马太二十章一、二节里，家主指基督。这里的清早，约在早晨六时，指教会时代的最早期，那时基督来呼召门徒进国度。工人指门徒，葡萄园指国度。
三、四节说，“约在上午九时，他又出去，看见市场上另有闲站的人，就对他们说，你们也进葡萄园去……”上午九时，指教会时代的第二期。“闲”字指明，凡不在诸天之国里作工的，就是在市场所指的世界里闲站的。
五节说，“约在正午和午后三时，他再出去，也是这样行。”正午，指教会时代的中期。午后三时，指教会时代的第四期。
六、七节说，“约在午后五时，他出去，看见另有人站着，就对他们说，你们为甚么整天在这里闲站……”午后五时，指教会时代的第五期。在午后五时被雇的人说，他们闲站是因为没有人雇他们。在神的国之外，没有一个人是神所雇用的。
按照八节，家主赏赐工人是在黄昏，就是午后六时。这指教会时代的末期。八节说，“……给他们工钱，从后来的开始，直到先来的为止。”主从后来的开始，直到先来的为止，这与天然和商业的观念相反，指明后来的工人得工钱，不是按他们作的工，乃是按葡萄园主人恩典的意愿。
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Parable of the Vineyard (1) – Matt 20:1-2
In Gospel of Matthew chapter 20:1-2, the householder is Christ. The morning here is 6:00 a.m., denoting the earliest part of the church age, when Christ came to call his disciples into the kingdom. The workmen are the disciples, and the vineyard is the kingdom.
Verses 3 and 4 say, “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to those he said, you go also into the vineyard…” The third hour was 9:00 a.m., denoting the second part of the church age. The word “idle” indicates that whoever does not work in the kingdom of the heavens is standing idle in the world, which is denoted by the marketplace.
Verse 5 says, “Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour and did likewise.” The sixth hour, 12:00 noon, denotes the middle part of the church age, and the ninth hour, 3:00 p.m., denotes the fourth part of the church age.
Verses 6 and 7 say, “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and said to them, Why are you standing here all the day idle? The eleventh hour was 5:00 p.m., denoting the fifth part of the church age. Those hired at the eleventh hour said they were standing around idle because no one had hired them. Outside the kingdom of God, no human beings are employed by God.
According to verse 8, the householder rewarded the workmen at evening, that is, at 6:00 p.m. This denotes the end of the church age. Verse 8 says, “…and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.” For the lord to begin from the last to the first was against the natural and commercial concept. It indicates that what is paid to the latest workmen is not according to their work, but according to the gracious wish of the lord of the vineyard.