They murmured. They complained aloud of the injustice to which, as they thought, they were subjected. This is one of those traits in the parable which, whatever its spiritual meaning may be, is most natural and life like. read more
These last have wrought but one hour ; μι ì αν ὡ ì ραν ἐπσι ì ησαν : una hora fecerunt (Vulgate); have spent but one hour (Revised Version). The verb ποιεῖν is used with nouns of time in the sense of "spend," "pass," as in Ruth 2:19 ; Acts 15:33 , etc. They speak of the late workers contemptuously ( οὑτοι οἱἐ ì σχατοι ) , "these fellows who are last." They do not allow that they laboured—they "made" one hour nominally. Equal unto us. Bengel... read more
He answered one of them. The Lord condescended to show, not to all the labourers, but to one of them—the ringleader probably—the futility of the ground of his murmur. Christ often explains himself to his friends, while he refuses further elucidation to enemies and the hardened. Friend ( ἑταῖρε ). Not a term of affection, or special good will, but one of indifference, addressed to an inferior. It was the word used to Judas ( Matthew 26:50 ) when he came to betray his Lord, "Friend,... read more
Take that thine is; thine own . Take your agreed wages, and go; there is nothing more to be said. I will ( θε ì λω δε ì ) give ; but it is my will to give . The lord defends his conduct on the ground that such is his will and pleasure. By it he injures nobody, he benefits many; who should presume to censure him? read more
With mine own; ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς : in the case of what is mine own . These words are omitted by the Vulgate, which has, Aut ( ἠ Ì ) non licet mihi quod volo facere? Is thine eye evil? The evil eye is here expressive of envy, as Proverbs 28:22 . The Latin word invidia, Cicero informs us ('Tusc. Disp..' Proverbs 3:9 ), "ductum est a nimis intuendo fortunam alterius." For nimis Bentley conjectures limis, "with sidelong glances." The idea is the same, envy... read more
Generosity may go beyond agreement. Business men are often misunderstood, because, while they are sometimes nobly generous, they are also strict and precise in carrying out, and in requiring to be carried out, all business engagements. A man does no wrong to his fellow man who has made precise terms with him, if he deals fairly with the man who has made no terms with him. In this case the sum agreed was one penny for a day's labour, and because the half-day man received a penny, the... read more
So the last, etc. The parable concludes with the saying with which it began ( Matthew 19:30 ), but with some inversion in the order of the words. There it was, "Many first shall be last; and last first;" here it is, The last shall be first, and the first last. The circumstances of the parable necessitate this change. The last called were first paid, and were equal to the first in recompense; the first were behind the others in time of payment, and in the spirit with which they received... read more
A great reversal. This is an often-repeated saying of our Lord's; perhaps he uttered it more often than anything else—a fact which shows its importance and also the difficulty people have in believing it and acting on it. We are not to suppose that there is a Nemesis that mocks at good fortune and delights in reversing it. Prosperity is not punished as such, for it is not in itself an evil thing. God is gracious and generous. He would not torment his children with needless disappointments.... read more
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 Matthew 3:2. It has reference to rewards, and the meaning may be thus expressed: “Rewards shall be bestowed... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 20:10
They supposed that they should have received more. The text varies between πλεῖον ( plus, Vulgate) and πλει ì ονα , the former implying "a greater sum" than the stated hire, the latter hinting indefinitely at "more" things, more in number. Seeing the liberal payment given to the others, they expected some increase in the wages offered to themselves, or an additional remuneration of some kind. read more