Paid Whatever is Right - Matthew 20:4

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 in chapter twenty and verse four of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus said the householder told these laborers he would give them, “whatsoever is right” where we read:

And said unto them; Go you also into the vineyard,

and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

The verse reads, “And said unto them; Go you also into the vineyard, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “and said” or “the householder uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto them” which means “to the laborers”; “Go you also” or “depart and go away as well” “into the vineyard” which means “in the grapevine field”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the “master of the house” told the men who were sitting idle at the “third hour of the day” to “go into” his grapevine field.

The verse goes on to say, “... and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.” Matthew continued with the words, “and whatsoever” or “and that and what” “is right” which means “is righteous, upright, virtuous, faultless and guiltless” “I will give you” or “the householder with grant, bestow, supply and furnish to the laborers” “and they” which refers to “the workers” “went their way” or “left and departed” to his field. Matthew wrote how the “householder” told the laborers whom he found at the third hour of the day he would pay them what is right.

When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how these workers who were “idle” at nine o'clock in the morning were sent into the “master of the house's” field after being promised “what is right” as their pay. There was no agreement in advance like the first group of workers obtained. These workers simply went out to the field on the promise that the “householder” would pay them “whatsoever is right”. God desires this kind of faith in His Son Jesus, and He has promised “everlasting life” which shall included additional remuneration according to what He deems “right” at the end of the day.

Next time Matthew writes how Jesus said the householder, “went out about the sixth and ninth hour”, 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.