Grace for The First & Last
Matthew 20:1-16

Introduction

Turn with me to Matthew 20. These days the economy is on everyone's mind. Turn on the news, pick up a paper, and all you hear about are protests, labor strikes and lockouts taking place in our country. A month ago we kept hearing about the protests in Wisconsin where there was a fierce political battle over public sector unions.

Now some of you have no idea what I'm talking about because you usually skip the front page and go straight for the Sports section. But you are aware is of the lockout in the NFL that might jeopardize the upcoming season or the potential lockout in the NBA. Now I'm not here to debate the issues or take a side.

I bring this up because, as I was preparing this message, I kept hearing in the news about labor protests, collective bargaining rights and whatnot. And suddenly I had an epiphany.

There is nothing like a labor dispute to reveal the stark contrast between the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God . These two kingdoms operate on the basis of two different principles. A fact that is crystal clear in times like these.

The kingdom of this world operates on the principle of merit . That means, in the economy of this world, the harder you work the greater the compensation you deserve. That's the issue at the heart of those protests in Wisconsin or the lockout in the NFL. Workers feel they are not being fairly compensated for the amount of work they are doing. But employers feel they are compensating enough (or perhaps more) than the amount of work being done. The whole economy runs on the principle of merit: the harder you work, the more you deserve. As the old adage goes, “ It's the early bird who gets the worm ”.

But the kingdom of God operates on a completely different principle. In God's economy, those who work harder are not guaranteed greater compensation. Within God's kingdom, everyone will be rewarded fairly and justly, but those that work harder or obey more dutifully have no greater basis upon which to demand greater reward than those who work less. In God's kingdom, the early bird is not the only bird to get a juicy worm. In fact, it seems the late bird also gets the same worm.

Now if that rubs you wrong, if you find it unfair that a late bird gets the same worm as the early, hard-working bird, then we're going to study a parable this morning that will challenge some of your presuppositions.

This is commonly called the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, and it illustrates the vast difference between the two kingdoms. As we study it, we will discover that, while the kingdom of this world operates by the principle of merit, the kingdom of God operates by a heavenly principle called “grace”. It is this grace of God that generously offers a worm to even the late bird, and it is this grace of God that is the theme of our parable.

The Occasion for the Parable

Now before we study the parable we need to understand the occasion that led Jesus to tell it. It's important because we know that Jesus did not just tell parables out of the blue.

So notice that preceding our parable, in Matthew 19:16-30 , we have the story of the Rich Young Man. In this story a rich young man came to Jesus to ask what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to sell all he has and follow him, but the man can't imagine parting with his riches and sadly walks away.

So in vv23-24, Jesus goes on to speak of the difficulty for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven because of their riches. Which is a shock to the disciples because, in their culture (as in certain Christian circles today), wealth was thought to be evidence of God's favor on you. So imagine the relief (and even the hint of pride) that the disciples felt since they had done exactly what Jesus commanded. They had given up everything and followed him.

So Peter cries out in v27 , “ See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” What's in it for us Jesus? We're not like the rich man. We have obeyed and followed you and we're the first ones to do so. We're the early birds. What then will we have?

Well in vv28-29 , Jesus answers him, “ Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones ...” And then he goes on to describe a glorious salvation – one of heavenly honor and responsibility, of earthly blessings that are a hundred times more valuable than all they give up for Jesus. And last but not least, Jesus promises eternal life. Bottom line, because they have chosen to follow Jesus, the disciples will inherit a glorious salvation.

But just in case Peter and the disciples start to think that their sacrifice to follow Jesus as his first disciples somehow entitles them to a better salvation – that being the early birds somehow entitles them to a bigger, juicier worm – Jesus warns them with this proverb, “ But many who are first will be last, and the last first .”

Now in order to make sense of this cryptic proverb, I believe Jesus told our parable as an illustration. The parable was meant to interpret the proverb. Two observations lead me to make this connection. 1) Note how the parable begins and ends with the same proverb, first in 19:30 and second in 20:16. 2) Note that the “For” in 20:1 indicates a connection with the previous verse, 19:30. The “For” means that whatever follows explains and illustrates whatever proceeded. So in order to understand the proverb, we must study and understand the parable. So look with me at Matthew 20 starting in v1.

Explaining the Parable

So we here we have a vineyard ready for harvesting, but the master of the house (landowner) needs more laborers if he expects to harvest the grapes in time. So he goes to town, to the marketplace, here he knows he can find temporary day-laborers who are looking for work.

In those days, the marketplace was like a job center for poor, unskilled laborers, who were often overworked and underpaid. They would come to the marketplace early in the morning and would take any kind of work they could find – just to survive or to feed their families. Now the workday started at sunrise so in this case 6am. The landowner found some day-laborers to help harvest his vineyard, and they agreed upon a denarius for a day's work.

In those days, a denarius was the normal daily wage, but a denarius is surprisingly generous considering it was the normal daily wage for educated, skilled laborers. But here we're talking about paying unskilled, temporary workers the same amount. So right off the bat, we know we're dealing with a rather generous landowner.

Now three hours later at the 3 rd hour (which is 9am), the landowner realizes he needs more laborers, so he goes back to the marketplace and found more men standing idly around. He hires them and promises to pay them at the end of the day whatever is right. He doesn't specify the amount. He just promises that they would be fairly compensated. At around noontime he did the same thing, and again at 3pm. Then at 5pm, the eleventh hour – one hour before the end of the workday – he found still some more men standing around.

Now when the workday ended at 6pm, all the day-laborers in the field lined up before the foreman to get paid. And surprisingly, the last-hour laborers were paid – one denarius! Now that is a huge bonus! If that is what these late birds are getting paid, I'm sure the first-hour laborers were excited to find out much their bonus would be.

But lo and behold, those who worked the longest received no bonus at all. All the laborers ended up being paid the same amount. Now can you see why the first-hour laborers were grumbling? If there were day-laborer unions back then, you can be sure a protest or sit in would soon be arranged!

But against any charges of unfairness, the landowner responds by reminding the first-hour laborers that they agreed in the beginning to be paid one denarius – and that is exactly what they got. So he did nothing unjust or unfair. He simply did something very generous -- something very gracious. And the landowner goes on to argue that he has every right to do whatever he wants with his own money. It's not like he is being duped by these eleventh-hour laborers. He knows exactly what he is doing. He wants to be generous. He wants to be gracious.

Interpreting the Parable

And then in v16, Jesus sums up his parable with the same proverb he started with (just tweaked slightly), " So the last will be first, and the first last. " So how does this parable help explain the proverb? Well what's the main point of the parable? If you get the parable, then you get the proverb, and then you get what Jesus was trying to teach Peter and the other disciples.

According to most commentaries, the landowner in the parable represents God the Father, the foreman is Jesus, the laborers are Christians, the denarius symbolizes eternal life, and the workday represents the quality or quantity of a believer's service to God – how long or much you've followed and served him.

Now the main point appears to focus on the landowner's freedom and willingness to pay his laborers the same amount – in spite of how much or how little one worked. The landowner is not obligated by the amount of effort put in by his laborers. He has every right to equally distribute his money to the early and late laborers -- which is shocking whether you live in biblical times or modern times.

According to the economy of this world, you can't treat your employees this way. If one employee works more than another, then he should be compensated more. If you give a bonus to your newest hire, then you better give a bonus to your most tenured employee!

But v1 says this parable describes what the kingdom of God is like. Just as the landowner is free to dispense his money as he sees fit, in his kingdom, God is completely free to dispense his salvation as he sees fit. And according to his wisdom and will, God has determined that anyone who comes to Jesus in faith will receive the same glorious salvation.

So when Jesus said, " the last will be first, and the first last " he means that, in the end, the first and the last to follow him will receive the exact same salvation because the gift of salvation is exactly that – a gift not dependent on works.

So in one sense it is true that the early bird does get the worm but not because of his hard work digging it out on his own strength. No, the early bird gets the worm because Mama bird (or in our case Papa bird) has already caught the worm and now graciously regurgitates it into your helpless mouth – out of sheer grace. And you're not the only one who gets worm for breakfast. Papa bird still has more worm in him to give to your sleepy brothers and sisters who woke up later than you.

So those who have wasted countless years living for themselves, indulging in sin, and yet who come to faith in Christ towards the end of their lives, perhaps even on their death beds – these latecomers will receive the same eternal life as those Christians who have followed and served the Lord from a young age.

That's because salvation depends on God's sovereign grace, on his freedom and willingness, to grant all believers the same glorious salvation regardless of when they entered the kingdom or how much they have served since. So you can be sure that the thief on the cross will receive the same salvation as Apostle Peter. The thief's service in the kingdom of God pales in comparison to the mighty works Peter accomplished for God, but both will receive the same Jesus and both will enjoy him to their fullest for eternity.

Applying the Parable

So the point of the parable is that the gift of salvation does not depend on how long or how hard you have served God. Instead, God has ordained to give eternal life to all who trust and obey his Son Jesus Christ. But now what does that mean for us individually and as a church? Let me offer some words of application.

To the Early Bird Christian:

Let me first speak to Christians who have been serving the Lord faithfully for years now (the early birds). 1) This parable reminds us to not take pride in our early acceptance of Jesus but to simply be thankful that God would even offer us a glorious salvation.

Like me, many of you accepted Christ at a young age and have since devoted your life to following him. But friends, we have nothing to boast about. And we have no reason to expect God to reward us with a greater salvation or greater blessing than the latecomers.

The Bible is warning us to not be like those early workers, demanding greater compensation for our years of service. Rather, we are to be like the faithful servants in Luke 17:10 who after serving their master, demanded nothing but simply confessed, “ We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty .”

In the past years, I personally have wrestled with the fleshly tendency to think that since I have faithfully served God for years now and have devoted my life to him, the least he could do is answer a few of my prayers. It's easy for Christians, especially dutiful Christians, to start thinking that it's only right, only fair, for God to bless us every now and then. And when he doesn't – when our requests are not granted, when our aspirations are not met, when our dreams don't come true – we get bitter towards life, towards God.

But in those moments, I have to preach the gospel to myself and remind myself how sinful I am and how undeserving I am of any good thing from God. Once we see that, we realize that God could have simply left us standing idly in the marketplace. And he would have been completely just! He would've been fair.

But thank God that God is better than fair – that he's more than just just. God is gracious. And out of his generous grace, he gave us his Son Jesus, who came to our world to live the life we should have lived and die the death we should have died, so that whosoever calls out to him for salvation will be sure to receive it. That's the good news!

2) Another word of application to believers is this: Do not entertain thoughts of exploiting God's grace. We are tempted to think that if everyone who calls on the name of Jesus receives the same salvation, if both early and late birds get the worm, then what motivation do we have to follow Jesus right now when we can just wait till later and get the same thing? “ Why don't I just live it up, go experience the world, chase after the wind, and then once I'm ready to settle down, then I'll get back to my faith in Jesus .”

But if you're actually thinking this way, then it just proves that you don't understand the true nature of saving grace. And if you start to live out this plan, then you are fooling yourself to presume that you have ever received God's grace in the first place. God's saving grace is a transforming grace . It's a grace that changes you. It changes your mind, heart, and will. So if you've truly received this grace, you will actually want to follow and obey Jesus right now.

And the Bible is very clear in insisting that the holiest are the happiest. Jesus said, “ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied .” (Mt. 5:6) A literal translation for ‘blessed' is ‘happy'. Happy are those who hunger for righteousness! That means the sooner you start seeking first his righteousness, the happier and more satisfied you will be in Jesus. That's the real treasure you're storing up in heaven!

So instead of entertaining the thought of how much sin you can get away with now and still get a glorious salvation later , consider the transforming nature of God's grace and the fact that the holiest truly are the happiest.

There is another application from this parable that can be applied to your church's Compassion Project, which is raising awareness for the plight of the poor and needy in this city. I'm so encouraged to hear that both congregations are being mobilized to go into the inner city to serve the homeless, sick and poor – for the sake of the gospel and the peace of the city (Jer. 29:7).

But let me give you a reminder in advance before you step foot into a shelter or clinic. There is a sure chance that you'll come across a number of lost souls – who at this point look like the laborers in the market place still standing idly around. It's temping to look down on them or at least to congratulate yourself for not standing around like they are and for actually being employed in God's vineyard doing the good work.

But just remember that you were once in their shoes before God graciously called you into his vineyard and promised you a glorious salvation. And remember that if they follow Jesus to the same vineyard, then they will become your brother, your sister, your co-laborer in Christ. And just as God loves you fully and cannot love you more because of your maturity, he loves the late laborer fully and cannot love him less for his immaturity. Therefore, do not despise the late laborer – rather be thankful for the grace of God that is working in their lives and in your own.

To the Late Laborer Christian:

Now let me say a word to those who consider themselves to be late laborers – for those who have recently become Christians or have come to Christ at an older age in life. 1) This parable offers a strong encouragement for you to press on in the faith, reminding you how amazing God's grace really is.

Jesus said elsewhere that whoever has been forgiven much loves much (Lk 7:46). Well you can be sure the late laborers in our parable loved much. That's because instead of dwelling on the fact they only worked one measly hour, instead of focusing on their unworthiness, they were in awe of their master's grace.

In the same way, remember how unworthy you are to receive the kingdom but don't dwell on it! If you keep focusing on yourself and keep dwelling on your lateness to enter the kingdom or weakness in serving the kingdom, you will only experience greater discouragement and doubt. Rather focus your heart on God's amazing grace that accepts unworthy sinners, and let that good news uplift and comfort your soul, especially when you're tempted to compare yourself to stronger Christians around you. Just be thankful that God saved a worm for you.

To the Non Christian:

Let me conclude by offering two applications for those of you who do not consider yourselves to be Christians . Within this parable, you would be one of those still in the marketplace.

1) Realize that you are never beyond the reach of God's grace. If this parable speaks truth, then even on your deathbed it is not too late to receive God's glorious salvation if you call out to Jesus for rescue. Some of you need to hear this. Perhaps others of you have friends or family members who are facing a terminal illness or are at death's door, and perhaps this is the very message, the very parable, they need to hear.

Now I'm going to assume that some of you have been coming to church for months or even years and have yet to trust and follow Christ. And that is because, for one reason or another, you feel like you are not worthy enough to be accepted by God. You feel like you've sinned yourself out of God's favor. You're ashamed of your past, and you feel like there is no way God will ever forgive you or accept you considering the things you've done.

But Jesus speaks this parable to you. He is telling you that you are never beyond the reach of his grace. No matter how late in life you come to Jesus, no matter the circumstances when you come, IF Jesus is calling you then follow after him and receive the same glorious salvation that is in store for all the saints that have come before you.

But just as I warned the Christian who presumes upon God's grace and entertains thoughts of exploiting grace, I issue a similar warning to you. 2) Do not presume upon the grace of God to save you at your convenience.

A lot of people put off God and put off making a decision to believe in Jesus for another day or another season of life when it is more convenient. They tell themselves, “Right now I have to focus on my education or my career. Right now I'm more concerned with finding Mr. or Mrs. Right, or I'm too busy trying to raise my children. I'll get religion later. I'll deal with my salvation later. Right now there are more pressing matters.”

But one thing clear in our parable is that coming to Jesus is not something you can decide at your own convenience . Salvation is of the Lord, and this parable makes it clear that he is the sovereign initiator of saving faith. In the parable, the laborers did not come to the vineyard at their own convenience. Each time, it was the landowner who initiated by going out to the marketplace to find the laborers. They would have been idly standing around all day long if not for the gracious landowner who sought them and welcomed them to his vineyard.

So if you sense God's grace working in your life – if you notice a budding interest in Jesus that you never had before – if you sense him calling you, then now is the time to respond by believing in Jesus and giving your life to him. Please do not presume that five to ten years down the line you will still have the same spiritual interests. If you put things off, most likely your heart will only grow harder and your spiritual interests will only grow weaker.

God's grace is offered according to his sovereign will, not according to your will or when you feel good and ready. If he is calling you now, don't delay. Rejoice in the fact that God is working in your life and trust him to save you – to offer you the same glorious salvation that all Christians enjoy!