American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Matthew 20
1
For the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.
Reference
Kingdom
Matthew 13:24
Matthew 13:47
Hebrews 13:21
Matthew 25:1
Matthew 22:2
Matthew 13:31
Matthew 13:33
Parallel theme
1 Corinthians 15:58
John 15:1
2
And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3
And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Timothy 5:13
4
And said to them; Go you also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5
Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6
And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why stand you here all the day idle?
Reference
7
They say to him, Because no man has hired us. He said to them, Go you also into the vineyard; and whatever is right, that shall you receive.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 6:10
8
So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last to the first.
Reference
References Lord
Deuteronomy 24:15
9
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 20:2
10
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
12
Saying, These last have worked but one hour, and you have made them equal to us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 12:55
13
But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do you no wrong: did not you agree with me for a penny?
Reference
15
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Is your eye evil, because I am good?
Reference
17
And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said to them,
18
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
Reference
19
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to whip, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Reference
Cross
Acts 2:23
Parallel theme
Isaiah 53:3
Psalm 35:16
Resurrection
Matthew 16:21
Isaiah 26:19
Hosea 6:2
20
Then came to him the mother of Zebedees children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
Reference
21
And he said to her, What will you? She said to him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on your right hand, and the other on the left, in your kingdom.
Reference
Kingdom
Esther 5:3
Matthew 18:1
Acts 1:6
Mark 6:22
Parallel theme
Matthew 19:28
Psalm 110:1
Matthew 20:32
1 Kings 3:5
Colossians 3:1
Romans 12:10
22
But Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say to him, We are able.
Reference
Baptism
Luke 12:50
Parallel theme
Matthew 26:42
Luke 22:42
Mark 14:36
Matthew 26:39
Isaiah 51:22
Romans 8:26
Jeremiah 49:12
James 4:3
References Jesus
John 18:11
23
And he said to them, You shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not my to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Reference
24
And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brothers.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Peter 5:5
25
But Jesus called them to him, and said, You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority on them.
Reference
26
But it shall not be so among you: but whoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Reference
28
Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 9:28
Luke 22:27
1 Peter 3:18
Revelation 1:5
Hebrews 5:8
2 Corinthians 8:9
Mark 14:24
Redemption
Titus 2:14
1 Timothy 2:6
Ephesians 1:7
29
And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
30
And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, you son of David.
Reference
31
And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, you son of David.
Reference
32
And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will you that I shall do to you?
Reference
33
They say to him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 119:18
34
So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 26:18
Psalm 119:71
Psalm 119:67
Psalm 145:8
Mark 7:33
Matthew 9:29
Matthew 8:15
References Jesus
Matthew 14:14
Matthew 15:32
Luke 22:51
Summary of Matthew 20
Matthew 20 begins with the parable of the workers in the vineyard, where Jesus describes a landowner who hires laborers at different times of the day but eventually gives each of them the same daily wage, creating a powerful illustration of God's generosity and the difference between divine grace and human ideas of fairness.
The workers who labored all day become angry when those who worked only briefly receive the same payment, but the landowner reminds them that they received exactly what they had agreed to receive, revealing that their real problem is not injustice but envy and resentment toward another person's generosity.
Jesus uses the parable to reinforce the kingdom principle that the last will be first and the first will be last, showing that God's grace cannot be reduced to a human system in which people earn spiritual status according to effort, seniority, achievement, or social position.
As Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, He gives His disciples an increasingly explicit prediction of His coming suffering, explaining that He will be handed over to the religious authorities and Gentiles, mocked, flogged, crucified, and raised on the third day.
Despite hearing these warnings, the disciples continue thinking about positions of honor, demonstrated when the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons the highest places in His kingdom.
Jesus responds by explaining that they do not understand what they are asking because His kingdom is not built around worldly status, and He asks whether they are willing to drink the same cup of suffering that He will drink.
The other disciples become angry with James and John, but Jesus uses the conflict to teach all of them that kingdom leadership is fundamentally different from worldly leadership, because rulers of the world often demonstrate authority by controlling others while His followers are called to demonstrate greatness through service.
Jesus makes the principle personal by presenting Himself as the ultimate model, explaining that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and that He will give His life as a ransom for many, pointing directly toward His sacrificial death on the cross.
The chapter ends as Jesus approaches Jericho and encounters two blind men who recognize Him as the Son of David and repeatedly cry out for mercy despite the crowd's attempts to silence them.
Jesus stops for them, asks what they want, and responds with compassion by restoring their sight, after which they follow Him, showing that genuine faith recognizes Jesus, persists in seeking Him, receives His mercy, and then moves forward as a disciple.
The central message is that Matthew 20 contrasts God's grace with human ideas of merit and greatness, showing that the kingdom of heaven is characterized by generosity, humility, sacrificial service, persistent faith, and dependence upon God's mercy rather than by status, achievement, privilege, or personal recognition.
The chapter ultimately teaches that following Jesus means abandoning the desire to be first, learning to serve rather than dominate, accepting that God's grace cannot be earned or controlled, and trusting the compassionate Messiah who willingly gives His life for others while responding to those who call upon Him in faith.
The workers who labored all day become angry when those who worked only briefly receive the same payment, but the landowner reminds them that they received exactly what they had agreed to receive, revealing that their real problem is not injustice but envy and resentment toward another person's generosity.
Jesus uses the parable to reinforce the kingdom principle that the last will be first and the first will be last, showing that God's grace cannot be reduced to a human system in which people earn spiritual status according to effort, seniority, achievement, or social position.
As Jesus continues toward Jerusalem, He gives His disciples an increasingly explicit prediction of His coming suffering, explaining that He will be handed over to the religious authorities and Gentiles, mocked, flogged, crucified, and raised on the third day.
Despite hearing these warnings, the disciples continue thinking about positions of honor, demonstrated when the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons the highest places in His kingdom.
Jesus responds by explaining that they do not understand what they are asking because His kingdom is not built around worldly status, and He asks whether they are willing to drink the same cup of suffering that He will drink.
The other disciples become angry with James and John, but Jesus uses the conflict to teach all of them that kingdom leadership is fundamentally different from worldly leadership, because rulers of the world often demonstrate authority by controlling others while His followers are called to demonstrate greatness through service.
Jesus makes the principle personal by presenting Himself as the ultimate model, explaining that the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and that He will give His life as a ransom for many, pointing directly toward His sacrificial death on the cross.
The chapter ends as Jesus approaches Jericho and encounters two blind men who recognize Him as the Son of David and repeatedly cry out for mercy despite the crowd's attempts to silence them.
Jesus stops for them, asks what they want, and responds with compassion by restoring their sight, after which they follow Him, showing that genuine faith recognizes Jesus, persists in seeking Him, receives His mercy, and then moves forward as a disciple.
The central message is that Matthew 20 contrasts God's grace with human ideas of merit and greatness, showing that the kingdom of heaven is characterized by generosity, humility, sacrificial service, persistent faith, and dependence upon God's mercy rather than by status, achievement, privilege, or personal recognition.
The chapter ultimately teaches that following Jesus means abandoning the desire to be first, learning to serve rather than dominate, accepting that God's grace cannot be earned or controlled, and trusting the compassionate Messiah who willingly gives His life for others while responding to those who call upon Him in faith.