Month: February 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR FEBRUARY 9 ~ ~ Luke 5:32 ~ ~ “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”   This verse should always be read with these two: 

Romans 3:10 ~ ~ “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;”

So, He calls EVERYONE to repent of their sins and accept Him as their Personal Lord and Savior.  No one is exempt of the need for salvation.  No one is righteous in themselves – no one is perfect.  

Add to that, this wonderful promise:

John 6:37 ~ ~ “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”

So no one has the excuse to say, “Jesus doesn’t want me” or “He won’t forgive me”…….HE WILL!  IT’S YOUR CHOICE.

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YOUR PERSONAL PROMISE ~ ~ Romans 8:18 ~ ~ “ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

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I WALKED a mile with Pleasure;

She chattered all the way,

But left me none the wiser

For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow

And ne’er a word said she;

But oh, the things I learned from her

When Sorrow walked with me!

by Robert Browning Hamilton

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This will be the last day in the book, “Parables” by Dr. John MacArthur.  There’s a lot more great things in it, if you can get hold of a copy, you won’t regret it.  .  I’ll be starting on the book, “The Passion of Jesus Christ” by John Piper.

John MacArthur:

GOD CALLS SINNERS, NOT THE SELF-SUFFICIENT.

He brings into His vineyard those who know their own need, not people who think they are “rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing.” ~ ~ and do not know that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked”  (Revelation 3:17). 

The men gathered in the marketplace looking for work were desperate, fully aware of their need.  They were poor and meek, devoid of resources, begging for work – representing the poor in spirit.  There was nothing complacent or self-satisfied about them – nothing.  That’s exactly the kind of person Christ came to seek and to save.  “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  Christ did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

GOD IS SOVEREIGN IN THE OUTWORKING OF SALVATION.  Why does he wait till the last hour to call some”  Why didn’t the landowner hire everyone in the marketplace on his first trip there?  The parable doesn’t reveal the reasons.  Neither do we know why God saves people at different stages of life.  He sovereignly determines both when and whom He will call.  But all those who are called know they are needy and are willing to work.  And their willingness is a result, not the cause, of God’s grace to them.

(I’M GOING TO REPEAT THAT ALL-IMPORTANT STATEMENT:   “OUR WILLINGNESS TO COME TO HIM IS THE RESULT – NOT THE CAUSE – OF GOD’S GRACE TO US.”)

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”  (Philippians 2:13).

GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISE.  The landowner told the first group he would give each of them a denarius, and he did.  He kept his promise to those he hired later too.  He said he would give them what was right – and what he gave them was more than generous.  Likewise, God never gives less than He promises, and often He gives “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”  (Ephesians 3:20)

GOD ALWAYS GIVES MORE THAN WE DESERVE.  “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father”  (James 1:17).

And everything we receive other than eternal damnation is more than we deserve.  So there is no place for Christians to resent God’s grace toward others or to think he has somehow defrauded us.  That very idea is full of blasphemy.  In fact, that was the spirit of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son.  He deeply resented his father’s grace toward the prodigal.

GOD IS GRACIOUS, AND WE SHOULD ALWAYS CELEBRATE HIS GRACE.   The parable of the laborers wonderfully exalts the principle of grace.  My own response to this parable is profound thankfulness, for there are many who have been more faithful than I, worked harder than I, labored longer than I, and suffered under greater trials,  There are perhaps others who have worked less, fewer years, with less diligence.  But grace abounds even to the chief of sinners, and God saves all of us to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).  That gives Him glory, and that certainly is a reason to praise Him – and rejoice along with ALL who have received such grace.

FEBRUARY 8

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

“The LORD watches over the strangers;

He relieves the fatherless and widow;

But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.”

Ps 146:9

Jer 32:41   …I rejoice to do them good…

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THE WORD FOR TODAY

Romans 8:17

 “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

Looking at the section called, “THE PRINCIPLES”  In John MacArthur’s book, “PARABLES”

Still, the parable is full of vital principles, including some that are core gospel truths, and most of these are obvious on the face of it.

It teaches, first of all that SALVATION IS NOT EARNED.  Eternal life is a gift that God gives purely by grace according to His sovereign will.

But the parable’s most obvious lesson is that GOD GIVES THE SAME ABUNDANT GRACE TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWS CHRIST.

When we get to heaven we’ll all live in the Father’s house (John 14:2).  We are all “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”  And we will all be glorified together (Romans 8:17).  We don’t each receive a part of heaven, we all get the whole!

Elsewhere Scripture does indicate that in addition to full redemption from sin and everlasting life, there will be differing rewards the Lord is pleased to give His children for their faithfulness.  At the judgment seat of Christ, “If anyone’s work which he has build on it endures, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss” (1 Corinthians 3:15).  So some will suffer loss and some will be rewarded, depending on the enduring quality of their work.

But revelation 4:10-11 pictures what becomes of those rewards: 

“the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor, and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”

Rewards, however, are not the issue in the parable of the laborers,.  Jesus is teaching a lesson about the abundant, eternal life that belongs to all who embrace Him as Lord and Savior.  Heaven itself is not a reward to be earned by hard labor;  it is a gracious gift, given in full abundance to all believers equally,  God “shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34), and He makes no distinction between male and female, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile (Gal 3:28)

Some important secondary principles are also illustrated in this parable.  For example, we see in the imagery that it is God who initiates salvation.  In the parable, the landowner went out to find the laborers in the marketplace of the world and brought them into his vineyard.  God does the seeking and the saving.  Our salvation is entirely His work, and that’s the main reason we have no right to make demands or set limits on what He gives to someone else.  It is God’s prerogative and His alone to show mercy to whomever He chooses.

Meanwhile, HE CONTINUES TO CALL WORKERS INTO HIS KINGDOM.  All through human history and in every phase of the human lifespan, God is calling people into His kingdom.  It’s an ongoing work.  Jesus said in John 9:4, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”  Our parable illustrates what He meant.   Redemption continues until the judgment comes. 

AND THAT TIME IS COMING.

(We’ll continue with this subject tomorrow for the last writing from this book, before we start with one on the subject of the reasons Jesus suffered and died for us ~ ~ leading to Good Friday and Resurrection Day)

GOD’S WORD FOR FEBRUARY 7 ~ ~Matthew 23:11~ ~ “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

YOUR PERSONAL PROMISE:

“The LORD your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah  3:17

(Picture Him singing to you, and quieting you with His love for you, so you can go to sleep!)

Continuing with Jesus’ conversation with his Apostles about rewards for following Him, in John MacArthur’s book, “Parables”

“PURPOSE” (Cont’d)

The apostles no doubt thought they were going to get special benefits.  They believed they were going to inherit the kingdom very soon, and that excited them.  They were well aware that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah.  They fully expected an earthly, political kingdom with all the glory and riches one might gain through world dominion.  They were the first disciples, so it made perfect sense to them that one of them would sit at Jesus’ right hand,  in the highest place of honor.

This was a naïve and immature view of Jesus’ mission, and they retained it even after the resurrection.  While the risen Christ was meeting with them as a group, preparing them for Pentecost, they asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?  (Acts 1:6).  Now that Christ had shown Himself triumphant even over death, they were hoping finally to get their crowns and thrones and places of honor.

At the end of Matthew 19, when Peter asked, “What shall we have?” Jesus answered by addressing their thirst for special honor.  He reassured them that they would indeed have places of honor in the kingdom.  But He went on to say that EVERYONE  in the kingdom would be honored.   “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  AND EVERYONE who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or other or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.”  (Verses 28-29)

It is intriguing how little effect the lesson of this parable had on the twelve disciples.  They were so obsessed withs the idea of SPECIAL honor that even after they heard this parable, they continued scheming and jockeying for first place.  In fact, the very next episode in Matthew’s account records this:  “then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And he said to her, “What do you wish?”  she said to Him, “grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right hand and the other on the left, in Your Kingdom”  (Mt 20:20-21).  Matthew (who of course was one of the Twelve himself) goes on to say, “When the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers”  (verse 24).  They were annoyed because they all craved the inside seats!

This became a constant source of bickering among the Twelve.  Even in the Upper room on the night of Jesus betrayal, it was Jesus who washed the others’ feet, because all of them desired to be considered “great”, and foot washing was a duty of the lowest servant (John 13:4-17). Later that same evening, right after Jesus broke the bread and consecrated the wine, “There was …a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.” (Luke 22:24)

So, although the parable of the laborers was given to confront the selfish, envious, confused perception of the disciples, it took a while to sink in.

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Matthew 18:4

Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Mark 9:34

But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.

Luke 22:26

But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.

GOD’S WORD FOR FEBRUARY 6 ~ ~ Matthew 22:37-40 ~ ~ “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

YOUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

Psalm 56:8

You number my wanderings;  Put my tears into Your bottle;

Are they not in Your book?

We’re in John MacArthur’s book, “Parables” ~ ~talking about the parable in Matthew chapter 20 about the owner of the vineyard paying laborers.  This part is entitled:

THE PURPOSE

Why did Jesus devise this parable in this context?  The events Matthew relates before and after the parable answer that question.

Our Lord gave this analogy primarily for the benefit of His twelve disciples immediately after His conversation with the rich young ruler.  This young man of great wealth and influence had come to Jesus asking, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16).  He may have been fishing for praise, because he clearly thought he had fulfilled every spiritual duty and that his life was well in order.  He certainly looked like a promising evangelistic prospect.

But rather than simply giving him the good news of the gospel, Jesus challenged him on his obedience to the law.  When the fellow insisted, “All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?” (vs 19-20).  Jesus told him to sell all his possessions, give the profits to the poor, and follow Him.  That was a sacrifice the young man wasn’t willing to make.

Jesus thus exposed the fact that the young ruler loved his possessions more than he loved either God or his neighbor.  In other words, although he claimed to have kept the entire law of God, he was in violation of both the first and second great commandments (See today’s verse above).  But the man still did not acknowledge that.  Unwilling to face his sin and repent, he “went away sorrowful”  (19:22).

The disciples were clearly stunned when Jesus seemed to put obstacles in the rich young ruler’s way rather than encouraging him.  They were baffled:  “Who then can be saved?”  (verse 25).

Jesus’ answer stresses the fact that salvation is God’s work, not something any sinner can accomplish for himself:  “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”. (verse 26).

So the disciples were thinking about the impossibility of meriting God’s favor.  They were no doubt examining their own hearts.  Unlike the rich ruler, they HAD in fact left all to follow Christ (v. 27).  And they were looking for some assurance from Christ Himself that their sacrifice wasn’t all for naught.  That is what prompted this parable.

As the rich young ruler walked away, it was Peter who spoke up on behalf of all the disciples and said, “See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?” (v. 27).  The Twelve were like the 6:00 a.m. group in the parable.  They were the first ones Jesus called at the start of His ministry.  They had been working through the heat of the day, for a lot longer than twelve hours.  It had already been nearly three years.  They had given up homes, jobs, and relationships to serve Christ.  With the sole exception of Judas, they certainly loved Jesus.  All of them would go on to give their lives for the gospel’s sake.  They wanted to know what they would receive for their sacrifice.

(Tomorrow we’ll see how Jesus deals with that and why).

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Mark 9:35

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.

Matthew 10:38

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

GOD’S WORD FOR FEBRUARY 5 ~ ~ Luke 12:32 ~ ~  “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

OUR PERSONAL PROMISE:

John 12:46

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”

Today, Dr. MacArthur gets back to the original purpose of the parable of the wages paid by the landowner, in the section called:

 THE PROVERB

Now look at the immediate context of this parable, and notice that both the preface and the epilogue are a single, simple proverb:  “Many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matthew 19:30)  — the chapter break between Matthew 19 and 20 is an artificial interruption.  The last verse of chapter 19 actually introduces the parable that follows. – Then the same proverb is repeated at the end of the parable:  “So the last will be first, and the first last”  (20:16).  An echo of the proverb is also found in the parable itself – in that key phrase in Matthew 20:8 where the landowner instructs the steward how to pay the workers their wages:  “Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.”

Jesus used variations of that same proverb on other occasions.  We find it, for example, in Luke 13:30: 
“Indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last”;  “and in Mark 10:31:  “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

The proverb is also something of a riddle.  What does it mean?  It’s not saying precisely the same thing as Mark 9:35:  “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and a servant of all.” Or Mark 10:43-44:  “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.”  Those verses elevate humility and self-sacrifice.  Those are “imperatives:”  commands instructing us to be humble servants rather than seeking prominence and power.

But the proverb that goes with this parable is an “indicative”, a simple statement of face:  “The last  “will be” first, and the first last.”  What does that mean, and how would it work?  In a foot race, for example, the only way for the last to be first and the first to be last is for everyone to finish simultaneously.  If everyone crosses the finish line at exactly the same instant, the first are last and the last are first.  Everyone ends in a dead heat.

That, of course, is precisely the point Jesus was making in the parable.  Those hired first and those hired last all got exactly the same pay.  All of them, from the first to the last, got the full benefit of the landowner’s generosity, in equal shares.

What spiritual lesson is woven into that story?

THE POINT:

The lesson is actually quite simple:  the story is a precise picture of God’s sovereign saving grace.  Since sinners are all unworthy, and the riches of God’s grace are inexhaustible, all believers receive an infinite and eternal share of His mercy and kindness, though no one really deserves it.  “In Him we – all of us – have complete redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7).  He “raised us up TOGETHER, and made us sit TOGETHER in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (2:6-7).  That speaks of all who are redeemed.  It is the Father’s good pleasure to give them the Kingdom (Luke 12:32) – all of them, and in equal abundance.  The dying thief who repented in his final moments entered paradise where he is enjoying eternal life and everlasting fellowship with Christ just the same as Peter, James and John who literally gave their lives in service to the Savior.

The landowner in the parable represents God.  The vineyard is the Kingdom, the sphere of God’s rule.  The laborers are believers, people who come into the service of the King.  The day of work is their lifetime.  The evening is eternity.  The steward, perhaps, represents Jesus Christ, to whom has been committed all judgment.  The denarius represents eternal life.

NOTE: This pay is not something the workers have earned.  It is not given to them like a minimum wage in the fair exchange for labor done.  It is far too much for that.  Rather, this represents a gracious gift, a lavish endowment that exceeds the best reward any day worker could ever merit.

So this is the point:  If you are a genuine believer, you receive the full benefits of God’s immeasurable grace, just like everyone else in God’s Kingdom.  Your place in heaven is not a timeshare where your access is determined by the length of time you spent doing the Lord’s work.  The blessings of redemption are not doled out in quotas based on one’s personal achievements.  Forgiveness is not measured by weighing our good deeds against our sins nor is it partially withheld if we have sinned for too long or too badly.  EVERYONE who enters the Kingdom receives the FULL abundance of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  When this earthly life is over, if you  believe that Jesus died for your sins and rose again,  and you have repented of your sins,  you will go to be with Christ, just like that thief on the cross (Luke 23:43); just like the apostle Paul (2 Cor 5:8); and just like every other saint who has died since.

If that seems inequitable, remember, that it is far more than any of us deserve.  The benefits of the kingdom are the same for everyone, because we are redeemed in the first place ONLY by God’s grace, and nothing else. 

2 Peter 1:3

as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

GOD’S WORD FOR FEBRUARY 4 ~ ~ John 6:43 ~ ~ “Jesus therefore answered and said to them, ‘Do not murmur among yourselves.’”

YOUR PERSONAL PROMISE:

Ps 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

Continuing with John MacArthur’s lessons from the  parable of the owner of the vineyard.

In yesterday’s writing, the landowner said, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?”

The expression “evil eye” speaks of jealousy.  And let’s face it:  jealousy is an intrinsic aspect of fallen human nature.  Almost anyone at the end of that pay line would probably have felt some welling up of resentment.  After all, those men had worked the full twelve-hour day – most of it under the hot sun, while the workers hired at 5 p.m. began work under a cooling breeze at twilight and worked for only an hour.

But we must not lose sight of the fact that when the 6 a.m. crew were hired, they were quite happy with the offer of a denarius a day.  They began the workday in high spirits, thrilled that the landowner was being supremely generous with them.  He was offering more in wages than they could reasonably expect.

What changed their mood so drastically?  Just that someone less deserving (or so they thought) was treated with even MORE generosity.  Instantly they felt mistreated – envious of the other person’s good fortune.  Their whole attitude changed.  They couldn’t stand the thought that other workers would get the same pay without working as hard as they did.  Suddenly their gratitude and admiration for the landowner’s extreme generosity gave way to bitter resentment.

The eleventh-hour workers were of course ecstatic.  They understood better than anyone how graciously they had been treated.

( Luke 7:40-48 is another situation where Jesus is teaching the same thing – the idea that the greater the gift or grace, the greater the gratitude.)

   ^“And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’

So he said, ‘Teacher, say it.’

^‘There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?’

Simon answered and said, ‘I suppose the one whom he forgave more.’

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  ^{You gave Me no (kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”     Then He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”}

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^{CHARLES SPURGEON ON CONTENTMENT:}

^{Furthermore, such contentment, being “full of God” enabled believers to trust God during hardship. This is why Spurgeon said, “one ought not to murmur” if one is a believer in Jesus Christ. Murmuring was an “easy thing,” indeed, “anyone can murmur, anyone can grumble, anyone can complain,” but Christians “ought to be content.” After all, believers’ “delight in God” would “sweeten it all” because, in Spurgeon’s experience, delighting in God was “more than half the battle.”}

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GOD’S WORD FOR FEBRUARY 3 ~ ~ Philippians 4:11 ~ ~ “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:”

YOUR PERSONAL PROMISE:

Isaiah 58:6-8

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:  To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free,  and that you break every yoke?

 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,  your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;  the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”

John MacArthur—talking about the parable of the owner of the vineyard in his book, “Parables”……..

(He has hired almost all the workers, and the workday is coming to a close).

The workday was virtually spent when verse 6 says he went yet again “about the eleventh hour” (5:00 pm).  Only an hour was left in the workday, but still he found more workers waiting.  These were persistent men who had been waiting all day but were so desperate for work that they had not yet given up.  No doubt after a day of fruitless waiting these men were utterly discouraged, thinking they would not be able to provide any sustenance for their families that day.

Again, we must not mistake their idleness for indolence.  When the owner said, “why have you been standing here idle all day?” they replied, “Because no one hired us.”  Perhaps they were older, weaker, or otherwise less qualified for hard work in the field.  The owner hired them on the spot with the sae vague terms he had used with the 9:00 group.

Elsewhere, Jesus says, “The laborer is worthy of his wages”  (Luke 10:7; 1 Timothy 5:18).  This was a strict principle in Moses’ law:  “The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.” (Leviticus 19:13).  That rule applied particularly to the poor and day laborers:  “You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy.  Whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates.  Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the Lord and it be sin to you”  (Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

This landowner was an honorable man, faithful to the precepts of god’s law, “so when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, BEGINNING WITH THE LAST TO THE FIRST.” (Matthew 20:8).  It is significant that he instructed the steward to pay the workers in reverse order.  The immediate context suggests that is the key to the meaning of the parable – and we’ll see why shortly.  But for now, notice that the men at the front of the line had worked only one hour.  Those at the end of the line had worked twelve hours.  Yet, as the steward began to distribute pay, those who had worked the shortest amount of time “each received a denarius.”  They received a full day’s wage at a soldier’s pay scare in return for just one hour of unskilled labor!  They must have been overflowing with gratitude for the generosity of the landowner.

No doubt the men at the end of the line were salivating.  By their reckoning, he had now committed himself to paying a denarius an hour.  They must have assumed that by the time he got to them, they would receive twelve days’ wages!

There’s an ellipsis in Jesus’ telling of the story at this point. He doesn’t actually describe how the three o’clock, noon, and nine o’clock groups were paid, but the clear implication is that they also each received one denarius.

Verses 10-12 continue:  “When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, “These last men have worked only one hour and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.”

IS THAT FAIR?

What had the landowner promised to give them?  “A denarius a day” (20:2).  Not only was that a fair wage; it was unusually generous for minimum-wage workers.  It is what they happily agreed to.

Yet they resented the landowner.  The word translated “complained” in the Greek text is “egogguzon”.  It’s  onomatopoeic:  meaning that the word itself forms a sound that evokes its meaning.  It sounds like a grumble or muttered complaint.  They were murmuring under their breath, bellyaching about the pay they received.

When the landowner heard the complaint, he answered one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last an the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?”  (John 20:13-15).

(more about the lessons in this parable tomorrow)

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Luke 3:14

Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Psalm 127:1

 Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

GOD’S WORD FOR FEBRUARY 2 ~ ~ Colossians 3:23-24 ~ ~ “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

YOUR PERSONAL PROMISE:

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

Psalm 91:15

Yesterday John MacArthur introduced the parable of the landowner, which he will discuss more today, in his book, “Parables”

“THE PARABLE”

The parable of the vineyard introduces us to a “landowner.”  The word in the Greek text means “house” or “ruler”.   When this mater of the house asks, “is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?” He indicates that the money paid to the laborers belongs to him (Matthew 20:15).  Verse 8 calls him “the owner of the vineyard” – and it was a sizable estate to require so many workers to help with the harvest.  So this was a man of great influence and wealth.

The multitudes listening to Jesus were very familiar with vineyards.  Vast parts of Israel were covered with neatly arranged grapevines growing in terraced vineyards.  The land of Israel has two kinds of agricultural land:  plains and mountain slopes.  The plateaus and flat, expansive areas were used for farming grain and grazing livestock, and the steeper mountainsides were skillfully terraced for the planting of vineyards.  This was difficult work because the terraces had to be supported with stones, which were carried up and put in place by hand.  Any topsoil that was required also had to be carried up the steep slopes on men’s shoulders or with beasts of burden.

Grapes were planted in the spring and pruned during the summer.  Harvest was a very short season near the end of September.  The rainy season began immediately after that.  So harvest time was hectic, because the crop had to be brought in before the rains came.  The owner needed extra help during the harvest.  Therefore he went to the marketplace to hire day laborers.  That was the most public place in the village, and it served as a gathering place for workers whose only hope for employment was temporary unskilled labor.

Verse 1 says the landowner went out early in the morning – no doubt prior to 6:00 a.m., when the twelve-hour workday began.

Wages for day laborers were notoriously lower than the standard pay for a full-time employee or household servant, which was about a denarius a day.  The denarius was a silver roman coin containing just under four grams of silver.  It was a typical day’s pay for a soldier serving in the roman army, and it was a respectable living wage.   The name “denarius” derives from a Latin word signifying “ten,” because the original value of the coin was equivalent to the worth of ten donkeys.

A common, unskilled day laborer could of course be hired for a small fraction of that, because he wasn’t in any position to negotiate.  If he didn’t work, he might not eat that day.  Plus, competition for temporary jobs was fierce.

The landowner in Jesus’ parable was unusually generous to offer day laborers a full denarius for a day’s work.  It was an honorable wage, much more than temporary workers would normally receive for menial labor.

Naturally, the early-morning crew heartily agreed to those terms and went to work.

At the third hour (9:00 a.m.) the landowner went back to the marketplace.  The parable portrays him as a kind and generous man, not abusive nor a profit-monger.  So perhaps he didn’t need these extra workers to much as he felt compassion for them because of their extreme need.  There were still many in the marketplace who were out of work.  They were standing idle – not because they didn’t want to work, but because no one had hired them yet.

This time he negotiated no specific amount before hiring workers and sending them into his vineyard.  All he said was, “whatever is right I will give you”  (Matthew 20:4).

“So they went.”  They must have known him to be an honorable man, and they took him at his word, even though the terms were vague.  These hours into the workday with no job prospects yet, they weren’t in a negotiating position.  They needed to take whatever they could get.

“Again, he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise” (20:5).  He continued to go back at regular intervals – noon and 3:00 – gathering all he could to work in his vineyard.

(Tomorrow we’ll see what happens at the end of the day.)

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Ps 37:23

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way.”

FEBRUARY 1

OUR PERSONAL PROMISE:

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

Psalm 91:15

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THE DAILY WORD:

James 1:5~ ~ “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

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Continuing the discussion about grace and justice in God’s dealings with man, in John MacArthur’s book, “Parables”

In Matthew 20:1-15, Jesus tells a parable that illustrates those principles:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’  They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’

“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,  saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’  But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’”

Like all parables, this one ais to teach a profound spiritual truth.  Jesus is not making a point about fair labor laws, minimum wage, equity in our business dealings, or any other earthly principle.  He is describing how grace works in the sphere where God rules.

This parable belongs to the later ministry of Christ, when he was ministering in Perea, east of the Jordan river, opposite Jericho.  This was the same region where John the Baptist’s ministry had flourished.  Jesus had retreated there after some leading Pharisees tried to seize Him (John 10:39-40).  The weeks He spent in Perea were some of the most fruitful of His earthly ministry.  The area was a barren wilderness, but throngs came to hear Jesus from all over Galilee and Judea.  “Many came to Him and said, ‘John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.’  And many believed in Him there.”  (John 10:41-42).

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Proverbs 21:3

To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Matthew 6:3

But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,