The first shall be last and the last shall be first

Matthew 20:9-15 (NLT)

When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’  “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ 

Several times in the gospels, Jesus said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first, including verse 16 following this parable (the parable starts at Matthew 20:1) and Matthew 19:30 right before this parable.  This parable of the laborers in the vineyard was Jesus’ explanation of this apparent paradoxical statement.

To us humans it does seem unfair that those who worked for 9 hours were paid the same as those who worked on 1 hour.  It does seem unfair that someone who has served Christ for many, many years might not be rewarded any more than someone else who has only served Him for a very short time.  Yet, human thoughts and ways are not like God’s (Isaiah 55:8-9).  The main point of this parable is that God has the right to do what He pleases with his servants and that His servants should serve Him out of love and the right motives, not for personal rewards.  If you are doing ministry in the church or in the community because you expect to be highly rewarded by God, you are serving Him for the wrong motives.  Those who are first in this life because of their leadership roles could very well be last in heaven because their motives were wrong.  This is what Jesus was warning His disciples about, prompted by Peter’s question in Matthew 19:27.  Peter seemed to be suggesting that he and the others would receive more.  Indeed, Jesus responded in Matthew 19:28-29 that rewards will come (read also I Corinthians 3:8-15), but then His parable in Matthew 20 teaches that those who might be “first” in our eyes will be “last” at final judgment and vice versa. 

The laborers who worked all day were comparing their work to those who worked only one hour.   Peter was comparing himself and other disciples against those who apparently had not left everything to follow Jesus.  It is insightful that both the laborers and Peter were showing envy and jealousy against others, a natural human response.   Jesus clearly pointed this out in Matthew 20:15.  The Greek word for envy or jealousy means “evil”.  As Pastor Scott defined envy, it is evil to resent God’s goodness to others and to ignore His goodness to you and me. 

The obvious questions to ask yourself from this teaching are:

1.   Do you compare yourself to others?

2.   Do you think that you are better than another because you “work harder/longer” in ministry (or in any other endeavor for that matter)? 

3.   Do you put yourself down because you do not think that you are “as good” as someone else? 

4.   Do you envy another because of what he/she has that you don’t have? 

5.   Is your ministry based on wrong motives, thinking only of the reward(s) and not out of love and loyalty to the Lord?

To any honest answers where you know you are in the wrong, be thankful that the Lord through His Word has made you aware of this evil in your life and simply ask Him to forgive you and help you henceforth to change in your attitudes and actions.