The Eleventh Hour Wages - Matthew 20:9

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. 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”, and in chapter twenty and verse nine of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus said the “eleventh hour” workers, “received every man” a day's wages where we read:

And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

The verse reads, “And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “and when” or “and at the time and moment” “they came” which means “the workers or laborers” “that were hired” or “who were employed and put to work” “about the eleventh hour” which means “around five o'clock in the afternoon”. Matthew shared how Jesus referred to the time when the “eleventh hour workers” appeared before the “master's steward”.

The verse goes on to say, “... they received every man a penny.” Matthew continued with words, “they received” or “the eleventh hour workers were given, claimed, procured and carried away” “every man” which means “each and everyone of the laborers” “a penny” which means “a denarius which means containing ten” and was a full day's wages. Matthew wrote how each and every one of the “eleventh hour laborers” were given a “denarius” which is equivalent to a “day's wage”.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how the “eleventh hour workers” were paid a “day's wage” even though they worked for only one hour. This may cause some who are reading these words to say “unfair”, however, this is another demonstration as to how Heaven's Kingdom works. God is a gracious God, and He desires people to come to Him through His Son Jesus even when they are in the later stages of their lives. Those in the “eleventh hour” of their lives are still welcome to receive “everlasting and eternal life” through Jesus Christ the Lord.

Next time Matthew writes what Jesus said happened, “when the first came”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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