Matthew 20:16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16 NRSV).

Comment:

This familiar statement is the last line of one of Jesus' most challenging parables: the story of the landowner who hires workers at four different times in the course of a day and then pays them all the same at the end of the day, no matter how long or how briefly they had worked. Those who worked a full day received what they had agreed to receive; they were not cheated in any way. But they were unhappy that those who worked less time got the same amount.   What I think Jesus is saying, in essence, is that it isn't a question of “deserving.” No one truly deserves the kingdom. No one earns it according to who he is or the work he does. The men in the parable all do one important thing: they accept the invitation of the landowner to labor in his vineyard. It's not the work that is rewarded; it's the choice to accept the invitation.   Many people—then and now—believe that God maintains a kind of hierarchy. Those who are born into the right religion or class or family are entitled to more. Those who are religiously obedient for all their lives will be favored in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is saying that we have to leave those human concepts behind. When we once make the choice to enter into kingdom consciousness, our reward is full and complete. The Love of God is unconditional; none of the men is denied his share of the blessings, and none of the men receives more than another.   Given that there is no hierarchy in God and no time in eternity, Jesus cannot be saying that the first will go to the back of the line and the last will go to the front of the line. There is no first and last. There is no line. There is only God. The “last” and the “first” will enter kingdom consciousness at whatever moment they come to believe and make that choice. And because we are all united in Christ consciousness, each of us is affected by the choices that all of us make. Stop comparing yourself to others, Jesus is saying. Stop feeling worthy of special treatment. Accept the infinite gifts of God gratefully.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed