Matthew Chapter 20

In chapter 19 we learned what Jesus expects of us to be His followers, His disciples. He expects us to forsake all and follow Him with our whole heart.

And then there is that verse “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

God’s economy and God’s timetable are so completely different than man’s. Those who are the poorest of poor here on earth but gave all that they had to Jesus will be the richest because they will be in glory. And those that gave their life to Christ in their later years might receive greater reward in heaven than those who accepted Christ as a young child.

What we need to concentrate on is the great mercy and grace God extended to both parties because neither party is worthy of anything that God might give to them.

Let's Reflect

1. Do the wages the men received seem fair in the parable of the hired workers?

2. How much were they each paid?

3. The parable is not about working, or the number of hours served, but it is about the grace and blessings that the heavenly Father extends to the believers at His pleasure. We can be sure that He is always fair to us, though it may seem that He gives more blessings to someone else less deserving. And we are not to confuse working with receiving grace, we never receive grace because of our good works, but it is a parable to simply show that God’s grace is always more than fair. In the parable the master answers the question of the seemingly unfairness of their wages how? See verses 14-15.

4. Skipping down to verse 20, it is ironic that Matthew then includes the account of the mother of James and John asking for a place of honor for her sons in the kingdom of Jesus. Had these two men, along with the other disciples, just received clarity regarding the mercy and grace of God? Maybe not. But their mother came asking for exultation for her sons. We don’t know the sequence of events, but we can guess that the topic had come up previously and their mother thought she might be able to influence Jesus on her sons’ behalf. The answer they heard from Jesus was not quite what they expected. What did He say?

5. What was the cup He referred to? See verses 17-19 where He told them exactly what would happen to Him. What detail of the description of the future event stands out to you?

6. While the disciples were thinking about rank and power in the kingdom, Jesus was trying to explain to them about His appointed death. Why did He have to die? See verse 28.

7. Once again Matthew talks about a crowd following Jesus and the compassion of Jesus to heal people. In this instance Jesus was compelled to heal two blind men because of their faith in who He was. What indicates that these blind men knew who Jesus really was?