Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus said, “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. And said unto them; Go you also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and said unto them, Why stand you here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man has hired us. He said unto them, Go you also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive”, and in chapter twenty and verse eight of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus said the householder instructed, “his steward, Call the laborers” where we read:
So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers,
and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
The verse reads, “So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “so when” or “so at the time and moment” “even was come” which means “six o'clock to the beginning of night arrived”, “the lord” or “the master to whom a person or thing belongs about which he has power of deciding” “of the vineyard” which means “who was over the grapevine field” “said” or “uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto his steward” which means “to the master's curator, guardian and manager of the household or lands”, “call” or “invite and bid forth” “the laborers” which refers to “the perpetrators or workers”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the “master of the house” told his “household manager” to “bid” the workers in the field to come to him.
The verse goes on to say, “... and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.” Matthew added the words, “and give them” or “and deliver, discharge and render to the laborers” “their hire” which means “their pay or wages”, “beginning” or “commencing and starting” “from the last” which means “with the final ones employed” “unto the first” which means “to the first ones hired or employed”. Matthew wrote how Jesus said the “master of the house” instructed his “steward” to “deliver” to “laborers” their wages, and he was to start by paying the “final workers' hired” and then the “first ones”.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see the remuneration time for the workers in the field. The day is spent, the work is complete and the time for wages is upon them, and now, they shall be paid. The “workers” were paid according to the time when they were hired, and the “steward” was to begin with the group hired after the “eleventh hour” and then proceed through to the first ones. God desires for every person to have a loving personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus, and when they submit themselves to Him regardless of their time in life, He shall reward them with “everlasting life” and wages for their work in His Kingdom.
Next time Matthew writes what Jesus, “they came that were hired about the eleventh hour”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
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Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
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