Annotations Upon the New Testament, Matthew · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
Verse 1. FOr the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an housholder] This Parable is nothing else but a confirmation of the sentence going before, the first shall be last, and therefore the end of the Parable is concluded with the repetition of the same sentence, vers. 16. Christ saith, there is no cause why they which are first in time should brag over others: For the Lord as oft as he pleaseth can call them whom he seemed to neglect for a time,Calvin. and either make them equall, or prefer them before them which are first.
This Parable is not brought to shew that there is an equality of blessednesse, but to reprehend the Pharisees,Ob. Ergo opera ex condigno merentur vitam aeternam, sicut labor diurnus denarium diurnum. Sol. Scopus parabolae est, nullam esse causam, cur obmurmurent Deo, aut invideant aliis qui tempore sunt illis priores: quia Deus pro bene placito suo potest aequare posteriores prioribus. who repined that other Labourers (as the Apostles who were called to work after them) should be made equall with them, that is, have as much estimation and approbation as they, they having borne, as they imagined, the burden and heat of the day. Christ cleares himself from imputation of injustice, saying, they had that which they agreed for, they proposed unto themselves worldly honour and estimation, and they had it. And to prove that this could be no degree of eternall blessedness, no more need be said, than that they murmured, whereas he that hath least in the glorious kingdome of heaven shall be satisfied. A Pennie was the ordinary hire for a daies work.
The Penny is not eternall life, but some other reward common to the hypocrite,Si denarius diurnus vitam aeternam adumbret, est merces laboris diurni, ex munificentissima Dei pactione, non ex condigna aestimatione rei ad rem. Episc. Dav. de justitia actuali. and true hearted: for he that was sent away chidden for his envious grumbling was sent also with his Penny.
Interpreters for the most part agree, that by the Husbandman is meant God himself; by the Labourers, men upon earth; by the Vineyard, the Church of God. Some of the Fathers, as Origen, Chrysostom, Ierome, Austin, Gregory, say, that by the five houres in the Parable are noted the five ages of man.
An artificiall day consists of twelve houres, Iohn 11.9. lasts from sun rising to sunsetting; this day was divided into foure quarters,Mihi videntur primae horae esse operarij Samuel & Hieremias & Baptista Ioannes, qui possunt cum Psalmista dicere, exutero matris meae Deus meus es tu. Tertiae verò horae operarij sunt, qui à pubertate servire Deo coeperunt. Sextae horae, qui matura aetate susceperunt jugum Christi. Nonae, qui jam declinant ad senium. Vndecimae, qui ultima senectute. Hieron. The first began at sixe of the clock and held till nine, this was called the third houre, vers. 3. The second quarter ended at twelve of the clock, the sixth houre, vers. 5. The third at three in the afternoon, the ninth houre, vers. 5. The fourth at sixe of the night the eleventh houre. vers. 6.
Vers. 6. Some are called at the eleventh houre of the day, but that is meant either of the latter age of the world, or else in our latter daies, but not at death, for they were to go into the Vineyard and worke. The last was called the eleventh houre by our Saviour, whereas among the common people it either was called, or should have been called, by proportion with the rest, the twelfth houre, to intimate that God seldome calleth any at the twelfth houre, for that is an houre rather to discharge servants, than admit new.
Vers. 8. Beginning from the last unto the first] He begins with the last,Id est, nulla ordinis inter ipsos habita ratione, sed ita ut nemo praetermittatur. Grotius. a strange manner of proceeding, and very unequall, but this is done on purpose saith one, to shew that at the day of judgment God gives the labourers in his Vineyard Heaven and Salvation, not for any worth or merit in their workes, but according to his meere grace, and therefore they have as much as those that laboured ten times more.
Vers. 11. Murmured] The Greeke word signifies, to grunt as Swine. It is used by the Septuagint, Exod. 17.3. Num. 14.24. and elswhere.Latine obloqui non male verteris. Grotius.
Vers. 16. Many be called, but few chosen] Called, viz. outwardly by the word,*Amilitum delectu deductum videtur, in quo ex magno hominum numero non nisi pauci, id est, praestantissimi quique eligantur. Schotti Adag. Sac. Chosen, viz. to eternall life.
Vers. 19. Gentiles] That is the Romans, he understands Pilate and his Souldiers. Psal. 2.1. Drusius.
Vers. 20. Her sons] viz. Iames and Iohn, who themselves are said to have put up this Petition to the Lord, Mark. 10.35. therefore the mother and sons joyned together in this work. Piscat.Probabile est quia illis obstabat pudor, matrem astutè fuisse interpositam, quae audactus peteret. Ab ipsis autem profectum esse vorum hinc colligitur, quod Christus illis non matri respondit. Calv.
Vers. 21. Grant that these two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left in thy kingdome] That is, when thou art made King here on earth, not in heaven. To sit at the Kings right hand signifies the next place to the King, 1 Kings 11.19. Psalm. 45.10. Heb. 12.3. The left hand then consequently meanes the third place in the kingdom, for the greater any one was in a kingdom so much the neerer did he sit to the King in publique meetings
Vers. 22. Are ye able to drinke of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptisme that I am baptized with] That he may correct their ambition he propounds to them the Cross, as if he had said, have you so much leisure from the present warfare,Calvin. that you now appoint an order for the glory and pompes of the triumph?
The cup] That is, the measure of afflictions which God assigneth to every man. See Beza.Duplici nomine damnanda fuit eorum inscitia, primùm quod ambitiosè appeterent plus quam decebat: deinde quòd pro Coelesti Christi regno aereum phantasma conceperant. Calvin. Plautus in Cassina. Eodem poculo bibere, pro incommodis ijsdem subjacer… dixit. Vide Sculter observat. in Mat. c. 54. & Grot.
The faithfull are instructed by baptisme to deny themselves, to crucifie the old man, and also to beare the Crosse. Rom. 6.3, 4, 5, 6. As often as baptisme is mentioned, let us remember that we are baptized on this condition, and to this end, that we should beare the Crosse upon our shoulders.
Vers. 23. Ye shall drink of my cup] By the word Cup, not strictly death, but more largely sufferings, especially more grievous, are meant saith Grotius. Because they were his Disciples, it was necessary that they should be made like their Master; he telleth them before what should come to passe afterwards, that they might arme themselves with patience; and under the person of these two men he speaketh to his Disciples.
But to sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give] Christ speakes according to their opinion who did dreame of the worldly kingdome of the Messias, therefore he would raise their conceits to a heavenly Kingdome, and as a Mediatour lift them up to the Father.
Goijm. Cartwrights reply to Whirg.Vers. 25. Gentiles] foreign Signifies naturally not the Gentiles, but simply any nation, in which sence it is often taken in the Old and New-Testament. Gen. 10.31, 23. Deut. 32.28. Psal. 43.1. Matth. 28.19. Act. 10.35. Luke 7.5.
Vers. 29. And as they departed from Jericho] Matthew and Marke say that the Miracle was wrought as Christ went out of the City,Dubium an eadem sit historia quae hic à Matthaeo, & quae à Marco 10.46. & à Luca 18.35. narratur. Assentior Theophylacto quivnam tantum historiam à tribus Evangelistis narrari putat. Maldonatus. Vide Grotium. and Luke makes mention that it was done before he came into the City; Marke and Luke speake but of one blind man, and Matthew addeth two; Calvin supposeth that the blind man cried out as Christ came toward the City, but saith he was not heard because of the noise; then he gat into the way at Christs comming out of the City, and then at length he called him. For the second knot it may be conjectured, when one blind man at the first sought for helpe of Christ another was moved by his example, and by this occasion two received their sight; but Marke and Luke speake of one onelyonly, either because he was more known than the other, or because the power of Christ was as notably shewne in one as in two.
It is uncertaine (saith Brugensis) whether the name of Ierico was imposed upon this City, from the figure of the Moone,Iareach is the Moone in Hebrew. Reach is odour in Hebrew. or from the most sweet odour of Balsame, of which it is very fruitfull.