Matthew 20:8
And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The instruction to pay the laborers starting with the last is a direct, practical demonstration of the principle that "the last shall be first," emphasizing God's radical reordering of human expectations and social hierarchies in His kingdom. This order isn't about fairness in a worldly sense, but about God's sovereign goodness and the surprising ways He blesses those who are often overlooked.
As the workday in the vineyard concludes at dusk, the owner instructs his steward to pay the laborers. The unusual order of paying the ones hired last, before those who toiled the entire day, is key to the parable's point, which directly follows and explains Jesus' statement about the "last shall be first, and the first shall be last."
Why did the vineyard owner tell his steward to pay the last workers first? This seemingly small detail is key to understanding the parable's surprising message.
A Shift in Perspective
The parable of the vineyard workers in Matthew 20 presents a radical, almost disruptive, picture of God's economy. When the day ends and it's time to pay, the owner gives a specific instruction: 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'
Why This Order?
The owner delegates the task of payment. What does this tell us about the role of those who administer God's kingdom and His resources?
Faithful Administration
The vineyard owner entrusts the practical, day-to-day business of paying the workers to a 'steward' (or 'foreman'). This figure is crucial in the parable.
The Steward's Role:
Understand the original words
epitropō · Greek Noun
Refers to the manager or steward appointed by the owner, representing authority in the administration of the owner's affairs and the distribution of justice/reward.
ergatas · Greek Noun
Those who perform physical labor. In a theological sense, this refers to those whom God calls into His service to fulfill His purposes in the world.
misthon · Greek Noun
Payment for services rendered. Biblically, it represents the compensation or blessing bestowed by the Lord upon those who serve Him, often highlighting grace rather than strict legal merit.
This verse sets a foundational principle of timely payment for laborers, which the parable in Matthew 20 honors by paying wages at the end of the day.
Deuteronomy 24:15This passage explicitly states that wages should be paid at the end of each day, reinforcing the timing of the payment in Matthew 20:8 as a just practice.
Luke 10:7Jesus teaches that laborers are worthy of their wages, a concept directly applied in the parable when the householder pays each worker.
1 Corinthians 4:5Paul speaks of the Lord coming to bring to light what is hidden and to reveal the motives of hearts, which parallels the householder revealing the fairness of his judgment at the 'evening' of payment.
Colossians 3:24This verse promises that believers will receive their inheritance as a reward from the Lord, aligning with the concept of receiving wages in the parable as a divine recompense.
barnesMatthew 20:8: "So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first."
When even was come - That is, when the twelfth hour had come; the day was ended, and the time of payment was come. The steward - A steward is one who transacts business in the place of another. He was one who had the administration of affairs in the absence of the householder, who provided for the family, and who was entrus…
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 instruction to pay the laborers starting with the last is a direct, practical demonstration of the principle that "the last shall be first," emphasizing God's radical reordering of human expectations and social hierarchies in His kingdom. This order isn't about fairness in a worldly sense, but about God's sovereign goodness and the surprising ways He blesses those who are often overlooked.
As the workday in the vineyard concludes at dusk, the owner instructs his steward to pay the laborers. The unusual order of paying the ones hired last, before those who toiled the entire day, is key to the parable's point, which directly follows and explains Jesus' statement about the "last shall be first, and the first shall be last."
As the workday in the vineyard concludes at dusk, the owner instructs his steward to pay the laborers. The unusual order of paying the ones hired last, before those who toiled the entire day, is key to the parable's point, which directly follows and explains Jesus' statement about the "last shall be first, and the first shall be last."
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The payment happens 'when evening came.' What does this end-of-day timing signify for God's people?
The Evening's Promise
The parable sets the scene at the 'evening,' the natural end of the workday and the time for wages. This 'evening' carries significant prophetic weight within the biblical narrative.
Significance of the Evening:
"And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’" — The instruction to pay the laborers starting with the last is a direct, practical demonstration of the principle that "the last shall be first," emphasizing God's radical reordering of human expectat…
