Matthew 20:1-16
Here’s another parable in the bible that some of us just finds it very hard to accept, because again, it’s
unfair. The point that Jesus is making here is obvious, that is, the first will be last and last will be first. So what
does it really mean for us? Perhaps it would be helpful to ask why Jesus said this parable in the first place. It
was actually a response to some of the questions posed in the previous chapter, which is entirely absent from
our lectionary, a reading system that cycles every 3 years. We are in year A, so that the gospel readings are
mainly from Matthew. But chapter 19 does not appear at all in these 3 years. That’s because we will hear it in
the gospel of Mark next year. Anyway, in Matthew chapter 19, we see the story about the rich young man or
ruler who comes to Jesus asking “what GOOD deed must I do to have eternal life?” Let me read the story.
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?" 17And
he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter
life, keep the commandments." 18He said to him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder,
You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19Honor your father
and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 20The young man said to him "All these I have
kept. What do I still lack?" 21Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 When the young man heard this
he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you,
only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 25When the disciples
heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 26But Jesus looked at them and
said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 27Then Peter said in reply, "See,
we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" 28Jesus said to them, "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, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold
and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Peter’s remark at the end is interesting and very human. “We’ve come all the way with you master,
we’ve left all that we have behind. You told us to come and we did, we left our fathers, careers, and homes. So
what do we get? What GOOD is there in following you?” And perhaps we ask the same questions too. It’s early
in the morning, it’s Sunday, it’s your day off, you’ve had a rough week, you are tired, the last thing you want to
do at 9 in the morning is to get out of your bed. What good is there in going to church? What’s the point of
going there for an hour or two, sing a few songs, and then come back home again?
What about offering? What’s the point of giving? God doesn’t need money, besides, I’m a bit short this
month. Alright fine, I will sacrifice this morning’s coffee money but don’t expect any more from me! The same
can be asked about our offering in other areas of life. A few weeks ago, I talked about the Christian life being a
living sacrifice (Rm12). It is a life where you live as God’s special people in your daily calling, either as a
parent, as a child, as a spouse, as a student, as a worker, basically anywhere you are, that’s where God has
called you to be. But what do all these things benefit me? Really, what’s in it for me if I were to be a good
person in fulfilling God’s calling? What GOOD is there?
Our egotistic, self-absorbed, sinful nature will quickly answer for us, “Of course it counts for something,
whatever it may be, at least something is earned if and when we do these things that God tells us so clearly in
the bible.” We are offering ourselves as living sacrifices, there must be some sort of recompensation, at least
some, God can’t be so unjust in not giving anything for all these wonderful things that we do for him. Well at
least this parable in chapter 20 seems to say that. At the end of the day, the master will pay the workers. But
here’s the real kicker, they all get the same amount! Whether you worked 12 hours or just 1 hour, you still get
the same pay! What a scandal this is! This is not just a fictitious story but it is what God does with his people
and it certainly shocked Peter and the disciples and probably that young rich man also.
Can you imagine Hitler being in heaven right now, in the presence of Jesus? Can you imagine such a
person or any people like him are now enjoying heaven? Yes, he did many evil in his day, but can you imagine
just before his death, he happened to read the bible and came to believe that all his sins have been forgiven in
Jesus Christ? For many of us, this will make our stomachs turn. Of course I am in no way saying that Hitler is in
heaven because I am not God, I do not judge people’s hearts. But this is what Jesus was trying to convey and so
to shock his listeners. The thief that was crucified with him was the best real example we have. He was truly an
evil person. If he was just a thief, he wouldn’t be crucified because it’s reserved for the worst sinners. And yet,
he believed in Jesus in the last moment and so he is now in paradise with Jesus. We don’t like to hear these
unfair stories, especially coming out from the mouth of Jesus because it totally contradicts our experience and
way of life.
The first workers in the parable complained, and no doubt that was the same kind of thoughts Peter had
and even us, from time to time. How can God let this person who has done no work, a recent convert, one who
lived the most wicked life one could ever imagine, how can he now receive the same honor as me? I worked for
so long, I was a believer ever since I can walk and talk, I have been a member of this congregation for so many
years, I have served the lord in this and that ministry. How can this guy get what I’m getting?
How does the lord answer us? “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” This is
actually quite a scary thing for us because it means that we have no control whatsoever. We’d like to think that
we do, to some degree at least, but in reality we don’t. We have no power and control over our lives and
certainly not in the things of God. We often like to think that we are such good and wonderful people, so good
that God has to reward us one way or the other. Even if we don’t achieve the standards set out in the 10
commandments, we are still better than the OTHER person next to us. But really, there’s nothing that we can
say, do, or think, that will move God to be good to us. If you can, then you are bribing God. There is no handle
on God by which you can grasp him and manipulate him. That’s what all the other religions do with their good
works, their prayers, and religious activities.
Christianity is indeed a scary religion because we just can’t control this God. He will do whatever he
wants and however he wants. But it is only scary IF we stop here, if we don’t know the nature and character of
this God in the bible. We become so perplexed with these parables because we think that we are good, however
we want to define and measure good, we still think that we are good to some degree, not perfect, but good
enough. Apparently, there is only ONE who is good. Who is that one? It’s none other than God himself, who
comes to us in the flesh to call us to be his workmanship for doing good works. It is entirely based on God’s
goodness that we have anything. As it is, he’s the only one in this entire universe that is still “good”. Everything
was supposed to be good, in fact, when he finished creating on the 6th day, everything was VERY GOOD. But
now, nothing is good except the one, Jesus Christ. Because we use our own standards and understanding, we
begrudge his generosity, the Greek there can also be translated as good. In fact, that verse there at the end of the
parable is emphatic so that Jesus is saying “are you jealous because I, me, am so good?”
And this is the God that we have, a good and gracious God who gives us things that we don’t deserve.
Get this right, none of the things we have are earned by our goodness, but they are given to us because of his
goodness to us. Can we really compare ourselves with other people? We like to do that because it makes us feel
better about ourselves, but according to God’s way of thinking, we are all the same so that there is no first and
last according to our placement. Is this a good thing? Of course, it’s tremendous because just as everyone is
equal in God’s sight, so we are also made equal with Christ, in the sense that we partake what belongs to him.
He’s not only the one who is good, but he’s the only one who is first. He was the first to go through death AND
resurrection. He is the one who crossed the finish line first and obtained the crown of victory for us. We don’t
have to earn it because it is already ours. Everything is simply a gift, a gracious one which God lavishes upon us
daily.
So the question comes up again, “So then, what’s the point of going to church early in the morning, even
Sunday mornings! What’s the point of offering and serving our neighbors?” If we still operate with the selfish
“what’s in it for me” attitude, then life is nothing but under the law. But life under the gospel is to see all thing
as a gift from God, including church, the divine service, our service, our time, money, and everything else. The
old cliché puts it like this, “we don’t ‘got to’ serve, but we ‘get to’ serve”. It is a matter of attitude of the mind,
which is renewed through the mercies and grace of God. Certainly we don’t have to go to church, but then the
question is “why wouldn’t you?” God had promised to be with us and to serve us through his word and his body
and blood. Why wouldn’t you want to come? Why wouldn’t you serve with your money, time, strength, and
talents, when God has given those gifts to be a blessing to others?
Again, it’s not about yourself, but according to his own goodness, he will do whatever is right with what
belongs to him. Since you are now his by virtue of Christ death and resurrection, you will conform your will to
his so that you will want to live as his children, receiving grace and mercy from him. Therefore we are no
longer under law or obligation as if we are coerced and forced, but we are transformed and renewed again and
again through that same mercy and grace.