Mǎtaìfúyīn 20:16

16 Zhèyàng , nà zaì hòu de jiāngyào zaì qián , zaì qián de jiāngyào zaì hòu le . Yǒu gǔ juǎn zaì cǐ yǒu yīnwei beì zhào de rén duō , xuǎn shang de rén shǎo )

Mǎtaìfúyīn 20:16 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 20:16

So the last shall be first, and the first last
As he had asserted in ( Matthew 19:30 ) and which is clearly illustrated by this parable, as it may be applied to Jews or Gentiles, or to nominal and real Christians:

for many be called;
externally, under the ministration of the Gospel, as the Jews in general were, by Christ and his apostles; but

few chosen;
in Christ from all eternity, both to grace and glory; and in consequence, and as an evidence of it, but few among the Jews; as also in the Gentile world, comparatively speaking: and even but a few of those that are outwardly called, are inwardly and effectually called by the powerful grace of God, out of darkness into marvellous light, into the grace and liberty of the Gospel, into communion with Christ, and to the obtaining his kingdom and glory, according to the eternal purpose of God. It is a saying of R. Simeon ben Jochai ^F4

``I have seen the children of the world to come (elsewhere ^F5 it is, of the chamber), (Nyjewm Nhw) , "and they are few".''

Though he vainly thought, that if those few were but two, they were himself and his son.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 T. Hieros. Beracot, fol. 13. 4.
F5 T. Bab. Succa, fol. 45. 2. & Sanhedrim, fol. 97. 2.

Mǎtaìfúyīn 20:16 In-Context

14 Ná nǐde zǒu ba . wǒ gĕi nà hòulái de hé gĕi nǐ yíyàng , zhè shì wǒ yuànyì de .

15 Wǒde dōngxǐ nándào bùkĕ suí wǒde yìsi yòng ma . yīnwei wǒ zuò hǎo rén , nǐ jiù hóng le yǎn ma .

16 Zhèyàng , nà zaì hòu de jiāngyào zaì qián , zaì qián de jiāngyào zaì hòu le . Yǒu gǔ juǎn zaì cǐ yǒu yīnwei beì zhào de rén duō , xuǎn shang de rén shǎo )

17 Yēsū shang Yēlùsǎlĕng qù de shíhou , zaì lù shang bǎ shí èr ge méntǔ daì dào yī bian duì tāmen shuō ,

18 Kàn nǎ , wǒmen shang Yēlùsǎlĕng qù , Rénzǐ yào beì jiāo gĕi Jìsīzhǎng hé Wénshì . tāmen yào déng tā sǐ zuì .