Matthew 20:2-15

Matthew 20:2: “And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard….”
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.”

There are a number of things going on here. First, notice that the laborers were hired at a precise rate – the master asked them if they would work for a set fee, and the workers said yes, and so he hired them. Then, at the end of the day, the master gave them the fee they had asked for. It was a very simple transaction. The problem is that the workers wanted more. They were angry that the master had generously given the same wage to other people who hadn’t worked the whole day.

One of the keys to remember is that the ‘penny’ this passage refers to is actually a denarius, which was a day’s wage. It was the money a person needed in order to survive. The master saw that there were idle people who were willing to work, but who had no one to hire them. So he sent them to work and gave them what they needed – even though, technically speaking, they didn’t deserve it. They got a day’s wage without having to work a day’s labor. They would have worked – that was not the issue. They just didn’t have the opportunity until later in the day.

The master’s generosity met the needs of all the workers. Everyone got what they needed and no one lacked anything. The reason the first group grumbled is because they didn’t think it was “fair”. They wanted more. The master was not impressed with their reasoning:

Matthew 20:13: “But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will 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?”

Now, some people take this passage to mean that in Heaven there are no rewards, and everyone gets the same thing. That is easy to disprove, since in the chapter right before this one Jesus tells the disciples that because they left everything and followed Him, He will reward them by giving them the right to rule over the 12 tribes of Israel. That is a reward that is not given to anyone else. Therefore, everyone does not get the same reward in Heaven – and since that is the case, this passage must be talking about something else.

I think it is more likely that this passage is talking about eternal life. All of us are in desperate need of it, we receive it at the end of our lives, and we can only get it if the Master gives it to us. Now, there are some people who are Christians all their lives and who endure terrible trials, and there are others who are saved on their deathbed. Both groups of people are given eternal life. Why? Because Jesus is generous. We should not bemoan the salvation of those who are saved on their deathbed, when we have spent our whole lives suffering for Christ. We need righteousness just as much as they do – and neither of us deserve it. It is a free gift. Rather, we should rejoice that Jesus offers it to anyone.