Matthew 20 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Matthew 20:1-16

A. Find Out:

1. About what is Jesus’ teaching, and how? v.1,2

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

2. What did the vineyard owner do throughout the day? v.3-7

“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, `You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.

“He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, `Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ” `Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, `You also go and work in my vineyard.’

3. What did he do at evening time? v.8-10

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, `Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ “The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.

4. What response did he get and why? v.11,12

When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. `These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, `and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

5. What response did he give to them? v.13-15

“But he answered one of them, `Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

6. What principle did Jesus state at the end? v.16

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

B. Think:

1. What did the men in the story object to?
2. What point was Jesus making in the story?
3. How does that apply to us today?

C. Comment:

Peter has just been asking about rewards and Jesus had said, don’t worry about it, you will be rewarded in such a way that you will have no complaint! Now he tells this story.

In it he tells of a vineyard owner (a simple example in those days of a common employer) who throughout the day took on more and more workers and who paid them all exactly the same at the end of the day. When those employed early on complained he simply explained that he was entitled to pay as he wanted. Whether Peter got the point is not revealed to us! Do we get it?

A vineyard had been used in Old Testament times to picture the nation of Israel that was supposed to be fruitful. The owner was God. What does the story say therefore? The men standing around had no work, no future, no life, except at the whim of the owner. It was pure grace that took them on. He had no duty to do so. When he took them on it was on his terms, they were not in a bargaining position. When God takes us into His kingdom it is pure grace. We deserve destruction and instead He gives us life. If He uses us it is pure grace, it is not because we are great and good. If we get rewards, it is pure grace, we don’t deserve them. We have no claims on God.

D. Application:

1. Salvation is all grace. We don’t deserve it.
2. Service is pure grace, it is all God’s gifting.

Passage: Matthew 20:17-19

A. Find Out:

1. Where was Jesus going and with whom? v.17,18a

Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them,” We are going up to Jerusalem,

2. To whom did he say he would be given? v.18a

the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law

3. What will they do? v.18b

They will condemn him to death

4. To whom will they then give him? v.19a

and will turn him over to the Gentiles

5. What will they in turn do to him? v.19b

to be mocked and flogged and crucified

6. Yet what will happen? v.19c

On the third day he will be raised to life!”

B. Think:

1. What part will the Jews play in Jesus’ downfall?
2. What part will the Gentiles play in it?
3. What do these verses show about Jesus?

C. Comment:

They had moved into the south, into Judea, and now they were moving towards Jerusalem, and Jesus starts to explain to the disciples what will happen. The details are amazing!

First, he says he will be betrayed. It could have happened many other ways, but he prophesies he will be betrayed. That happened when Judas went to the religious leaders (see Mt 26:14-16).

Second, he says he will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. That was fulfilled (see Lk 22:2-4).

Third, they will condemn him to death (yet not have the power to do it!). This happened! (see Mt 26:66).

Fourth, they will turn him over to the Gentiles. This happened! (see Mk 15:1).

Fifth, they will mock and flog him. This happened! (see Jn 19:1-3).

Sixth, they will crucify him. This they did! (see Mt 27:26).

Seventh, he prophesied that he would be raised from the dead. This also happened! (see Mt 28 etc.)

Seven things Jesus prophesied in this short passage! Every thing was exactly fulfilled. Let us be under no illusions! Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen; it was no accident out of control! Jesus, the Son of God, knew that this was exactly fulfilling the plan of God. He was in total control!

D. Application:

1. Jesus is Lord of every circumstance!
2. Jesus knows all that will come. He is not caught out!

Passage: Matthew 20:20-24

A. Find Out:

1. Who came to do what? v.20

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

2. What did she ask? v.21

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

3. What did Jesus say about that? v.22a

“You don’t know what you are asking,”

4. What did he ask and what did they reply? v.22b

Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

5. What did he say about their future? v.23

Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

6. How did the others feel when they heard about this? v.24

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.

B. Think:

1. What do you think prompted this mother’s concern?
2. What do you think Jesus meant by his “cup”?
3. What did Jesus acknowledge in the whole thing?

C. Comment:

Matthew has recently been recording Jesus’ teaching on rewards in the kingdom and so it is natural for him now to record an incident that further shone light on this subject.

The mother of James and John comes to petition Jesus on behalf of her sons. We may often do this in prayer today. She wants the best for her children and wants Jesus to ensure their future promotion. Well, says Jesus, are you willing to go through what I go through? Yes, they reply. Well that’s good, infers Jesus, because you will go through what I go through (you will minister like I have done, and you will be rejected like I have been, and suffer or me) but as to taking particular places of honour in the kingdom, that is not mine to give. This latter point is interesting. Jesus acknowledges (see also Jn 5:19 ) that he only serves his Father. It is the Father who is sovereign and the Son is submissive to Him.. There is a distinct order of authority within the trinity.

Jesus is quite gracious about this misguided request, but not so the other disciples. They think, what a cheek! Why should these two be elevated above us. Two sets of poor responses.

D. Application:

1. Concern for personal position so often is something that drives us into wrong attitudes. Beware.
2. Jealousy also lurks nearby! Beware again!

Passage: Matthew 20:24-28

A. Find Out:

1. How had the other disciples responded? v.24

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.

2. How did Jesus say Gentile rulers behaved? v.25

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.

3. How did he say whoever wanted to be great must be? v.26

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant

4. What did he say whoever wants to be first must be? v.27

and whoever wants to be first must be your slave–

5. What did he say he had come to do? v.28

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

B. Think:

1. What was the “leadership style” of the Gentiles?
2. What is to be the leadership style of Jesus’ followers?
3. What style of leadership do you usually see in the church?

C. Comment:

The mother of James & John has just asked for position for her sons and Jesus has had to deny her request. The other disciples appear aggrieved when they hear about this, and it is then that Jesus brings this amazing teaching about leadership in the church.

He, first of all, points out how the unbelieving world leads: by domination. The world leaders lead with power and authority and hold high positions with much status. Now that may be all right for the world, says Jesus, but it is not how things are to be in my kingdom.

So, second, he goes on to explain how his followers should behave. To be great in the kingdom of God you must be a servant, indeed if you aspire to really lead you need to be a slave. These are devastating blows to the pride and are so contrary to the natural self. They say, look to bless and help and work for others all the time. Be totally submitted to God for His disposal (for that is what a slave is).

How easy it is for each of us to lose sight of these things. How easy it is when we have some sort of leadership role, for us to claim status and authority and demand others do things. How alien that is to the teaching of Jesus. Jesus gives himself as THE example by what he did, laying down his very life for us.

D. Application:

1. To be a follower of Jesus means to lay down your life to become a servant of God and all others.
2. Jesus is our supreme example to follow.

Passage: Matthew 20:29-34

A. Find Out:

1. Where were Jesus & his disciples now? v.29

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho , a large crowd followed him.

2. Who did what? v.30

Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

3. But what were they told? v.31a

The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet

4. But what was their response? v.31b

but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

5. What was Jesus question and what did they answer? v.32,33

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

6. So what happened? v.34

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

B. Think:

1. How did the blind men obviously consider Jesus?
2. What was the crowd’s opinion of the blind men?
3. Yet what brought about this miraculous healing?

C. Comment:

Jesus has just been talking to his disciples about the true nature of his followers and they have seemed almost blind to the truth. Now, by way of contrast almost, Matthew records an instance of two blind men who desperately wanted to see.

Jesus had left Galilee (19:1) and had come down the east side of the Jordan and was now coming back across Judea in the direction of Jerusalem, passing Jericho, and it is there this happens.

The facts are simple and straight forward: two blind men hear Jesus is passing, they cry out to him, and he heals their blindness and restores their sight. But now look at the details: first, they were sitting at the roadside, probably beggars. Nobody thinks anything of beggars and the crowd obviously don’t want to be bothered with them – but Jesus does!

Then see how they describe Jesus: “Lord, Son of David” says these two believed he was the coming Messiah. There was a high level of faith in them. But the crowd dismisses them, but they won’t be put off. There is a high level of perseverance here. They are also quite clear what they want; they believe Jesus can do it! They may be blind, they may be beggars, but these two men are also examples to us!

D. Application:

1. Are we concerned for the poor and unlovely? Jesus is!
2. Do we believe Jesus can transform our “impossible” situation?