John Gill

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man,.... That is, the Gospel dispensation, or times of the Messiah, may fitly be represented by a man that is an householder, or master of a family, as Christ is; See Gill on Mat 10:25 He…”

About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.

“And he went out about the third hour,.... About nine o'clock in the morning, and saw others standing idle in the market place: the place where labourers used to be hired: and may design the world, because a place full of people, and of great…”

‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’

“And said unto them, go ye also into the vineyard,.... Expressive of a call of divine grace out of the world, into the church; and which arises from mere grace, and good will, without any merit in, or motive from man, as the case here…”

So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.

“Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour,.... About twelve o'clock, or at noon, and three o'clock in the afternoon.”

About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked.

“And about the eleventh hour he went out,.... About five o'clock in the afternoon. The Persic version reads it, "the twelfth hour", which was six o'clock in the afternoon, the last hour of the day.”

The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.

“And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour,.... Who were the last that were hired; and signify either such, as are called in their last days, in old age; or Gentile sinners; or the last of God's elect, that will be called…”

Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you.

“Take that thine is,.... By agreement, and go thy way; out of my sight, give me no more trouble on this head; which looks like a dismissal from his service, and after privileges; and was true of many among the Jews, who were only nominal…”

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside and said,

“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem,.... Which was situated (f) in the highest part of the land of Israel: the land of Israel, is said to be higher than any other land whatever; and the temple at Jerusalem, higher than any part of the land…”

and will deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. And on the third day He will be raised to life.”

“And shall deliver him to the Gentiles,.... To Pilate, an Heathen governor, and to the Roman officers and soldiers under him; see Joh 18:”

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.

“Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children,.... Whose name was Salome, as may be concluded from Mat 27:56 compared with Mar 15:”

“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant.

“And he saith unto them, ye shall drink indeed of my cup,.... Not of the selfsame, but of what was like unto it; meaning, that they should endure much persecution for his name's sake, as all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must expect…”

and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—

“And whosoever will be chief among you,.... Or first, or have the pre-eminence, the first place in the kingdom of the Messiah, let him be your servant; or, as in Mark, shall be servant of all: not only a minister, but a servant; not a…”

As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.

“And as they departed from Jericho,.... Which, was distant about ten parsas, or miles, from Jerusalem (i), through which Christ just passed, and had met with Zacchaeus, and called him, and delivered the parable concerning a nobleman's going into a far country.”

And there were two blind men sitting beside the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

“And behold, two blind men,.... Mark and Luke make mention but of one; which is no contradiction to Matthew; for they neither of them say that there was but one.”

“Lord,” they answered, “let our eyes be opened.”

“They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. That is, that their sight might be restored to them; for being deprived of that, it was all one as if their eyes were so closed, that they could not open them; and so…”

Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes, and at once they received their sight and followed Him.

“So Jesus had compassion on them,.... His bowels moved towards them as a man; he pitied their miserable and distressed condition, and discovered the tenderness of his heart towards them by some outward sign, by his looks, or by some gesture or another: and touched…”

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two disciples,

“And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem,.... The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions read, "when he drew nigh, or was near"; but not alone, his disciples were with him, and a multitude of people also; as is evident from the following account.”

saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt beside her.

“Saying unto them, go into the village over against you,.... Munster's Hebrew Gospel reads, "before you"; not Jerusalem, as some have thought, for that would never be called a village; though the Ethiopic version reads it, "the city"; but rather Bethany, which was near to…”

A massive crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

“And a very great multitude,.... Which consisted partly of the great multitude which followed Christ from Jericho, and partly of the much people that were come up to the feast of the passover from divers parts, and met him from Jerusalem; see Joh 12:12.”

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.

“And he left them,.... The high priests and Scribes, confounded and put to silence, and as unworthy of his company and conversation; and went out of the city; of Jerusalem, partly to prevent being apprehended by his enemies before his time, and partly to remove…”

When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit.

“And when the time of the fruit drew near,.... Of gathering the fruit, when it was ripe, and might be eaten, or profit made of it, according to the law in Lev 19:”

Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.

“Again he sent other servants,.... Meaning, perhaps, such as suffered in the times of the Maccabees: more than the first; their number was greater, though their office was the same, at least not higher: and they did unto them likewise; they beat them with rods…”

Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

“But last of all,.... In the last times, in the last days, in the end of the world, the Jewish world, at the close of their ecclesiastic and civil state; after all the prophets had been sent, and finished their course, came the greatest prophet…”

Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner.

“Again he sent forth other servants,.... The seventy disciples, and other ministers of the Gospel, as Barnabas and Saul, and others that were joined to, and were helpers of the apostles, who were sent, and preached to the Jews, any time before the destruction of…”

So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“So these servants went out into the highways,.... Turned from the Jews, and went among the Gentiles, preaching the Gospel to them; particularly the Apostle Paul, with Barnabas, and others: and gathered together all, as many as they found, both good and bad: the Persic…”