NOTES for Mat 20:1-16
Today's reading is devoted almost entirely to parables of the Kingdom. It begins with an account of a healing on the Sabbath (vv. 1–6), a manifestation of the Kingdom which, as has happened more than once, perplexes religious people who see in the healing only work, an activity that violates the Sabbath rest. This is followed by two parables about the Kingdom, interspersed with the Saviour's teachings.
At first sight, one of them merely teaches us humility (vv. 7–11). But the point is not simply that those who seek the Kingdom should not strive for primacy. Of course, the desire to take first place can in itself distract us from the main task. Yet it is not only a matter of unnecessary rivalry, which is entirely irrelevant to the Kingdom, for the principle by which places are assigned in our still untransformed world differs radically from the one accepted there. It is a matter of the Kingdom's very nature: there each person is great not through his own greatness, but through the greatness of the Kingdom, which is all the more visible in a person the less he thinks about his own status.
The meaning of the second parable is connected with this (vv. 12–14). Of course, selflessness is important in itself: anyone who chooses his circle of companions solely for reasons of advantage is clearly not ready to enter the Kingdom. But something else is no less important: fellowship, like relationship, must not be conditioned by anything external, and only then can it become part of the Kingdom. A relationship has value in itself, and it is precisely this inherent value that must come first. When relations with God are concerned, this is not usually disputed; when relations with other people are in question, pragmatism often prevails. Jesus, however, warns that this must not happen, that a relationship with one's neighbour is as important as a relationship with God and must be built on the same foundations.
But one must be ready for such relationships, the relationships of the Kingdom, and this is the subject of Jesus' third parable, the parable of the wedding feast (vv. 15–24). Here freedom from pragmatism and from absorption in earthly affairs and concerns becomes the central theme. Clearly, the invited guests are prevented from coming to the feast by matters that are undoubtedly important and, from the point of view of our world, fully deserving of attention. But for those who seek the Kingdom there must be no business more important than the call of the One Who brought it into the world. It might seem that these things would not detain anyone for long: each invited guest could have arrived at the feast and would only have had to delay a little. But that is precisely the point: the way into the Kingdom tolerates no delays or postponements. One must set out when called, and one's whole life must be subordinated to this readiness. A person may spend his whole life awaiting the Kingdom and preparing for it, yet unreadiness to take the decisive step at the right moment can easily nullify all his expectations and all his previous preparation.
It is very difficult to live this way, and it is no accident that Jesus calls His listeners to consider everything and decide whether they are ready for it (vv. 28–33). But for those who are ready, the reward is the Kingdom in all its fullness.