Matthew 20:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The evening represents the conclusion of the age; at this time, everyone receives a denarius, symbolizing the grace of the Holy Spirit, which transforms humanity into the likeness of God, enabling participation in the divine nature. Those who lived prior to Christ's coming faced greater suffering, for death had not yet been vanquished, the devil was not yet defeated, and sin thrived. In contrast, we, through Christ's grace and having been justified in baptism, are empowered to conquer our adversary, who has already been subdued and slain by Christ. From one perspective, younger believers endure more trials than those who approach Christ later in life. The youth contend with the ‘burden’ of anger and the fervor of desire, while the elderly find themselves more at peace.

The gracious Householder invites everyone, saying, ‘Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatever is just, I will bestow upon you’ (Matthew 20:7, 4). Consequently, those who once idly stood by have now become diligent workers. This Church, which was previously inactive, is now engaged in labor, comprising apostles, martyrs, ascetics, monastics, holy virgins, and those in honorable marriages. Accordingly, this Church rightly received a denarius. A swift laborer can achieve in a single hour what another person might complete in an entire day’s work. In a similar way, the thief was assured in just an hour, ‘Today you will be with Me in paradise’ (Luke 23:43). This discusses the parable of the vineyard.

What does the term 'recompense' signify, especially in relation to those who receive it alongside others? The response suggests that being free from blame for one's misdeeds is likely a shared experience among all who are faithful. However, it is especially true for those who have engaged in righteous actions, who have completed the current journey, and who have maintained their faith in love for our Lord Jesus Christ, receiving a crown as their reward. This promised 'recompense' may very well be seen as a hundredfold blessing in this life, as the Lord has assured those who relinquish worldly treasures in accordance with His teachings (Matthew 19:29). It is stated that all will receive their due.

However, He chose not to allocate the payment to the first group, as they were confident in their compensation. Instead, He started distributing from those who were last, to prevent them from feeling they might receive a lesser amount. When we offer to the Divine what is significantly inferior, the Divine responds by granting us what is profoundly greater. We are engaged in labor according to our capabilities, yet we are invited to receive rewards that surpass our abilities.

As the day drew to a close, he instructed his steward to start distributing wages, commencing with those hired at the eleventh hour and concluding with the workers who had toiled since the first hour.

O Lord Jesus, if only You would remove our burdens and provide us with sustenance! Reflect on Luke 22:19. For You are the steward of the Father’s household. Oh, how we long for the honor of being Your servants, even if we arrive at a later hour! You graciously employ those who join at the eleventh hour, rewarding them with equal wages—not for earthly glory, but for eternal life. The crown of righteousness is reserved not for everyone, but for those who can declare, "I have fought the good fight" (2 Tim. 4:7).

Is it not at the last moment that the thief arrives, late not in age but in consequence, who acknowledged God while on the cross and, with that confession, surrendered his spirit? The master starts the payment with the last, for the thief was ushered into the peaceful bliss of paradise before Peter. How many were patriarchs before the Law? How many lived under the Law? Yet, those who responded to the Lord's arrival entered the kingdom of heaven without hesitation.

As evening approached, the time for paying the day's laborers, the Lord of the vineyard instructed his steward, responsible for distributing the wages: Call the workers and pay them their earnings. The master adheres to the command of the Law, ensuring that the laborers do not have to wait until nightfall for their wages: on the same day, you shall give him his pay, so the sun does not set on it, for he is in need, and his very soul yearns for it. However, the generous master chooses to begin the payment process not with those who labored from the dawn. Instead, he starts with the last workers, who, despite their brief time of labor, have toiled particularly hard, paying them before the first.

To prevent those who follow Christ, including the apostles and others, from viewing the anticipated blessings as rewards based on their own merits—similar to the way the Pharisees sought to claim the foremost positions in the Messiah's kingdom—Jesus states: ‘But many of the first shall be last, and the last first.’ In the Gospel of Mark, this important teaching appears alone, while in the Gospel of Matthew, the parable of the workers in the vineyard is presented, illustrating the concept that everyone who labors in the kingdom is treated equally. This clarifies the manner in which Jesus employed this phrase in various contexts (Matt. 20:16, Luke 13:30).

In the evening, the master instructed his steward to finalize the accounts with the laborers, beginning with those who had been employed last. Those workers had responded to the initial call with great trust in the master and had shown earnestness in compensating for the limited time they had worked. Therefore, the master commanded that they be compensated with a denarius, as if they had laboriously toiled for an entire day.

As evening approached, after twelve hours of labor had elapsed, specifically at six in the evening according to our time, the accounts of the day’s workers were being settled. The steward responsible for this task was typically the most trusted servant within the household. It is essential to emphasize that the payments began with those hired last. If the first workers had received their wages first, they would have been fully content with what was agreed upon in their contracts. Consequently, they would not have voiced the grievances that followed, and the intended lesson of the parable would not have been realized.