preview

The Bible Of The United Kingdom Of God

Better Essays

It is noteworthy to interpret this text in the context of the chapter preceding Matthew 20 in order to fully understand God’s wish for treating the poor justly. Jesus urges the man to follow the commandments and to sell all of his possessions to the poor if he wants to enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:21 NIV). In doing so, Jesus is again promoting God’s will to love others and help those less fortunate. He insists that it is harder for the rich to enter the kingdom since it is the rich that are given the option to either help or ignore the poor, in which many are tempted to choose the latter. This is the introduction to the idea that those who have made sacrifices for others will be granted eternal life. It is in this chapter that a …show more content…

It is our decision and responsibility to reject this sin, and instead follow God’s commands. However, not everyone follows God’s plan, and those who do not will find it harder to enter God’s kingdom.
The envy felt by the workers stems from the fact that the last ones hired worked less, yet received the same reward as the others. Observing from a neutral view, this makes perfect sense. If the first worker knew he did not have to exert himself for the long hours he did, but would get the same pay, he would choose to work less, as would anyone. This exchange violates natural instincts about fairness. However, after considering this dispute in light of God’s reward and an economic standpoint, this equality in pay for labor extends God’s mission. The landowner says “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money” (Matthew 20:15 NIV). However, the landowner’s remark can be argued because God owns all that is good and this ownership is absolute. What one may think is theirs is really a gift from God, so when this good is taken away there is not much one can do except acknowledge that it was first God’s and so He can decide to take it back at any time. The workers hired first, who represent the upper class, are presented in a manner that persuades the reader to sympathize with the poor. The first hired group seems to complain about making the others’ payment equal to theirs rather than receiving

Get Access