Matthew 20:15-16
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The landowner isn't just asserting his ownership; he's pointing out that the grumbling laborers' "evil eye" (their envy) is directly triggered by his goodness. This reveals that their complaint isn't about fairness in payment, but about jealousy of God's generous grace extended to others.
The homeowner in the parable has just paid the laborers who worked the last hour the same full day's wage as those who toiled from the early morning. The disgruntled early workers are complaining, so the homeowner directly confronts their resentment. This moment forces the question of whether God's generosity to others should provoke our envy or if we can trust His goodness.
Why should God's immense generosity toward some make others angry? Discover the divine right to bestow gifts freely.
The householder in the parable, representing God, asserts a fundamental right: 'Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?' This isn't about arbitrary power, but about the inherent ownership and freedom of the giver. God, as the ultimate owner of all, has the sovereign right to distribute His blessings, His grace, and His rewards as He sees fit. This includes who is called, when they are called, and what they receive. His actions are always righteous, even when they exceed the strict measure of justice.
What does an 'evil eye' have to do with God's kingdom? Learn how envy can poison our perspective on divine grace.
The householder follows up his question about ownership with another: 'Or do you begrudge my generosity?' He identifies the laborers' grumbling as an 'evil eye.' This isn't just about physical sight, but a malicious, envious disposition. It's the inner disposition that resents another's good fortune or blessing, especially when that blessing comes from God's freely given grace. The laborers agreed to a specific wage and received it; their problem wasn't injustice, but envy of those who received the same without the same 'effort' or perceived suffering. This 'evil eye' is a deep-seated resistance to God's kindness when it's shown to others.
Understand the original words
ophthalmos ponēros · Greek Idiom (lit. 'evil eye')
A voluntary or gracious gift that goes beyond what is strictly required; in the context of the kingdom, it refers to God's sovereign and undeserved kindness.
eschatoi · Greek Adjective
A term often used in the Gospels to refer to the reversal of earthly expectations in the kingdom of God, where those neglected or lowly are exalted by God.
prōtoi · Greek Adjective
Refers to those who hold status, power, or perceived privilege; in Jesus' teaching, this term often warns against relying on earthly status for spiritual standing.
This parable arises from Jesus' teaching in Galilee, addressing the disciples' understanding of God's kingdom. Its context is Jesus' ministry, with implications reaching through the early church's expansion to the Gentiles and the eventual symbolic end of the age marked by the Temple's destruction.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Jesus Teaches Parables
Jesus teaches the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard in Galilee, explaining the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven.
c. 30 AD
Jesus Rejects Claims of Superiority
The parable serves to correct the disciples' understanding of status and reward within God's kingdom, particularly in response to their desire for prominent positions.
c. 33 AD
Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus' death and resurrection fulfill the ultimate work, leading to the 'evening' of His earthly ministry.
c. 30-40 AD
Early Gentile Conversions
Following Jesus' ascension, the Gospel begins to spread, leading to the inclusion of Gentiles ('those who came at the eleventh hour') into the community of believers.
This verse, often called the 'protoevangelium' or first gospel, shows God's sovereign plan to bring redemption through His chosen seed, even when it seems contrary to human expectations.
Romans 9:15-16Paul directly quotes and applies God's words to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' This echoes the master's freedom to give graciously, highlighting divine prerogative over human merit.
Galatians 3:28This passage speaks to a spiritual equality where distinctions like Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female, are dissolved in Christ, paralleling the parable's overturning of conventional expectations about who receives favor.
Ephesians 2:8-9Here, Paul emphasizes that salvation is a gift by grace through faith, not a result of works, directly supporting the parable's message that God's generosity isn't tied to the duration or perceived 'merit' of service.
1 Peter 4:10This verse speaks of stewarding God's grace in its various forms, implying that God's distribution of gifts and blessings is sovereign and meant for His purposes, much like the vineyard owner's choices.
barnesMatthew 20:15: "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?"
Is thine we evil because I am good? - The Hebrews used the word evil, when applied to the eye, to denote one envious and malicious, Deuteronomy 15:9 ; Proverbs 23:6 . The eye is called evil in such cases, because envy and malice show themselves directly in the eye. No passions are so fully expressed by the eye as these. "Does envy show itself in the eye? is thine eye so soon turned to…
calvinMatthew 20:1-16: "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard."
- For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder, who went out at break of day to hire laborers into his vineyard. 2. And having made an agreement with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3. And having gone out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the market-place. 4. And he said to them, Go…
The landowner isn't just asserting his ownership; he's pointing out that the grumbling laborers' "evil eye" (their envy) is directly triggered by his goodness. This reveals that their complaint isn't about fairness in payment, but about jealousy of God's generous grace extended to others.
The homeowner in the parable has just paid the laborers who worked the last hour the same full day's wage as those who toiled from the early morning. The disgruntled early workers are complaining, so the homeowner directly confronts their resentment. This moment forces the question of whether God's generosity to others should provoke our envy or if we can trust His goodness.
The homeowner in the parable has just paid the laborers who worked the last hour the same full day's wage as those who toiled from the early morning. The disgruntled early workers are complaining, so the homeowner directly confronts their resentment. This moment forces the question of whether God's generosity to others should provoke our envy or if we can trust His goodness.
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c. 40-60 AD
Apostle Paul's Ministry
Paul extensively teaches about justification by faith, emphasizing God's grace and challenging legalistic views that might mirror the grumbling of the first laborers.
c. 70 AD
Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple
This event marks a significant shift, symbolizing the end of the age for Israel as a nation in covenant with God and the full establishment of the new covenant for all believers.
"Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”" — The landowner isn't just asserting his ownership; he's pointing out that the grumbling laborers' "evil eye" (their envy) is directly triggered by his goodness. This reveals that their complaint isn't…
