C.
THE RICH RULER. PERIL OF RICHES. REWARD OF SACRIFICE.
PARABLE OF THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD.
(In Peræa.)
aMATT. XIX. 16-XX.
16; bMARK X. 17-31; cLUKE
XVIII. 18-30.
b17 And when he was going
forth into the way, abehold, bthere ran {acame}
bone ca certain ruler bto him, and kneeled
to him, and asked aand said, {csaying,} bGood
Teacher, awhat good thing shall I do, that I may have {bmay
inherit cto inherit} eternal life? [The action of this young
man in running and kneeling shows that he was deeply anxious to receive
an answer to his question, and also that he had great reverence for Jesus.
He seemed to think, however, that heaven could be gained by performing
some one meritorious act. He made the mistake of thinking that eternal
life is a reward for doing rather than for being, a mistake
from which the Roman Catholic Church [543] developed
the doctrine of "works of supererogation."]
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good save
one, even God: aWhy askest thou me concerning that which
is good? One there is who is good [To the address of the young
man, viz.: "Good Master," Jesus replies, "Why callest," etc., and to his
question, "What good thing," etc. Jesus replies, "Why askest," etc.
The ruler using the inconsiderate, conventional language of the thoughtless,
had taken an unwarrantable freedom with the word "good." Jesus shows that
if his language had been used sincerely it would have committed him to
a declaration of great faith, for he had addressed Jesus by a title which
belongs only to God, and he had asked Jesus the question concerning that
of which God alone was fitted to speak. As the ruler had not used this
language sincerely Jesus challenged his words. The challenge showed the
ruler that he had unwittingly confessed the divinity of Jesus, and thus
startled him into a consideration of the marvelous fact which his own mouth
had stated. This is done because the young man would need to believe in
the divinity of Jesus to endure the test to which he was about to be subjected--I.
John v. 5.] but if thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments.
[By referring the ruler to the commandments, Jesus not only answered the
question as to obtaining life, but he emphasized the confession of his
divinity contained in the question, "Why askest," etc. God, who knows what
is good, had revealed that good in the commandments which he had given.
Yet the ruler had asked Jesus to be wise above God's revelation, and to
propound a law or rule of goodness in addition to that already given, and
of such a nature as to more fully insure the attainment of life by obeying
it. The ruler's question reveals that common weakness in man which prompts
him to look to his fellow-men for religious and moral instruction; forgetting
that only God can propound the absolute standards of goodness. We should
note, too, that the young man, being under the law given through Moses,
was bidden to attain life by keeping the law. After the death of Christ
a new law [544] was given. Had the man waited
until that time, he would have been directed to this new law, and obedience
to it would have been required. Compare Acts ii. 37, 38; II. Thess. i.
8, et al.]
18 He saith unto him, Which? And Jesus said,
c20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do {aThou shalt}
cnot commit adultery, Do {aThou shalt} cnot
kill, Do {aThou shalt} cnot steal, Do {aThou
shalt} cnot bear false witness, bDo not defraud,
a19 Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself. [The ruler still sought for some prominent commandment,
but was referred to the last six of the Decalogue, these being at that
time more frequently violated than the first four. For the last commandment,
"Thou shalt not covet," Jesus substitutes its equivalent, "Do not defraud,"
and "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," the last being a summary
of all the six--Rom. xiii. 9.]
b20 And he a20 The young man saith {bsaid}
unto him, Teacher, cAll these things have I observed from my
youth up. awhat lack I yet? [He had kept these commandments
as far as he knew his heart and as far as he understood their import.]
b21 And Jesus cwhen he heard it, blooking
upon him [gazing earnestly and searchingly at him] loved him
["agapan." See p. 519],
and said unto him, cOne thing thou lackest yet [a direct
answer to the direct question, "What lack," etc.] aIf
thou wouldest be perfect [i. e., in keeping the commandments
and in securing eternal life--Jas. ii. 10], go, sell that which
thou hast, csell all bwhatsoever thou hast, cand
distribute {bgive} cunto {ato} the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. [The command
to sell all is not a general one, but a special precept needed in this
case, 1. To dispel the ruler's self-deception. On the negative side his
character was good, but on the positive it was deficient. He had done his
neighbor no harm, but he had also done him very little good. 2. To show
impartiality. The invitation of Jesus shows that the ruler desired to be
in some manner a disciple, and hence he is subjected to the same [545] test
which the other disciples had accepted, and of which Peter soon after speaks.
Paul also was rich in self-righteousness like this man, but cheerfully
sacrificed all, that he might follow Christ (Phil. iii. 6-9). Moreover,
the reference to treasure in heaven and the invitation to follow Christ
tested the ruler's obedience to the first four commandments of the Decalogue
as condensed in the great summary or first commandment. (Matt. xxii. 37,
38.) Though the ruler perhaps did not fully realize it, those who heard
the conversation must afterwards have been impressed with the great truth
that the ruler was called upon to make his choice whether he would love
Christ or the world, whether he would serve God or mammon. The whole scene
forms an illustration of the doctrine expressed by Paul, that by the law
can no flesh be justified (Rom. iii. 20), for perfection is required of
those who approach God along that pathway; those, therefore, who have done
all, still need Christ to lead them.]
a22 But when the young man heard that saying, {cthese
things} bhis countenance fell at the saying, che
became exceeding sorrowful; band he went away sorrowful: cfor
he was very rich. bhe was one that had great possessions.
[He was not offended at the extravagance of Jesus' demands, for he was
not one of the most hardened of the rich. He belonged to that class which
hold Christ and their wealth in nearly an even balance. The narrative shows
us how uncompromisingly Jesus held to principle. Though the ruler was sorry
to turn away, and though Jesus loved him, yet the Lord did not modify his
demand by a hair's-breadth to gain an influential disciple.]
c24 And Jesus seeing him blooked round about, and
saith {asaid} unto his disciples, bHow hardly shall
they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! aVerily
I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
heaven. [I. Tim. vi. 9, 10, 17-19. It should be remembered that Judas
heard these words only a few days before he sold his Lord.]
b24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answereth
again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust
in [546] riches to enter into the kingdom
of God! [The possession and use of riches is permitted to the Christian,
but their possession becomes a sin when the one who owns them comes to
trust in them or in any way suffers them to interfere with his duties toward
or relations to God.]
a24 And again I say unto you,
c25 For it is easier for a camel to enter in {bto
go} through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom
of God. [The needle's eye here is that of the literal needle, and the
expression was a proverbial one to indicate that which was absolutely impossible.
Lord George Nugent (1845-6) introduced the explanation that Jesus referred
to the two gates of a city, the large one for beast of burden, and the
small one for foot-passengers. This smaller one is now called "The Needle's
Eye," but there is no evidence whatever that it was so called in our Saviour's
time. In fact, as Canon Farrar observes, we have every reason to believe
that this smaller gate received its name in late years because of the efforts
of those who were endeavoring to soften this saying of Jesus.]
a25 And when the disciples heard it, they were astonished exceedingly,
c26 And they that heard it said, {bsaying} unto him,
aWho then {bThen who} can be saved?
a26 And Jesus blooking upon them saith, {c27
But he said,} bWith men this is impossible, but not with God:
for all things are possible with God. cThe things which are
impossible with men aree possible with God. [The Jews were accustomed
to look upon the possession of riches as an evidence of divine favor, and
the heads of the apostles were filled with visions of the riches and honors
which they would enjoy when Jesus set up his kingdom. No wonder, then,
that they were amazed to find that it was impossible for a rich man to
enter that kingdom, and that, moreover and worse than all, riches appeared
to exclude from salvation itself: that even this virtuous rich man, this
paragon of excellence, could not have eternal life because he clung to
his riches. But they were comforted by the assurance of Jesus that though
the salvation of some men might present more difficulties than the salvation
of others [547] --might, as it were, require
a miracle where others only required simple means, yet the gracious, mighty
God might still be trusted to overcome the obstacles. It is impossible
for any man to save himself, so that in every case of salvation God is
called upon to assist man in accomplishing the impossible. God can so work
upon the rich man's heart as to make him a dispenser of blessings.]
a27 Then answered Peter c28
And bbegan to say unto him, {aand said unto him,}
bLo, we have left all, {cour own,} band
have followed thee. awhat then shall we have? [The negative
conduct of the rich man reminded the disciples of their own positive conduct
when confronted with a similar crisis (Luke v. 11), and the "all" which
they had left was by no means contemptible, though perhaps none of them
could have been said to have held great possessions. The mention of treasure
in heaven, therefore, set Peter to wondering what manner of return would
be made to them to compensate them for their sacrifice.]
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed
me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of
his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes
of Israel. [By the term "regeneration," Jesus in this case means the
period in which the process of regenerating men would be in progress; i.
e., the period of the mediatorial reign. After his ascension Jesus
sat upon his throne (Acts ii. 33-35; Heb. i. 13; Matt. xxv. 31; I. Cor.
xv. 24-28). And on the day of Pentecost next following, he began this process
of regeneration. Having enthroned himself, Jesus enthroned the apostles
also, not as kings but as judges, having jurisdiction over all questions
of faith and practice in the earthly kingdom. During their personal ministry,
they judged in person; and since then they judge through their writings.
True, we have written communications from only a part of them, but judgments
pronounced by one of a bench of judges with the known approval of all,
are the judgments of the entire bench. Moreover, the passage must be construed
metaphorically, for the apostles are [548] judges
in the church of Christ--the true Israel--and not over the literal twelve
tribes of Jacob. And again, the twelve who then heard Jesus speak were
not all enthroned, Judas having fallen from his position before the day
of enthronement, and Matthias and Paul were afterwards added to the group.
Jesus here causes the number of the judges to correspond to the number
of the tribes, to indicate that there will be a sufficiency of judgment
commensurate to the need.]
29 And every one {bThere is no man that} ahath left
houses, {bhouse,} cor wife, or brethren, bor
sisters, or mother, or father, cor parents, bor children,
or lands, for my sake, {amy name's sake,} band for
the gospel's sake, cfor the kingdom of God's sake,
30 who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the world to
come eternal life. b30 but
he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren,
and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and
in the world to come ashall inherit eternal life. [The rewards
of Christian self-denial are here divided into two parts--the temporal
and the eternal. The earthly joys--the rewards "in this time"--shall outweigh
the sacrifices made for the kingdom. The return, of course, will not be
in kind, houses for house, and fathers for father, etc., but spiritual
relationships and blessings which compensate abundantly for whatever has
been resigned (Matt. xii. 49; I. Tim. iv. 8). But these joys shall be mingled
with the bitterness of persecution, for no pleasure is perfected in this
world, but only in the inheritance which lies beyond--I. Pet. i. 4.]
30 But many shall be last that are first; and first that are
last. b31 But many that
are first shall be last; and the last first. [The promise of large
recompense which Jesus had just given was apt to tempt some to labor not
for love, but for the rewards which might be reaped thereby. Jesus corrects
this spirit by the statement, and the parable that follows which illustrates
it, and which ends with the same sentiment. See verse
16 below.] a1 For the
kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was a householder, [549] who
went out early in the morning to hire laborers. [He rose early, because
the working day began with the rising of the sun.]
2 And when he had agreed with the laborers for a shilling a day [see
p. 376], he sent
them into his vineyard. 3 And he went
out about the third hour [The Jews divided the time between sunrise
and sunset into twelve hours, so that the first hour would be about six
o'clock, the third about nine, the sixth noon, the ninth about three, and
the twelfth about six. As the length of the days differed, the lengths
of the hours differed. The longest day in Palestine is fourteen hours and
twelve minutes; the shortest, nine hours and forty-eight minutes; so it
would follow that an hour on the longest day would be seventy-one minutes;
and on the shortest it would be only forty-nine minutes. None of the hours,
therefore, would correspond exactly to ours except the sixth or noon hour],
and saw others standing in the marketplace idle;
4 and to them he said, 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;
and he 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. 8 And when
even was come [the time of settlement--Lev. xix. 13; Deut. xxiv. 15],
the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward [his overseer],
Call the laborers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last
unto the first. [Thus following the order indicated by verse
30 above. The lord paid the last first that he might make conspicuous
the fact that these received as much wages as those who had labored all
day.] 9 And when they came that were
hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a shilling.
10 And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more
[seeing the lord's liberality to those who [550] had
worked only one hour, they expected that they would be recipients of a
like liberality proportioned to their hours of service]; and
they likewise received every man a shilling.
11 And when they received it, they murmured against the householder,
12 saying, These last have spent but one hour, and thou hast made
them equal unto us, which have borne the burden of the day and the sorching
heat. 13 But he answered and said to
one of them [the answer given to one is taken as an example of what
he said to them all], Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou
agree with me for a shilling? 14 Take
up that which is thine, and go thy way [do not stop to argue];
it is my will to 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 evil eye is a synonym for jealousy. It
originated with the malicious leer with which jealousy regards its object
(Mark vii. 22; I. Sam. xviii. 9; Prov. xxiii. 6-8; xxviii. 22; Deut. xv.
9). The lord had done no wrong to those who had labored longest, for he
had paid them what they had bargained for and earned. If he chose to be
generous with those whose misfortune had prevented them from being hired
earlier in the day, no one had any just cause to murmur.]
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last [The meaning of this
parable has often been misunderstood by those who fail to note the maxim
with which Jesus begins and ends it. This maxim acts as a safeguard in
the interpretation of it; the parable also in turn guards against misunderstanding
the maxim. The maxim can not be applied to Judas; for, though he then stood
high in honor and afterwards fell into disgrace, yet he stands outside
the pale of the maxim as interpreted by the parable, for in the parable
both the first and the last were received and rewarded by their master,
while Judas was rejected of Christ and received no reward. The term "last,"
therefore, must be applied to those who were included among the accepted
laborers, and not those who were excluded from that class. In the parable,
the denarius or shilling stands for the gift of [551] eternal
life. The vineyard represents the Lord's field of work in the world. The
evening is the close of the Christian dispensation, and the coming of Christ
to judgment. The parable as it unfolds and develops suggests that in no
case was the reward earned by the inherent merits and toil of the laborers,
but was rather bestowed because of a desire on the part of the householder
to that effect, just as eternal life is bestowed, not by merit, but by
covenant grace (Rom. ii. 6, 7; iv. 3-5; v. 16-21). The main object of the
parable is to show that longer labor does not necessarily, as the apostles
and others might think, establish a claim to higher reward. Degrees of
difference there no doubt will be, but they form no account in the general
covenant of grace in which the one great gift is offered to us all. As
the gift can be no less than eternal life, there must of necessity
be a difference in the ratio of service which is rendered for it, since
it will be bestowed on the octogenarian and the child, upon Paul who made
good the confession of his faith through years of toil, and the dying thief
who passed to his reward while his voice of confession was, as it were,
still ringing in the ears of those who heard it (I. Cor. xv. 8-11; II.
Tim. iv. 6-9). The murmuring and envy of those who had labored longest
is merely part of the parabolic drapery, introduced to bring out the answer
of the householder, and to make plain the point to be illustrated. There
will be no envy among those who inherit eternal life. By thus speaking
of the envy, however, and showing how ineffectual it was, Jesus warns us
to be prepared not to cherish it. The parable is not intended to teach
that the characters of men will be exactly similar in the world to come.
Paul will not be Peter, nor will Martin Luther be identical with Hugh Latimer
and John Knox. God may award eternal life to the character which we are
forming, but we should be careful what kind of character we bring to receive
the gift. The lesson is that works are valued qualitatively and
not quantitatively. Nor may the parable be rightly used to encourage
hope in death-bed repentance. It certainly does teach that, however little
the labor which a man does in the Lord's vineyard, he will receive the
final reward if only he [552] be really in the
vineyard; that is, if he be really a child of God. But whether a man who
repents on his death-bed actually becomes a child of God is a different
question, and is not touched by the parable. Certainly the eleventh-hour
laborer who had stood idle all day only because no man had hired him, and
who came into the vineyard as soon as he was called, can not represent
the man who has been called by the gospel every hour of his life, but has
rejected every call until his sun has sunk so low that he knows he can
do but little work when he comes. In order to represent this class of sinners,
the eleventh-hour men should have been invited early in the morning, and
should have replied, "No, it is too early; we will not go now." Then they
should have been invited at the third, the sixth, and the ninth hours,
and should have made some equally frivolous excuse each time, then, finally,
at the eleventh hour, they should have said, "Well, as you pay a man just
the same for an hour's work as for a day's work, and as we are very anxious
to get your money, we believe we will now go." Had they acted thus, it
is not likely that they would have found the vineyard gates open to them
at all. Yet such is the sharp practice which some men attempt in dealing
with God.]
[FFG 543-553]
