Friend, I Do You No Wrong - Matthew 20:13

Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus told of a “householder” hiring laborers to work in his vineyard, and after working all day the “householder”, “of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and you have made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day”, and in chapter twenty and verse thirteen of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus told how the “householder” answered, “friend I do you no wrong” where we read:

But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do you no wrong:

did not you agree with me for a penny?

The verse reads, “But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do you no wrong:”. Matthew began with the word, “but” or “moreover and” “he answered” which means “the householder responded to” “one of them” or “one of the laborers who first worked in the field”, “and said” or “and uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “Friend” which means “comrade, mate and partner” “I do you no wrong” or “I, the householder, am not acting unjustly, wickedly or sinfully”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the “master of the house” responded to one of the “murmuring” first workers by telling him that he did not act wickedly toward him.

The verse goes on to say, “did not you agree with me for a penny?” Matthew added the words, “did not you agree” or “did you not make a bargain, accord and suitable compact” “with me” which means “with the householder” “for a penny” which means “for the wage of a denarius which was equivalent to a day's wage”? Matthew wrote how the “master of the house” appealed to their agreement with him to work all day for a “penny” or a “denarius” which was a day's wage.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how the “householder” responded to his laborers by reminding them of his agreement with him. They agreed at the beginning of the day to work for a “penny” or a day's wage, and now that they saw the “eleventh hour” workers received a “penny” for only one hour's work, they were complaining. God desires to give “everlasting life” to every person who believes and trusts in His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”. Regardless of their age or what station they hold in life, God is willing to extend His “grace” to them, and those who are wise will not worry about what someone else receives or doesn't receive because their focus is upon their own relationship with God.

Next time Matthew shares what Jesus tells how the householder answered, “I will give unto this last, even as unto you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.