalf of,' 'for the benefit of,' and derivatively 'instead of'
wherever the nature of the case suggests that idea, wherever performing an action
for one's benefit involves performing it in his stead. This derivative use of huper is
frequent enough in the classics, and that Paul often employs it to mean 'instead of' is
beyond all reasonable question. When objectors urge that that is only a secondary
meaning of huper, and require us to prove otherwise that Christ's death was
vicarious, then it is well to remember that here (and so in Mark) the preposition is
huper, which no one can possibly deny to have, and necessarily, the meaning
'instead of'; and in 1 Timothy 2:6, while 'for' is huper, this same anti is prefixed to
lutron, "who gave himself a substitutionary ransom for all." In Matthew 26:28 the
preposition is peri, concerning. For many, Christ's atoning death made it
compatible with the divine justice that all should be saved if they would accept it on
that ground; and in that sense he "gave himself a ransom for all", (1 Timothy 2:6)
"tasted death for every man", (Hebrews 2:9) compare 1 John 2:2; but his death was
never expected, nor divinely designed, actually to secure the salvation of all, and so

136. in the sense of specific purpose he came "to give his life a ransom for many,"
Compare Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 9:28, Romans 5:15, Romans 5:18, Isaiah 53:12.
Henry: "Sufficient for all, effectual for many."(2)
ELLICOTT, "(25) Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles.— o words of reproof
could more strongly point the contrast between the true and the false views of the
Messiah’s kingdom. The popular Jewish expectations, shared by the disciples, were
really heathen in their character, substituting might for right, and ambition for the
true greatness of service.
Exercise dominion over them.—Better, as in 1 Peter 5:3, lord it over them. It is not
easy to find a like forcible rendering for the other word, but we must remember that
it, too, implies a wrong exercise of authority, in the interest, not of the subjects, but
of the rulers
26 ot so with you. Instead, whoever wants to
become great among you must be your servant,
=
CLARKE, "It shall not be so among you - Every kind of lordship and spiritual
domination over the Church of Christ, like that exercised by the Church of Rome, is
destructive and anti-christian.
Your minister - Or, deacon, διακονος. I know no other word which could at once
convey the meaning of the original, and make a proper distinction between it and δουλος,
or servant, in Mat_20:27. The office of a deacon, in the primitive Church, was to serve in
the agapae, or love feasts, to distribute the bread and wine to the communicants; to
proclaim different parts and times of worship in the churches; and to take care of the
widows, orphans, prisoners, and sick, who were provided for out of the revenues of the
Church. Thus we find it was the very lowest ecclesiastical office. Deacons were first
appointed by the apostles, Act_6:1-6; they had the care of the poor, and preached
occasionally.
GILL, "But it shall not be so among you,.... This is not to be extended to Christian
nations, as if there were to be no order of magistracy subsisting in them; but that all
must be on a level, and no distinction of princes and subjects, of governors and
governed; nor to Christian churches, as if there was no ecclesiastical authority to be
used, or any church government and power to be exercised; none to rule, whom others
are to obey and submit themselves to; but is to be restrained to the apostles as such,
among whom there was an entire equality; being all apostles of Christ, being equally

137. qualified and sent, and put into the selfsame office by him: the same holds good of all
pastors of churches, who have no superintendency and pre-eminence over one another,
or can, or ought to exercise any lordly power and authority, one, or more, over the rest;
being equally invested with the same office power, one as another: for otherwise Christ's
kingdom would appear like the nations of the world, and to be of a worldly nature;
whereas it is spiritual, and does not lie in worldly pomp and grandeur, and in external
superiority and pre-eminence of one another; but in the spiritual administration of the
word and ordinances; which every pastor of a church has an equal right to exercise, and
obedience to them lies in a submission to these things:
but whosoever will be great among you, let him be, or, as in Mark,
shall be your minister: whoever would be reckoned a great man in the kingdom of
Christ, or under the Gospel dispensation, must be a minister to others if he is desirous of
being truly great in the esteem of God, and of men, he must do great service for Christ,
and to the souls of men; and seek to bring great glory to God, by faithfully ministering
the word and ordinances, and by denying himself worldly honour and glory, and by
serving others, through much reproach, difficulty, and opposition.
HE RY, "[2.] What is the will of Christ concerning his apostles and ministers, in this
matter.
First, “It shall not be so among you. The constitution of the spiritual kingdom is quite
different from this. You are to teach the subjects of this kingdom, to instruct and beseech
them, to counsel and comfort them, to take pains with them, and suffer with them, not
to exercise dominion or authority over them; you are not to lord it over God's heritage
(1Pe_5:3), but to labour in it.” This forbids not only tyranny, and abuse of power, but the
claim or use of any such secular authority as the princes of the Gentiles lawfully exercise.
So hard is it for vain men, even good men, to have such authority, and not to be puffed
up with it, and do more hurt than good with it, that our Lord Jesus saw fit wholly to
banish it out of his church. Paul himself disowns dominion over the faith of any, 2Co_
1:24. The pomp and grandeur of the princes of the Gentiles ill become Christ's disciples.
Now, if there were no such power and honour intended to be in the church, it was
nonsense for them to be striving who should have it. They knew not what they asked.
Secondly, How then shall it be among the disciples of Christ? Something of greatness
among them Christ himself had intimated, and here he explains it; “He that will be great
among you, that will be chief, that would really be so, and would be found to be so at
last, let him be your minister, your servant,” Mat_20:26, Mat_20:27. Here observe, 1.
That it is the duty of Christ's disciples to serve one another, for mutual edification. This
includes both humility and usefulness. The followers of Christ must be ready to stoop to
the meanest offices of love for the good one of another, must submit one to another
(1Pe_5:5; Eph_5:21), and edify one another (Rom_14:19), please one another for good,
Rom_15:2. The great apostle made himself every one's servant; see 1Co_9:19. 2. It is the
dignity of Christ's disciples faithfully to discharge this duty. The way to be great and
chief is to be humble and serviceable. Those are to be best accounted of, and most
respected, in the church, and will be so by all that understand things aright; not those
that are dignified with high and mighty names, like the names of the great ones of the
earth, that appear in pomp, and assume to themselves a power proportionable, but those
that are most humble and self-denying, and lay out themselves most to do good, though
to the diminishing of themselves. These honour God most, and those he will honour. As
he must become a fool that would be wise, so he must become a servant that would be

138. chief. St. Paul was a great example of this; he laboured more abundantly than they all,
made himself (as some would call it) a drudge to his work; and is not he chief? Do we not
by consent call him the great apostle, though he called himself less than the least? And
perhaps our Lord Jesus had an eye to him, when he said, There were last that should be
first; for Paul was one born out of due time (1Co_15:8); not only the youngest child of
the family of the apostles, but a posthumous one, yet he became greatest. And perhaps
he it was for whom the first post of honour in Christ's kingdom was reserved and
prepared of his Father, not for James who sought it; and therefore just before Paul
began to be famous as an apostle, Providence ordered it so that James was cut off (Act_
12:2), that in the college of the twelve Paul might be substituted in his room.
SBC, "I. These words have something to tell us of the nature of true greatness. Though
Christ does not ignore intellects, or even riches, He yet regards these things, and all
things like these, as but instruments; and he is, in the gospel sense of the word, the
greatest who uses all such gifts or possessions in the service of mankind. If this view of
the case be correct, one or two inferences of importance follow from it. (1) It is evident
that he who wins this greatness does not win it at the expense of others. (2) It follows,
further, that we may win this greatness anywhere. (3) It follows, thirdly, that this
greatness is satisfying to its possessor.
II. The text has something to say to us, in the next place, about the model of true
greatness. "Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and
to give his life a ransom for many." In one point of view the greatness of God is that of
service. All things depend on Him. He holds the planets in their orbits. He rules the
changing year. The highest of all is the servant of all. But striking as the nobleness and
the divinity of service appear, when we look thus at the universal ministry of God, we
have a more impressive illustration of the same thing in the mission and work of the
Lord Jesus. In creation and providence God lays nothing aside. But in redemption it was
different. To deliver man from the guilt and power of sin it was needed that the Son of
God should become a man, and, after a life of obedience, should submit to a death of
shame; and there was sacrifice. When that was done Jehovah rendered the highest
service to humanity and gave a pattern of the loftiest greatness.
III. This text has something to say to us about the motive to true greatness. We are to
seek it for the sake of Him who gave Himself for us. Jesus does not say in so many
words, "Serve one another, because I have served you;" but still the reference which He
makes to His death, as an example, brings before every Christian’s mind the magnitude
of the obligation under which Christ has laid him.
W. M. Taylor, Contrary Winds and Other Sermons, p. 215:
CALVI , "26.It shall not be so among you. There can be no doubt that Christ refers
to the foolish imagination by which he saw that the apostles were deceived. “It is
foolish and improper in you,” he says, “to imagine a kingdom, which is unsuitable to
me; and therefore, if you desire to serve me faithfully, you must resort to a different
method, which is, that each of you may strive to serve others.” (666) But whoever
wishes to be great among you, let him be your servant. These words are employed in
an unusual sense; for ambition does not allow a man to be devoted, or, rather, to be
subject to his brethren. Abject flattery, I do acknowledge, is practiced by those who

139. aspire to honors, but nothing is farther from their intention than to serve But
Christ’s meaning is not difficult to be perceived. As every man is carried away by a
love of himself, he declares that this passion ought to be directed to a different
object. Let the only greatness, eminence, and rank, which you desire, be, to submit
to your brethren; and let this be your primacy, to be the servants of all.
ELLICOTT, "(26) Whosoever will be great.—Better, whosoever wisheth to be great.
The man who was conscious, as the disciples were, of the promptings of ambition
was at once to satisfy and purify them by finding his greatness in active service; not
because that service leads to greatness of the type which natural ambition seeks for,
but because it is in itself the truest and highest greatness.
PETT, "But it is to be very different among the Apostles. That is why this seeking
after positions is so unseemly. For the one who would be great among them must
seek rather how they can serve, and the one who would be first among them (sitting
at His right hand or His left) must recognise that it involves acting like a slave. This
is what ‘sitting on a throne’ involves under the Kingly Rule of Heaven. And this
attitude of heart, unnoticed by them, has been, and will continue to be, His constant
theme (Matthew 20:1-15 - where they are common labourers; Luke 12:37 - where
Jesus Himself serves at table for those who have humbly served Him as house
servants; Luke 17:8-10 - where the servants acknowledge their unworthiness; Luke
22:27 - where they are to emulate His humble service).
It is evidence of the sinfulness of men’s hearts that religious people who want to
emulate the Gentiles take such terms as ‘servant’ (diakonos) and turn them into
titles of honour, and eagerly court them that they might be had in honour. But that
is not Jesus intent here. The idea of Jesus is of genuine service, lowliness and
humility (Matthew 11:28-30). The man who seeks to be a minister or a deacon so as
to be had in honour, is not worthy of the position. And the one who thinks himself to
be something when he is such simply demonstrates his unsuitability for ministry.
For those who truly serve Him see themselves as the slaves of Christand the slaves of
others(Matthew 20:27). They have no sense of superiority at all.
27 and whoever wants to be first must be your
slave—
CLARKE, "Your servant - ∆ουλος the lowest secular office, as deacon was the

140. lowest ecclesiastical office: δουλος is often put for slave.
From these directions of our Lord, we may easily discern what sort of a spirit his
ministers should be of.
1. A minister of Christ is not to consider himself a lord over Christ’s flock.
2. He is not to conduct the concerns of the Church with an imperious spirit.
3. He is to reform the weak, after Christ’s example, more by loving instruction than
by reproof or censure.
4. He should consider that true apostolic greatness consists in serving the followers
of Christ with all the powers and talents he possesses.
5. That he should be ready, if required, to give up his life unto death, to promote the
salvation of men.
GILL, "And whosoever will be chief among you,.... Or first, or have the pre-
eminence, the first place in the kingdom of the Messiah,
let him be your servant; or, as in Mark,
shall be servant of all: not only a minister, but a servant; not a servant of some only,
but of all. This was verified in the Apostle Paul, who became a servant to all men, though
he was free, that he might gain some to Christ; and by so doing was the chief, though he
reckoned himself the least of the apostles, yea, less than the least of all saints. The Jews
have a saying somewhat like this, that (h).
"everyone that makes himself ‫,כעבד‬ as a servant, for the words of the law in this world,
shall be made free in the world to come.''
SBC, "I. The answer of our Lord is entirely at variance with the law of the children of
this world. Greatness in this world is universally sought by exalting a man’s self; more
wealth, more power, more esteem among men, a grander display and more profuse
luxuries—these are landmarks in the world’s path to greatness. And no wonder, for the
world is naturally selfish, and all its practice, however varnished over by civilization and
religion, is but refined selfishness still. It is not only unwittingly that the world acts
counter to our Saviour’s rule, but deliberately and habitually.
II. "Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister," etc. This
example is of immense importance. If it had not existed, it might have been said, The
rule is metaphorical, to be understood figuratively; it means that a humble spirit is the
way to advancement in Christ’s kingdom, not that any outward conduct showing
humiliation is required. Jesus Christ would be chief among us, and He became our
servant. Ye who are ambitious look upon Him, He recognises your upward impulse. It is
a noble endeavour, to rise. Eminence is a legitimate object; "forward," a watchword
worthy of the Christian soldier. But let it be well understood what this eminence is;
towards what this forward endeavour is to be directed. The Saviour of sinners is your
pattern. Like that Saviour become a servant.
III. Let it be with each of us a subject of serious inquiry whether our religion will stand

141. this test; whether we are making ourselves the servants of others for their good, after the
pattern of Christ, or are spending our labours in self-advancement. To become the
servants of all, for their temporal and spiritual welfare, may be accounted worldly folly,
but it will be heavenly wisdom. And when the world has passed away and man’s final
state arrives, our object will not have passed, but will then be first gained: to reach Him
after whom we have been striving, to awake up after His long-sought likeness, and be
satisfied.
H. Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. i., p. 51.
COKE, "Matthew 20:27. Let him be your servant— There is a gradation here not
commonly observed: the original word διακονος in the former verse, which, for
want of a better word, we rendered minister, is a name which might be given to any
who occasionally attended others,or were statedly employed to render them any
particular kind of service; but δουλος, servant, signifies one, whose whole business it
is to serve, and who is indeed the property of another. Our Lord appears to mean,
that he who presides over others, ought to consider his station, not so much a noble
and high post, as a charge and office, which indispensably obliges him to be always
ready to defend and assist his subjects. This may be an allusion to what is said,
Deuteronomy 17:20 that the heart of the king of Israel ought not to be lifted up
above his brethren; and generally, indeed, true greatness consists in a man's
humbling himself, and condescending to the meanest and lowest offices, if hereby he
can at all advance the true happiness of his fellow-creatures.
ELLICOTT, "27) Whosoever will be chief.—Better, first, as continuing the thought
of Matthew 20:16. The “servant” (better, slave) implies a lower and more menial
service than that of the “minister” of the preceding verse, just as the “chief” or
“first” involves a higher position than the “greatness” there spoken of. We
introduce a false antithesis if we assign the “service” to this life, and the “greatness”
as its reward to the life after death. The true teaching of the words is that the
greatness is the service.
28 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.”
BAR ES, "Even as the Son of man ... - See the notes at Mat_8:20. Jesus points
them to his own example. He was in the form of God in heaven, Phi_2:6. He came to
people in the form of a servant, Phi_2:7. He came not with pomp and glory, but as a man
in humble life; and since he came he had not required them to minister to him. “He

142. labored for them.” He strove to do them good. He provided for their needs; fared as
poorly as they did; went before them in dangers and sufferings; practiced self-denial on
their account, and for them was about to lay down his life. See Joh_13:4-5.
To give his life a ransom for many - The word “ransom” means literally a price
paid for the redemption of captives. In war, when prisoners are taken by an enemy, the
money demanded for their release is called a ransom; that is, it is the means by which
they are set at liberty. So anything that releases anyone from a state of punishment, or
suffering, or sin, is called a ransom. People are by nature captives to sin. They are sold
under it. They are under condemnation, Eph_2:3; Rom_3:9-20, Rom_3:23; 1Jo_5:19.
They are under a curse, Gal_3:10. They are in love with sin They are under its withering
dominion, and are exposed to death eternal, Eze_18:4; Psa_9:17; Psa_11:6; Psa_68:2;
Psa_139:19; Mat_25:46; Rom_2:6-9. They must have perished unless there had been
some way by which they could he rescued. This was done by the death of Jesus - by
giving his life a ransom. The meaning is, that he died in the place of sinners, and that
God was willing to accept the pains of his death in the place of the eternal suffering of
the redeemed. The reasons why such a ransom was necessary are:
1. That God had declared that the sinner shall die; that is, that he would punish, or
show his hatred to, all sin.
2. That all people had sinned, and, if justice was to take its regular course, all must
perish.
3. That man could make no atonement for his own sins. All that he could do, were he
holy, would be only to do his duty, and would make no amends for the past.
Repentance and future obedience would not blot away one sin.
4. No man was pure, and no angel could make atonement. God was pleased,
therefore, to appoint his only-begotten Son to make such a ransom. See Joh_3:16;
1Jo_4:10; 1Pe_1:18-19; Rev_13:8; Joh_1:29; Eph_5:2; Heb_8:2-7; Isa_53:1-12;
This is commonly called the atonement. See the notes at Rom_5:2.
For many - See also Mat_26:28; Joh_10:15; 1Ti_2:6; 1Jo_2:2; 2Co_5:14-15; Heb_
2:9.
CLARKE, "A ransom for many - Λυτρον αντι πολλων, or a ransom instead of
many, - one ransom, or atonement, instead of the many prescribed in the Jewish law.
Mr. Wakefield contends for the above translation, and with considerable show of reason
and probability.
The word λυτρον is used by the Septuagint for the Hebrew ‫,פדיו‬ pidion, the ransom paid
for a man’s life: see Exo_21:30; Num_3:49-51; and λυτρα is used Num_35:31, where a
satisfaction (Hebrew ‫כפר‬ copher, an atonement) for the life of a murderer is refused. The
original word is used by Lucian in exactly the same sense, who represents Ganymede
promising to sacrifice a ram to Jupiter, λυτρον υπερ εµου, as a ransom for himself,
provided he would dismiss him.
The whole Gentile world, as well as the Jews, believed in vicarious sacrifices. Virgil,
Aen. v. 85, has nearly the same words as those in the text. “Unum Pro Multis dabitur
Caput,” - One man must be given for many. Jesus Christ laid down his life as a ransom
for the lives and souls of the children of men. In the Codex Bezae, and in most of the
Itala, the Saxon, and one of the Syriac, Hilary, Leo Magnus, and Juvencus, the following

143. remarkable addition is found; “But seek ye to increase from a little, and to be lessened
from that which is great. Moreover, when ye enter into a house, and are invited to sup,
do not recline in the most eminent places, lest a more honorable than thou come after,
and he who invited thee to supper come up to thee and say, Get down yet lower; and
thou be put to confusion. But if thou sit down in the lowest place, and one inferior to
thee come after, he who invited thee to supper will say unto thee, Go and sit higher: now
this will be advantageous to thee.” This is the largest addition found in any of the MSS.,
and contains not less than sixty words In the original, and eighty-three in the Anglo-
Saxon. It may be necessary to remark, that Mr. Marshall, in his edition of the Gothic and
Saxon Gospels, does not insert these words in the text, but gives them, p. 496 of his
observations. This addition is at least as ancient as the fourth century, for it is quoted by
Hilary, who did not die till about a.d. 367.
GILL, "Even as the son of man,.... Meaning himself, the seed of the woman, the son
of Abraham, and of David, according to the flesh; and whom he proposes as an example
of humility, and as an argument to draw them off from their ambitious views of worldly
grandeur, and from all thoughts of the Messiah's setting up a temporal kingdom; since
he
came not to be ministered unto by others; to be attended on in pomp and state, to
have a numerous retinue about him, waiting upon him, and ministering to him; as is the
case of the princes, and great men of the world; though he is Lord of all, and King of
kings;
but to minister; in the form of a servant unto others, going about from place to place
to do good, both to the bodies and souls of men: he "came" forth from his Father, down
from heaven, into this world, by his assumption of human nature, to "minister" in the
prophetic office, by preaching the Gospel, and working miracles, in confirmation of it;
and in the priestly office, one branch of which is expressed in the next clause,
and to give his life a ransom for many: what he came to give was his life, which
was his own, and than which nothing is more dear and precious: besides, his life was an
uncommon one, being not only so useful to men, and entirely free from sin in itself, but
was the life of the man Jesus, who is in union with the Son of God: this he came to
"give", and did give into the hands of men, to the justice of God, and death itself; which
giving, supposes it to be his own, and at his own disposal; was not forfeited by any act of
his, nor was it forced from him, but freely laid down by him; and that as a "ransom", or
redemption price for his people, to deliver them from the evil of sin, the bondage of
Satan, the curses of a righteous law, from eternal death, and future wrath, and, in short,
from all their enemies: which ransom price was paid "for" them in their room and stead,
by Christ, as their substitute; who put himself in their legal place, and laid himself under
obligation to pay their debts, and clear their scores, and redeem them from all their
iniquities, and the evil consequences of them: and this he did "for many"; for as many as
were ordained to eternal life; for as many as the Father gave unto him; for many out of
every kindred, tongue, and people, and nation; but not for every individual of human
nature; for many are not all.
HE RY, "(2.) They must be like the Master himself; and it is very fit that they
should, that, while they were in the world, they should be as he was when he was in the

144. world; for to both the present state is a state of humiliation, the crown and glory were
reserved for both in the future state. Let them consider that the Son of Man came not to
be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many, Mat_20:28.
Our Lord Jesus here sets himself before his disciples as a pattern of those two things
before recommended, humility, and usefulness.
[1.] Never was there such an example of humility and condescension as there was in
the life of Christ, who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. When the Son of
God came into the world, his Ambassador to the children of men, one would think he
should have been ministered to, should have appeared in an equipage agreeable to his
person and character; but he did not so; he made no figure, had no pompous train of
state-servants to attend him, nor was he clad in robes of honour, for he took upon him
the form of a servant. He was indeed ministered to as a poor man, which was a part of
his humiliation; there were those that ministered to him of their substance (Luk_8:2,
Luk_8:3); but he was never ministered to as a great man; he never took state upon him,
was not waited on at table; he once washed his disciples' feet, but we never read that
they washed his feet. He came to minister help to all that were in distress; he made
himself a servant to the sick and diseased; was as ready to their requests as ever any
servant was at the beck of his master, and took as much pains to serve them; he attended
continually to this very thing, and denied himself both food and rest to attend to it.
[2.] Never was there such an example of beneficence and usefulness as there was in
the death of Christ, who gave his life a ransom for many. He lived as a servant, and
went about doing good; but he died as a sacrifice, and in that he did the greatest good of
all. He came into the world on purpose to give his life a ransom; it was first in his
intention. The aspiring princes of the Gentiles make the lives of many a ransom for their
own honour, and perhaps a sacrifice to their own humour. Christ doth not do so; his
subjects' blood is precious to him, and he is not prodigal of it (Psa_72:14); but on the
contrary, he gives his honour and life too ransom for his subjects. Note, First, Jesus
Christ laid down his life for a ransom. Our lives were forfeited into the hands of divine
justice by sin. Christ, by parting with his life, made atonement for sin, and so rescued
ours; he was made sin, and a curse for us, and died, not only for our good, but in our
stead, Act_20:28; 1Pe_1:18, 1Pe_1:19. Secondly, It was a ransom for many, sufficient for
all, effectual for many; and, if for many, then, saith the poor doubting soul, “Why not for
me?” It was for many, that by him many may be made righteous. These many were his
seed, for which his soul travailed (Isa_53:10, Isa_53:11); for many, so they will be when
they come all together, though now they appear but a little flock.
Now this is a good reason why we should not strive for precedency, because the cross
is our banner, and our Master's death is our life. It is a good reason why we should study
to do good, and, in consideration of the love of Christ in dying for us, not hesitate to lay
down our lives for the brethren, 1Jo_3:16. Ministers should be more forward than
others to serve and suffer for the good of souls, as blessed Paul was, Act_20:24; Phi_
2:17. The nearer we are all concerned in, and the more we are advantaged by, the
humility and humiliation of Christ, the more ready and careful we should be to imitate it.
SBC, "The Meekness of God.
Here is a text that speaks home at once and with ease. It runs on our levels; it speaks in a
language understood of all.
I. Everyone knows the arrogance and the insolence of the kings of the Gentiles who
exercise lordship over their fellows. And it is in delightful and enticing contrast to this
that we turn to greet, with heart and soul, the sweet coming of Him, the human-hearted,

145. the tender Master of all loving-kindness, and all patience, and all goodness, and all long-
suffering—the Son of Man. The Son of Man came to minister. He had seen an
opportunity of giving, of helping, and so He came.
II. Of giving what? Himself. His service was to be utterly unstinted. He would go the
whole length with it. He saw that we should demand from Him all that He had; that we
should use up His very life; that we should never let Him stop, or stay, or rest, while we
saw a chance of draining His succouring stores. And yet He came; even His life He would
lay down for our profit. He came as the good Giver, as the Shepherd who giveth His life
for the sheep.
III. And it is this, His character, which draws us under the sway of His gracious lordship.
This is the allurement of Christ, by which His sheep are drawn after His feet; how can
they resist the call of One who serves them so loyally? Every sound of His voice has in it
the ring of that true-hearted devotion which would lay down life itself to save them from
harm. And yet it is just this winning charm of which we miss often the true force. For do
we not associate it entirely with what we call the humanity of the Lord? But that winning
grace has in it the potency of God Himself. It is the manifestation of the Word, the
revelation of what God is in Himself. If Jesus, the Man, is tender and meek, then God,
the Word, is meek and tender; God, the Word, is sympathetic, and gentle, and humble,
and forgiving, and loyal, and loving, and true. It is God, the Word, who cannot restrain
Himself for love of us, and comes with overwhelming compassion to seek and save the
lost; God, the Eternal Word, who longs to win the heart of publican and sinner. The Son
of Man is the Son of God; and, therefore, we know and thank God for it, that it is the
blessed nature of the Son Himself, in His eternal substance, which found its true and
congenial delight in coming, not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom
for many.
H. Scott Holland, Logic and Life, p. 227.
CALVI , "28.As the Son of man Christ confirms the preceding doctrine by his own
example; for he voluntarily took upon himself the form of a servant, and emptied
himself, as Paul also informs us, (Philippians 2:7.) To prove more clearly how far he
was from indulging in lofty views, he reminds them of his death. “Because I have
chosen you to the honor of being near me, you are seized by a wicked ambition to
reign. But I — by whose example you ought to regulate your life — came not to
exalt myself, or to claim any royal dignity. On the contrary, I took upon me, along
with the mean and despised form of the flesh, the ignominy of the cross. If it be
objected, that Christ was:
exalted by the Father, in order that every knee might bow to him,
(Philippians 2:9,)
it is easy to reply, that what he now says refers to the period of his humiliation.
Accordingly, Luke adds, that he lived among them, as if he were a servant: not that
in appearance, or in name, or in reality, he was inferior to them, (for he always
wished to be acknowledged as their Master and Lord,) but because from the
heavenly glory he descended to such meekness, that he submitted to bear their
infirmities. Besides, it ought to be remembered that a comparison is here made
between the greater and the less, as in that passage,

146. If I, who am your Master and Lord, have washed your feet, much more ought you to
perform this service to one another,
(John 13:14.)
And to give his life a ransom for many. Christ mentioned his death, as we have said,
in order to withdraw his disciples from the foolish imagination of an earthly
kingdom. But it is a just and appropriate statement of its power and results, when
he declares that his life is the price of our redemption; whence it follows, that we
obtain an undeserved reconciliation with God, the price of which is to be found
nowhere else than in the death of Christ. Wherefore, this single word overturns all
the idle talk of the Papists about their abominable satisfactions Again, while Christ
has purchased us by his death to be his property, this submission, of which he
speaks, is so far from diminishing his boundless glory, that it greatly increases its
splendor. The word many ( πολλῶν) is not put definitely for a fixed number, but for
a large number; for he contrasts himself with all others. (667) And in this sense it is
used in Romans 5:15, where Paul does not speak of any part of men, but embraces
the whole human race.
COKE, "Matthew 20:28. Even as the Son of man— "The greatness of my disciples
consists in doing men all the good they possibly can, by a continual course of humble
laborious services, in imitation of me your master, whose greatness consists not in
being ministered to by men, but in ministering to them as a servant; by healing the
sick, feeding the hungry, instructing the ignorant, and laying downmy life a ransom
for the sins of many." This being the highest dignity in Christ's kingdom, he might
well tell the two brothers, that they did not know what they were asking, when they
begged the honour of filling the highest stations in it. Instead of not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, Dr. Heylin reads, not to be served, but serve; and instead of let
him be your servant, Matthew 20:27 let him perform the meanest offices. It does not
follow, that because it is said Christ gave his life a ransom for many, that Christ
died not for all. The word πολλοι being used in other places, where it most evidently
signifies all. See Daniel 12:2 compared with John 5:28-29. Romans 5:15 compared
with 1 Corinthians 15:22.
COFFMA , "It is strange that the disciples did not see that quality in Jesus, or,
seeing it, seemed incapable of imitating it. His humility, meekness, and utter
disregard of worldly ambition did not evoke any similar attitude on the part of the
Twelve. The reason appears to be in this very text. They were still sold under sin.
The great ransom for man's salvation had not yet been paid. True, the Holy
Sacrifice was even then preparing to go up to Jerusalem and offer himself for the
sins of all mankind, and thus to redeem them from the power of the evil one; but
meanwhile the debt for sin remained undischarged, and Satan was doubling and
redoubling his efforts to thwart God's holy purpose.
A ransom for many! "Who gave himself a RA SOM for all" (1 Timothy 2:6). "God
sent ... his Son to be the PROPITIATIO for our sins" (1 John 2:1,2). "Ye were
REDEEMED with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,

147. even the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19). "For ye were BOUGHT with a price" (1
Corinthians 6:20). Ah, how wonderful is the thought that Christ ransoms from sin!
In the terrible night of this world's darkness and despair, how grandly do these
glorious words go marching in the gloom of human wretchedness and sin -
"ransomed, redeemed, propitiated, bought with a price!"
ELLICOTT, "(28) ot to be ministered unto.—The words found a symbolic
illustration when our Lord, a few days afterwards, washed the feet of the disciples
who were still contending about their claims to greatness (John 13:3-4); and the
manner in which St. John connects the act with our Lord’s manifested
consciousness of His supreme greatness, seems to show that the words which we find
here were then present to his thoughts. The Son of Man seemed to the beloved
disciple never to have shown Himself so truly king like and divine as when engaged
in that menial act. But that act, we must remember, was only an illustration; and the
words found their true meaning in His whole life, in His poverty and humiliation, in
the obedience of childhood, in service rendered, naturally or super-naturally, to the
bodies or the souls of others.
To give his life a ransom for many.—The word rightly rendered “ransom,” is
primarily “a price made for deliverance,” and in this sense it is found in the Greek
version of the Old Testament for “the ransom” which is accepted instead of a man’s
life in Exodus 21:30, for the “price of redemption” accepted as an equivalent for an
unexpired term of service in Leviticus 25:50, for riches as the “ransom of a man’s
life” in Proverbs 13:8. o shade of doubt accordingly rests on the meaning of the
word. Those who heard could attach no other meaning to it than that He who spake
them was about to offer up His life that others might be delivered. Seldom, perhaps,
has a truth of such profound import been spoken, as it were, so incidentally. It is as
if the words had been drawn from Him by the contrast between the disputes of the
disciples and the work which had occupied His own thoughts as He walked on in
silent solitude in advance of them. It is the first distinct utterance, we may note, of
the plan and method of His work. He had spoken before of “saving” the lost
(Matthew 18:11): now He declares that the work of “salvation” was to be also one of
“redemption.” It could only be accomplished by the payment of a price, and that
price was His own life. The language of the Epistles as to the “redemption that is in
Christ Jesus,” our being “bought with a price” (Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 6:20),
“redeemed by His precious blood” (1 Peter 1:19), the language of all Christendom in
speaking of the Christ as our Redeemer, are the natural developments of that one
pregnant word. The extent of the redemptive work, “for many,” is here indefinite
rather than universal, but “the ransom for all” of 1 Timothy 2:6 shows in what
sense it was received by those whom the Spirit of God was guiding into all truth.
Even the preposition in, “for many” has a more distinct import than is given in the
English version. It was, strictly speaking, a “ransom” instead of, in the place of, (
ἀντὶ not ὑπὲρ) “many.” Without stating a theory of the atonement, it implied that
our Lord’s death was, in some way, representative and vicarious; and the same
thought is expressed by St. Paul’s choice of the compound substantive ἀντίλυτρον,
when, using a different preposition, he speaks of it as a ransom for ( ὑπὲρ, i.e., on

148. behalf of) all men (1 Timothy 2:6).
PETT, "And they must take as their supreme example the Son of Man. He Who was
destined to come out of suffering to receive the throne and the glory, had not come
to exercise lordship and vaunted authority, nor to look to men to serve Him and
cringe be humble before Him, nor to sit on a throne of pride. Rather He had come to
serve, and His future throne would be a throne of service (Luke 12:37; Luke 22:27).
And in the last analysis His service on earth would in His case involve Him in total
humiliation and in giving His life a ransom for many. He would fulfil the sacrificial
ministry of the Isaianic Servant.
That the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 50, 53 was in mind here can hardly be doubted.
Jesus was declared to be the Servant after His baptism (Matthew 3:17) and at His
Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), while the context here is one in which the idea of
lowly service is emphasised, and it comes at the end of Matthew’s ‘Isaianic section’,
the section in which he cites Isaiah by name to the exclusion of all other Scriptural
writers, see Matthew 3:3; Matthew 4:14; Matthew 8:17; Matthew 12:17; Matthew
13:14) prior to His presentation of Himself as the King (see introduction). But in this
case, as Jesus has not specifically cited Isaiah, so nor will Matthew. Compare and
contrast possible other references to Isaiah 53 in Matthew 26:27-28; Matthew 27:12;
Matthew 27:57. ote further how ‘to give His life (soul)’ parallels ‘you make his life
(soul)’ (Isaiah 53:10).
On top of this the idea of ‘the many’ is prominent in Isaiah 53:11-12, and the whole
chapter is involved with His giving of His life as a lifegiving sacrifice, epitomised in
the guilt offering in Isaiah 53:10, and thus as ransom, a price paid for deliverance.
The idea of God’s deliverance of His people by ransoming them is found in Isaiah
35:10, where it results in deliverance from the enemies of God; in Isaiah 43:3-4
where He gives up other peoples as a ransom on His people’s behalf; in Jeremiah
31:11 where He ransoms and redeems His people, delivering them from a stronger
than he (Jacob); in Job 33:24 where the ransom He has found delivers from the Pit;
and in Hosea 13:14 where He will ransom His people from the hand of the grave. In
Isaiah 53 this is portrayed in terms of a sacrificial offering so that God’s righteous
demands are also satisfied. We can compare with this Jesus’ words at the Last
Supper ‘this is my blood of the covenant which is shed for many for the forgiveness
of sins’ (Matthew 26:28), where the reference is equally clearly to Isaiah 53:10.
‘Ransom (lutron)’ is used only here and the parallel passage (Mark 10:45), in the
ew Testament, although Paul uses ’antilutron in 1 Timothy 2:6. In secular Greek
lutron was used for the ransom of a prisoner of war or of a slave. In LXX it was
used of the price a man paid to redeem his life which was forfeit because his ox had
gored someone to death (Exodus 21:30), the price paid for the redemption of the
firstborn ( umbers 18:15), the price paid by which the next of kin obtained the
release of an enslaved relative (Leviticus 25:51-53) or the price paid for the
redemption of a mortgaged property (Leviticus 25:26). It was a payment made to
obtain release and freedom, paid in substitution for what was obtained. Compare 1

149. Peter 1:18; Hebrews 9:12.
‘A ransom for many’ equals ‘lutron anti pollon’. This unquestionably refers to a
substitutionary ransom (anti combined with the idea of ransom must be
substitutionary), and thus a price paid for deliverance (compare 1 Corinthians 6:20;
1 Peter 1:18-19), while the ‘guilt offering’ (‘asam) of Isaiah 53:10 is the sacrificial
equivalent of a ransom, as can be seen from the description of the vicarious guilt
offering in Leviticus 5, and note also that there ’asam also indicates a compensatory
payment. And indeed the whole of Isaiah 53 is the picture of someone giving Himself
for His people. It is not difficult therefore to see in it the payment of a price for their
deliverance.
Thus the theme of forgiveness and salvation continues. In Matthew 1:21 He was
called Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. In Matthew 6:12 He
has taught His disciples to pray for the forgiveness of their sins. In Matthew 18:23-
35 He has revealed the hugeness of God’s forgiveness to the totally undeserving. In
Matthew 26:28 He will reveal that His blood of the covenant will be shed for the
forgiveness of sins. It is in these terms that we can see the payment of the ransom,
for He comes as the One Who has come as the Servant on Whom our iniquities were
laid (Isaiah 53:6), as the guilt offering offered on our behalf (Isaiah 53:10), that we
might be forgiven (Leviticus 5:10), and as the One through Whom we will be
accounted righteous because He has borne our iniquities (Isaiah 53:11) .
It is sometimes questioned how far this idea of a ransom paid can relate to the
earlier context, in that it was not something in which His disciples could follow Him.
But two things must be born in mind, firstly that He wishes to give an example for
His disciples to follow of supreme sacrifice, and secondly that while, of course, it is
true that His disciples could not emulate His sacrifice to its fullest extent, Paul
certainly saw them as participating in it to some extent as they gave themselves up to
suffering and tribulation in order to expand the Kingly Rule of God and win men to
Christ (Colossians 1:24). And there is no doubt that elsewhere also Jesus saw His
own self-sacrifice as the very pattern of true Christian love, and as thus an example
of the love that His disciples should have for each other (John 15:12-13).
ISBET, "A PATTER OF MI ISTRY
‘The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.’
Matthew 20:28
It is true not only of the first beginnings of our Lord’s reign on earth, when He was
the despised and rejected of men, but all through.
I. To whom did He minister?—To all men, and to the whole man, body, soul, and
spirit; no one, nothing, was outside the sphere of His ministration.
II. Why did He minister?—Because He would help the helpless; For us men and for
our salvation He came down from Heaven.’ He came to give the glorious liberty of
the children of God in place of sin’s slavery; to replace the tyranny of evil by the

150. freedom of Divine Grace.
III. Through what channel did He minister?—Through the channel of a common
humanity. ‘He was made like unto His brethren.’ He was and is the ‘Son of man.’
IV. In what spirit did He minister?—A spirit of humility, self-sacrifice, patient
endurance, and toil.
V. How did He minister?—Through the law of association. He did not only deliver a
message and proclaim a Gospel, but He built a Church, a city of God, where they
might go in and out and find safety, a Kingdom, a concrete fact, a visible reality, in
which all men might be gathered in.
—Dean Ridgeway.
Two Blind Men Receive Sight
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho,
a large crowd followed him.
BAR ES, "See Mar_10:46-52, and Luk_18:35-43; Luk_19:1, where this account of
his restoring to sight two blind men is also recorded. “And as they departed from
Jericho.” This was a large town about eight miles west of the Jordan, and about 19 miles
northeast from Jerusalem. Near to this city the Israelites crossed the Jordan when they
entered into the land of Canaan, Jos_3:16. It was the first city taken by Joshua, who
destroyed it to the foundation, and pronounced a curse on him who should rebuild it,
Jos_6:20-21, Jos_6:26. This curse was literally fulfilled in the days of Ahab, nearly 500
years later, 1Ki_16:34. It afterward became the place of the school of the prophets, 2Ki_
2:5. In this place Elisha worked a signal miracle, greatly to the advantage of the
inhabitants, by rendering the waters near it, that were before bitter, sweet and
wholesome, 2Ki_2:21. In point of size it was second only to Jerusalem. It was sometimes
called the city of palm-trees, from the fact that there were many palms in the vicinity.
A few of them are still remaining, 2Ch_28:15; Jdg_1:16; Jdg_3:13. At this place died
Herod the Great, of a most wretched and foul disease. See the notes at Mat_2:19. It is
now a small village, wretched in its appearance, and inhabited by a very few persons, and
called “Riha, or Rah,” situated on the ruins of the ancient city (or, as some think, three or
four miles east of it), which a modern traveler describes as a poor, dirty village of the
Arabs. There are perhaps fifty houses, of rough stone, with roofs of bushes and mud, and
the population, two or three hundred, in number, is entirely Muslim. Dr. Thomson (The

151. Land and the Book, vol. ii. p. 443) says of this village, that there are some forty or fifty of
the most forlorn habitations that I have seen. And this is Jericho! These houses, or
rather huts, are surrounded by a special kind of fortification, made of nubk, a species of
bush very abundant in this plain. Its thorns are so sharp and the branches are so platted
together that neither horse nor man will attack it.” The road from Jerusalem to Jericho
lies through what is called the “wilderness of Jericho,” and is described by modern
travelers as the most dangerous and forbidding about Palestine. As recently as 1820, an
English traveler, Sir Frederick Henniker, was attacked on this road by the Arabs with
firearms, who left him naked and severely wounded. See the notes at Luk_10:30. Jesus
was going to Jerusalem from the east side of the Jordan Mat_19:1; his regular journey
was therefore through Jericho.
As they departed from Jericho - Luke says, “As he was come nigh unto Jericho.”
The original word used in Luke, translated “was come nigh,” commonly expresses
approach to a place, but it does not of necessity mean that always. It may denote
nearness to a place, whether going to it or from it. It would be rendered here correctly,
“when they were near to Jericho,” or when they were in the vicinity of it, without saying
whether they were going to it or from it. Matthew and Mark say they were going from it.
The passage in Luk_19:1 - “and Jesus entered and passed through Jericho” - which
seems to be mentioned as having taken place after the cure of the blind man, does not
necessarily suppose that. That passage might be intended to be connected with the
account of Zacchaeus, and not to denote the order of time in which these events took
place; but simply that as he was passing through Jericho, Zacchaeus sought to see him,
and invited him to his house. Historians vary in the circumstances and order of events.
The main facts of the narrative are observed; and such variations of circumstances and
order, where there is no palpable contradiction, show the honesty of the writers - show
that they did not conspire together to deceive, and are in courts of justice considered as
confirmations of the truth of the testimony.
GILL, "And as they departed from Jericho,.... Which, was distant about ten
parsas, or miles, from Jerusalem (i), through which Christ just passed, and had met with
Zacchaeus, and called him, and delivered the parable concerning a nobleman's going
into a far country. The Syriac and Persic versions render the words, "when Jesus
departed from Jericho"; and the Arabic, "when he went out of Jericho"; not alone, but
"with his disciples", as Mark says; and not with them only, for a great multitude followed
him out of the city; either to hear him, or be healed by him, or to see him, or behold his
miracles, or to accompany him to Jerusalem; whither he was going to keep the feast of
the passover, and where they might be in some expectation he would set up his kingdom.
The Ethiopic version reads it, "as they went out from Jerusalem", contrary to all copies
and versions.
HE RY, "We have here an account of the cure of two poor blind beggars; in which
we may observe,
I. Their address to Christ, Mat_20:29, Mat_20:30. And in this,
1. The circumstances of it are observable. It was as Christ and his disciples departed
from Jericho; of that devoted place, which was rebuilt under a curse, Christ took his
leave with this blessing, for he received gifts even for the rebellious. It was in the
presence of a great multitude that followed him; Christ had a numerous, though not a
pompous, attendance, and did good to them, though he did not take state to himself.
This multitude that followed him for loaves, and some for love, some for curiosity, and
some in expectation of his temporal reign, which the disciples themselves dreamed of,

152. very few with desire to be taught their duty; yet, for the sake of those few, he confirmed
his doctrine by miracles wrought in the presence of great multitudes; who, if they were
not convinced by them, would be the more inexcusable. Two blind men concurred in
their request; for joint-prayer is pleasing to Christ, Mat_18:19. These joint-sufferers
were joint-suitors; being companions in the same tribulation, they were partners in the
same supplication. Note, It is good for those that are labouring under the same calamity,
or infirmity of body or mind, to join together in the same prayer to God for relief, that
they may quicken one another's fervency, and encourage one another's faith. There is
mercy enough in Christ for all the petitioners. These blind men were sitting by the way-
side, as blind beggars used to do. Note, Those that would receive mercy from Christ,
must place themselves there where his out-goings are; where he manifests himself to
those that seek him. It is good thus to way-lay Christ, to be in his road.
They heard that Jesus passed by. Though they were blind, they were not deaf. Seeing
and hearing are the learning senses. It is a great calamity to want either; but the defect of
one may be, and often is, made up in the acuteness of the other; and therefore it has
been observed by some as an instance of the goodness of Providence, that none were
ever known to be born both blind and deaf; but that, one way or other, all are in a
capacity of receiving knowledge. These blind men had heard of Christ by the hearing of
the ear, but they desired that their eyes might see him. When they heard that Jesus
passed by, they asked no further questions, who were with him, or whether he was in
haste, but immediately cried out. Note, It is good to improve the present opportunity, to
make the best of the price now in the hand, because, if once let slip, it may never return;
these blind men did so, and did wisely; for we do not find that Christ ever came to
Jericho again. Now is the accepted time.
JAMISO , "Mat_20:29-34. Two blind men healed. ( = Mar_10:46-52; Luk_18:35-
43).
For the exposition, see on Luk_18:35-43.
HAWKER 29-34, ""And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
(30) And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus
passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. (31) And the
multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more,
saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. (32) And Jesus stood still, and
called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? (33) They say unto him,
Lord, that our eyes may be opened. (34) So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched
their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him."
There is no doubt, but that the miracle Jesus wrought on those men is the same which
Mark takes notice of Mar_10:46, and Luk_18:35: although both those Evangelists
mention but of one blind man, while here Matthew speaks of two. But there is no
contradiction in the history. It is the fact of the miracle itself, each writer had in view,
and not the very circumstances of each. Many very precious instructions arise out of it,
which I pray God the Holy Ghost to bring home to the heart of his people. The grace of
Jesus in the act; the proof he thereby gave of his Messiahship. Isa_35:5. The place where
it was wrought, near Jericho, the cursed city. Jos_6:26; 1Ki_16:34. Jesus bestows
blessings; himself becoming a curse for his people, that they might be made the
righteousness of God in him. 2Co_5:21. The sovereign act of Jesus, in the freeness and
fulness of his mercy, as a testimony of his Godhead; for on the supposition of an eyeless
socket, it is not simply giving sight to the blind but anew creation. And who but God

153. himself can do this? The conduct of those blind, also hold forth many sweet instructions.
They were in the highway begging. It is good to be found in the highway of ordinances,
where Jesus passeth by. The cry of those men under a sense of their misery, and Jesus’
power afford great lessons to teach men how to pray, and not to faint. But who taught
them that Jesus was the Son of David; that is the Messiah which should come? Who
indeed, but he to whom they came could lead them to himself? Observe also, how
earnest, how clamorous they were; and how they held on, spite of the unkind multitude
who rebuked them. Oh! how earnest ought we to be, when we ask Jesus is the light of the
soul. And if men revile, or would stifle our cries, may the Lord give us grace to be the
more importunate; have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son; of David! And do thou blessed
Master and Lord, give the grace to thy children, both to be sensible of our spiritual
blindness; and to be as earnest in the cry of the soul for deliverance from it: and may
that grace of thine in our hearts be more powerful to lead to thee, than all the world, or
sin, or unbelief, to keep from thee. But may all thy redeemed, though blinded by sin, be
so taught by grace, that they may besiege thy throne night and day, until the Lord hath
heard and answered prayer; and then follow thee in the regeneration, beholding with
open face, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, and be changed into the same image, from
glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord. 2Co_3:18.
CALVI , "Matthew 20:29.And while they were departing from Jericho. Osiander
has resolved to display his ingenuity by making four blind men out of one. But
nothing can be more frivolous than this supposition. Having observed that the
Evangelists differ in a few expressions, he imagined that one blind man received
sight when they were entering into the city, and that the second, and other two,
received sight when Christ was departing from it. But all the circumstances agree so
completely, that no person of sound judgment will believe them to be different
narratives. ot to mention other matters, when Christ’s followers had endeavored
to put the first to silence, and saw him cured contrary to their expectation, would
they immediately have made the same attempt with the other three? But it is
unnecessary to go into particulars, from which any man may easily infer that it is
one and the same event which is related.
But there is a puzzling contradiction in this respect, that Matthew and Mark say
that the miracle was performed on one or on two blind men, when Christ had
already departed from the city; while Luke relates that it was done before he came
to the city. Besides, Mark and Luke speak of not more than one blind man, while
Matthew mentions two. But as we know that it frequently occurs in the Evangelists,
that in the same narrative one passes by what is mentioned by the others, and, on
the other hand, states more clearly what they have omitted, it ought not to be looked
upon as strange or unusual in the present passage. My conjecture is, that, while
Christ was approaching to the city, the blind man cried out, but that, as he was not
heard on account of the noise, he placed himself in the way, as they were departing
from the city, (669) and then was at length called by Christ. And so Luke,
commencing with what was true, does not follow out the whole narrative, but passes
over Christ’s stay in the city; while the other Evangelists attend only to the time
which was nearer to the miracle. There is probability in the conjecture that, as
Christ frequently, when he wished to try the faith of men, delayed for a short time to
relieve them, so he subjected this blind man to the same scrutiny.

154. The second difficulty may be speedily removed; for we have seen, on a former
occasion, that Mark and Luke speak of one demoniac as having been cured, while
Matthew, as in the present instance, mentions two, (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:2; Luke
8:27 (670)) And yet this involves no contradiction between them; but it may rather
be conjectured with probability, that at first one blind man implored the favor of
Christ, and that another was excited by his example, and that in this way two
persons received sight Mark and Luke speak of one only, either because he was
better known, or because in him the demonstration of Christ’s power was not less
remarkable than it was in both. It certainly appears to have been on account of his
having been extensively known that he was selected by Mark, who gives both his
own name and that of his father: Bartimeus, son of Timeus By doing so, he does not
claim for him either illustrious descent or wealth; for he was a beggar of the lowest
class. Hence it appears that the miracle was more remarkable in his person, because
his calamity had been generally known. This appears to me to be the reason why
Mark and Luke mention him only, and say nothing about the other, who was a sort
of inferior appendage. But Matthew, who was an eye-witness, (671) did not choose
to pass by even this person, though less known.
PETT, "‘As they went out from Jericho.’ In other words, ‘next stop Jerusalem’,
after climbing a thousand metres (three thousand feet) up the winding Jericho Road
for about twenty five kilometres (sixteen miles). The great crowd would be of
pilgrims flocking to Jerusalem, many from Galilee, and many of whom had attached
themselves to Jesus’ party because of their respect and love for Jesus. Like many
today they followed Him in a desultory but generally benevolent way, in contrast
with those who were against Him, but they were not genuine followers in the fullest
sense (compare John 2:23-25).
BROADUS, "Verses 29-34
Matthew 20:29-34.
Two Blind Men Healed ear Jericho
Found also in Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43. Our Lord and his disciples and the
accompanying throng on the way to the Passover, had crossed the Jordan, and were
within one day's journey of Jerusalem. They had probably crossed by a ferry-boat
several miles higher up the river than the point opposite to Jericho. Such a ferry
exists there now, and existed in that vicinity at an early day. (2 Samuel 19:18) The
river just before the Passover must have been comparatively high and swift, and
only the more adventurous of the multitude would attempt to ford. As to the Jordan,
see on Luke 3:6. Jericho, as flourishing and fortified with strong walls at the coming
of the Israelites, and as destroyed by them, is well known from the Book of Joshua.
The curse of Joshua (Joshua 6:26) was fulfilled against the man who rebuilt it, (1
Kings 16:34) and may have been regarded by some as exhausted in his case. The
plain west of the Jordan is there some eight miles wide, the great fountain which
bursts forth near the ancient site is so copious as to irrigate several square miles,
there is another fountain northward and streams from the mountains lying west,
while artificial irrigation from fountains higher up the valley could make all the

155. lower plain richly productive. There were doubtless many dwellers in that plain at
all periods. (2 Samuel 10:5, 2 Kings 2:1-22; ehemiah 7:36) In the time of the
Maccabees, about B. C. 160, a Syrian general "repaired the fort in Jericho." (1
Maccabees 9:50) Pompey, B. C. 63, destroyed two forts that protected the entrance
to Jericho. In speaking of this, Strabo (16, 2, 41) describes Jericho as a plain
everywhere irrigated, filled with dwellings, abounding in the finest palm trees and
other fruit trees, and says that here was "the paradise of balsam," a bush whose
coagulated juice was highly valued as a medicine and the wood for its aroma, and
which was found here only. The plain is so far below the level of the Mediterranean
as to be extremely hot. Josephus says that linen clothes were worn at Jericho when
there was snow in Jerusalem; and it may be added (from personal experience) that
mosquitoes abound in the end of February. Accordingly the productions were
tropical in character and in luxuriance. (Josephus "War," 4, 8, 3.) The Roman allies
of Herod plundered the city in B. C. 39 ("War, "1, 15, 6), finding "the houses full of
all sorts of good things."
The great revenues of Jericho, especially from the balsam, were presented by
Antony to Cleopatra (Josephus "Ant.,"15, 4, 2), and at a later period made the chief
revenue officer notably rich. (Luke 19:2) Herod built a fortified palace and a new
town northward from the old site ("Ant.,"16, 5, 2), and died there ("Ant.," 17, 6, 5).
Eusebius says of Jericho ("Onom."): "Which our Lord Jesus Christ thought worthy
of his presence. But when it also was destroyed at the siege of Jerusalem on account
of the unbelief of the inhabitants, there arose a third time another city which is
shown even now. And of the two former also the traces are even now preserved.
"We know not whether our Lord took any special interest in the fact that his own
genealogy included Rahab of Jericho; (Matthew 1:5) but we may be sure he
delighted in the well-watered and verdant plain, with the spring flowers and fruits."
It was not the season of figs "on the Mount of Olives yet (Mark 11:13 R.V.), but they
were ripening at Jericho. The juicy green almonds were delicious to the taste. The
"rose plants in Jericho" (Ecclus Sirach 24:14) were famous through the land. Every
sense was gratified to the utmost as he and his followers came up the successive
terraces from the river into this magnificent plain. And yonder precipitous rock
mountain that overhangs the city on the west, was it indeed the scene of that forty
days' temptation which began the ministry now so soon to end?
Jesus spent the night at Jericho, and may have stayed there longer. Luke gives a
deeply interesting account (Matthew 19:1-28) of Zaccheus, at whose house he abode,
and of a parable he spoke to modify the supposition that "the kingdom of God was
immediately to appear," which parable in an altered form will be repeated a few
days later. (Matthew 25:14-30)
As they departed from Jericho. So Mark. But Luke, (Luke 18:35) 'as he drew nigh
unto Jericho.' This celebrated "discrepancy" has not been explained in a thoroughly
satisfactory way. The older explanations are very poor: as that he healed one man in
drawing near and two others in leaving, thus making three in all; or that Matthew
has thrown together the two eases described by Mark and Luke; that Jesus tarried
some days, and the healing occurred while he was going in and out of the city; that

156. 'draw nigh' means simply to be near (which is not true), etc. Our choice at present
must be between two possible views. (1) Calvin presents as his "conjecture,"
followed by Maldonatus, Bengel, Trench, Wordsworth, EIlicott, Hackett, Morison,
that the blind man made his request as Jesus approached Jericho (Luke), but was
not heeded, in order to develop his faith, as in Matthew 15:23 ff., and in the closely
similar case Matthew 9:27 ff.; and that he renewed the application as Jesus was
leaving Jericho, accompanied now by another, and they were healed. Then we
understand that Luke, meaning to tell of Zaccheus and the parable and so pass on to
the ascent to Jerusalem, (Luke 19:28) finishes the matter of the blind man in
connection with his original application. Such prolepsis, or anticipation, is common
in all histories. (2) Farrar quotes from Macknight the supposition, and Godet quotes
it from a German periodical of 1870, that the healing occurred at a point between
the old and the new city, and so could be described as occurring either when they
went out from Jericho or as they drew near to Jericho. The same view presented
itself independently on the spot a few years ago to Prof. H. H. Harris, D. D., of
Richmond College, Va.(1) Each of these explanations seems laboured, but either is
entirely possible. It will not do to say that the accounts are irreconcilable, and
therefore involve inaccuracy, if the apparent conflict can be explained in any
reasonable way. These discrepancies in the Gospels show the independence of the
narratives, and their verisimilitude, and thus do not diminish but add to their
historical credibility, provided there be any reasonable explanation. It may
nowadays be affirmed that nearly every case has received satisfactory explanation.
The present example, and a few others, would probably be plain enough if we knew
some slight circumstances not mentioned; and may be fully cleared up hereafter, as
some have been by the discoveries and researches of every recent generation. We
must not nervously insist on the adequacy of our explanations in every case, nor
arrogantly assume that the difficulty cannot be removed. A great multitude followed
him. So also when he was approaching the city. (Luke.) They seem to have come
with him from Perea, perhaps many of them from Galilee (compare on Matthew
19:1), en route for the Passover.
COFFMA , "TWO BLI D ME OF JERICHO
This miracle is recorded by all three of the synoptics, and their various accounts
present a nice little package of "discrepancies" which are the peculiar delight of
skeptics and agnostics. Trench summarized the difficulties thus:
According to him (Matthew) there are TWO blind men ... and only O E in the
other gospels. Luke appears at first sight partially to contradict one of these
statements, and wholly the other; for him, the healed is but O E; and Christ effects
his cure not as he was QUITTI G, but at his COMI G IGH to the city. Mark
occupies a middle place, holding in part with one of his fellow evangelists, in part
with the other; with Luke, he names only one who was healed; with Matthew, he
places the miracle, not at the entering into, but the going out from, Jericho; so that
the three narratives, in a way as curious as it is perplexing, cross and interlace one
another.[2]
The problem of the time or place of this miracle, whether as Christ was leaving or

157. entering Jericho, disappears in the light of what is certainly known about that
locality. A. T. Robertson said:
The discrepancy as to place, "as he went out from Jericho," or "as he drew nigh to
Jericho," is best explained by the recent suggestion that the healing occurred after
he left old Jericho, and as he was approaching the new Jericho which Herod the
Great had built at some distance away.[3]
Thus, as always, alleged contradictions flow out of men's ignorance of all the facts,
not out of any real errors by the sacred writers. Add to Robertson's observation the
obvious and undeniable fact that, with two Jericho's close together, any blind
beggar would naturally choose a site between them! Both and all three gospels are
correct. He was entering one Jericho, leaving the other. Far from being any
problem, therefore, these separate accounts are overwhelming proof that the gospel
writers are independent witnesses and completely trustworthy.
[2] Richard C. Trench, otes on the Miracles (Westwood, ew Jersey, Fleming H.
Revell Company, 1953), p. 456.
[3] A. T. Robertson, A Harmony of the Four Gospels ( ew York: Harper and
Brothers, 1922), p. 149, footnote.
COKE, "Matthew 20:29. And as they departed, &c.— St. Luke says, that the blind
man was cured as our Lord drew nigh to Jericho, Luke 18:35 and before he passed
through the town, ch. Matthew 19:1. The other Evangelists say, the miracle was
performed as he departed from Jericho. But their accounts may be reconciled three
different ways: First, Jesus arriving about mid-day entered Jericho, and having
visited his acquaintance, or done any thing else that he had to do, returned in the
evening by the gate through which he had gone in. As he was coming out, he passed
by the beggars, and cured them. The next day he entered into and passed through
Jericho in his way to Jerusalem. There is nothing improbable in this solution; for if
our Lord was a night in that part of the country, he might spend it in some of the
neighbouring villages, rather than in the city, where he had many enemies.—It may
be objected, that St. Luke seems to say the miracle was performed as Jesus went
towards Jericho, not as he was coming away, εγενετο δε εν τω εγγιζειν αυτον εις
Ιεριχω ; but if the opinion of Grotius, Le Clerc, and others, may be relied upon, the
phrase εν τω εγγιζειν, stands here for εν του εγγυς ειναι, while he was near Jericho.
The second solution is as follows: the blind man, of whom St. Luke speaks, may
have cried for a cure as Jesus went into Jericho about noon, though he did not
obtain it then. The multitude rebuked him, and Jesus passed without giving him any
answer, intending to make the miracle more illustrious. Towards evening, therefore,
as he was returning, the blind beggar, who had cried after him in the morning,
being joined by a companion in the sameunhappy condition with himself, renewed
his suit, beseeching the Son of David to have mercy on them. The multitude, as
before, rebuked them for makingsuch a noise; but the season of the miracle being
come, Jesus stood still, called them to him and cured them: it may be objected, that
St. Luke makes no distinction between the beggar's calling to Christ in the morning,
and the cure performed in the evening as he came out, but connects the two events,

158. as if they had happened in immediate succession.—The answer is, there areseveral
undeniable examples of this kind of connection to be found in the Sacred History,
particularly in St. Luke's Gospel, Luke 23:25-26; Luke 24:4, &c. The third solution
of the difficulty is this: Jericho, having been a flourishing city before the Israelites
entered Canaan, must, in the course of so many ages, have undergone various
changes from war and other accidents; we may therefore suppose that it consisted of
an old and a new town, situated at a little distance from each other. On this
supposition, the beggars sitting on the road between the two towns, might be said to
have gained their cure either as Jesus departed from the one, or drew nigh to the
other, according to the pleasure of the historians. The reader, however, must not
look upon this as a mere supposition; for, on examination, he will find clear proof of
it in the Sacred History. We are told (Joshua 6:24; Joshua 6:26.) that after the
Israelites had burned Jericho, Joshua, their general, interdicted by a curse the
rebuilding of it. His curse struck such terror into the Israelites, that for the space of
five hundred years no man attempted to rebuild Jericho, till Hiel the Bethelite, in
the days of Ahab, brought it upon himself, by venturing to raise the old city out of
her ashes. 1 Kings 16:34. But though the old city thus continued in ruins for many
ages, there was a town very soon built not far from it, to which they gave its name:
for so early as Eglon's time we read of the city of Palm-trees, Judges 3:13 a name
peculiar to Jericho on account of the fine palm-trees with which it was environed.
Deuteronomy 34:3. 2 Chronicles 28:15. Besides, we find Jericho, some time after
this, expressly mentioned by name, it being the town where David ordered his
messengers to abide till their beards, which Hanun king of Moab caused to be
shaved, were grown. Wherefore, as there was a Jericho before Hiel rebuilt the
ancient town, which Joshua destroyed, it cannot, I think, be doubted, that from
Hiel's days there were two cities of this name, at no great distance from each other;
perhaps a mile or so. Besides, Josephus insinuates, that both of them
subsistedinhistime;expresslydeclaring,"thatthespringwhich watered the territories
of Jericho arose near the old town." See Bell. Jud. 5:4. Thus therefore we have an
easy and perfect reconciliation of the seemingly contradictory accounts which the
Evangelists have given of our Lord's miracle on the blind men in this part of the
country. But although there had been no hint in antiquity, directing us to believe
there were two cities of the name of Jericho, not far from each other, every reader
must acknowledge, that to have supposed this, would have been sufficient to our
purpose of reconciling the Evangelists, because there are such towns to be met with
in every country; a thing which of itself must have rendered the supposition not only
possible, but probable; and I may venture to say, that had two prophane histories
related any fact with the disagreeing circumstances found in the Evangelists, the
critics would have thought them good reasons for such a supposition, especially if
the historians were writers of character, and had been either eye-witnesses of the
things which they related, or informed by the eye-witnesses of them. To conclude,
this instance may teach us never to despair of finding a proper and full solution of
any imagined inconsistency that is to be met with in the Sacred History. The city of
Jericho, for greatness and opulence, was inferior to none in Palestine; Jerusalem
excepted. It was beautified with a palace for the reception of the governor, if he
chose to go thither, with an amphitheatre for public shews, and a hippodrome for
horse-races. The city was pleasantly situated, at the foot of that range of hills which

159. bounded the Campus Magnus to the west. The country round was the most fertile
spot in Canaan; yielding, besides the necessaries of life in great abundance, the best
palms, also excellent honey, and the famed balsam-tree, the most precious
production of the earth. The fruitfulness of this region was owing to various causes,
and among the rest to a fine spring with which it was watered, and which anciently
was sweetened by the prophet Elisha, who blessed the land likewise, by God's
command, with perpetual and extraordinary fruitfulness. 2 Kings 2:18-22. The air
was exceedingly mild; for when it snowed in the other provinces of Palestine, and
was so cold that they were obliged to make use of the warmest clothing, the
inhabitants of this place went about clad in linen only. Hence, as Josephus tells us,
the territory of Jericho was called θειον χωριου, a heavenly country, resembling
paradise for beauty and prospect, fertility of soil, and felicity of climate. The
fountain which enriched this delightful spot was so large, as to deserve the name of a
water or river, (Joshua 16:1.) and refreshed a plain of seventy stadia long, and
twenty broad; but the excellency of its quality is visible in its effects: for it
gladdened the whole tract through which it glided, and made it look like a garden,
affording a prospect more agreeable, as the neighbouring country was black and
inhospitable. Jericho was a hundred and twenty stadia (that is, fifteen miles) from
Jerusalem, almost due east, the country being mountainous; but thence to Jordan,
which was at the distance of twenty stadia, or two miles and a half, and towards the
Asphaltic lake, the land was flat and barren. See Macknight, and Reland's Palaest.
ELLICOTT,"(29) As they departed from Jericho.—Looking back to Matthew 19:1,
which speaks of our Lord having departed “beyond Jordan,” we may believe that
He crossed the river with His disciples at the ford near Jericho (Joshua 2:7). On this
assumption, the imagery of Matthew 20:22 may have been in part suggested by the
locality. The river recalled the memory of His first baptism, by water; that led on to
the thought of the more awful baptism of agony and blood.
PETT, "As we have already seen, Matthew’s Gospel opened with an emphasis on
the fact that Jesus was the Son of David (Matthew 1:1; Matthew 1:17; Matthew
1:20), and He was depicted as coming as ‘the King of the Jews’ (Matthew 2:2), and
in the first two chapters the prophet on whom Matthew focused by name was
Jeremiah (Matthew 2:17), (all other citations were anonymous), for it was from a
background of gloom and judgment that He would come. But then from Matthew
3:2 onwards the focus turns on Isaiah, the prophet of deliverance. All named
citations from this point to chapter 13 are from Isaiah (Matthew 3:3; Matthew 4:14;
Matthew 8:17; Matthew 12:17; Matthew 13:14), and the coming King becomes also
the Servant of Isaiah (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 8:17; Matthew 12:17). It is indeed
mainly as the Servant that He now ministers among His people, although it is also
made clear that He is the Son (consider Matthew 3:17; Matthew 11:27; Matthew
14:33; Matthew 16:16; Matthew 17:26 and all references to ‘My Father’) and His
kingship is never far out of sight. But from this point on the main focus is decidedly
turned back on Him as the King, and the Son of David (repeated twice and see
Matthew 21:9; Matthew 21:15), although it is as the King Who has to suffer, and
there are continuing indications of the Servant (Matthew 26:28; Matthew 27:57;
and see Isaiah 50:3-8; Isaiah 53). Once again, however, the only prophet emphasised

160. by name will be Jeremiah (Matthew 27:9), note the similar distinctive wording to
Matthew 2:17) the prophet of bad tidings prior to final hope. All that Jesus had
come to do in the beginning is coming to fulfilment.
We note in this story that follows that two blind men have their eyes opened, in
contrast with the fact that Israel’s eyes are not opened (Matthew 13:15), and they
thus see Jesus as the Son of David. It is a call to all to open their eyes in the light of
what will follow (there is a further emphasis on the blind seeing in Matthew 21:14).
Perhaps there was also a hint here that this opening of the eyes was also needed by
the two ‘blind’ disciples just described in Matthew 20:20-23. They too were still
partly muddling along in the dark.
One further thought we would add here. Blind men were a regular feature of
Palestine at this time, and they were to be found begging wherever men went.
Furthermore the Jericho Road at Passover time would have its fair share of blind
beggars, and we need not doubt that many of them, aware of the special activity
when Jesus was passing, would enquire as to what was happening. And when they
heard that it was the great healing prophet who was widely reputed to be connected
with Solomon, the son of David, they would naturally cry to Him for healing as ‘the
Son of David’. Thus there may well have been a number of blind men healed that
day.
This connection of the title ‘Son of David’ with Solomon (see introduction on the
Titles of Jesus) may well explain why Jesus never tries to dampen down its use, as
He does the title Messiah. It did not have the same overtones as ‘the Messiah’ even
though also used of him. It was a title regularly found on the lips of those who
sought healing and deliverance, for Solomon’s remedies were famous. Thus this
scene may in fact have been repeated a number of times in the course of that day. It
may be remarkable to us, but the disciples no doubt witnessed such scenes again and
again, and the people who genuinely followed Jesus probably included among them
their fair share of blind men who had been healed. Thus strictly speaking there is no
reason why this should not have been a different healing from those mentioned in
Mark and Luke, although performed around the same time. If Matthew was present
at this healing Mark’s words may well have brought this particular event into his
mind whether or not it was the same as Mark’s (as remembered by Peter). Indeed a
hundred such healings which occurred over Jesus’ ministry could probably have
been described in the same or similar words (compare Matthew 9:27-31).
For this healing is not described here because it was a particularly remarkable
healing, but because it illustrated a point that the evangelists wanted to bring out,
that while the Jerusalem that awaited Jesus was blind, those who were open to
Jesus’ words, especially the humble and needy, would see. (Compare Matthew 21:14
and Mark’s clear use of the story of a blind man to illustrate the gradual opening of
the disciples’ eyes in Mark 8:22-26).
Analysis.

161. a As they went out from Jericho, a great crowd followed Him (Matthew 20:29).
b And behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus
was passing by, cried out, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David”
(Matthew 20:30).
c And the crowd rebuked them, that they should hold their peace (Matthew 20:31
a).
d But they cried out the more, saying, “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David”
(Matthew 20:31 b).
c And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, “What do you wish that I should
do to you?” (Matthew 20:32).
b They say to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened” (Matthew 20:33).
a And Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and immediately
they received their sight, and followed Him (Matthew 20:34).
ote that in ‘a’ the great crowd followed Him, and in the parallel those who had had
their eyes opened followed Him more fully. In ‘b’ the blind men cry for mercy, and
in the parallel declare that what they want is for their eyes to be opened. In ‘c’ the
crowd call on them to be quiet, and in the parallel Jesus calls on them to speak.
Centrally in ‘d’ their cry is that the Son of David will open their eyes.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side,
when they heard that Jesus passed by.
Jesus of Nazareth passing by
The time of this transaction was critical. He never was to come that way again. It was
necessary for these blind men to be by the way while Jesus was passing. Had they been
elsewhere they could not have received their sight. They caught the first sound of the
approaching Saviour. Some men are too buried in their merchandize to know that He is
passing. It is not enough to sit idly by the way side. These men made no demands but for
mercy.
1. Their earnestness. They felt their need.
2. The difference between the unfeeling multitude and the compassionate Saviour.
Put thine ear to the gospel and listen. “He calleth thee.” (E. Griffin, D. D.)
Spiritual blindness
I. Men are blinded by reason of sin. They do not see the truths of religion.
II. It is proper in this state of blindness to call upon Jesus to open our eyes. If we ever
see, it will be by the grace of God. God is the fountain of light, and those in darkness
should seek Him.
III. Present opportunities should be improved. This was the first time that Jesus had
been in Jericho, and it was the last time He would be there. He was passing through it
on His way to Jerusalem. So He passes among us by His ordinances. While He is near we
should seek Him.
IV. When people rebuke us, and laugh at us, it should not deter us from calling on the
Saviour.

162. V. The persevering of cry of those who seek the Saviour aright will not be in vain.
VI. Sinners must “rise” and come to Jesus. Cast away everything that hinders their
confine.
VII. Faith is the only channel through which we shall receive mercy.
VIII. They who are restored to sight should follow Jesus. Wherever He leads-always-
none else. He cannot lead astray. He can enlighten our goings through all our
pilgrimage. (A. Barnes, D. D.)
The blind taught to see
Mr. MacGregor, in his recent “Voyage,” gives a most interesting account of Mr. Mott’s
mission to the blind and lame at Beirut. He says, “Only in February last that poor blind
fellow who sits on the form there was utterly ignorant. See how his delicate fingers run
over the raised types of his Bible, and he reads aloud and blesses God in his heart for the
precious news, and for those who gave him the avenue for truth to his heart. ‘Jesus
Christ will be the first person I shall ever see,’ he says, ‘for my eyes will be opened in
heaven.’ Thus even this man becomes a missionary … At the annual examination of this
school, one of the scholars said, I am a little blind boy. Once I could see; but then I fell
asleep-a long, long sleep. I thought I should never wake. And I slept till a kind gentleman
called Mr. Mott came and opened my eyes-not these eyes,’ pointing to his sightless
eyeballs, ‘but these,’ lifting up his tiny fingers-‘these eyes; and oh! they see such sweet
words of Jesus, and how He loved the blind.’”
Hearing of Christ
Happy it was for these two blind beggars that, though blind, they were not deaf. They
had heard of Christ by the hearing of the ear, but that satisfied them not, unless their
eyes also might see Him. They waylay, therefore, the Lord of Light, who gives them upon
their suit both sight and light, irradiates both organ and object, cures them of both
outward and inward ophthalmies at once … Few such knowing blind beggars nowadays.
They are commonly more blind in mind than body, loose and lawless vagrants; such as
are neither of any church or commonwealth; but as the baser sort of people in
Swethland, who do always break the Sabbath, saying, that it is only for gentlemen to
sanctify it; or rather, as the poor Brazilians, who are said to be without any government,
law, or religion. (John Trapp.)
Necessitous
men:-Here we have-
I. Such persons making the best of their opportunities-Christ was passing by.
II. One class of such failing to sympathise with another-the multitude rebuked.
III. Founding their appeal on the right ground-mercy.
IV. Presenting a right condition of will” what will ye,” as if all things were placed at the
disposal of the right will. (J. Parker, D. D.)

163. Keep in the way of blessing
Be still in the King’s highway, in the use of the means, for though the natural use of the
means and God’s saving grace have no connection, yet there is far less a connection
betwixt that grace and the neglect of means. The poor beggar, that needs an alms from
the king, goes to the king’s highway, where he passes; and surely he is nearer to his
purpose than if he should go to the top of a mountain where the king never comes; so, be
you still in the use of means, in the Lord’s way. (Erskine.)
A wise use of the means of salvation
Those that wait upon the Lord in the use of the means and ordinances, they hereby
spread their sails, and are ready for the Spirit’s motions which bloweth where it listeth.
There is more hope of these than of such who lie aground, neglecting the means of grace,
which are both as sail and tackling. The two blind men could not open their own eyes;
that was beyond their power, but they could get into the way where Jesus passed, and
they could cry to Him for sight, who only could recover it. Those that are diligent in the
use of means and ordinances, may sit in the way where Jesus passes by, who uses not to
reject those that cry unto Him. (Clarkson.)
30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside,
and when they heard that Jesus was going by,
they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on
us!”
BAR ES, "Two blind men - Mark and Luke mention but one.
They do not say, however, that there was no more than one. They mention one
because he was probably well known; perhaps the son of a distinguished citizen reduced
to poverty. His name was Bartimeus. Bar is a Syriac word, meaning “son;” and the name
means, therefore, “the son of Timeus.” Probably “Timeus” was a man of distinction; and
as the case of his son attracted most attention, Mark and Luke recorded it particularly. If
they had said that there was only one healed, there would have been a contradiction. As
it is, there is no more contradiction or difficulty than there is in the fact that the
evangelists, like all other historians, often omit many facts which they do not choose to
record.
Heard that Jesus passed by - They learned who he was by inquiring. They heard a
noise, and asked who it was (Luke). They had doubtless heard much of his fame, but had
never before been where he was, and probably would not be again. They were therefore

164. more earnest in calling upon him.
Son of David - That is, “Messiah,” or “Christ.” This was the name by which the
Messiah was commonly known. He was the illustrious descendant of David in whom the
promises especially centered, Psa_132:11-12; Psa_89:3-4. It was the universal opinion of
the Jews that the Messiah was to be the descendant of David. See Mat_22:42. On the use
of the word son, see the notes at Mat_1:1.
CLARKE, "Two blind men - Mar_10:46, and Luk_18:35, mention only one blind
man, Bartimeus. Probably he was mentioned by the other evangelists, as being a person
well known before and after his cure. Blindness of heart is a disorder of which, men
seldom complain, or from which they desire to be delivered; and it is one property of this
blindness, to keep the person from perceiving it, and to persuade him that his sight is
good.
Sitting by the way side - In the likeliest place to receive alms, because of the
multitudes going and coming between Jerusalem and Jericho.
Cried out - In the midst of judgments God remembers mercy. Though God had
deprived them, for wise reasons, of their eyes, he left them the use of their speech. It is
never so ill with us, but it might be much worse: let us, therefore, be submissive and
thankful.
Have mercy on us - Hearing that Jesus passed by, and not knowing whether they
should ever again have so good an opportunity of addressing him, they are determined
to call, and call earnestly. They ask for mercy, conscious that they deserve nothing, and
they ask with faith - Son of David, acknowledging him as the promised Messiah.
GILL, "And behold, two blind men,.... Mark and Luke make mention but of one;
which is no contradiction to Matthew; for they neither of them say that there was but
one. A greater difficulty occurs in Luke's account; for whereas Matthew and Mark both
agree, that it was when Jesus came out of Jericho, that this cure was wrought, Luke says
it was "when he came nigh unto it"; which some reconcile by observing, that that phrase
may be rendered, "while he was near Jericho"; and so only signifies his distance from it,
and not motion to it; but this will not solve the difficulty, because we after read of his
entrance into it, and passing through it. Some therefore have thought, that Christ met
with, and cured one blind man before he entered the city, and another when he came out
of it and that Matthew has put the history of both together: but to me it seems, that there
were three blind men cured; one before he went into Jericho, which Luke only relates,
and two as he came out of Jericho, which Matthew here speaks of; and one of which,
according to Mark, was by name Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus; for so Bartimaeus
signifies. Tima, or Timaeus, was a name in use among the Jews: we often read of R.
Judah ‫תימא‬ ‫,בן‬ Ben Tima (k), the son of Tima, or Timaeus. Origen (l) thinks, he had his
name from the Greek word τιµη, which signifies "honour"; and so ‫,טימי‬ "Time", with the
Jews, is used for honour and profit (m). This man's father might have been a very
honourable and useful man, though the son was fallen into poverty and distress, through
blindness; for which reason he may be mentioned, as being a person well known to the
Jews.
Sitting by the wayside; Mark says, "begging", where such were wont to sit, in order to
ask alms of persons, as they passed by;

165. when they heard that Jesus passed by; who, upon perceiving that there was an
unusual concourse of people, might ask the reason of it, when it was told them that
Jesus of Nazareth was coming that way: or, without asking, they might hear the people
speak of him; and inasmuch as they had heard many things concerning him, and the
miracles he wrought, applied to him for help, and
cried out, saying, have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David: in which may
be observed the titles of honour they give him, which declare their faith in him; calling
him Lord, expressing their sense of his deity, dominion, and power; and "Son of David",
thereby owning and professing him to be the Messiah, that being a common name of
him, well known among the Jews; See Gill on Mat_1:1, the petition they make is, that he
would "have mercy on them", who, through blindness, were in a poor, helpless, and
miserable condition; and this was made with great vehemency: they "cried" out aloud,
that he might hear them, and take pity on them; being eagerly desirous of having their
sight, and firmly believing that he was able to restore it to them.
HE RY, "They heard that Jesus passed by. Though they were blind, they were not
deaf. Seeing and hearing are the learning senses. It is a great calamity to want either; but
the defect of one may be, and often is, made up in the acuteness of the other; and
therefore it has been observed by some as an instance of the goodness of Providence,
that none were ever known to be born both blind and deaf; but that, one way or other, all
are in a capacity of receiving knowledge. These blind men had heard of Christ by the
hearing of the ear, but they desired that their eyes might see him. When they heard that
Jesus passed by, they asked no further questions, who were with him, or whether he was
in haste, but immediately cried out. Note, It is good to improve the present opportunity,
to make the best of the price now in the hand, because, if once let slip, it may never
return; these blind men did so, and did wisely; for we do not find that Christ ever came
to Jericho again. Now is the accepted time.
2. The address itself is more observable; Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of
David, repeated again, Mat_20:31. Four things are recommended to us for an example
in this address; for, though the eye of the body was dark, the eye of the mind was
enlightened concerning truth, duty, and interest.
(1.) Here is an example of importunity in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest;
men in want are earnest, of course. Cold desires do but beg denials. Those that would
prevail in prayer, must stir up themselves to take hold on God in duty. When they were
discountenanced in it, they cried the more. The stream of fervency, if it be stopped, will
rise and swell the higher. This wrestling with God in prayer, and makes us the fitter to
receive mercy; for the more it is striven for, the more it will be prized and thankfully
acknowledged.
CALVI , "30.Have mercy on me, O Lord. I stated, a little ago, that there was at
first but one who cried out, but the other was induced by a similar necessity to join
him. They confer on Christ no ordinary honor, when they request him to have
mercy, and relieve them; for they must have been convinced that he had in his
power the assistance or remedy which they needed. But their faith is still more
clearly exhibited by their acknowledgment of him as Messiah, to whom we know
that the Jews gave this designation, Son of David They therefore apply to Christ, not

166. only as some Prophet, but as that person whom God had promised to be the only
Author of salvation. The cry proved the ardor of the desire; for, though they knew
that what they said exposed them to the hatred of many, who were highly displeased
with the honor done to Christ, their fear was overcome by the ardor of desire, so
that they did not refrain, on this account, from raising their voice aloud.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:30 f. Two blind men. Luke 'a certain blind man,' and
Mark gives his name, 'the son of Timeus, Bartimeus.' Here, as in Matthew 8:28 (See
on "Matthew 8:28"), we have to suppose that one of the two was more notable, and
thus alone named by Mark and Luke. The supposition is somewhat difficult, but
certainly by no means impossible, and on every account far more probable than that
of a flat error. The balsam of Jericho was "a wonderful remedy for headache
(neuralgia), and for incipient cataract, and dimness of vision." (Strabo 16, 2, 41.)
But no balsam could open the blind eyes. Sitting by the wayside, Luke 'begging,'
Mark 'a beggar.' Heard that Jesus was passing by, Mark and Luke 'Jesus of
azareth,' a title by which the teacher and healer had doubtless been heard of
throughout the land. Thou Son of David, so also Mark and Luke, meaning that he
was the Messiah, compare On Matthew 9:27, Matthew 15:22, Matthew 22:42. We
cannot tell how they reached this conviction. As to their particular request, they had
doubtless heard of his healing the blind elsewhere, perhaps of cases in Galilee,
(Matthew 9:27) more likely of the man born blind healed at Jerusalem six months
before. (John 9:1 ff.) The multitude rebuked them. Luke 'they that went before,'
Mark simply 'many.' They were vexed that mere blind beggars should disturb a
procession, and annoy the principal personage, from whom they may have been
eagerly expecting further teaching. (Compare Matthew 19:13) Beggars in the East
are almost always offensive and often disgusting, and it is hard to feel compassion
for them, even when blind. Because, or, that they should, for the Greek construction
see on Matthew 5:29; so also, that our eyes may be opened. Hold their peace, an old
English phrase, the Greek being literally be silent. As they were needy and hopeful,
opposition only stimulated a louder cry. The Greek word denotes a harsh cry,
compare Matthew 8:29, Matthew 9:27, Matthew 15:23, and Mark and Luke have
the imperfect tense, describing a continued crying.
COKE, "Matthew 20:30. And behold, two blind men— St. Mark and St. Luke
speak only of one blind man who was cured near Jericho. St. Augustin is of opinion,
that one of these was more remarkable than the other, being the son of Timeus, who
seems to have been a person of some distinction; and that, having fallen into poverty
and blindness, he was forced to beg for his bread. He thinks this a good reason for
his being mentioned particularly by one of the Evangelists. It may be added, that he
might himselfbe remarkable by the extraordinary earnestness with which he cried.
See Aug. de Consen. Evang. lib. 2.
COFFMA ,"The difficulty mentioned above, whether there was one healed or two,
is resolved in the truth that there were actually two, as stated by Matthew; and that
Luke and Mark, following a pattern often observed in the ew Testament,
mentioned only one, the most important (to them). Mark's account shows that he
was personally acquainted with Bartimaeus and his father. Thus, the healing of one

167. known personally to Mark as a respected friend would naturally overshadowed
other healings that occurred at the same time. There is no contradiction that
Matthew named two, a fact that could be contradicted only by an assertion that
Jesus healed O LY one, a statement that neither Mark nor Luke made.
Those unfortunate men heard that Jesus was passing by, and they began to cry out
for mercy, calling him the Son of David, a popular Jewish name for the Messiah. It
is a truth worthy of our attention that even the blind, physically, could SEE that
Christ was the Holy One, thus qualifying them in this category as far more
perceptive than many who were spiritually blind to the excellence of Jesus.
ELLICOTT, "(30) Behold, two blind men sitting.—Two difficulties present
themselves on comparing this narrative with the accounts of the same or a similar
event in St. Mark and St. Luke. (1.) The former agrees with St. Matthew as to time
and place, but speaks of one blind man only, and gives his name as “Bartimseus, the
son of Timaeus.” (2.) The latter speaks of one only, and fixes the time of the miracle
at our Lord’s entry into Jericho. The probable explanation of (1) is, that of the two
men, the one whom St. Mark names was the more conspicuous and better known,
and of (2), that St. Luke, visiting the scene and having the spot pointed out to him
outside the gates of the city, was left to conjecture, or was misinformed, as to the
work having been done when our Lord drew nigh unto it. The fact that St. Luke
alone records the incident connected with Zacchæus (Luke 19:1-10) indicates either
that he had been on the spot as an inquirer, or had sought for local sources of
information. The assumption that he recorded a different miracle from St. Matthew
and St. Mark is possible, but hardly probable, and certainly needless, except on a
very rigid and a priori theory of inspiration. It is possible, again, that St. Luke’s
local inquiries may have made his narrative more accurate than the recollection on
which St. Matthew’s and St. Mark’s rested.
O Lord, thou son of David.—The blind men probably echoed the whispered
murmurs of the crowd that was sweeping by, or, in any case, used (as did the
woman of Canaan, Matthew 15:22) the most popular and widely diffused of the
names of the Messiah. They were beggars, and they appealed to the pity of the King.
PETT, "There would be many blind men begging outside Jericho, and these were
but two of them, for this was a favourite spot for beggars at Passover time. One of
these blind men mentioned here may well have been the one mentioned by Mark.
But it should cause no surprise that there was more than one, for even beggars get
lonely, and Matthew’s constant indication of companions for needy people whom
they met (which would be perfectly natural) suggests an eyewitness, and possibly
one with a deep awareness of what it meant to be left to oneself. Jericho at Passover
time, being on the Jerusalem Road for those who came from Peraea, would be a
prime begging site, and those who were begging there would tend to seek
companionship.
Luke describes the healing of a blind man in similar circumstances prior to reaching
Jericho. This may have been because there were in fact two Jerichos, old Jericho

168. and new Jericho, and he was thinking of the modern one. Leaving behind the old
Jericho would be especially significant to Matthew, for it was from Jericho that the
conquest fanned out after the Exodus. Or alternately it may have been a different
blind man, for with the beggars gathered on the Jericho Road there would no doubt
be many healings that day. Jesus never refused any who called on Him.
‘They heard that Jesus was passing by.’ o doubt they had become aware of the
huge cavalcade and had asked what was causing it. They had probably long hoped
that they would come across Jesus. And now that time had come! So they cried out
persistently, as those who would not be denied, “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of
David.” ’ It was a deferential request, probably made to someone whom they knew
was descended from Solomon, the son of David. Solomon was famed for his cures,
and rumour had it that this prophet had some of his powers (compare how the title
Son of David is regularly used in connection with the demon possessed and the blind
- Matthew 9:27; Matthew 12:23; Matthew 15:22 and here). It was probably this
rather than its Messianic significance that they mainly had in mind (as with the
Canaanite woman). Son of David was, however, also a Messianic title and is found
as such in the Psalms of Solomon. Thus their thoughts may have included both, for
Passover was the week when the title of the coming Son of David was one everyone’s
lips, and Matthew almost certainly sees it as preparing for His welcome into
Jerusalem. That is why he reminds us that the words were repeated more than once.
31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be
quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son
of David, have mercy on us!”
BAR ES, "And the multitude rebuked them because ... - They chid or
reproved them, and in a threatening manner told them to be silent.
They cried the more - Jesus, standing still, ordered them to be brought to him
(Mark)
His friends then addressed the blind men and told them that Jesus called (Mark).
Mark adds that Bartimeus cast away his garment, and rose and came to Jesus. “The
garment” was not his only raiment, but was the outer garment, thrown loosely over him,
and commonly laid aside when persons labored or ran. See the notes at Mat_5:40. His
doing it denoted haste and earnestness in order to come to Jesus.
CLARKE, "The multitude rebuked them - Whenever a soul begins to cry after

169. Jesus for light and salvation, the world and the devil join together to drown its cries, or
force it to be silent. But let all such remember, Jesus is now passing by; that their souls
must perish everlastingly, if not saved by him, and they may never have so good an
opportunity again. While there is a broken and a contrite heart, let it sigh its complaints
to God, till he hear and answer.
They cried the more - When the world and the devil begin to rebuke, in this case, it
is a proof that the salvation of God is nigh; therefore, let such cry out a great deal the
more.
GILL, "And the multitude rebuked them,.... Who were either the friends or
enemies of Christ: if his friends, they might rebuke them, that they might not be so
troublesome to him, and judging it unworthy of him to have anything to do with such
mean persons, and supposing that their business was only to ask alms of him; or if they
were his enemies, or not so well affected to him, they might chide them for giving him
such high characters, as Lord, and Son of David; and therefore being displeased with
such encomiums, reproved them,
because they should hold their peace; be silent, and say no more of that kind, lest
others should take up the same notion of him, and it should prevail among the people,
But they cried the more, saying, have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of
David. They lifted up their voice higher, and cried the more loudly, that their voice
might be above the noise of the people, and be heard by Christ; and renewed their
request with more eagerness and importunity, repeating the characters they before gave
him, being not in the least intimidated by the rebukes of the people: their faith in Jesus,
as the Messiah, being more increased, and their desires of his pity and compassion being
more enlarged, they grew bolder, and more resolute, as faith often does by opposition,
and trials.
HE RY, "2. The address itself is more observable; Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou
Son of David, repeated again, Mat_20:31. Four things are recommended to us for an
example in this address; for, though the eye of the body was dark, the eye of the mind
was enlightened concerning truth, duty, and interest.
(1.) Here is an example of importunity in prayer. They cried out as men in earnest;
men in want are earnest, of course. Cold desires do but beg denials. Those that would
prevail in prayer, must stir up themselves to take hold on God in duty. When they were
discountenanced in it, they cried the more. The stream of fervency, if it be stopped, will
rise and swell the higher. This wrestling with God in prayer, and makes us the fitter to
receive mercy; for the more it is striven for, the more it will be prized and thankfully
acknowledged.
(2.) Of humility in prayer; in that word, Have mercy on us, not specifying the favour,
or prescribing what, much less pleading merit, but casting themselves upon, and
referring themselves cheerfully to, the Meditator's mercy, in what way he pleases; “Only
have mercy.” They ask not for silver and gold, though they were poor, but mercy, mercy.
This is that which our hearts must be upon, when we come to the throne of grace, that
we may find mercy, Heb_4:16; Psa_130:7.
(3.) Of faith in prayer; in the title they gave to Christ, which was in the nature of a
plea; O Lord, thou Son of David; they confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and therefore

170. had authority to command deliverance for them. Surely it was by the Holy Ghost that
they called Christ Lord, 1Co_12:3. Thus they take their encouragement in prayer from
his power, as in calling him the Son of David they take encouragement from his
goodness, as Messiah, of whom so many kind and tender things had been foretold,
particularly his compassion to the poor and needy, Psa_72:12, Psa_72:13. It is of
excellent use, in prayer, to eye Christ in the grace and glory of his Messiahship; to
remember that he is the Son of David, whose office it is to help, and save, and to plead it
with him.
(4.) Of perseverance in prayer, notwithstanding discouragement. The multitude
rebuked them, as noisy, clamorous, and impertinent, and bid them hold their peace, and
not disturb the Master, who perhaps at first himself seemed not to regard them. In
following Christ with our prayers, we must expect to meet with hindrances and manifold
discouragements from within and from without, something or other that bids us hold
our peace. Such rebuke are permitted, that faith and fervency, patience and
perseverance, may be tried. These poor blind men were rebuked by the multitude that
followed Christ. Note, the sincere and serious beggars at Christ's door commonly meet
with the worst rebukes from those that follow him but in pretence and hypocrisy. But
they would not be beaten off so; when they were in pursuit of such a mercy, it was no
time to compliment, or to practise a timid delicacy; no, they cried the more. Note, Men
ought always to pray, and not to faint; to pray with all perseverance (Luk_18:1); to
continue in prayer with resolution, and not to yield to opposition.
II. The answer of Christ to this address of theirs. The multitude rebuked them; but
Christ encouraged them. It were sad for us, if the Master were not more kind and tender
than the multitude; but he loves to countenance those with special favour, that are under
frowns, and rebukes, and contempts from men. He will not suffer his humble
supplicants to be run down, and put out of countenance.
SBC, "(with Luk_19:3; Mar_2:4; Luk_8:45)
Crowds around Christ. Crowds gathered daily around Jesus Christ. He was thronged,
pressed, almost persecuted, by the ever-accumulating multitudes. It is evident that this
was not always, if it was ever, an advantage. The crowd was rather hindersome than
helpful.
I. What of the crowds around Jesus Christ today? Who are they, and what is their social
effect? There is a crowd (1) of nominal followers; (2) of bigots; (3) of controversialists;
(4) of ceremonialists.
II. See how difficult it is for a simple-minded and earnest inquirer to find his way to
Jesus Christ through such throngs. (1) As a question of mere time, they make it difficult.
(2) They distract the inquirer’s thoughts. (3) They chill the inquirer’s ove.
III. Against this set the glorious fact that there is no crowd, how dense or turbulent
soever, through which an earnest inquirer may not find his way. There is a way to the
Master—seek and thou shalt find; the Master, not the crowd, must redeem and pardon
the sons of men.
Parker, City Temple, vol. i., p. 193.
Reference: Mat_20:31.—W. F. Hook, Sermons on the Miracles, vol. ii., p. 194.
CALVI , "31.And the multitude reproved them. It is surprising that the disciples of

171. Christ, who follow him through a sense of duty and of respect, should wish to drive
wretched men from the favor of Christ, and, so far as lies in them, to prevent the
exercise of his power. But it frequently happens that the greater part of those who
profess the name of Christ, instead of inviting us to him, rather hinder or delay our
approach. If Satan endeavored to throw obstacles in the way of two blind men, by
means of pious and simple persons, who were induced by some sentiments of
religion to follow Christ, how much more will he succeed in accomplishing it by
means of hypocrites and traitors, if we be not strictly on our guard. Perseverance is
therefore necessary to overcome every difficulty, and the more numerous the
obstacles are which Satan throws in the way, the more powerfully ought we to be
excited to earnestness in prayer, as we see that the blind men redoubled their cry
COFFMA , "Trench taught that the multitude might have acted out of
consideration for the Master in thus trying to restrain the cries of those blind men;
but it appears far more probable that Christ's old enemies, the Pharisees, or their
spies, were also present (though not mentioned), and that their efforts sprang from
an evil desire to silence those loud proclamations of Christ as the Messiah, a fact so
abundantly attested by Jesus' mighty works, and so generally known among the
people, that such a spark as might have been provided by the cries of those blind
men could have set off a great demonstration. On no other occasion is it recorded
that the multitude tried to silence a cry for help. Thus, there must have been some
rare and unusual reason for it in this case. The repeated cries, "Thou Son of
David," echoing up and down the wayside were just such an affront to the Pharisees
as to provoke their interference with it if, as might be supposed, they were present.
Be that as it may, whether done by that multitude with or without Pharisaical
inducement, Satan must have been the prime instigator. o humor may have been
intended in this wonderful narrative, but elements of it are undoubtedly present.
Just imagine the spiritually blind Pharisees trying to "shush" the cries of those
blind beggars who were screaming to high heaven in the presence of a great
multitude that here indeed was the Messiah, a fact perfectly clear to everyone except
his evil lordship, the Pharisee!
ELLICOTT, "(31) The multitude rebuked them.—The silence of our Lord, the
hushed reverence of the multitude, led men to look on the eager, clamorous
supplication as intrusive. The entry of the Prophet about to claim His kingdom was
not to be thus disturbed. But they were not to be silenced, and the litanies of
Christendom for centuries have been modelled on the Kyrie Eleïson (“Lord, have
mercy upon us”) which came from their lips,
PETT, "The two blind men were clearly causing some uproar because the crowds
told them to keep quiet. The respectable pilgrims accompanied in many cases by
their families would not want beggars mixing with the crowds. But the more the
crowd tried to shush them, so the more they cried out “Lord, have mercy on us, you
son of David.” They recognised that this was the opportunity of a lifetime, and they
were not going to miss it.

172. 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you
want me to do for you?” he asked.
CLARKE, "Jesus stood - “The cry of a believing penitent,” says one, “is sufficient
to stop the most merciful Jesus, were he going to make a new heaven and a new earth;
for what is all the irrational part of God’s creation in worth, when compared with the
value of one immortal soul!” See on Mar_10:50 (note).
What will ye that I shall do - Christ is at all times infinitely willing to save sinners:
when the desire of the heart is turned towards him, there can be little delay in the
salvation. What is thy wish? If it be a good one, God will surely fulfill it.
GILL, "And Jesus stood still,.... Made a full stop, when he was near, or right against
where these blind men sat; which shows the strength of faith, the force of prayer, and the
great regard Christ has to both:
and called them: himself, being near unto them, and within the reach of his voice; or
he commanded them to be brought to him, as Mark says: he ordered others to call them,
or let them know, that it was his will they should come to him; upon which they threw
away their garments, their long upper garments, which were some hindrance to a quick
motion, at least Bartimaeus did; that they might be the sooner with him: and when they
were come to him, he said,
what will ye that I shall do unto you? is it alms you want? or would you have your
sight restored? This question he put, not as being ignorant of their desires, but to show
both his power and willingness to do anything for them they should ask; and that their
faith in him might be made manifest, and the people have their expectations raised, and
they prepared to attend the miracle now to be wrought.
HE RY, "1. He stood still, and called them, Mat_20:32. He was now going up to
Jerusalem, and was straitened till his work there was accomplished; and yet he stood
still to cure these blind men. Note, When we are ever so much in haste about any
business, yet we should be willing to stand still to do good. He called them, not because
he could not cure them at a distance, but because he would do it in the most obliging and
instructive way, and would countenance weak but willing patients and petitioners. Christ
not only enjoins us to pray, but invites us; holds out the golden sceptre to us, and bids us
come touch the top of it.
2. He enquired further into their case; What will ye that I shall do unto you? This
implies, (1.) A very fair offer; “Here I am; let me know what you would have, and you

173. shall have it.” What would we more? He is able to do for us, and as willing as he is able;
Ask, and it shall be given you. (2.) A condition annexed to this offer, which is a very easy
and reasonable one - that they should tell him what they would have him do for them.
One would think this a strange question, any one might tell what they would have. Christ
knew well enough; but he would know it from them, whether they begged only for alms,
as from a common person, or for a cure, as from the Messiah. Note, It is the will of God
that we should in every thing make our requests known to him by prayer and
supplication; not to inform or move him, but to qualify ourselves for the mercy. The
waterman in the boat, who with his hook takes hold of the shore, does not thereby pull
the shore to the boat, but the boat to the shore. So in prayer we do not draw the mercy to
ourselves, but ourselves to the mercy.
SBC, "The narrative, of which these words form a part, tends to illustrate in a
remarkable manner the nature of true prayer; and to show us His mind respecting it, to
whom or through whom all Christian prayer is made.
I. "What will ye that I should do unto you?" The question was asked for a twofold reason.
Christ will have the suppliant in prayer aware of the depth and the nature of his own
need; and He will have the same suppliant grasp by faith the power and will to grant his
prayer which reside in Him to whom he addresses it. To them who never seek Him, or
seek Him but little, His power seems but an idea; but to them that seek Him daily, and
commune with Him without ceasing in the craving language of the asking heart, His
power is a great stream of strength flowing into them—secret, but well recognized; calm,
but mighty, supplying their empty places and fortifying all the accesses of sin; and His
love is the constant watchful tenderness of a Friend who knows the depth of their
wants—a bright face ever bent over them, full of fatherly pity and of unfathomable
wisdom. And in order to this real and definite sense of God’s daily power and love in
answering prayer, prayer must be a real and definite thing also.
II. If we would pray aright we must live in the constant habit of self-examination. We
must also know Him with whom we have to do. We pray to, not a God of the
imagination, not a God whose being and attributes we have reasoned out for ourselves,
but a manifested God. When the Christian says, "Have mercy on us, miserable sinners,"
he expresses not only the heavy burden of his own heart in the description of himself,
but the reliance of his faith on Him that died for him and is now at the right hand of God
in His nature, exalted as a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of
sins. If then we would pray aright, we must know Christ with a personal and
appropriating faith. When the Lord says, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?"
the longing after more of His likeness, the yearnings of our hearts for holiness and love
and truth, these will be the eager and ready reply; and no such prayer shall be sent up
without fetching down the gracious answer, "According to your faith, so be it done unto
you."
H. Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. ii., p. 146.
CALVI , "32.What do you wish that I should do to you? He gently and kindly asks
what they desire; for he had determined to grant their requests. There is no reason
to doubt that they prayed by a special movement of the Holy Spirit; for, as the Lord
does not intend to grant to all persons deliverance from bodily diseases, so neither
does he permit them simply to pray for it. A rule has been prescribed for us what we
ought to ask, and in what manner, and to what extent; and we are not at liberty to

174. depart from that rule, unless the Lord, by a secret movement of the Spirit, suggest to
us some special prayer, which rarely happens. Christ puts the question to them, not
for their sake as individuals, but for the sake of all the people; for we know how the
world swallows God’s benefits without perceiving them, unless they are stimulated
and aroused. Christ, therefore, by his voice, awakens the assembled crowd to
observe the miracle, as he awakens them shortly afterwards by a visible sign, when
he opens their eyes by touching them.
34.And Jesus, moved with compassion, etc. Σπλαγχνισθείς , moved with compassion,
is not the participle of the same verb which Matthew had just now employed in
reference to the blind man, ἐλέησον, have mercy (672) They implored the mercy of
Christ, that he might relieve their wretchedness; but now the Evangelist expresses
that Christ was induced to cure them, not only by undeserved goodness, but because
he pitied their distress. For the metaphor is taken from the bowels, ( σπλάγχνα,) in
which dwells that kindness and mutual compassion which prompts us to assist our
neighbors.
COFFMA , "Love stands still at the cry for help, How noble was our Lord's
conduct on that occasion! He was never heedless of the cries of the poor, the
suffering, the sick, or the blind, or the unfortunate. Multitudes may be in a hurry,
but Christ is not in a hurry. Here is an act of compassion that suggests a great
passenger train stopping to aid a child to cross the street, or the conduct of Robert
E. Lee, of whom it is said that he dismounted during a battle to lift a tiny bird back
into its nest. But of course there is really nothing in the conduct of men that may
properly be compared with the compassion of Jesus.
COKE, "Matthew 20:32. Jesus—said, What will ye, &c.— It is observable, that we
never find Jesus bestowing an alms of money on any poor person falling in his way;
yet this is no objection against his charity: for if the person who addressed him was
incapable of working for his own subsistence by reason of bodily infirmity, it was
much more noble, and much more becoming the dignity of the Son of God, to
remove the infirmity, and put the beggar in a condition of supporting himself, than
by the gift of a small sum to relieve his present want, which would soon return; such
an alms being at best but a trifling and indirect method of helping him. On the other
hand, if the beggars who applied to him were not in real distress through want or
disease, but, under the pretence of infirmity or poverty, followed begging, as they
deserved no encouragement, so they met with none from Jesus, who knew perfectly
the circumstances of every particular person with whom he conversed. Besides, to
have bestowed money on the poor was not only beneath Christ's dignity, but, having
occasion to perform great cures on several beggars, it might have afforded his
enemies a plausible pretence for affirming, that he bribed such as feigned diseases,
to feign cures likewise, of which they gave him the honour. See Macknight.
BROADUS, "Matthew 20:32-34. Called them. Mark gives vivid particulars; Jesus
directed those near him to call; they spoke cheeringly; and Bartimeus, "casting
away his garment, his loose outer garment, (See on Matthew 5:40), sprang up, and
came to Jesus." We easily suppose that the other and less noticeable blind man

175. followed. Jesus had compassion, see the Greek word explained on Matthew 9:36.
Touched their eyes, not mentioned by Mark or Luke, a sign to them that he was the
healer, as in Matthew 9:29. Mark and Luke relate that Jesus said, "thy faith hath
made thee whole," saved thee, healed thee, as above in Matthew 9:22, and compare
Matthew 9:29. And they followed him, Mark 'in the way,' Luke 'glorifying God.'
They probably accompanied him to Jerusalem. Luke adds: "And all the people,
when they saw it, gave praise unto God."
(Compare Matthew 9:8, Matthew 15:31) Jesus here shows no desire to prevent his
miracles from becoming generally known, as he did in Matthew 9:30 and often. The
crisis of his ministry is now near at hand, and publicity will make no difference.
ELLICOTT, "(32) Jesus stood still, and called them.—Or, as in St. Mark, “bade
them be called,” the message being given specially to Bartimæus. St. Mark gives,
with a graphic fulness, the very words of the message, “Be of good cheer, arise; He
calleth thee,” and adds that the blind man flung off his outer cloak, or mantle, and
leapt up and came to Jesus. All three Gospels give our Lord’s question in the same,
or nearly the same, words. He sought, as with the clear insight of sympathy, to know
what was the special grief that weighed upon the man’s spirit.
PETT, "Jesus was the One present Who was never too busy to hear the cry of
distress, and He stopped on His journey and called them to Him, asking them what
He could do for them. He could have had little doubt about what they wanted, but it
was His practise to make people face up to what they were asking, and to make
them express at least some faith.
ISBET, "OPE ED EYES
‘Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
They say unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.’
Matthew 20:32-33
An ordinary day; an ordinary Eastern scene; a great multitude; a central Figure,
and at the fringe of the crowd, sitting by the wayside, two blind men. Let us change
the scene: an ordinary day? o! This is Sunday. or is this an ordinary place; it is
God’s house, and Jesus is in our midst. Some here, it may be, are silting in the
darkness and in the shadow of death, feeling their need—their need of light, seeking
relief, yet they are hindered by the multitude. It matters not whether the multitude
be your thoughts or be the things concerning you, or your neighbours right and left.
Lift up your voice; you have at least one listener in the midst.
I. Causes of blindness.—There are various causes for physical blindness; there are
various causes for spiritual blindness. Some are blind spiritually through pride—
pride of birth it may be. And there are others who are blind because of the pride of
wealth. Some are blind through pride of person. Some are spiritually blind through
covetousness (e.g. Judas Iscariot). And some are blind spiritually from pleasure.
II. The compassionate Saviour.—Jesus to-day in our midst stands still and has

176. compassion. He shall touch the blind souls of men again to-day and there shall be an
eternal dawn. It was a new world which opened to the blind men of Jericho; it is a
new world which opens to every human soul that realises the love and the touch and
the compassion of Jesus.
III. The result of opened eyes.—The first result will be that you will see invisible
things. Elisha’s servant is an illustration to us of one whose eyes were opened. When
our eyes are opened we realise that we fight not only against flesh and blood, but
against principalities and powers, the unseen forces that are against us. But while
we realise the danger, we also realise that He Who is with us is more than all that be
against us. We see Jesus, and He becomes the centre of our lives. And, lastly, the
result of opened eyes is not only that we see invisible things, not only that we see
Jesus, but also that we follow Him.
Bishop J. Taylor Smith.
33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
CLARKE, "That our eyes may be opened - He who feels his own sore, and the
plague of his heart, has no great need of a prompter in prayer. A hungry man can easily
ask bread; he has no need to go to a book to get expressions to state his wants in; his
hunger tells him he wants food, and he tells this to the person from whom he expects
relief. Helps to devotion, in all ordinary cases, may be of great use; in extraordinary
cases they can be of little importance; the afflicted heart alone can tell its own sorrows,
with appropriate pleadings.
GILL, "They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. That is, that
their sight might be restored to them; for being deprived of that, it was all one as if their
eyes were so closed, that they could not open them; and so the recovery of it is expressed
by an opening of them. The opening of the eyes of the blind was prophesied of, as what
should be done in the days of the Messiah, and by him, as an evidence of his being that
person, Isa_35:5 which prophecy these blind men might be acquainted with, and be an
encouragement to their faith to expect a cure from him. They do not ask for alms, but for
the recovery of their sight; which being granted, they would be able to get their bread in
another way; for they were not like some idle persons that choose rather to be under
such a calamity, or any other, that they might not be obliged to work with their hands for
a livelihood. Their request shows, that they made no doubt of it, but firmly believed that
Christ was able to do this for them, though the thing was impossible to be done by man;
who therefore must conclude that he was not a mere man, but the Son of the living God.

177. HE RY, "They soon made known their request to him, such a one as they never
made to any one else; Lord, that our eyes may be opened. The wants and burthens of the
body we are soon sensible of, and can readily relate; Ubi dolor, ubi digitus - The finger
promptly points to the seat of pain. O that we were but as apprehensive of our spiritual
maladies, and could as feelingly complain of them, especially our spiritual blindness!
Lord, that the eyes of our mind may be opened! Many are spiritually blind, and yet say
they see, Joh_9:41. Were we but sensible of our darkness, we should soon apply
ourselves to him, who alone has the eye-salve, with this request, Lord, that our eyes may
be opened.
COFFMA , "Mark adds the graphic words that Bartimaeus cast off his garment
that he might better run to Christ. Thus, naked, or nearly so, this poor beggar,
blind, despised, and suffering the most abject shame and poverty, appeared as an
object of the utmost pity as he stood trembling before the Lord of Life and heard the
blessed words, "What will ye that I should do unto you?" With such a word Jesus
brought his petition from the general to the particular need, as Christ so often did.
aturally, there was no aching hope in a blind man's heart that could surpass the
desire to see.
PETT, "Their request was simple, that their eyes might be opened. The idea of the
‘opening of the eyes’ has a double meaning. It could signify the making of a blind
man to see, especially as a Messianic sign (Matthew 11:5 with Isaiah 35:5), but it
could also signify the opening of spiritually blind eyes to the truth (Isaiah 42:7; Acts
26:18; Ephesians 1:18). They were actually asking the easier option, but Jesus gave
them both.
34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched
their eyes. Immediately they received their sight
and followed him.
BAR ES, "And touched their eyes - Mark and Luke say he added, “Thy faith hath
saved thee.” Thy “confidence, or belief” that I could cure, has been the means of
obtaining this blessing.
Faith had no power to open the eyes, but it led the blind men to Jesus; it showed that
they had just views of his power; it was connected with the cure. So “faith” has no power
to save from sin, but it leads the poor, lost, blind sinner to him who has power, and in
this sense it is said we are saved by faith. His “touching” their eyes was merely “a sign”
that the power of healing proceeded from him.

178. Here was an undoubted miracle.
1. These blind men were well known. One, at least, had been blind for a long time.
2. They were strangers to Jesus. They could not have, therefore, “feigned” themselves
blind, or done this by any “collusion or agreement” between him and themselves in
order to impose on the multitude.
3. The miracle was in the presence of multitudes who took a deep interest in it, and
who could easily have detected the imposition if there had been any.
4. The people followed him. They praised or “glorified” God (Mark and Luke). The
people gave praise to God also (Luke). They were all satisfied that a real miracle
was performed.
Remarks On Matthew 20
1. From the parable at the beginning of this chapter Mat. 20:1-16 we learn that it is not
so much the time that we serve Christ as the “manner,” that is to entitle us to high
rewards in heaven. Some may be in the church many years, yet accomplish little. In a few
years, others may be more distinguished in the success of their labors and in their
rewards.
2. God will do justice to all, Mat_20:13. He will give to every one of his followers all
that he promised to give. To him entitled to the least he will give everything which he has
promised, and to each one infinitely more than he has deserved.
3. On some he will bestow higher rewards than on others, Mat_20:16. There is no
reason to think that the condition of people in heaven will be “equal,” any more than it is
on earth. Difference of rank may run through all God’s government, and still no one be
degraded or be deprived of his rights.
4. God does as he pleases with his own, Mat_20:15. It is his right to do so - a right
which people claim, and which God may claim. If he does injustice to no one, he has a
right to bestow what favors on others he pleases. In doing good to another man he does
no injury to me. He violated none of my rights by bestowing great talents on Newton or
great wealth on Solomon. He did not injure me by making Paul a man of distinguished
talents and piety, or John a man of much meekness and love. What he gives me I should
be thankful for and improve; nor should I be envious or malignant that he has given to
others more than he has to me. Nay, I should rejoice that he has bestowed such favors on
undeserving people at all; that the race is in possession of such talents and rewards, to
whosoever given; and should believe that in the hands of God such favors will be well
bestowed. God is a sovereign, and the Judge of all the earth will do that which is right.
5. It is our duty to go into the vineyard and labor faithfully when ever the Lord Jesus
calls us, and until he calls us to receive our reward, Mat. 20:1-16. He has a right to call
us, and there are none who are not invited to labor for Him.
6. Rewards are offered to all who will serve him, Mat_20:4. It is not that we deserve
any favor, or that we shall not say at the end of life that we have been “unprofitable”
servants, but He graciously promises that our rewards shall be measured by our
faithfulness in His cause. He will have the glory of bringing us into His kingdom and
saving us, while He will bestow rewards on us according as we have been faithful in His
service.
7. People may be saved in old age, Mat_20:6. Old people are sometimes brought into
the kingdom of Christ and made holy, but it is rare. Few aged people are converted. They
drop into the grave as they lived; and to a man who wastes his youth and his middle life
in sin, and goes down into the vale of years a rebel against God, there is a dreadful
probability that he will die as he lived. It will be found to be true, probably, that by far

179. more than half who are saved are converted before they reach the age of 20. Besides, it is
foolish as well as wicked to spend the best of our days in the service of Satan, and to give
to God only the poor remnant of our lives that we can no longer use in the cause of
wickedness. God should have our first and best days.
8. Neither this parable nor any part of the Bible should be so abused as to lead us to
put off the time of repentance to old age. It is “possible,” though not “probable,” that we
shall live to be old. Few, few, of all the world, live to old age. Thousands die in childhood.
The time, the accepted time to serve God, is in early life; and God will require it at the
hands of parents and teachers if they do not train up the children committed to them to
love and obey Him.
9. One reason why we do not understand the plain doctrines of the Bible is our own
prejudice, Mat_20:17-19. Our Saviour plainly told his disciples that he must die. He
stated the manner of his death, and the principal circumstances. To us, all this is plain,
but they did not understand it (Luke). They had filled their heads with notions about his
earthly glory and honor, and they were not willing to see the truth as he stated it. Never
was there a more just proverb than that “none are so blind as those who will not see.” So
to us the Bible might be plain enough. The doctrines of truth are revealed as clear as a
sunbeam, but we are filled with previous notions - we are determined to think
differently; and the easiest way to gratify this is to say we do not see it so. The only
correct principle of interpretation is, that the Bible is to be taken “just as it is.” The
meaning that the sacred writers intended to teach is to be sought honestly; and when
found, that, and that only, is religious truth.
10. Mothers should be cautious about seeking places of honor for their sons, Mat_
20:20-22. Doing this, they seldom know what they ask. They may be seeking the ruin of
their children. it is not in posts of honor that happiness or salvation are certainly
secured. Contentment and peace are found oftenest in the humble vale of honest and
sober industry - in attempting to fill up our days with usefulness in the situation where
God has placed us. As the purest and loveliest streams often flow in the retired grove, far
from the thundering cataract or the stormy ocean, so is the sweet peace of the soul; it
dwells oftenest far from the bustle of public life, and the storms and tempests of
ambition.
11. Ambition in the church is exceedingly improper, Mat_20:22-28. It is not the
nature of religion to produce it. It is opposed to all the modest, retiring, and pure virtues
that Christianity produces. An ambitious man will be destitute of religion just in
proportion to his ambition, and piety may always be measured by humility. He that has
the most lowly views of himself, and the highest of God - that is willing to stoop the
lowest to aid his fellow-creatures and to honor God has the most genuine piety. Such
was the example of our Saviour, and it can never be any dishonor to imitate the Son of
God.
12. The case of the blind men is an expressive representation of the condition of the
sinner, Mat_20:30-34.
(1) People are blinded by sin. They do not by nature see the truth of religion.
(2) It is proper in this state of “blindness” to call upon Jesus to open our eyes. If we
ever see, it will be by the grace of God. God is the fountain of light, and those in
darkness should seek him.
(3) Present opportunities should be improved. This was the first time that Jesus had
been in Jericho. It was the last time he would be there. He was passing through it
on his way to Jerusalem. So he passes among us by his ordinances. So it may be
the last time that we shall have an opportunity to call upon him. While he is near

180. we should seek him.
(4) When people rebuke us and laugh at us, it should not deter us from calling on the
Saviour. There is danger that they will laugh us out of our purpose to seek him,
and we should cry the more earnestly to him. We should feel that our eternal all
depends on our being heard.
(5) The persevering cry of those who seek the Saviour aright will not be in vain. They
who cry to him, sensible of their blindness, and sensible that he only can open
their eyes, will be heard. He turns none away who thus call upon him.
(6) Sinners must rise and come to Jesus. They must cast away everything that hinders
their coming. As the blind Bartimeus threw off his “garments,” so sinners should
throw away everything that hinders their going to him everything that obstructs
their progress and cast themselves at his feet. No man will be saved while “sitting
still.” The command is, “Strive to enter in;” and the promise is made to those only
who “ask,” and “seek,” and “knock.”
(7) Faith is the only channel through which we shall receive mercy. According to our
faith - that is, our confidence in Jesus, our trust and reliance on him so will it be to
us. Without that, we shall perish.
(8) They who apply to Jesus thus will receive sight. Their eyes will be opened and they
will see clearly.
(9) They who are thus restored to sight should follow Jesus. They should follow him
wherever he leads; they should follow him always; they should follow none else but
him. He that can give sight to the blind cannot lead us astray. He that can shed
light in the “beginning” of our faith, can enlighten our goings through all our
pilgrimage, and even down through the dark valley of the shadow of death.
CLARKE, "So Jesus had compassion on them - Σπλαγχνιαθεις, He was moved
with tender pity. The tender pity of Christ met the earnest cry of the blind men, and their
immediate cure was the result.
They followed him - As a proof of the miracle that was wrought, and of the
gratitude which they felt to their benefactor. For other particulars of this miraculous
cure, see the notes on Mar_10:46, etc.
Reader, whosoever thou art, act in behalf of thy soul as these blind men did in behalf
of their sight, and thy salvation is sure. Apply to the Son of David; lose not a moment; he
is passing by, and thou art passing into eternity, and probably wilt never have a more
favorable opportunity than the present. The Lord increase thy earnestness and faith!
GILL, "So Jesus had compassion on them,.... His bowels moved towards them as
a man; he pitied their miserable and distressed condition, and discovered the tenderness
of his heart towards them by some outward sign, by his looks, or by some gesture or
another:
and touched their eyes; with his bare hand, without the use of any instrument or
medicine. The Ethiopic version adds; "and said unto them, according to your faith shall
it be unto you"; which seems to be taken out of Mat_9:29. The Evangelist Mark relates,
that "Jesus said unto him (Bartimaeus) go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole": not
that the virtue of healing came from the act of faith, but from the object of it; his faith

181. was not the cause of, nor the reason why, but the way and means in and by which he
received the cure:
and immediately their eyes received sight; or, as the Syriac and Persic versions
render the words, "that moment their eyes were opened": the cure was wrought at once,
directly; a clear proof of the omnipotence of Christ, and of his true and proper deity: the
words, "their eyes", are not in some copies: and are omitted by the Vulgate Latin, Arabic,
and Ethiopic versions, which read thus, "they immediately saw". The Persic version
adds, and they saw the world; the men and things of it, which they either had never seen
before, or, at least, for a considerable time; which must be a very surprising and
agreeable sight to them.
And they followed him; in a corporal sense they joined the multitude, and went after
him to Jerusalem; partly to express their gratitude for such a wonderful favour bestowed
upon them; and partly that they might be witnesses of the power of his deity, and the
truth of his Messiahship, as they went along, and at Jerusalem: and in a spiritual sense;
they became his disciples, they embraced his doctrines, believed in him as the Messiah,
submitted to his ordinances, imitated him in the exercise of grace, and in the
performance of duty: for, at the same time he restored their bodily sight, he gave them a
spiritual one to look to him, and follow him, the light of the world, that they might enjoy
the light of life in another world.
HE RY, "3. He cured them; when he encouraged them to seek him, he did not say,
Seek in vain. What he did was an instance,
(1.) Of his pity; He had compassion on them. Misery is the object of mercy. They that
are poor and blind are wretched and miserable (Rev_3:17), and the objects of
compassion. It was the tender mercy of our God, that gave light and sight to them that
sat in darkness, Luk_1:78, Luk_1:79. We cannot help those that are under such
calamities, as Christ did; but we may and must pity them, as Christ did, and draw out
our soul to them.
(2.) Of his power; He that formed the eye, can he not heal it? Yes, he can, he did, he
did it easily, he touched their eyes; he did it effectually, Immediately their eyes received
sight. Thus he not only proved that he was sent of God, but showed on what errand he
was sent - to give sight to those that are spiritually blind, to turn them from darkness to
light.
Lastly, These blind men, when they had received sight, followed him. Note, None
follow Christ blindfold. He first by his grace opens men's eyes, and so draws their hearts
after him. They followed Christ, as his disciples, to learn of him, and as his witnesses,
eye-witnesses, to bear their testimony to him and to his power and goodness. The best
evidence of spiritual illumination is a constant inseparable adherence to Jesus Christ as
our Lord and Leader.
HAWKER, "REFLECTIONS
Who can read in this Chapter, the striking Parable of the householder hiring laborers
into his Vineyard, and not feel conviction at the free, sovereign, purposing, appointing,
carrying on, and completing grace of God? Is not the Vineyard of the Lord of hosts, his
Church: and every plant in it of the Lord’s right hand planting? What! if Jesus sends his
under servants his ministers to labor in his service; or calls his people to sit down under
his shadow, do either lessen the right and property of the Almighty owner? Is not the

182. whole his, by gift, by purchase, by right, by conquest, and by power? And is it not
separated by redeeming grace from the world’s wide wilderness, and fenced in with love?
Ye ministers of my God! esteem it the highest honor, to labor within the sacred
inclosure, and be more anxious to win souls than to win kingdoms. Ye children of the
Lord! whether in the early, mid-day, or later calls of his grace; bless God for the
distinguishing mercy. Soon will the evening of life come; and the Lord of the Vineyard
will call ye home, from his courts below to his heaven above.
Precious Lord Jesus! I behold thee by the eye of faith in thine ascent to Jerusalem! Yes!
truly there thou wast delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification!
Grant me dearest Lord to be more anxious to be brought under the continual baptisms
of thy spirit, than to arrive at the highest temporal honors. A door-keeper in thy house,
far exceeds the golden tents of the ungodly.
In the review of my Lord’s mercy to those poor blind men, and the grace imparted to
them to be so earnest with Jesus for bodily sight; teach me, thou gracious giver of eyes to
the blind, to imitate their cries for spiritual apprehension of my Lord’s person, work, and
righteousness. Oh! for grace to see the king in his beauty, and to have my soul so
awakened to desires after Christ, that I may follow my God and Savior by faith here, till
in open vision I shall see him as he is, and dwell with him forever!
CALVI , "Matthew 20:34.And followed him. This was an expression of gratitude,
(673) when the blind men became followers of Christ; for, though it is uncertain
how long they discharged this duty, yet it showed a grateful mind, that they
presented themselves to many, in that journey, as mirrors of the grace of Christ.
Luke adds, that the people gave praise to God, which tends to prove the certainty of
the miracle.
COFFMA , "Christ's wonderful compassion set him apart from others. Alas,
compassion is not a common human trait. How few there are who have the grace to
see and the compassion to pity the sufferings of others. It is far easier to ascribe
their woeful condition to their own sins or misdeeds and to go blindly and heedlessly
onward without regard to those of our fellow mortals who make up the company of
earth's wretched sufferers. How glorious it is that Jesus saw the man, and all the
human tragedy, and the bleeding human heart that beat beneath the beggar's
tattered shirt. H. Leo Boles observed from Mark's account that Jesus bade them,
"Go thy way." And yet, with an affectionate disobedience, they followed him as
their benefactor.
It was their way to follow him, since they were obedient after all. The blessing which
they sought in receiving sight may have led them to become his disciples and receive
spiritual blessings.[4]
E D OTE:
[4] H. Leo Boles, A Commentary on the Gospel according to Matthew ( ashville:
The Gospel Advocate Company, 1961), p. 408.
PETT, "For moved with compassion He touched their eyes and they immediately
received their sight and followed Him. The personal contact was very much part of

183. Jesus’ methods (compare Matthew 8:3; Matthew 8:15; Matthew 9:25; Matthew
9:29), and the compassion a constant feature of His ministry (Matthew 9:36;
Matthew 14:14; Matthew 15:32), while the immediate total success of the healing
was His trademark. So Jerusalem was receiving advanced warning that the time
promised by Isaiah was here, and that it was at the hands of the compassionate and
powerful ‘Son of David’.
ELLICOTT, "(34) So Jesus had compassion.—Literally, and Jesus. It was not His
purpose to meet the popular demand for signs and wonders, but compassion drew
from Him the work of power which otherwise He would have shrunk from here.
And then the two followed Him, glorifying God. In St. Luke’s narrative the incident
is followed by the story of Zacchæus and the parable of the Pounds. Possibly (see
ote on Matthew 20:30) they preceded it.
COKE, "Matthew 20:34. And they followed him— The blind men travelled along
with Jesus, perhaps all the way to Jerusalem, being deeply affected with a sense of
his power and goodness, and earnestlydesirous to shew their gratitude, by declaring
openly to all the persons they met, what a great miracle Jesus had performed upon
them. Besides by following him in the road without any guide, they put the truth of
the miracle beyond all suspicion. Accordingly St. Luke tells us, Luke 18:43 that the
people, when they saw what was done, were thankful to God for the mercy of the
cure, and acknowledged the divine mission of the prophet who had performed it,
and who, before the cure, had been addressed by the blind men as the Son of David,
or the Messiah, The allegorical reflection which Erasmus makes on this
circumstance is beautiful: "Thus Jesus by his touch cures the mind, which is blinded
by worldly lusts, and gives light for this end, that we may follow his footsteps."
Inferences.—Of what vast meaning and high importance are the concluding words
of our Lord's awakening parable in this chapter! Many are called, but few are
chosen. We ought often to meditate upon them, that we may not content ourselves
with having the offers of the Gospel made to us, or even with being admitted into the
visible church of God, but may give all diligence to make our calling and election
sure.
We are summoned to a course of holy labour, even to work in our Lord's vineyard;
or in every station, whether public or private, to do our utmost to promote the glory
of God, and the happiness of mankind. With so many calls, and so many
advantages, shall we stand all the day idle? o; rather let us be active and patient,
and cheerfully willing to bear all the burden and heat of the day in so good a cause;
knowing that ere long the evening will come, and that he who employs us, saith,
Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every man according
as his work shall be.
It is an encouraging thought to those who have long neglected the great business of
life, that some were called at the eleventh hour; but it will be dangerous indeed for
any to presume on their having such a call. It will be delusive and erroneous to
strain the parable so far, as to imagine that an equal reward awaits all, without any

184. regard to their characters or improvements; for this is most contrary to the reason
of things, to the word of God, and to the great intent of that day, which is to render
to every man according to his works. The Gentiles are indeed now called to equal
privileges with the Jews, to which this circumstance of the parable refers; and we all
see how odious a temper it was in that favourite nation to be offended with the
Gospel on that account, which should rather have recommended it to their most
joyful acceptance. It should be our care to avoid every degree of envy, whoever may
be put on a level with, or preferred to us; acknowledging the sovereign right of God
to do what he will with his own, nor suffering our eye to be evil and malicious,
because he is bountiful and good. To prevent this, we should labour after that
unfeigned love to the brethren, which will never allow us to repine at their
advancement, but will engage us to rejoice in their honour and happiness; so shall
we exchange the basest and most uneasy passion of human nature, for that which is
of all others the noblest and most delightful.
He, who had his own time and ours in his hand, foreknew and foretold the approach
of his dissolution; Matthew 20:17-19. When men are near their end, and ready to
make their will, then is it reasonable to sue for legacies. Thus did the mother of
Zebedee's children. It is an uncommon stile which is given to this woman. It had
been as easy to have said the wife of Zebedee, or the sister of Mary, or of Joseph, or
plain Salome; but now, by an unusual description; she is stiled the mother of
Zebedee's children. Zebedee was an obscure man; she, as his wife, was no better: the
greatest honour she ever had, or could have, was to have two such sons as James
and John; those gave a title to both their parents. Honour ascends as well as
descends; holy children dignify the loins whence they proceed, no less than they
derive honour from their parents. Salome might be a good wife, a good woman, a
good neighbor, but all these cannot ennoble her so much as being the mother of
Zebedee's children.
The suit was the sons'; but by the mouth of their mother. It is not discommendable
in parents to seek the preferment of their children: why may not Abraham sue for
an Ishmael? So it be by lawful means, in a moderate measure, and in due order, this
endeavour cannot be amiss.
He, who knew all their thoughts afar off, yet, as if he had been a stranger to their
purposes, asks, What wouldest thou? Our infirmities do then best shame us, when
they are drawn out of our own mouths; like as our prayers also serve not to
acquaint God with our wants, but to make us the more capable of his mercies.
Our Saviour had said, that his twelve followers should sit upon twelve thrones, and
judge the twelve tribes of Israel. This good woman would have her two sons next his
person, the prime peers of his kingdom. Every one is apt to wish the best for his
own: worldly honour is neither worth our suit, nor unworthy our acceptance: yes,
Salome, had thy mind been in heaven; hadst thou intended this desired pre-
eminence in that desired state of glory, yet I know not how to justify thine ambition.
The mother asks, the sons have the answer. To convince them of their unfitness for

185. glory,—they are sent to their impotency in suffering, Are ye able, &c.? Matthew
20:22. O Saviour! even thou, who art one with thy Father, hadst a cup of thine own;
never portion was so bitter as that which was mixed for thee; it is not enough for
thee to sip of this cup, thou must drink it up even to the very dregs. When the
vinegar and gall were tendered to thee by men, thou didst but kiss the cup; but
when thy Father gave into thine hands a portion infinitely more distasteful; thou for
our health didst drink deep of it, even to the bottom; and saidst, It is finished. And
can we repine at those unpleasing draughts of affliction which are tempered for us
sinful men, when we see thee, the Son of thy Father's love, thus dieted? We pledge
thee, O blessed Saviour! we pledge thee according to our weakness, who hast begun
to us in thy powerful sufferings: only do thou enable us, after the natural struggles
of reluctant nature are over, at last willingly to pledge thee in our constant
sufferings for thee; for if thou hast not grudged thy precious blood to us, well mayst
thou challenge some worthless drops from us; through many tribulations must we
enter into the kingdom of heaven. Let who will hope to walk upon roses and violets
thither, I will trace thee, O Saviour! by the track of thy blood, and by thy red steps
follow thee to thine eternal rest.
The motion of the two disciples was not more full of infirmity than their answer:—
We are able; out of an eager desire of the honour, they are ready to undertake the
condition. The best men may be mistaken in their own powers: alas, how striking an
instance have we in the case of our Lord's followers! when it came to the issue, They
all forsook him, and fled. It is one thing to suffer in speculation, another in practice.
There cannot be a worse sign than for a man in a carnal presumption to vaunt of his
own abilities: how justly does God suffer that man to be foiled, on purpose that he
may be ashamed of his own vain confidence! O God, let me ever be humbled in the
sense of my own insufficiency; let me give all the glory to thee, and take nothing to
myself but my infirmities.
Oh the wonderful mildness of the Son of God! He does not chide the two disciples,
either for their ambition in suing, or their presumption in undertaking; but, leaving
the worst, he takes the best of their answer; and, omitting their errors, encourages
their good intentions. Ye shall drink indeed, &c. Matthew 20:23. Were it not as high
honour to drink of thy cup, O Saviour, thou hadst not promised it as a favour: I am
deceived, if what thou grantedst was much less than that which thou deniedst. To
pledge thee in thine own cup, is not much less dignity and familiarity than to sit by
thee. If we suffer with thee, we shall also reign together with thee: what greater
promotion can flesh and blood be capable of, than a conformity to the Lord of life
and glory?—Enable thou me to drink of thy cup, and then seat me where thou wilt.
REFLECTIO S.—1st, The parable with which this chapter opens, is a comment on
the text which concluded the foregoing chapter, and represents to us the Gospel
dispensation, and this with particular application to the Jews and Gentiles; the
former of whom were ever for excluding the latter from all the blessings of the
Messiah's kingdom, and could never endure the thoughts of the heathen being
admitted to equal privileges with themselves. But so God had ordained; and though
for their fathers' sakes the first offers of the Gospel were to be made to them, yet the

186. Gentiles were shortly to be admitted to the same high privileges, and glorious
dispensation. But I have enlarged so fully on this parable, in the critical notes and
the Inferences, that I refer my reader to them for every thing which I judge it
necessary to advance on this subject.
2nd, To prepare them for that scene of distress and sufferings on which he was
about to enter, our Lord once more took his disciples apart, as they went up
together to Jerusalem, and repeated what he had said before, chap. Matthew 16:21,
Matthew 17:22-23 informing them now more particularly concerning the manner of
his sufferings and death, which he had foretold: that he should not only be betrayed
into his enemies' hands, but persecuted with unrelenting malice, and by a most
unrighteous sentence condemned to die: that he should be delivered to the Gentiles,
the Romans, who alone had then the power of life and death in Judaea; and, after
enduring the most shocking and barbarous indignities, should suffer death—tidings
that no doubt filled them with horror and dismay: but he adds, for their comfort
and support, that on the third day he should rise again. ote; In all the troubles that
we feel or fear, it is a comfort to look forward to a resurrection-day.
3rdly, Far from being cured of their national prejudices by all the sufferings which
our Lord had foretold them he should endure, they concluded that these would be
only the prelude to the glorious manifestation of his temporal power at his rising
again. And therefore,
1. Two of the disciples, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, with their mother
Salome, who is supposed to have been nearly related to Joseph, and might therefore
hope to have a strong interest in Jesus, came to their Master, and, through her
preferring their request, with deep respect she besought him to grant her a favour;
and being ordered to name it, she desired him to confer on her two sons the first
honours of that temporal kingdom which they shortly expected would appear.
2. Pitying their ignorance and weakness, instead of upbraiding their pride and folly,
our Lord turned to the two disciples, and gently admonished them, saying, Ye know
not what ye ask: your notions of the nature of my kingdom are utterly mistaken: it
is not an earthly throne to which I shall be exalted: and as mistaken are you in the
means of attaining the honours that you seek. You are not aware of the sufferings
and trials which must be endured by all those who would come to reign with me.
Through much tribulation lies the entrance into heaven; and can you, think ye,
drink of my bitter cup, or bear to be baptized in blood, as I must shortly be? Such
sufferings as these they were not prepared for: their ambition looked so high, that
they saw not the dangers which were before them, nor knew what manner of spirit
they were of. ote; (1.) They who would reign with Christ, must first suffer with
him; and every Christian should well count the cost, before he begins to take up his
cross. (2.) In all our sufferings it should sweeten our cup to think that Christ has
drank of it before us, and all the bitterness of sin he has taken away.
3. Their self-confidence is a natural consequence of their pride; and therefore
without hesitation they boldly engage for their own ability and fidelity; though, alas!

187. they were sad strangers to themselves, and knew not what they said. ote; Young
converts are often very forward, till sad experience has taught them their own
weakness.
4. Christ replies, and assures them that they shall suffer for him, and in a manner
which they probably at that time little apprehended. But though they did so, still he
left their request in suspense. The honour they sought was not to be given, unless to
them for whom it is prepared of my Father. See the notes.
5. The same ambitious spirit which spake in the request of John and James, equally
appeared in the indignation of the other ten against them; who each thought himself
as much entitled to the superiority which they desired. They did not grieve for the
sin of their brethren, but were angry at what they conceived an affront to
themselves; and, while they violently condemned the ambition of the other disciples,
were, like too many, blind to the same spirit in their own hearts. ote; Desire of pre-
eminence is among the most fruitful sources of disputes among brethren. Instead of
being in his own eyes the last and the least, each is for assuming a superiority, which
the proud heart of his fellow is very unwilling to admit.
6. To silence the dispute, and strike at the root of the evil, Jesus with the greatest
tenderness called them to him; and, to beat down that spirit of ambition, so evil in
itself, and so peculiarly unbecoming their holy and humble profession, he
endeavours to undeceive them respecting the nature of his kingdom, which was
purely spiritual. The kings and princes of the Gentiles indeed thirsted after
dominion and despotic sway, and the more potent exercised unbounded authority
over their weaker vassals and subjects; but utterly unlike them must their conduct
be. Their greatness must consist, not in lording it over God's heritage, but in their
abounding labours; not in aspiring desires to rule, but in humble endeavours to
promote the salvation of men's souls. The only laudable ambition that Jesus can
approve, is the holy strife who shall be most condescending, and the first in every
work and labour of love to serve the meanest who bear the Christian name. or did
he, their Master, recommend aught to them, of which himself had not set them an
eminent example, who came not to take state upon himself, and be served with
earthly pomp and grandeur; but humbled himself to the lowest offices in the service
of men's souls and bodies; and, after living the life of a servant, was about to die the
death of a slave; that by the sacrifice of himself he might give his life a ransom for
many, even for the whole world, but especially for them that believe and endure to
the end; in order to redeem them from the guilt and power of their sins, and from
the wrath of God which they had provoked: having him therefore for such a pattern
of humility, they were peculiarly obliged to copy after it. ote; (1.) The affectation
of earthly pomp and splendor is utterly unbecoming those who pretend to be the
ministers of the meek and humble Jesus. (2.) The church of Christ has never
suffered greater injuries than from the tyranny and oppression of those, who,
professing to be the successors of the Apostles, seem to have inherited nothing from
them, but that lordly, ambitious, and domineering spirit, for which Jesus so justly
reprimanded them. (3.) The only allowable ambition among the ministers of Christ
is, who shall be most humble and serviceable to their brethren, and herein most

188. conform to their blessed Master's image.
4thly, Advancing still towards Jerusalem, Jesus and his disciples passed through
Jericho, attended as usual by a vast multitude, whom curiosity to hear him or to see
his miracles, desire to learn, or want of his healing influence, had drawn together;
when behold a wondrous instance of his power and compassion appears.
1. Two blind men, beggars, sat by the way-side, and hearing from some of the
multitude, that the famed prophet of azareth, who had wrought so many miracles,
was passing by, they immediately concluded it a most providential circumstance,
and with united and loud supplications cried out incessantly, Have mercy on us, O
Lord thou Son of David. ote; (1.) In these blind beggars we may behold a lively
emblem of our own souls in their natural state. Our understanding is darkness, and
we are utterly destitute of all good, perishing inevitably in want and wretchedness,
unless the divine mercy respect our misery and relieve us. (2.) They who feel their
real state, will cry after Jesus, the only hope of the miserable and the destitute. (3.)
Providential opportunities should be improved; if we neglect them now, they never
may return.
2. They made so loud a noise, and cried so vehemently, that the multitude rebuked
them as troublesome, and bade them be silent. But this only made them redouble
their prayers, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David: thou, who art
so able to help us, whose tender mercies have been so often extended to others, let
our pitiable case engage thy notice, and move thy wonted compassions. And herein
they have set us a noble example, (1.) Of fervent prayer. Their wants were great;
they felt them with deep sensibility; therefore they cried so loud, so perseveringly: so
should we do. We may meet with many discouragements in seeking Christ; but
these, instead of silencing our prayer, should quicken our importunity. (2.) Of
confident faith. They were fully persuaded, that what they asked, he was willing and
able to grant them. His power as the Lord, his office as the Son of David,
emboldened their trust in his mercy. It is by faith that we must thus in every distress
honour Jesus by casting our care upon him, pleading his name as the ground of our
confidence. (3.) Of deep humility. They ask for mercy alone, referring themselves
intirely to him for the manner in which he pleases to dispense it to them. We have no
merit; can claim nothing at God's hands; deserve nothing but wrath and hell: all
our hope is in his boundless grace, to supply all our poverty and wretchedness, to
pardon our guilt, and to bestow the graces of the spirit, and thereby all the great
privileges of the gospel dispensation. This mercy grant, O Son of David!
3. Christ, who had heard their cries, and knew what rebukes they had met with,
stood and called them to him; for he delights to revive the spirit of the contrite, and
to relieve the wants of the miserable. He bids them therefore prefer their request,
intimating his readiness to grant the mercy they had so importunately sought. ote;
The promises of Christ give an unlimited scope to our prayers; we can ask nothing
really good for us, which Jesus is not willing to borrow.
4. The poor blind men have a ready answer: Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

189. They ask not for silver or gold, but for a boon far more difficult to be granted,
which yet they are assured he can easily bestow. We have need to prefer the same
prayer every day; and would to God we were more deeply affected with our
spiritual blindness, that our applications might be more frequent and fervent.
5. Their cure is immediate. The compassions of Jesus left them not in suspense: he
touched their eyes; a flood of day instantly broke upon them; and joining the
company, they joyfully followed him, testifying their gratitude, love, and praise.
ote; They who are enlightened by the Redeemer's grace, will from that moment
cleave to him in his holy ways, and gratefully labour to advance his glory.