Matth. 20, 1-16.
The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day's wages, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them: Go ye also into the vineyard, and I will give you that which is right. And they went. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and said unto them: Why do you stand idle here all day? They said to him, "No one has given us anything to do. He said to them: Go ye also into the vineyard, and that which is right shall be done unto you. And when it was evening, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their wages, and lift up the last unto the first. And when they were come in about the eleventh hour, they received every man his penny. But when the first came, they thought they would receive more; and they also received every man his penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the father of the house, saying: These last have labored but one hour, and thou hast made them like unto us, who have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered and said to one of them: My friend, I am not doing you wrong. Have you not become one with me for a penny? Take what is yours and go. But I will give to this last, even as to thee. Or have I not power to do what I will with mine own? Do you look askance because I am so kind? So the last shall be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.
(1) This gospel hath many fathers drawn out of the preachers from the world to the end: that the first hour was Adam's time; the third, Noah's time; the sixth, Abraham's; the ninth, Moses'; the eleventh, Christ's and the apostles'. Such talk is good to pass the time, because one has nothing else to preach. For this rhymes badly, that the penny should be the eternal life, on which the
The first ones, Adam and the first holy patriarchs, should not be content, and in the kingdom of heaven such holy people should grumble, be scolded by the father of the house, and be considered last, that is, condemned.
2 Therefore we leave such fables and stick to the simple teaching and opinion of Christ, who wants to show with this parable how things are in the kingdom of heaven, that is, in the kingdom of God.
of Christianity on earth; that God judges and works miraculously there, namely in this way: that He makes the first the last and the last the first. And all is said to humble those who are something, that they should rely on nothing but the mere goodness and mercy of God. Again, that those who are nothing should not despair, but rely on God's goodness as well as those.
Z. Therefore, this parable must not be considered in all its parts, but the main part must be considered as to what it is intended to do: not what is called a penny or a penny, not what is the first or the last hour, but what the householder has in mind and wants, how he wants his goodness to be esteemed higher, yes, only, than all works and merit. As in the parable of the unjust steward, Luc. 16:5 ff, the whole parable is not held up to us, that we also should deceive our master; but only the prudence of that same steward, that he so well and wisely provided for himself, and devised his best, though to his master's hurt. Whoever then would long seek and preach of the debtors what the register, oil, grain and measure mean, would come from the right opinion, and follow his poetry, which would be of no use anywhere. For such parables are not spoken for the purpose of keeping all things. For Paul compares Adam and Christ in Romans 5:18, and says that Adam was Christ's model, since Adam grounded death and sin on us, but Christ grounded life and righteousness. But the likeness is not in the inheritance, but in the consequence of the inheritance. Just as sin and death are inherited by those who are born of Adam, so life and righteousness are inherited by those who are born of Christ. Just as a lewd woman, who adorns herself for the love of the world and sins, may be made an example of a Christian soul, so that she also adorns herself before God, but not for sin as the latter.
4 So the summa of the parable in this gospel is not on the penny, what it is, nor on the difference of the hours, but on the acquiring and obtaining, how
The penny can be acquired; just as here the first measured themselves to obtain the penny by merit and a little more, and yet the last obtained it out of the Lord's goodness: so God wants to show that what God gives us is goodness, and that no one is presumptuous over the other. That is why he speaks here: I do thee no wrong, for the good is mine and not thine; if then I forgive thine own, murmur then; shall I not do with mine as I will?
(5) So now Christ first of all frightens the presumption (as the epistle also does) of those who fight their way to heaven with works, just as the Jews did and wanted to be the closest to God, just as our clergy have done up to now. These all work for a certain reward, that is, they do not accept God's law other than as if they were to fulfill it with said works for a certain reward, and never really understand the law, nor do they know that it must be pure grace before God. This means that they hire themselves out and become one with the Lord for a daily penny; therefore their life becomes sour and they lead a hard order.
(6) Now when the gospel comes and makes all things equal, as Paul does in Rom 3:23, that those who have done many works are no longer counted as public sinners, and must also become sinners and suffer the sentence: Omnes peccaverunt: "They are all sinners", Rom. 3, 23. and that by works no one is justified before God; so they look around and despise those who have done nothing at all, and their great toil and labor shall count for nothing more than that idleness and loose living. Then they murmur against the householder, which they think not right, blaspheme the gospel, and are hardened in their doings; then they lose the favor and grace of God, and must take their temporal reward, trot away with their penny, and be damned; for they have not served for everlasting favor, but for reward, which they shall have, and no more. But the others must confess that they have earned neither the penny nor the favor, but more is given them than they thought was promised them. This
remain in grace and become blessed, because they also have enough time here, because it all depends on the good will of the father of the house.
7 Therefore, if one wanted to interpret sharply, one would have to let the penny be the temporal good and the grace of the householder the eternal good; but the day and the heat would have to be drawn from the time to the conscience, so that the saints of works do long and hard work, that is, they do it with a heavy conscience and an unjoyful heart, forced and driven by the law; but the short hour is the light conscience, led in grace, which lives well willingly and without the driving of the law.
8 So now they have the same penny, that is, it is given to both of them in time. But the last have not sought the same, but it falls to them, because they first sought the kingdom of God, Matt. 6:33, and have grace to eternal life and are happy. The first, however, seek the temporal, and therefore work and serve; therefore they must lack grace and earn hell with a hard life. For those who are last do not think and presume to earn a penny, and get everything; when the first see this, they presume to get much more, and lack everything. Therefore, if you look at their hearts, you will see clearly that the last do not look at their merit, but enjoy the goodness of the Lord. The first, however, do not consider the goodness of the Lord, but look at their merits, and think they have it out of duty, and grumble about it.
(9) So now we must draw these two words "last" and "first" on two sides: once, before God; the other time, before men. So, those who are first before men, that is, those who consider themselves to be next and first before God, it is contrary to them to be last before God and farthest; again, those who are last before men, that is, those who consider themselves to be farthest and last before God, it is contrary to them to be next and first before God. Whoever wants to be sure, then, should follow the saying: "He who exalts himself will be
erniedriget." For there it says: The first before men is the last before God; the last before men is the first before God. Again, the first before God is the last before men; the last before God is the first before men.
(10) But because this gospel does not speak of wicked common first and last, as in the world the high ones are nothing before God, but the Gentiles, who know nothing of God; but means those who make themselves believe that they are first or last before God: so it goes very high and strikes very good people; yes, it frightens the very greatest saints. Therefore Christ himself reproaches the apostles. For here it happens that someone is poor, weak, despised in the eyes of the world, even suffers something for God's sake, that there is no appearance that he is anything, and yet he is secretly full of his own good pleasure in his heart, so that he thinks he is first in the eyes of God and is therefore last. Again, let someone be so despondent and stupid that he thinks he is last in the sight of God, even though he has money, honor and goods in the sight of the world, and thus is first.
(11) One can also see how the most exalted saints were afraid here, how many fell from high spiritual status. David laments Ps. 131:2: "Lord, where I have not been quiet and humble, my soul has been like a weaned man on his mother"; item in another place, Ps. 36:12: "Only do not let the foot of the court come down. How often he also punishes the wicked, the insolent, the arrogant, Ps. 119, 21. Item Paul 2 Cor. 12, 7. says: "Lest I rise up to great enlightenments, the stake is given to me in my flesh" etc. And as we have heard in the epistle, what more excellent people have fallen. To all of whom, no doubt, the grievous secret deceit has come, that they have become secure, thinking, we are now near, there is no need, we know God, we have done this and that; have not seen for themselves how they have made themselves first before God. Behold, how Saul fell! How did he make David fall! How did Peter fall! How did some of Paul's disciples fall!
(12) Therefore it is necessary that this gospel be given to the preachers of the gospel in our time.
Those who now know the gospel are like me and mine, who can teach and master all the world, and think that we are their neighbors, and have eaten up God's spirit purely with feathers and legs. For where does it come from that so many sects have already arisen, one doing this, the other that in the Gospel? Therefore it is without doubt that no one pays attention to this saying: "The first are the last"; or, if it applies to them, they are safe and fearless and consider themselves the first. Therefore it must be according to this saying, that they become the last, and go and cast up such shameful doctrine and blasphemy against God and His word.
(13) Was it not the same with the pope? since he did not mean anything else with his own, because he was God's governor and the closest of all, the world also believed it; but in the same way he became the devil's governor and the furthest from God, so that no man under the sun ever raged and raged against God and his word. And yet, he did not see the terrible treachery, because he was sure and was not afraid of this subtle, sharp, high, excellent judgment: "The first are last. For it strikes at the very depth of the heart, at one's own spiritual conceit, which even in poverty, dishonor, misfortune considers itself the first, yes, then most of all.
14 This then is the sum of this gospel: No man is so high, nor shall he come so high, who shall not fear to become the very lowest. Again, no one has fallen so low, or may fall so low, who cannot hope to become the highest; because here all merits are exalted and only God's goodness is praised, and it is firmly decided that the first shall be last and the last first. By saying, "The first shall be last," he takes away all presumption from you, and forbids you to exalt yourself above any harlot, even if you were Abraham, David, Peter or Paul. But by saying, "The last shall be first," he forbids you all despair, and forbids you to exalt yourself under no saint, even if you were Pilate, Herod, Sodoma and Gomorrah.
15. For as we have no cause to presume, neither have we cause to despair: but the middle way is strengthened and preserved by this gospel, that we should not look to the penny, but to the goodness of the Father of the house, which is the same and the same over high and low, first and last, saints and sinners; neither can any man more glory in it, or comfort it, or presume of it, than another; For he is God not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles, even of all, whatever they are or are called.