Daily Writing

Tuesday, 2 June 2026

Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Matthew 20:14

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“You bear the ‘yours’, and you go! I will, also, this: the last to give as also you.” (CG)

In the previous verse, the housemaster told the grumbler that he was a scammer, asking if he didn’t agree to a denarius. Without waiting for a response, he next says, “You bear the ‘yours’, and you go!”

In other words, “You got what we agreed on. That is yours. Take it and hit the road.” Having said that, he continues with, “I will, also, this: the last to give as also you.”

If such is his will, it has not harmed anyone else. Rather, it was an act of his own charitable goodness to hand out money as he saw fit. There was no wrongdoing, no intent of malice toward another, and the only wrong involved is that of perception by a person who had received what he agreed to work for.

Life application: In the United States, it is common to tip people who work in service industries, especially waitresses. They normally receive less pay for the work they do with others based on the anticipation that when they do a good job, they will be rewarded for it by those they serve.

It is true that some cultures or individuals don’t tip, but that disregard for the care of others is their own issue. The poor servers just have to bite their lip and live with it. Besides such people, tipping is how some people are able to pay their bills. However, at some point in the past, some restaurants came to the ridiculous conclusion that it was unfair for one server to make more than the others.

Think about it. You have hired Lazy Linda. She does the minimal amount of work, is late serving people their food, and shows up ten minutes late every day. You also have Moaning Myrtle. She never smiles, complains to the customers about the amount of food they order, and has plenty of words about her unhappy family life to share with complete strangers.

You also have Piggy Peggy. Her clothes are dirty, she doesn’t smell very good, and if she laughs, it is more a grunt than anything joyful. She delivers the food randomly, and when you get it, it seems something may have been picked off the plate on the trip between the kitchen and your table.

And then, there is Amazing Amy. She shows up early, always has a well-pressed, clean uniform, smiles at everybody, never has a bad word to say about anyone or anything, and never stops helping others. Her customers become regulars, they know her birthday, and always wish her a merry Christmas with a nice little gift.

Why on earth should Amazing Amy have to split the $1000.00 a day she makes in tips with Lazy, Piggy, and Moaning, who collectively make about 85 cents in tips on a good day? This rewards indolence, negative attitudes, and sloppy work. It also penalizes hard work and outstanding effort.

The first laborers hired by the housemaster got exactly what they agreed to. Maybe they worked hard, or maybe they slouched on the job, but the housemaster was faithful to meet his obligation to them. The last people were given a great measure of grace, receiving what today would be considered a nice tip for their minimal labors. But nobody was wronged in the process.

Be content with your pay. If you are unhappy with it, or with how your boss treats others for whatever reason, as long as he is not violating any law, remember that there are other options available on the other side of the door.

As Christians, we should always strive to do our best at whatever we do. Jesus’ name rests on us. So honor the Lord first. In doing so, everything else will find its proper place.

Lord God, may we rejoice when others are successful. If we want what they have, may we be willing to expend ourselves to obtain those things. May we not be envious of what we do not possess. And, Lord, keep us from taking from others what they have rightfully earned. Amen.

Monday, 1 June 2026

But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Matthew 20:13

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“The ‘also answering one of them’, he said, ‘Scammer! Not I wrong you! Not for a denarius, you harmonized me?’” (CG)

In the previous verse, the workers who were hired earlier in the day grumbled that the housemaster made those who worked only one hour equal with those who bore the burden of the day. In hearing this, it next says, “The ‘also answering one of them’.”

This is the housemaster. He probably directs his words to the one who was the chief grumbler who stirred the others up. As for his words, “he said, ‘Scammer!’”

This is a new and rare word, found only three times, all in Matthew. It may be that because Matthew was a tax collector, there were particular words he and other tax collectors used to identify people of a certain sort. The word is hetairos, a comrade, fellow, or friend.

However, HELPS Word Studies provides insights into it, saying it is someone “posing to be a comrade but in reality only has his own interests in mind.” They also say it “suggests someone viewed (associated) as a friend, but is actually an imposter acting for self-gain.” As such, the words scammer or shammer make a suitable translation of the thought.

The housemaster continues, explaining why he is such a person, saying, “Not I wrong you! Not for a denarius, you harmonized me?”

The agreement that they came to was a denarius for the day’s labor. The offer was made, the man accepted it, and a state of harmony was realized when he went off to the vineyard. Had the housemaster paid him first and sent him out the door, there would have been no complaints or grumbling because he would have been none the wiser.

However, jealousy crept into him when he saw that others benefited in a manner differently from him.

Life application: The previous administration under Joe Biden frittered away billions of dollars of taxpayer money by wiping out loans that were made to college students. The program was set up to help people get through college with the understanding that the loans were to be repaid at a set rate of interest.

It doesn’t matter if the rates later seemed unfair to those who took out the loans. It also doesn’t matter if they never got the job they trained for because they chose a field that nobody has a need for, like “Blue-haired social justice manager for underprivileged surfers.”

What matters is that they signed a legal document, took the money, got the education, and were required to pay it back. However, with his inability to effectively run the nation and needing to bolster his list of potential voters, Biden arbitrarily canceled these loans.

What kind of example does it set when certain people are granted such favor while others have to pay back their loans? Biden did this with the banking industry as well, bailing out those banks that were unprofitable, but which supported left-wing agendas. When a conservative bank failed, no assistance was given.

Such behavior permeated the policies of Biden’s presidency, turning what was right and proper upside down. Understanding this, be sure to always evaluate your voting choices on who most closely will uphold biblical values. In doing so, you may not get the best guy in the world running things, but you will avoid real trouble that inevitably arises from hiring someone who is opposed to the moral principles set forth in Scripture.

Lord God, may we not grumble or complain when we are treated unfairly by those we interact with. We can’t see all the circumstances of the future that may change, and so we should not later try to upend our agreements. Help us to stick to what we have agreed to and strive to always set a proper example for others. Amen.

Sunday, 31 May 2026

saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ Matthew 20:12

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Saying that ‘These, the last, one hour they made, and equal, them, to us, you made those who were bearing the burden of the day and the blaze.’” (CG)

In the previous verse, it was noted that those who went to the vineyard to work early grumbled after they had received the same pay as those who came later. That continues with the words, “Saying that ‘These, the last, one hour they made.’”

This is what it said in verses 6 & 7. The housemaster found these men idle in the market around the eleventh hour. They were hired and went into the field. Despite that minimal workday of just one hour. As for the others, they continue, saying, “and equal, them, to us, you made.”

A new word is seen, isos, similar. It conveys the idea of as much as, equal, like, etc. It is believed to be from eidó, seeing that becomes knowing. As such, one can know when things are equal. It is the root of our modern words, such as isometric, isosceles, etc. Each refers to equivalencies.

These men perceive that there is equality of pay, even though there was not equality of work involved. As such, they find an unfair disparity exists between those who were hired later and “those who were bearing the burden of the day and the blaze.”

Here is another new word, the noun kausón, blaze. It is derived from the verb kausoo, blazing, as in fervent heat. This is what it is like in Israel. With the clear skies, the sun blazes right down on the land. Working outside, even in a moderate task, is hot and can be enervating. By the end of a twelve-hour day, even the toughest person will normally be wiped out.

These men had been in the vineyard. Whatever their task was, it would have been filled with heated labor. By mid-morning, it would be very hot. That would continue right until late afternoon. If there is any relief, it will begin just about the time the last workers were coming to assist, when the western ocean breeze begins to sweep across the land, cooling it down.

This all depends on where in the land a person is situated, but the evening is when that process would begin if in the right location. Other than that, and depending on the time of year, the heat can be extreme.

Life application: Having the same pay for the same job, regardless of output, is not unheard of. If someone hires people to get a job done without regard to the time or personal success in the matter, he will give his instructions at the outset. For example, “We have a lost child. The search will be difficult, and the terrain is unforgiving. If you get hurt, there will be no one coming to help you. Our concern is finding that child.

Anyone who is willing to go out there will be given $5000.00. However, you are committed until the child is found. If you take the money, you are in this until the end.”

After the first people are hired, more show up throughout the day. Each person who goes out gets the same pay. In fact, the last person who agreed did so learned that when he walked out the door, the child was found. They called it in only moments after the agreement was made. Is it unfair that the last person didn’t even have to start the search? Not at all. The condition was based on outcome alone.

If a man has a vineyard and his intent is to have the harvest completed before the Sabbath, he will motivate people to get out and work based on the completion of the harvest, not necessarily on what any individual does.

God has a plan. It is being worked out in dispensations. Each dispensation has its own structure and targeted purpose, but all dispensations are working toward a final, greater result. As such, it cannot be unfair if someone is born under the law and someone is born in the age of grace.

Further, in any dispensation, there are things that must occur. For example, there needs to be people to initiate the process of the dispensation of grace. Martyrs are expected throughout the dispensation. Also, there must be one last person who is saved before the rapture occurs.

We cannot find fault in where we were placed, either in time or location. The needs of the plan and the final outcome of what God has laid out are what matter. When we are having a bad patch, maybe the nation we are in is at war, and many people are suffering from the effects of it, we cannot blame God for our woes.

Life, in whatever situation a person finds himself, is a product of the overall plan that God has set forth. It is not about us as it occurs. Let us consider things from God’s perspective. He has promised us a good end. His word says nothing about a guaranteed good time before we get to that end. In fact, it assures us that troubles can be expected –

“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Philippians 1:29

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; ¹³ but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12, 13

Lord God Almighty, we are assured of eternal glory because of our faith in Christ Jesus. Until that day, help us to endure whatever trials we may face. We are Yours, and we know that You will always do right for those who belong to You. Even in our times of suffering and affliction, we know You are with us. Thank You for this reassurance. Amen.

Saturday, 30 May 2026

And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, Matthew 20:11

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Having taken, also, they grumbled against the housemaster.” (CG)

In the previous verse, those who worked from the first came to receive their wages, naturally assuming they would receive more than those who only worked a short time. However, they only received a denarius. It next says, “Having taken, also.”

They didn’t refuse the wage, even if it is not what they were expecting. They would have remembered the original offer and their acceptance of it. As such, there was nothing they could do about that matter. But there is something they could do. It says, “they grumbled.”

It is a new word, gogguzó, to grumble or murmur. It is “an onomatopoetic term imitating the sound of cooing doves” (HELPS Word Studies). Just as doves drone on and on in whatever they are doing, this word reflects a simmering discontent that is expressed just loud enough for others to hear, but not as a direct challenge to the one they are discontent with.

Despite that, it is normally known who the discontent is directed towards. In this case, it was “against the housemaster.”

One can imagine what they were saying, “This is poppycock! We were out there all day practically slaving for this guy, and he has paid those guys over there the same as he paid us. What kind of an operation is he running here?”

Life application: In the New Testament, outside of the gospels, the word gogguzó is only seen two times, both are in 1 Corinthians 10 –

“Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. ⁷ And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’ ⁸ Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; ⁹ nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; ¹⁰ nor complain [gogguzó], as some of them also complained [gogguzó], and were destroyed by the destroyer. ¹¹ Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” 1 Corinthians 10:6-11

The Greek translation of the Old Testament uses this word in Numbers 14 to describe this attitude of the people. The Lord had been faithful to deliver the people from Egypt, a delivery that they had cried out to the Lord for.

Once in the wilderness, He repeatedly showed His faithfulness as He tended to them in their times of need. And yet, they would turn around and grumble against the Lord like a flock of doves, discontent with their situation.

Egypt is given as a type of life under sin. Man is under the authority of the devil. Along with good, his existence is fraught with disease, pain, loss, and eventually death. We cry out to God, “Is this all there is, can’t You give me a better hope than this ultimately pointless existence?” In hearing that, God sends Jesus into our lives.

Maybe we were in a church. Maybe someone handed us a tract. In some manner, we heard of Jesus, and we received what He did, being brought out from under the authority of the devil and given the assurance of eternal life, apart from this fallen world. And yet, like Israel in the wilderness, we need to continue this life until we reach the Promised Land.

Soon, we forget what God did. And so He sends us a tender mercy to help us along our walk. Again, we forget. Someone we love dies, and we strike a bitter heart against God. We lose our job, and we grumble that we have it so bad, saying that God must not care about us at all. We forget that we are on the road to the Promised Land and He has assured us we will arrive.

What happened to that original joy? What is it that says, “It’s not fair! I deserve better!” We have been given the highest assurance of all that you will make it to heaven. And yet, we grumble. Imagine how disappointing we must be to God when we put forth such a despicable attitude.

May we remember the day of our salvation always, never allowing the trials of this life to interfere with our walk at this time. Whatever you are facing, God is right there with you. Hard times will come, loss can be expected, but God is there with you. His promises will never fail, and the outcome is assured. Remember this. God is right there with you.

O God, it is very easy to lose our focus on what lies ahead. We forget where we were and what You did to change our eternal destiny. Instead, we get caught up in the trials that surround us and forget that You are there. Forgive us of our faithlessness. Help us to always remember that You are there with us on the path to glory. Amen.

Friday, 29 May 2026

But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. Matthew 20:10

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Having come, also, the first, they deemed that more, they will take, and they took, also themselves, each – denarius.” (CG)

The previous verse noted that those who were hired at the eleventh hour received a denarius. It next says, “Having come, also, the first, they deemed that more, they will take.”

Under normal circumstances, one would assume that pay is based on time and/or the amount of labor that is produced. As such, and forgetting the original agreement, they assumed this would be their case.

Those who were out working for just an hour got nice wages for such a little amount of work. As such, how great would their pay be! But it next says, “and they took, also themselves, each – denarius.”

This was what was originally agreed on, but it doesn’t match what one might expect when placed beside the labor of those who came later.

Life application: Grace is getting what you do not deserve. The workers who came later were given what they did not deserve when compared to the labor of the others.

This, however, cannot be equated to salvation. There is no merit at all in a person’s salvation. If labor were to be figured into salvation, it would diminish the significance of the cross. All people must come to God in the same way, with empty hands, receiving by faith what Christ Jesus has done.

It is a great problem in the church when merit is introduced into one’s Christian theology concerning salvation. And yet, it is one of the primary canons of the Roman Catholic teachings concerning justification. It is a principle teaching found in any law-observant church. It is implied in any church that requires tithing to be considered in right standing with the congregation.

These things put emphasis on some personal merit or another to indicate whether a person has satisfied God in regard to salvation. It is even the doctrine of many standard protestant churches that claim good deeds “stem necessarily” from salvation.

Such a thought makes it appear that salvation was by grace through faith and that deeds follow. However, if deeds must follow to prove salvation, then salvation in some respect is dependent on those deeds, even if they come after the fact. Why do deeds have to come after salvation? What deeds prove a person has been saved? Who determines such a standard?

These things are not found in the Bible unless they are forced into the text. Be careful to think this issue through. One sad result of such teachings is an inevitable judgmental feeling that will arise toward the lost.

If one has somehow merited salvation, then those who are not saved must also come to God through the same path as they did. When they fail to comply with such a demand, they are considered unworthy of being saved.

For those who have met the requirement, salvation then becomes a club where only those who have followed whatever misguided path is deemed necessary are included. For example, the Church of Christ says you must be baptized in order to be saved. And more, it must be in their church. Because of this, they are their own little club that excludes everyone else. Only they get Jesus. Everyone else is out.

Watch out for such teachings. Jesus alone saves. Come to Him through belief in the gospel, and you will be saved by Him. That’s it! Thank God for His wonderful plan of reconciliation.

Lord God, thank You for Your goodness which has been poured out upon us through the giving of Jesus. All praise, glory, and honor belong to You alone. Jesus did it all! Hallelujah for Jesus. Amen.