Bible Verse Lookup
Mt 28,20
Chapter 20
Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
This story sheds light on the kingdom of heaven: A landowner went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
He agreed to pay each worker the standard daily wage and sent them to his vineyard.
He went out again around nine in the morning, and seeing others idling in the town square,
he said to them, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is right.’
So they went. The owner went out at midday and again at three in the afternoon, making the same offer both times.
Again, he went out at the last working hour—the eleventh—and saw others standing around. So he asked them, ‘Why do you stand idle all day?’
They replied, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ The master said, ‘Go and work in my vineyard.’
When evening arrived, the vineyard owner told his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last and ending with the first.’
Those who had arrived to work at the eleventh hour came forward and each received a silver coin.
When it was the first person’s turn, they thought they would get more.
But they also received one silver coin. Upon receiving it, they began complaining about the landowner.
They said, ‘These last ones hardly worked an hour; yet you have treated them the same as us who have endured the heavy work of the day and the heat.’
The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on one silver coin per day?
So, take what is yours and leave. I want to give the last the same as I give to you.
Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what’s mine? Why are you jealous when I am kind?
So it will be: the last will be first, the first will be last.”
Third Announcement of the Passion and Resurrection
When Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he pulled the twelve disciples aside and said to them:
“See, we are heading to Jerusalem. There, the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and they will condemn him to death.
They will hand him over to the foreigners, who will mock him, scourge him, and crucify him. But he will be raised to life on the third day.”
Against Ambition
Then the mother of James and John approached Jesus with her sons and knelt down to request a favor.
Jesus asked her:
“What do you want?”
She replied:
“Here are my two sons. Grant that they may sit, one at your right and one at your left in your kingdom.”
Jesus told the brothers:
“You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?”
They replied:
“We can.”
Jesus replied:
“You will indeed drink from my cup, but sitting at my right or left is not for me to give. That will be for those for whom my Father has prepared it.”
The other ten heard all of this and became angry with the two brothers.
Then Jesus called them to him and said: “You know that the rulers of nations act like tyrants and the powerful oppress them.
It shall not be so among you: whoever wants to be great in your community, let him minister to the community.
And if you want to be first among everyone, make yourself a servant to all.
Be like the Son of Man who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to redeem many.”
Heals Two Blind Men
As they left Jericho, a large crowd followed them along the way.
Two blind men sat by the roadside, and when they heard Jesus was passing by, they started to call out:
“Son of David, have mercy on us!”
The people told them to be quiet, but they shouted even louder:
“[Lord,] Son of David, have mercy on us!”
Jesus stopped, called out to them, and asked:
“What do you want me to do for you?”
They said:
“LORD, open our eyes.”
Jesus was moved with compassion and touched their eyes. Immediately, they regained their sight and began to follow Jesus.
Chapter 28
Resurrection of Jesus
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb.
Suddenly, there was a violent earthquake: an angel of the Lord descending from heaven, came to the stone, rolled it away from the entrance of the tomb, and sat on it.
His appearance was like lightning, and his garment was white as snow.
When they saw the angel, the guards were filled with terror.
The angel said to the women:
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him;
then go immediately and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. This is my message to you.
In fear yet with great joy, the women left the tomb and ran to tell the news to his disciples.
He Appears to the Women
Suddenly, Jesus met them on the road and said:
Rejoice!”
The women approached him, bowed down at his feet, and worshiped him.
Then Jesus said to them:
Do not be afraid! Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Report of the Guards
As the women continued on their way, some of the guards entered the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had taken place.
The chief priests gathered with the elders and decided to pay the soldiers a large sum of money
with this instruction:
“Say that his disciples came by night while you were asleep and stole the body of Jesus.
If Pilate finds out about this, we will explain the situation and keep you out of trouble.”
The soldiers took the money and did as they were told. This story has circulated among the Jews to this day.
Appearance to the Eleven
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus instructed them to meet.
When they saw Jesus, they bowed before him, although some doubted.
Mission of the Disciples
Then Jesus approached and said to them:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, until the end of the age.
Commentaries
Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.
This parable concludes the previous lesson on the reward for those who leave everything to follow Jesus. The young man’s attachment to his riches highlights a contrast with God’s generosity, which gives more than what is owed. God’s mercy is not opposed to human justice; rather, it surpasses it entirely through love. Grace loves beyond the limits of human justice.
Third Announcement of the Passion and Resurrection.
The third announcement of the passion and resurrection is much more specific and detailed, and the Gospel is therefore entirely focused on Jesus’ Passover and his victory over death.
Against Ambition.
The theme of who is the greatest and who is the least continues, this time focusing on power. The episode takes place among the Twelve and shows how badly the apostles have misunderstood the Master’s teachings. Jesus moves from specific facts to a general principle: what is essential in the kingdom of God is not having a place of honor, but following him. Therefore, the community cannot exercise authority and power by copying the authoritarian and tyrannical models of today’s rulers. Instead, it must exercise them through love, service, and dedication to others.
Heals Two Blind Men.
There is a certain irony in this story. Those who are physically blind are the ones who see most clearly who Jesus is. The two blind men represent the disciples who recognize Jesus as Messiah and Lord but have not yet fully understood all His teachings. There are two of them, like the sons of Zebedee (20:20-23), but their request is very different from theirs. They do not ask for an important position but instead ask Him to open their eyes so they may understand and accept the path He proposes. The change that occurs in the two blind men is the exact change that must happen in the disciples who approach Jesus in faith. Their encounter with Jesus opens their eyes, giving them new light to understand and follow the path of discipleship in service and dedication.
Resurrection of Jesus – He Appears to the Women – Report of the Guards.
While the three synoptic gospels follow similar paths in the passion story, they differ noticeably in their resurrection accounts. None of them attempts to describe the exact moment or manner of the resurrection, as it goes beyond sensory experience. Instead, they affirm the event confidently and support it with various accounts. The main elements of these stories include identifying the apparition with the historical Jesus, His physicality, His specific appearance, His interaction with the disciples, and the personalities of the witnesses. For Christians, the resurrection is the cornerstone of faith. Paul states that if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is meaningless (1 Cor 15:14,17).
Appearance to the Eleven – Mission of the Disciples.
To conclude, Matthew creates a powerful scene. In just five verses, he summarizes the core of his Christology and ecclesiology. The Gospel ends as it began. At the start, we are told the name Immanuel—God with us—in the history of the chosen people (Is 7:14). Now, we are assured that Isaiah’s prophecy has become a lasting reality: “I will be with you always” (20). The mission of the disciples is as broad as the world and as enduring as the passage of time until the end of history. From this point on, the Christian community is the memory of the crucified and risen Lord, despite the scandal his infamous death on the cross caused for the Jewish people. It is also a community called to witness: they must testify to the crucified and risen Lord. Only through this concrete following can the community understand the meaning of the mission and the person of Jesus.
The Church of Jesus is fundamentally a missionary community. The words of the risen Lord, “go” (19), “set out on your journey,” encourage it to continually reach beyond itself, beyond its internal problems and concerns, to open up to a new horizon: that of every person who does not know the joy of feeling like a son or daughter of God and brothers and sisters to one another. In this mission, they can rely on the constant presence of Jesus, who will always be with them: “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (20).