So, the last shall be first, and the first last… whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant. Matthew 20:16, 26b
Read Matthew 20.
Have you ever been the recipient of someone’s generosity, yet you felt disheartened when you realized that someone else received a much better gift than you did? While you may have been grateful for your gift initially, it suddenly lost its appeal once you caught a glimpse of the unfair advantage it seems someone else received. You jumped from gratitude to jealousy in a matter of minutes, yet the value of your gift never changed. The only difference was in your perception.
As my third graders used to say, “You get what you get, and you don’t pitch a fit.”
This seems like a child’s lesson, but Jesus was teaching a much deeper message about the Kingdom of God. He told an unusual parable about a landowner who hired laborers to work in his vineyard. At 9:00 AM, he hired a group of workers and agreed on a fair payment for a full day’s work. Everyone was pleased with the terms of the agreement.
The landowner went out again at noon, 3:00, and 5:00 to hire more workers. However, at the end of the day, when it came time to pay everyone their wages, each worker received the same amount of money, regardless of how many hours they worked.
The laborers who had worked all day basically threw a fit. They felt it was unfair to have worked and sweat all day and then receive the same amount of money as those who had worked only part of the day. Some had only worked for one hour! The first group was jealous and suddenly unhappy with the very same wages they had agreed upon at the beginning of the day. However, the landowner pointed out that he had paid them all that they had agreed upon, and as the employer, he has the right to pay his employees whatever he wants. He has the prerogative to show kindness and generosity however he wants, to whomever he wants, and as much as he wants.
What Jesus was illustrating is that the Kingdom of God works the same way. Everyone who has received Jesus as their Lord will receive eternal life, by the generous grace of God, regardless of their works or the number of years they followed Christ. Whether someone lived for God their entire life, or someone did not profess Christ until on their death beds, they are all on a level playing field before God. It is not our works that make us worthy, but it His grace. Jesus paid the price for all of us, so we are not to point our fingers at others thinking that they are not as deserving as we are. None of us deserve His grace! We have all been recipients of God’s generosity and kindness, and we must be grateful no matter what He has done for others. Consequently, this pertains to the gift of eternal life, but God does promise additional rewards for our works.
This message Jesus taught pertains to the blessings of God as well. God has His reasons for blessing others differently than He chooses to bless us. Some receive instant healing, and others suffer through a process. Some have plenty, and some live with little. Some have comfortable lives, and some experience tragedy and heartache in their lives. Instead of trying to figure out the fairness in all of this, or to determine the value of your life by comparing your circumstances with someone else’s is futile in the Kingdom of God. There are so many factors we may never know! Just trust that God has a plan, and He will make everything right in His perfect way and His perfect time. Don’t compare, and put away all jealousy.
After Jesus and His disciples left the crowds, Jesus began speaking to His disciples again about His impending death and suffering. He took every opportunity possible to prepare them ahead of time for what was about to happen. Something I noticed is that Jesus also mentioned that He would be betrayed. Jesus knew this all along. It wasn’t something that suddenly occurred to Him at the Passover meal!
Jesus then had another opportunity to teach about being great in the Kingdom. The mother of James and John actually had the nerve to ask Jesus if her sons could have the places of honor at his right and left sides when He rules in His Kingdom. Jesus let her know that she had no clue what she was really asking. He questioned whether they had the guts to drink from the bitter cup He was about to face, and they tried to convince Him that they could. He, of course, let them know they certainly would be drinking from that bitter cup! As for the places of honor? That is God’s choosing!
Jesus revealed a powerful Kingdom principle in His response to them, but this is also a relevant lesson for us today in our walk with Christ. Whoever wants to be great must be a servant. Whoever wants to be first must be a slave. God values the humble. Even Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. He came for the purpose of giving His life as a ransom for many.
Finally, I love the icing on the cake for this chapter. As Jesus and His disciples left the town of Jericho, they were followed again by a large crowd. As they passed two blind men sitting on the side of the road, the men began shouting at the top of the lungs, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The people tried to hush these men, but Jesus wouldn’t have it. He stopped in front of the men and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said, “We want to see.”
Jesus had compassion on them and instantly restored their sight. Immediately, the men got up and followed Jesus.
