Matthew 20:7

Analysis & Commentary

Because no man hath hired us (ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἐμισθώσατο, hoti oudeis hēmas emisthōsato)—The workers' response exonerates them from charges of laziness; they were available but overlooked. The verb μισθόω (misthoō, to hire) indicates contractual employment. Their exclusion was not moral failure but lack of opportunity—a situation mirroring Gentiles and sinners who stood outside Israel's covenant privileges through birth, not choice.

Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive (ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα, hupagete kai humeis eis ton ampelōna)—The master sends them without specifying wages, asking only for trust in his justice. The phrase whatsoever is right (ὃ ἐὰν ᾖ δίκαιον, ho ean ē dikaion) appeals to his character, not contract. This represents salvation by grace through faith: those who trust God's righteousness receive beyond merit. The eleventh-hour workers model faith that works without guaranteed reward.

Historical Context

The master's willingness to hire workers with only one hour remaining defied economic logic but demonstrated covenant loyalty (hesed). In Jewish understanding, the vineyard often symbolized Israel (Isa. 5:1-7). Jesus expands this imagery: God's vineyard includes eleventh-hour laborers—Gentiles, sinners, and outcasts—who trust His justice without prior covenant standing or merit.

Questions for Reflection

• How does the workers' reason for unemployment challenge our assumptions about those outside the church being morally deficient rather than circumstantially excluded?
• What does the master's invitation to work without specifying wages teach about faith's nature as trust in God's character rather than contractual guarantee?
• In what ways does this verse comfort those who feel they've wasted years in unbelief and wonder if late-life conversion can be meaningful?