Matthew 20

20:1-16  Earning Wages, or Receiving Grace.

     Bracketed by 19:30 and 20:16, the point of this parable is hard to miss.  In v.2, a contract is agreed on.  The first group works by law to earn a wage.  The following groups work by faith.  “Whatever is right I will give you” (v.4).  At evening, the last, who had hardly worked at all, were paid first.  Vv.10-15 reminds us of the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son.  Not many people understand justice and grace very well.  Other people’s grace is usually viewed as some sort of injustice to us, when it should cause us to rejoice.  Undeserved favor is our only hope.

     20:17-28.  Jesus is going to the cross.  It is at this point that the sons of Zebedee attempt to secure first place in the kingdom (see parable above!).  The coronation Jesus is facing takes place not in a palace, but on a cross.  The Father has predestined the place on his right and left to be taken by two who are more deserving of it than James and John – the two robbers, one of whom became one of those last who became first (Luke 23:43) by the amazing grace of God.

     20:29-34.  What Scripture tells us is truth, real facts, but we should never assume we have been told everything.  Mark and Luke each tell us things about this incident that Matthew does not, and even with all three witnesses, there is no doubt much not told.  Only Mark tells us exactly who one of the blind men was, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus.  Only Matthew tells us that there were two blind men.  Jewish numerology is important to him.  Two is the number for witness.  Cf. Mt.8:28, where he alone mentions that there were two Gadarene demoniacs.