Friday, 22 May 2026
And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, Matthew 20:3
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“And having exited about the third hour, he saw others having stood in the market, inactive.” (CG)
In the previous verse, Jesus continued the parable of the workers in the vineyard, noting that the housemaster agreed to hire laborers for a denarius and then sent them into the vineyard. He continues now, saying, “And having exited about the third hour.”
The Pulpit Commentary does a great job of describing the timing of the day –
“It seems that at this time the Jews divided the day, reckoned between sunrise and sunset, into twelve equal parts, the length of these divisions varying according to the season. The day in Palestine at longest consisted of fourteen European hours twelve minutes, and at shortest of nine hours forty-eight minutes, so that the difference between the longest and shortest division of the so called Jewish “hour” was twenty-two minutes. It is usual to consider the Hebrew day as lasting from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the sixth hour corresponding to our noon, the first hour being 7 o’clock and the third 9 a.m. This estimate, though not absolutely correct, is near enough to the fact to serve all expository purposes. The four periods mentioned in the parable are quarters of the working day, in which a proportional part of the day’s wages might be earned.”
By this time, a quarter of the working day has expired. It might be that in checking the progress in the vineyard, he sees that there is a need for more laborers. Or it may be that at the early hour, these men had not yet arrived at the gathering place. Or it may be that the laborers were there and declined his original offer for one of various reasons. Whatever the case may be, Jesus next says of the housemaster, “he saw others having stood in the market, inactive.”
The agora, market, was already seen in Matthew 11:16. It is from ageiro, to gather. It is a place where people gather. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were dragged to the agora before the rulers by those looking for a judgment against them. In Acts 17, Paul witnessed to people in the agora in Athens.
One can see that the market was a place where the community gathered for various reasons, including judicial matters, at least in some places. In the case of the housemaster, he was still looking for ready hands to assist in the vineyard. Arriving there, he found some just lolling around twiddling their fingers.
Life application: Above, various possibilities were given concerning why the men were in the agora at this hour. Some of them may not have wanted to work in vineyards, instead hoping to get a job laying tile. Others may have been off getting a breakfast burrito when the housemaster showed up.
By this third hour, they may be regretting not being more aggressive in getting a job for the day. With each waning hour, the chance of getting hired would go down. Likewise, one would normally get less money for less work. The words, therefore, speak of seizing the opportunities set before you.
Each of us must prioritize what we will do throughout the day. Circumstances may not be perfect, but is it more important to work inside laying tile, or is it more important to have a full day’s wages to pay for food for the family? The way we look at opportunities will say a lot about where our ultimate priorities lie.
Foolish people will stick stubbornly to foolish choices. At the end of the day, they may regret what they decided upon, they may turn to theft to cover their bad choices, or they may lie to their family about why there is no food. And yet, quite often, they will go out the next day and make more bad choices.
So we can learn from watching others as much as through our own errors, if we are willing to pay attention. Above all, there is one choice that must be decided upon. As there truly is no guarantee of tomorrow, we should be wise and discerning about this particular choice –
“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:
‘In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:1, 2
Be wise. Call on Jesus today. If you are reading this, it means that you were brought to this commentary for a reason. God has done the necessary work to align your life with this choice. He has also done all that is necessary for you to be saved. All He asks is for you to believe what He has done is sufficient. Accept His offer of peace today.
Glorious Lord God, thank You for having brought us to the place where we have heard the message of salvation and applied it to our lives. Help us now to walk faithfully in that salvation all our days. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.