When the Lord said, “The last will be first, and the first will be last,” He was describing the spiritual equivalent of being sent to the end of the line. I have chosen three parts: the basic story of the hiring agreement, the twist in the story when the workers were all paid the same thing, and the landowner’s explanation of what he was doing (the first two could be joined together). Till we are hired into the service of God, we are standing all the day idle: a sinful state, though a state of drudgery to Satan, may be called a state of idleness. He arranged for the first workers to be paid a day’s wages--that was fair. They clearly knew that the Lord Jesus’ word has authority and has power, and yet they were not willing to let go of their status or seek the truth, much less accept God’s new work. Such is the mercy of God. I thought, “If those of us who have sacrificed and labored for the Lord for many years finally get the same wages as those who work for Him late, won’t this be God purposely favoring the latecomers?” I always thought so. There is no reason to ask what kind of work they were supposed to do, because that is not the main thrust of the text. The parable of the workers in the vineyard is one of the most striking images of the kingdom of heaven and hence of how we should respond to the divine call. Inspecting whether you practice righteousness in all that you do, and whether all of your actions are observed by God, are the behavioral principles o…. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? And there is no real sin in the story that has to be confronted--perhaps a mild complaint and dissatisfaction by the workers. Personal updates from Samantha. The work is what His followers do to deserve the reward, and the day is the length of time they’re given to do it, normally their lifespan. There is no citation from an Old Testament prophetic passage to be dealt with. They did not have a settled agreement fixed. The image of the vineyard is used frequently in the Old Testament to symbolize the chosen people, whom God looks after with great care and who are meant to produce the good wine of salvation (cf. This lesson was apparently prompted by the event that led to the teaching on wealth and the kingdom and concluded with the same theme of the last being first. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible is available in the Public Domain. and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And But who among us can predict the end of our lives? Seeing how generous God is with us requires that we too try to be generous with others. Or are you envious because I am generous?’, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matt.20: 1-16). In Matthew 20:17-19 Jesus will speak of His death again. That many who begin last, and promise little in religion, sometimes, by the blessing of God, arrive at a great deal of knowledge, grace, and, usefulness. stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired But it turns at the end to what is totally unconventional, so that the people who worked the least got equal pay. Grace thru Faith is a 501(c)3 non-profit. Hagar, Pt. 4. belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to The parable teaches us about charity towards God and our neighbor. Each and every person obtains the same from God. Characters). It is a grief to ourselves, displeasing to God, and hurtful to our neighbours: it is a sin that has neither pleasure, profit, nor honour. The landowner clearly represents the Lord, and the vineyard represents his kingdom. Let us forego every proud claim, and seek for salvation as a free gift. out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market Hence we shouldn’t measure God’s work with our conceptions and imaginations. (1 Cor. The statements of the landowner in the story therefore form the teaching that the Lord wanted to make. How should we, Christians reflect on our views on the faith in God through this parable? These two motifs have been used elsewhere in Jesus’ teaching with these meanings. I reflected: Why can’t I praise the righteousness of God in this matter but always rely on my conceptions and imaginations to look at things and complain about God? Then, when the mother of the sons of Zebedee comes and asks for favors for her sons in the kingdom, Jesus speaks of their being able to drink the cup that he must drink (20:20-28). So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. That God is debtor to no man. That applies to all of us.[2]. us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening I had been feeling so smug and superior, and now I was the loser. The True Meaning of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard – Bible Study, “The Essence of the Flesh Inhabited by God” (Excerpt 101), “God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II” (Excerpt 43), “God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II” (Excerpt 41), God’s word of the day: “God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself I” (Excerpt 20), “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” (Excerpt 26). Is 55:8). If you are anything like me you could re-read this parable a couple of times come up with a slightly different angle on it, depending on the word or phrase you use to summarize the story. This one was no different. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage? Just as a passage in a book says, “I decide the destination of each man not on the basis of age, seniority, amount of suffering, or least of all, the degree of misery, but on whether they possess truth. 4 And he said to them, “You go into the vineyard too and I will give you whatever is right.” 5 So they went. Gospel for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A), and commentary. His offered wage of one denarius, a Roman’s soldier’s pay for a day, was generous indeed. And going 10 And when those hired first came, they though they would receive more. And finally, He told the workers to take their wage and go. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? The word here drives us back to the instruction that whether He gives us a whole day, or just an hour, we must serve Him faithfully and trust that we will enter into the reward that He has in store for those who are faithful. Can non-Catholic Christians and non-Christians belong to Opus Dei? When he went out again about noon and three o’clock that afternoon, he did the same thing. Those young men and the lofty “warriors” looked up to by others all died in the wilderness because of complaining about God; eventually only the women and children who obeyed His sovereignty and arrangements and never complained about Him entered Canaan. The I thought salvation was free, and couldn’t be earned. First, no matter when in your life you decide to join His Kingdom, you are entitled to all the rights and benefits pertaining thereto the moment you do. 4:7) No one was hired after the end of the day and as I said, the day represents our lifetime. All rights reserved. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.