New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Matthew 20
1
"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who owned land. He went out early in the morning to hire people to work in his vineyard.
Reference
Kingdom
Matthew 13:24
Matthew 13:47
Hebrews 13:21
Matthew 25:1
Matthew 22:2
Matthew 13:31
Matthew 13:33
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 15:58
John 15:1
2
He agreed to give them the usual pay for a day's work. Then he sent them into his vineyard.
3
"About nine o'clock in the morning he went out again. He saw others standing in the market place doing nothing.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Timothy 5:13
4
He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard. I'll pay you what is right.'
5
So they went. "He went out again about noon and at three o'clock and did the same thing.
6
About five o'clock he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'
Reference
7
" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 6:10
8
"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard spoke to the person who was in charge of the workers. He said, 'Call the workers and give them their pay. Begin with the last ones I hired. Then go on to the first ones.'
Reference
References Lord
Deuteronomy 24:15
9
"The workers who were hired about five o'clock came. Each received the usual day's pay.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 20:2
10
So when those who were hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each of them also received the usual day's pay.
12
'These people who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said. 'You have paid them the same as us. We have done most of the work and have been in the hot sun all day.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 12:55
13
"The owner answered one of them. 'Friend,' he said, 'I'm being fair to you. Didn't you agree to work for the usual day's pay?
Reference
15
Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Do you feel cheated because I gave so freely to the others?'
Reference
17
Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the 12 disciples to one side to talk to them.
18
"We are going up to Jerusalem," he said. "The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will sentence him to death.
Reference
19
Then they will turn him over to people who are not Jews. The people will make fun of him and whip him. They will nail him to a cross. On the third day, he will rise from the dead!"
Reference
Cross
Acts 2:23
Parallel theme
Isaiah 53:3
Psalm 35:16
Resurrection
Matthew 16:21
Isaiah 26:19
Hosea 6:2
20
The mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus. Her sons came with her. Getting on her knees, she asked a favor of him.
Reference
21
"What do you want?" Jesus asked. She said, "Promise me that one of my two sons may sit at your right hand in your kingdom. Promise that the other one may sit at your left hand."
Reference
Kingdom
Esther 5:3
Matthew 18:1
Acts 1:6
Mark 6:22
Parallel theme
Matthew 19:28
Psalm 110:1
Matthew 20:32
1 Kings 3:5
Colossians 3:1
Romans 12:10
22
"You don't know what you're asking for," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup of suffering I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered.
Reference
Baptism
Luke 12:50
Parallel theme
Matthew 26:42
Luke 22:42
Mark 14:36
Matthew 26:39
Isaiah 51:22
Romans 8:26
Jeremiah 49:12
James 4:3
References Jesus
John 18:11
23
Jesus said to them, "You will certainly drink from my cup. But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or left hand. These places belong to those my Father has prepared them for."
Reference
24
The other ten disciples heard about this. They became angry at the two brothers.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Peter 5:5
25
Jesus called them together. He said, "You know about the rulers of the nations. They hold power over their people. Their high officials order them around.
Reference
26
Don't be like that. Instead, anyone who wants to be important among you must be your servant.
Reference
28
"Be like the Son of Man. He did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free."
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 9:28
Luke 22:27
1 Peter 3:18
Revelation 1:5
Hebrews 5:8
2 Corinthians 8:9
Mark 14:24
Redemption
Titus 2:14
1 Timothy 2:6
Ephesians 1:7
29
Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho. A large crowd followed him.
30
Two blind men were sitting by the side of the road. They heard that Jesus was going by. So they shouted, "Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on us!"
Reference
31
The crowd commanded them to stop. They told them to be quiet. But the two men shouted even louder, "Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on us!"
Reference
33
"Lord," they answered, "we want to be able to see."
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 119:18
34
Jesus felt deep concern for them. He touched their eyes. Right away they could see. And they followed him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 26:18
Psalm 119:71
Psalm 119:67
Psalm 145:8
Mark 7:33
Matthew 9:29
Matthew 8:15
References Jesus
Matthew 14:14
Matthew 15:32
Luke 22:51
Summary of Matthew 20
Matthew 20 begins with the parable of the workers in the vineyard, where Jesus describes a landowner who hires laborers at different times of the day but eventually gives each of them the same daily wage, creating a powerful illustration of God's generosity and the difference between divine grace and human ideas of fairness.
The workers who labored all day become angry when those who worked only briefly receive the same payment, but the landowner reminds them that they received exactly what they had agreed to receive, revealing that their real problem is not injustice but envy and resentment toward another person's generosity.
Jesus uses the parable to reinforce the kingdom principle that the last will be first and the first will be last, showing that God's grace cannot be reduced to a human system in which people earn spiritual status according to effort, seniority, achievement, or social position.
As Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, He gives His disciples an increasingly explicit prediction of His coming suffering, explaining that He will be handed over to the religious authorities and Gentiles, mocked, flogged, crucified, and raised on the third day.
Despite hearing these warnings, the disciples continue thinking about positions of honor, demonstrated when the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons the highest places in His kingdom.
Jesus responds by explaining that they do not understand what they are asking because His kingdom is not built around worldly status, and He asks whether they are willing to drink the same cup of suffering that He will drink.
The other disciples become angry with James and John, but Jesus uses the conflict to teach all of them that kingdom leadership is fundamentally different from worldly leadership, because rulers of the world often demonstrate authority by controlling others while His followers are called to demonstrate greatness through service.
Jesus makes the principle personal by presenting Himself as the ultimate model, explaining that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and that He will give His life as a ransom for many, pointing directly toward His sacrificial death on the cross.
The chapter ends as Jesus approaches Jericho and encounters two blind men who recognize Him as the Son of David and repeatedly cry out for mercy despite the crowd's attempts to silence them.
Jesus stops for them, asks what they want, and responds with compassion by restoring their sight, after which they follow Him, showing that genuine faith recognizes Jesus, persists in seeking Him, receives His mercy, and then moves forward as a disciple.
The central message is that Matthew 20 contrasts God's grace with human ideas of merit and greatness, showing that the kingdom of heaven is characterized by generosity, humility, sacrificial service, persistent faith, and dependence upon God's mercy rather than by status, achievement, privilege, or personal recognition.
The chapter ultimately teaches that following Jesus means abandoning the desire to be first, learning to serve rather than dominate, accepting that God's grace cannot be earned or controlled, and trusting the compassionate Messiah who willingly gives His life for others while responding to those who call upon Him in faith.
The workers who labored all day become angry when those who worked only briefly receive the same payment, but the landowner reminds them that they received exactly what they had agreed to receive, revealing that their real problem is not injustice but envy and resentment toward another person's generosity.
Jesus uses the parable to reinforce the kingdom principle that the last will be first and the first will be last, showing that God's grace cannot be reduced to a human system in which people earn spiritual status according to effort, seniority, achievement, or social position.
As Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, He gives His disciples an increasingly explicit prediction of His coming suffering, explaining that He will be handed over to the religious authorities and Gentiles, mocked, flogged, crucified, and raised on the third day.
Despite hearing these warnings, the disciples continue thinking about positions of honor, demonstrated when the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons the highest places in His kingdom.
Jesus responds by explaining that they do not understand what they are asking because His kingdom is not built around worldly status, and He asks whether they are willing to drink the same cup of suffering that He will drink.
The other disciples become angry with James and John, but Jesus uses the conflict to teach all of them that kingdom leadership is fundamentally different from worldly leadership, because rulers of the world often demonstrate authority by controlling others while His followers are called to demonstrate greatness through service.
Jesus makes the principle personal by presenting Himself as the ultimate model, explaining that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and that He will give His life as a ransom for many, pointing directly toward His sacrificial death on the cross.
The chapter ends as Jesus approaches Jericho and encounters two blind men who recognize Him as the Son of David and repeatedly cry out for mercy despite the crowd's attempts to silence them.
Jesus stops for them, asks what they want, and responds with compassion by restoring their sight, after which they follow Him, showing that genuine faith recognizes Jesus, persists in seeking Him, receives His mercy, and then moves forward as a disciple.
The central message is that Matthew 20 contrasts God's grace with human ideas of merit and greatness, showing that the kingdom of heaven is characterized by generosity, humility, sacrificial service, persistent faith, and dependence upon God's mercy rather than by status, achievement, privilege, or personal recognition.
The chapter ultimately teaches that following Jesus means abandoning the desire to be first, learning to serve rather than dominate, accepting that God's grace cannot be earned or controlled, and trusting the compassionate Messiah who willingly gives His life for others while responding to those who call upon Him in faith.