Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 20:4

"and to them he said, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way." — Matthew 20:4 (ASV)

Whatsoever is right — The absence of a definite contract in hiring the laborers who did less than the day’s work obviously involved an implicit trust in the equity of the householder. They did not stipulate for wages or ask, as the disciples had asked, What shall we have therefore? The implied lesson suggested here is that a little work done in a spirit of trust when God calls us is better than much done in the spirit of a hireling.