Jesus shares this intriguing parable with his disciples about a landowner and his hiring of workers to work in his vineyard. He hires workers at 6am, 9am, 12, 3pm and 5pm, work is rounded off at 6pm. At the end of the day's, the landowner decides to pay all the workers, no matter when they were hired, the same pay.
"When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” Matthew 20:9-16 NLT.
The story in my opinion gives us a glimpse of how grace works. Humanely speaking, the workers hired first should have received an increase in wage, but that is not how grace works. When it comes to salvation and working in the kingdom; it is not by power or by might.
In a second lesson, Jesus teaches the disciples about serving one another and how that will determine how we stand in the kingdom; first or last. Those who will be first in the kingdom, are called to be servants here.
"But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world Lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave."
Matthew 20:25-27 NLT.
The people of the world might not understand this but we do, servants are leaders.
