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Matthew 20:1–13. : For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the master of the house (paterfamilias - father of the family), who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. And having agreed with the workers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard. Coming out around the third hour, he saw others standing idly in the marketplace. And he said to them: “You also go into my vineyard, and whatever is right (justum fuerit) I will give you. They went. Coming out again around the sixth and ninth hours, he did the same. Finally, going out about the eleventh hour, he found others standing idly, and said to them: “Why are you standing here all day idly?” They told him: “nobody hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into my vineyard, and whatever comes next I will give you.” When evening came, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, “Call the workers and give them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.” And those who came about the eleventh hour received a denarius each. Those who came first thought that they would receive more; but they also received a denarius. And having received it, they began to murmur against the owner of the house and said: these last worked for one hour, and you made them equal to us, who endured the burden of the day and the heat. He answered and said to one of them. This parable, or comparison of the Kingdom of Heaven, is understood from what was previously inspired, for before it it is written: “Many who were first were last, and many who were last were first 432.” The Lord judges not by time, but by the degree of faith. And He says that the householder went out early in the morning to bring workers into his vineyard and agreed to pay a denarius for the work. Then he went out about three o'clock and saw others standing idle in the square; and he promised them not a denarius, but what would be fair. He did the same at the sixth and ninth hours. And at the eleventh hour he found others standing, who had spent the whole day without work, and he sent them into the vineyard. And when it was already late, he ordered his manager to begin paying wages, starting with the last ones, that is, with those who were from the eleventh hour, and ended with the workers who worked from the first hour. And everyone was equally inflamed with envy of the very last workers and began to accuse the householder of injustice. And not because they received less than what was agreed upon, but because they wanted to get more from those on whom the employer’s mercy was poured out. It seems to me that the workers of the first hour 433 Samuel and Jeremiah and the Baptist, who together with the Psalmist can say: “From my mother’s womb You are the Lord my God” (Ps. 21:11). And the workers of the third hour are those who began to serve God from adolescence (a pubertate); the workers of the sixth hour are those who took upon themselves the yoke of Christ in adulthood, and the ninth are those who [began] at an age inclined to old age. Then the workers of the eleventh hour are those who [began] in old age. And yet everyone received the same reward, although their work was different. There are those who explain this parable differently. They represent (volunt) that in the first hour Adam and other patriarchs were sent into the vineyard before Noah, in the third hour Noah himself [and others] were sent before Abraham and the circumcision given to him; at the sixth hour - from Abraham to Moses, when the law was given; in the ninth - Moses and the prophets; in the eleventh - the apostles and pagan nations, whom everyone envy. Therefore, the Evangelist John, having the same thing in mind, after the eleventh hour, when the sun was already setting and [the day] towards evening, says: “My children, the hour is the last” (1 John 2:18) 434. But at the same time, think about the fact that everyone who equally denounces the injustice of the householder in relation to the workers of the eleventh hour does not notice it in relation to themselves. In fact, if the householder was is unfair, not to one, but to all, because the worker of the third hour did not labor as much as the worker of the first hour, who was sent into the vineyard. Likewise, the worker of the sixth hour labored less than the worker of the third hour, and the worker of the ninth hour, less than the worker of the sixth hour. So, everyone is jealous of the late calling of the Gentiles, and the grace of the Gospel is reproached. Matthew 19:30), 435 so that the Jews will be changed from the head to the tail, and we will be changed from the tail to the head. Matthew 20:13. [end]: Friend, I don’t offend you. In the book of one [author] 436 I read that this friend who meets with the objection of the householder, this worker of the first hour is the first-created [that is, Adam] and those who believed in his time. “Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius?” The denarius has the image of a king on it. Thus, you received the payment that I promised you, that is, my image and likeness; why do you ask for more? Moreover, you do not so much want to receive more yourself as you want the other to receive nothing, as if the price of your payment decreases for you from comparison with another. Matthew 20:14–15. Take yours and go; I want to give this last one the same as I gave you; Don't I have the power to do what I want? A Jew under the law is saved not by grace, but by works, for whoever does mercy (gratiam) will live by it. That is why it is said to that [doer]: Matthew 20:16. [end of 15th and 16th]: Or is your eye envious because I am kind? So the last will be first, and the first last; For many are called, but few are chosen. The famous parable in the Gospel of Luke has the same meaning, in which the eldest son is jealous of the younger one and does not want him to be accepted after repentance, and accuses his father of injustice. And so that we know that it has the meaning we have indicated, both the beginning of the parable and its end agree with each other: “So the last will be,” He says, “and the first will be last.” Matthew 20:17–19. And going up to Jerusalem, Jesus on the way called away the twelve disciples alone, and said to them: Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death; and they will deliver Him over to the pagans to be mocked and beaten and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again. He often said the same thing to the disciples, but since in the intervals there was talk about many other subjects, what they heard could slip from their memory; therefore, intending to enter 437 Jerusalem and lead the apostles with Him there, He prepares 438 them for temptation, so that they will not be tempted when shameful torment and death on the cross comes. Matthew 20:20–21. Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee and her sons approached Him, bowing and asking Him for something. He said to her: what do you want? She says to Him: command that these two sons of mine may sit with You, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left in Your Kingdom. Where did the mother of the sons of Zebedee get the idea of ​​kingship when the Lord said: “The Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests, and they will condemn Him to death; and they will deliver Him over to the pagans to be mocked and beaten and crucified,” that is, when He proclaimed to the fearful disciples about the ignominy of suffering, [why] she seeks the glory of the triumphant. I think because the Lord said after everything: “And on the third day he will rise again”; this woman thought that He would reign there after the resurrection; and what is promised after the second coming [in her opinion] should have been fulfilled at the first coming; according to the aviditate characteristic of women, she seeks the present, forgetting about the future. And the Lord’s question and drawing attention to her request with the words: “What do you want?” does not come from ignorance; it is offered on behalf of the One who was to be scourged and crucified, just as the questions regarding the bleeding woman are: “Who touched Me?” (Luke 8:45), about Lazarus: “Where have you laid him?” (John 11:34), as well as in the Old Testament: “Adam, where are you?” (Gen.3:9) and: “I will go down and see if they act according to the cry [against them] that comes up to Me, that I may know if it is not so” (Gen.18:21). 439 But the mother of the sons of Zebedee, in womanly foolishness and under the influence of love [for the children], asks, not knowing what. And it is not surprising when she is convicted of foolishness, since it is also said about Peter: “Not knowing what he says,” when he wants to build three booths [tents] (Mark 9:6). 440 Matthew 20:22. Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking.” The mother asks, and the Lord speaks to the disciples, understanding that her request was a consequence of the desire of her sons. “Can you drink the cup that I will drink? They say to Him: We can.” By the cup, which is spoken of in the Holy Scriptures, we mean suffering according to the words: “My Father! if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39) and in the psalm: “What will I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will receive the cup of salvation, and I will call on the name of the Lord” (Ps. 115ff.) and immediately after that he adds what kind of cup it is: “Precious before the Lord is the death of His saints!” Matthew 20:23. He said to them: Indeed, you will drink My cup: but to let you sit on My right and on My left, this is not in My power, but belongs to those for whom it has been prepared from My Father. 441 The question is: how will the sons of Zebedee, namely James and John, drink the cup of suffering when the [Holy] Scripture tells that only James the Apostle was beheaded by Herod 442, and John ended his life with a natural death. But if we read the church narratives, which say that during his torment he was lowered into a cauldron of boiling oil and came out from there as a winner on the lists to receive the crown of Christ and was then exiled to the island of Patmos, we will see that John did not lack courage to endure the torment and that he drank the cup of confession: the three youths also drank it in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3), although the persecutor did not spill it blood. And the words: “But to give you to sit on my right hand and on my left, this is not in my power, but belongs to those for whom it is prepared from my Father,” must be understood this way: the kingdom of heaven is in the power not of the giver, but of the receiver (pop est dantis, sed accipientis), for with God there is no partiality (Acts 10:34), but the one who shows that he is worthy of the kingdom of heaven will receive it. prepared not for the face, but for life. Thus, if you are such that you can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, which My Father has prepared for the victors and the triumphant, then you also will receive it. Some argue (volunt) that this is said about Moses and Elijah, whom they (the apostles) saw a little earlier on the mountain. But I don't see it in any way. The names of those seated in the Kingdom of Heaven are not named, of course, so that when naming a few, the rest would not think that they are excluded [from it]. Matthew 20:24. Hearing this, the other ten disciples were indignant at the two brothers. The ten apostles did not become indignant at the mother of the sons of Zebedee and did not attribute it to the impudence of the woman asking [her petition], but to her sons, because these, not knowing the measure [of their strength], were inflamed with an immoderate thirst [for glory], which is why the Lord said to them (quibus): “You do not know what you are asking.” 443 But both from the Lord’s answer and from the indignation of the apostles, it goes without saying that the sons prompted the mother to urgently ask for great things. Matthew 20:25–27. Jesus called them and said, “You know that the princes of the nations rule over them, and the nobles rule over them; but let it not be so among you: but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant; and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. The humble and meek Teacher did not denounce [His] two disciples for immoderate greed, nor did he reproach the ten other apostles for indignation and envy; but He set such an example by which he made it clear to them that the greatest will be the one who is the least, and the master will be the one who is the slave of all. So, in vain, just as they ask immoderately, so these also grieve for the desire for more [on the part of those], since the highest degree of virtue is achieved not by the power of power, but by humility. Finally, He cites Himself as an example, so that if they do not attach importance to His words, they will be ashamed of His actions, and says: Matthew 20:28. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. Notice that, as we have often said, He who serves is called the Son of Man. “And to give His life as a ransom for many.” When He took on the appearance of a servant in order to shed His blood for the world (Phil. 2:7). According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “He made Himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man” - ed. He did not say: “Give your life as a ransom for all,” but: “for many,” 444 that is, for those who would want to believe. Matthew 20:29–31. And when they left Jericho, a large crowd of people followed Him. And then two blind men sitting by the road heard that Jesus was passing by, and began to cry out loudly: Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! The crowd kept them silent. But they cried out even louder, saying: Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David! 445 There were many robbers in Jericho, who usually killed and wounded those leaving and leaving Jerusalem; Therefore, the Lord goes to Jericho with His disciples to free the wounded from suffering and to draw a large crowd behind Him. Then, when they wanted to leave Jericho, a large crowd [of people] followed Him. If He had remained constantly in Jerusalem and had never condescended to lower people, then the crowd would have sat in darkness and in the shadow of death to this day. But two blind men were also sitting by the road. He calls those blind who could not yet say: “In Your light we will see light (Ps. 35:10). 446 They sat by the way, because, apparently, they had knowledge of the law, but they did not yet know the way, which is Christ. Many people mean the Pharisees and Sadducees by them, while others mean both people, that is, people of both the Old and New Testaments, because both one, following the written law, and the other, following the natural law, were blind without Christ. These blind men, unable to see on their own, heard cries of delight before Christ and confessed Him as the son of David. If both blind men have no relation to the Jewish people, then the following words: “The crowd restrained them to keep them silent,” 447 should be understood in relation to the pagans, whom the apostle admonishes not to be vain and not to be proud of their roots (Rom. 11:16-21). But when, as a result of the error of the first, they themselves were grafted from the wild olive tree into the good olive tree, then in no way should they envy the salvation of the first. “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 448 The crowd restrains them, but they do not remain silent at all, and ask even more intensely in order to show their complete desire for the true light. Matthew 20:32–33. Jesus stopped, called them and said: what do you want from Me? They say to Him: Lord! so that our eyes may be opened. They were blind, did not know whom to strive for, and could not follow the Savior. Jericho had many ditches, large stones and cliffs over deep chasms. Therefore, the Lord stops so that they can approach, orders them to be called so that the crowd does not hold them back, and, as if not knowing what they want, asks them so that, on the one hand, from the answer of the blind, the weakness of the blind would become completely obvious, and, on the other hand, His power would be recognized through healing. Matthew 20:34. But Jesus had mercy on them, touched their eyes, and they immediately received their sight and followed Him. 449 He touches the eyes and, like a wise artist, gives what nature did not give them. On the other hand, it can be said that what was taken away by human weakness was rewarded with mercy. And they immediately began to see and followed Him. Those who previously sat in front of Jericho, as if in a bound state, after that follow Jesus not so much with their feet as with their virtues. In the translation: The Gospel of Matthew - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “But many who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Children! lately” – ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “The last will be first, and the first will be last” - ed. In the lane: some - ed. In the lane: having to join - ed. In the lane: prepares - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “I will go down and see whether they are doing exactly what is the cry that rises up to Me or not; I’ll find out” – ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “I didn’t know what to say; because they were in fear" - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “And he says to them: You will drink My cup; but to let one sit on My right side and on My left does not depend on Me, but on whom My Father has prepared - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “You don’t know what you are asking” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “for the redemption of many” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “And when they left Jericho, a multitude of people followed Him. And so, two blind men who were sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, began to shout: have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! The people forced them to remain silent; but they began to shout even louder: have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David! – ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “In Your light we see light” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “The people forced them to remain silent” - ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” – ed. According to the new Synodal Russian translation: “Jesus, having compassion, touched their eyes; and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him - ed. You might be interested in: