“What is the difference between the steward and laborers relating to the kingdom of God?”
October 2017 – Grace & Truth Magazine
QUESTION: In Matthew 20:8, the lord of the vineyard told the steward to call the laborers. What is the difference between the steward and laborers as related to the kingdom of God?
ANSWER: The parable itself sets before us:
- The householder, who is also called “the lord of the vineyard” (KJV),
- His steward, and
- The laborers.
From other parables the Lord Jesus told, it is obvious that He Himself is the Lord of the Vineyard.
We have a similar picture in the book of Ruth. Boaz, the mighty man of wealth, was the owner of the field in which Ruth gleaned. He had a servant who was in charge of the reapers; and then there were the reapers, apparently both young men and maidens. In Ruth, the servant set over the reapers is a picture of the Holy Spirit. The reapers, both male and female were referred to as belonging to Boaz – “his young men” (2:15) and “his maidens” and “the maidens of Boaz” (vv.22-23).
The parable is about “the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 20:1), showing clearly that the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the Vineyard, as we already said. The steward who is in charge of the laborers is the Holy Spirit whom the Lord has left in charge of His interests in His absence from this world. He is the One who directs the laborers. He abides with us forever (Jn. 14:16), teaches us all things (v.26), testifies of Christ (15:26), guides us into all truth (16:13), glorifies Christ (v.14), takes of Christ’s and shows it to us (v.15), reveals the glory of Christ to us (Acts 7:55-56), directs us in our service (8:29, 13:2,4, 16:6-7) and warns us of danger ahead of us (21:4,11). The Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself (Jn. 16:13). Human types of Him, like Abraham’s oldest servant in Genesis 24 and Boaz’s servant in Ruth 2, are intelligent, knowledgeable and capable, but they are always in the background, taking the place of serving a master or speaking of Him rather than of themselves.
We believers clearly are the laborers, beginning our service at different times in life. Some serve longer than others, but all will be rewarded according to our Lord’s goodness.
Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.