I. Guidelines

 Level Two: What the apostles proclaimed about what Jesus said and did (Instruction n. VIII)

 Level Three: What the evangelists selected, reduced to a synthesis, or further explicated from what the apostles preached about what Jesus really said and did. (Instruction n. IX).

II. Matthew 20:1-16.

A. Parable

    1. An extended simile (“is like”)
    2. Says one thing (owner of vineyard who hires and pays day-laborers) but means something else (what is God like?)
    3. Has just one point; if every element of the story is given a meaning, it is no longer a parable, but an allegory (see Mark 4:1-20).
    4. All of Jesus’ parables are about God. They are not at all about the explicit topic (sowing seeds, finding treasure, payment for labor, etc.).


B. The “point” of the parable: the “punch line.”

    1. Matt 20:16b:  “Many are called, few are chosen”
        a. Compare Matt 22:14
        b.  Consider also: Matt 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14
        c. These are “floating sayings.”  – Perhaps from Level 2; possibly from Level 1
        d. Not in Sinaiticus or Vaticanus.
        e. Sinaiticus:  The leaves measure 15"x14". The letters were written in brown ink, four columns per page, with 48 lines to a column, and usually 12-16 letters per line. The text is written on the ruled lines in scriptio continua with some punctuation (high and middle points and colon). Some letters are crowded in a smaller size at the end of a line. Often, sections of text end in mid-line; a new section begins at the beginning of the next line and is moved into the margin slightly.

    2. Matt 20:16a
        a. An “inclusio” with Matt 19:30; compare Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30
        b. No doubt from Level 3; possibly from Level 1
   
    3. Matt 20:15 (literally): “Is your eye evil because I am generous?”  Very likely Level 1; this is how Jesus concluded this parable

C. Cultural Information Required for Interpreting the Parable and Understanding God

    1.  LIMITED GOOD:  Matt 20:3-7; see Luke 4:30, 5:1,3,6,11.

    2.  Jealousy/envy (“the evil eye” ): Matt 20:15. “Giving God the evil-eye for divine generosity.” 
    "Evil eye" in Mediterranean culture is associated with "greed" understood in the sense of wanting that exact item and wishing destruction or loss upon it because one can’t have it.
    See also: Deut 15:7-11; Deut 28:53-55; Prov 23:6-8; 28:22; Sir 14:3, 5-7, 8, 9; 31:13; 37:11; Matt 6:22-23; Luke 11:33-34; Mark 7:22; Galatians.

    3. PATRONAGE: the Patron-Client relationship; economics embedded in kinship. Treat select persons with favoritism, “as if” family members.  In this parable, God is compared to a "patron," a "godfather," or some such similar person.  He treats some people by strict contract (those who want it); and others as his "clients." This is how God behaves (see Malachi 1:2-3; Rom 9:13).

D. Interpreting the Parable: what is God like? How do people respond to the God of their experience?

    1. Level 1: Jesus - Humans (Matt 19:16-22) are unreliable; God (Matt 20:1-15) is a reliable Patron... unless one foolishly prefers to deal with God by contract (Pharisees and 613 Commandments).

    2. Level 2: Apostolic Preachers: Think 30 – 69 A.D.
        - Matt 20:16b: many are called...
        -Matt 20:16a: first last, last first...
   
    3. Level 3: Matthew 20:16a: first last...  Think 85 A.D.

Conclusion

    In Jesus’ world, God was perceived and understood to be like a “Patron” and to behave like one.  This is not the world in which we Americans live nor does that concept  reflect our American  understanding of God.


Sources:

     John H. Elliott, “Matthew 20:1-15: A Parable of Invidious Comparison and Evil Eye Accusation,” Biblical Theology Bulletin 22 (1992) 52-65.

    John J. Pilch, Introducing the Cultural Context of the New Testament.  Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2007. Reprint with corrections and up-dated bibliography of  Paulist Press edition, 1991. Pp. 27-56.

    John J. Pilch,  "A Window into the Biblical World: The Evil Eye,"  The Bible Today 42.1(2004): 48-53.

    Richard L. Rohrbaugh, “The Evil Eye: Core Belief in the Ancient Mediterranean World” in the DVD collection  Text Detectives: Discovering the Meaning of Ancient Symbols and Concepts published by the Biblical Archaeology Society, 2006.