A parable regarding labor, my explanation regarding the quote “the first is last and the last comes first…”
Matthew 20:1-16 (New International Version)
Matthew 20
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5So they went.
“He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7” ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
I felt that this verse was unfair at first too,
but the truth is,
It is just and reasonable! Why?
If you have heard the good news earlier than the rest of the world and lived without sin, then you are given the last priority for the cause that you have already proven your worthiness to God and that by faith in Jesus Christ you have been established. And if you heard the words of God the last, then you are of first priority. Why? So you can establish your faith and be redeemed out of sin …
If you consider yourself better than the other, that means you want to have a much higher reward for all your endeavors. When the fruits are the same.. We have the same earnings for having the same faith. And the sole and ultimate reward is Paradise in Heavens through salvation. What’s the difference between a king who lead the country to abundance and a mere child who prays in his heart? The king has worked for more, but the faith and purity of the child and the king is the same. Would the reward be different when you can work for more? Though we work for the same, less or much higher than the rest of the crowd, God gives only equal blessings to our labors… And we are set forth equally in His eyes. What matters is that it comes from the heart.
For there is the same reward.
Heaven.
Then the child who heard the words of God much later than the King, shall have the same consideration, despite that he came later to realize the greatness of God.
The last to hear His words are also considered. Even a man who has sinned all his life has been given the right to enter the heavens as long as the purity in his repentance comes full circle. And what of us to complain? Everybody has an equal right to be in heaven no matter how small he has contributed, for he has heard the words much later than the first, yet is welcomed all the same…
I have gained ideas of this topic with this site:
http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=020
Before we think that we deserve better than those who has heard the words last, think of the things that has been given to us to accomplish much greater things. We are given something more, and it is our job to sharpen what has been given to us, so we can share it to the late comers so for them to create as much labor as us.
What can we boast to God when we have done so much? Talents? We can create songs? We know math? That’s old news, He created galaxies and the universe. You have more than the rest of the world thinking that we're better? Having miracles and super natural powers? Okay then, Multiply our so called talents to the stars in the universe add it up to all the galaxies raised to the highest forever.
THAT IS GOD’S TALENT.
He is not impressed with quality, efficiency, greatness, but He smiles from the heart when we offer our works in patience, in long sufferings, love and hardships. Even if we have so much and had labored for more that the others doesn’t necessarily mean that we get more favors than the rest. He sees us with equality rather than declare favoritism.
Amen…
Always remember that it is the heart that matters... Cute kids huh?
Matthew 20
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5So they went.
“He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7” ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
I felt that this verse was unfair at first too,
but the truth is,
It is just and reasonable! Why?
If you have heard the good news earlier than the rest of the world and lived without sin, then you are given the last priority for the cause that you have already proven your worthiness to God and that by faith in Jesus Christ you have been established. And if you heard the words of God the last, then you are of first priority. Why? So you can establish your faith and be redeemed out of sin …
If you consider yourself better than the other, that means you want to have a much higher reward for all your endeavors. When the fruits are the same.. We have the same earnings for having the same faith. And the sole and ultimate reward is Paradise in Heavens through salvation. What’s the difference between a king who lead the country to abundance and a mere child who prays in his heart? The king has worked for more, but the faith and purity of the child and the king is the same. Would the reward be different when you can work for more? Though we work for the same, less or much higher than the rest of the crowd, God gives only equal blessings to our labors… And we are set forth equally in His eyes. What matters is that it comes from the heart.
For there is the same reward.
Heaven.
Then the child who heard the words of God much later than the King, shall have the same consideration, despite that he came later to realize the greatness of God.
The last to hear His words are also considered. Even a man who has sinned all his life has been given the right to enter the heavens as long as the purity in his repentance comes full circle. And what of us to complain? Everybody has an equal right to be in heaven no matter how small he has contributed, for he has heard the words much later than the first, yet is welcomed all the same…
I have gained ideas of this topic with this site:
http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/mhc-con/view.cgi?book=mt&chapter=020
Before we think that we deserve better than those who has heard the words last, think of the things that has been given to us to accomplish much greater things. We are given something more, and it is our job to sharpen what has been given to us, so we can share it to the late comers so for them to create as much labor as us.
What can we boast to God when we have done so much? Talents? We can create songs? We know math? That’s old news, He created galaxies and the universe. You have more than the rest of the world thinking that we're better? Having miracles and super natural powers? Okay then, Multiply our so called talents to the stars in the universe add it up to all the galaxies raised to the highest forever.
THAT IS GOD’S TALENT.
He is not impressed with quality, efficiency, greatness, but He smiles from the heart when we offer our works in patience, in long sufferings, love and hardships. Even if we have so much and had labored for more that the others doesn’t necessarily mean that we get more favors than the rest. He sees us with equality rather than declare favoritism.
Amen…
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Always remember that it is the heart that matters... Cute kids huh?
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