Matthew 20

1 – 4

The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owned some land. One morning, he went out very early to hire some people to work in his vineyard. The man agreed to pay the workers one silver coin for working that day.

Then he sent them into the vineyard to work. About nine o’clock the man went to the marketplace and saw some other people standing there, doing nothing. So he said to them, ‘If you go and work in my vineyard, I will pay you what your work is worth.

It is a privilege and an honor to be asked to be in the Lord’s work! We are not jealous of others but we join with them and learn from each other how to work in the best possible way for the Lord!

5 – 7

So they went to work in the vineyard. The man went out again about twelve o’clock and again at three o’clock. Both times he hired people to work in his vineyard. About five o’clock the man went to the marketplace again. He saw others standing there. He asked them, ‘Why did you stand here all day doing nothing?’ They answered, ‘No one gave us a job.’ The man said to them, ‘Then you can go and work in my vineyard.’

If nobody sees that you have gifts that can be used for the Lord, just wait and He will put you in the right place!

8. “At the end of the day, the owner of the vineyard said to the boss of all the workers, ‘Call the workers and pay them. Start by paying the last people I hired. Then pay all of them, ending with the workers I hired first.’

We may think that we should get something more from Jesus because we have done some things that others have not done. God’s work is not seen this way! We are happy to serve for nothing or for whatever God wants to give us!

9 – 12

The workers who were hired at five o’clock came to get their pay. Each worker received one silver coin. Then the workers who were hired first came to get their pay. They thought they would be paid more than the others. But each one of them also received one silver coin.

When they got their silver coin, they complained to the man who owned the land. They said, ‘Those people were hired last and worked only one hour. But you paid them the same as you paid us. And we worked hard all day in the hot sun.’

We need to be careful or we can be tempted to think that God is not fair. It is hard for us to understand when someone who does not deserve God’s goodness is forgiven and God starts using them. We have to admit that we thought that somehow we were better than them and we are not.

13 – 16

But the man who owned the vineyard said to one of those workers, ‘Friend, I am being fair to you. You agreed to work for one silver coin. So take your pay and go.

I want to give the man who was hired last the same pay that I gave you. I can do what I want with my own money. Are you jealous because I am good to those people? So those who are last now will someday be first. And those who are first now will someday be last.”

You were not promised to have more than other people when you went into the Lord’s work. The devil never stops trying to put crazy ideas in your mind. Even those who served the Lord for many years can be tempted this way and lose any reward they had.

17 – 19

Jesus was going to Jerusalem. His 12 followers were with him. While they were on the way, Jesus gathered the followers together and spoke to them privately. He said to them, “We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be turned over to the leading priests and the teachers of the law.

They will say that he must die. They will give the Son of Man to the non-Jewish people. They will laugh at him and beat him with whips, and then they will kill him on a cross. But on the third day after his death, he will be raised to life again.”

The followers of Jesus were afraid because they knew that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. We cannot be too hard on these followers when we see that they did not understand about the cross. Today we do not even understand completely what the cross means to us and how we have been crucified with Christ. Galatians 2:20

20 – 21

Then the wife of Zebedee came to Jesus. Her sons were with her. The mother bowed before Jesus and asked him to do something for her. Jesus asked, “What do you want?”

She said, “Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right side in your kingdom. And promise that the other son will sit at your left side.”

Have you been walking with Jesus as these men did? Can you be tempted to think that now you are a very important person in God’s ministry? Do you see how you make your brothers feel when you want to be lifted up higher than everyone else?

22 – 23

But Jesus said, “You do not understand what you are asking. Can you accept the kind of suffering that I must suffer?” The sons answered, “Yes, we can!”

Jesus said to them, “Truly you will suffer the same things that I will suffer. But I cannot choose who will sit at my right side or my left side. Those places belong to those for whom my Father has prepared them.”

The stories that we find in history of the way these men were killed should make us stop and ask ourselves if we are really ready to be put in a higher position in the ministry.

24 – 28

The other ten followers heard this and were angry with the two brothers. Jesus called all the followers together. He said, “You know that the rulers of the non-Jewish people love to show their power over the people.

And their important leaders love to use all their authority.
But it should not be that way among you. If one of you wants to become great, then he must serve the rest of you like a servant.

If one of you wants to become first, then he must serve the rest of you like a slave. So it is with the Son of Man. The Son of Man did not come for other people to serve him. He came to serve others. The Son of Man came to give his life to save many people.”

If you cannot say, “My life is for you” to the people you are serving and really mean it and you should not be in the ministry.

29 – 34

When Jesus and his followers were leaving Jericho, a great many people followed Jesus. There were two blind men sitting by the road. The blind men heard that Jesus was going by, so they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, please help us!”

All the people criticized the blind men. They told them to be quiet. But the blind men shouted more and more, “Lord, Son of David, please help us!”

Jesus stopped and said to the blind men, “What do you want me to do for you?” They answered, “Lord, we want to be able to see.”

Jesus felt sorry for the blind men. He touched their eyes, and at once they were able to see. Then the men followed Jesus.

Jesus healed many other people, but this man wanted a new life of following Jesus every day. Jesus is asking you today, “what do you want me to do for you?” Is there something you need to see that you have been blind to?