SECTION 9: THE SERVANTS OF THE KING
CHAPTER 47
FIRST – LAST – OR FEW
OR
A LESSON ON TRUE GREATNESS
Scripture To Consider:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And they went.”
“Again he went out about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'”
So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they murmured against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.‘”
“But the owner answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.” Matthew 20.1-16
Something To Consider:
The interpretation of this parable of laborers in the vineyard has been found difficult simply because it has been separated from the story of the rich young man and from the question of Peter to which it belongs. It was really designed to indicate the peril of refusing to enter the service of Christ and the danger of a commercial spirit in seeking the rewards in such service. The story illustrates the great principle stated in the verse which precedes the parable and in the verse with which the parable closes.
Jesus stated in verse 30 of the previous chapter 19, by proclaiming, “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” And in verse 16 of chapter 20 Jesus declared, “So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.” We will speak on the many and the few later. Peter seemed to imagine that, because he had sacrificed for Christ, the Messiah was bound to give him a great reward. Jesus did promise the reward, but He wished to rebuke the spirit which prompted one to serve, not in love and gratitude, but for the sake of the recompense which may be given.
Therefore, Jesus told the story of the laborers who early in the morning made a hard and fast bargain for a denarius a day, and of others who were engaged at the third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hour, who made no agreement with the landowner, but who trusted in his honesty and generosity, and who when the evening was come received as much as those who had been hired in the early morning. How would we have responded if we had worked the entire day and received the same as those who worked only one hour? It is something to consider!
The early acquired laborers complained, not because they failed to receive the wage for which they had bargained for, but because others who had rendered a less service had received an equal reward. Thus, Jesus corrected the commercial spirit which sometimes exemplifies His followers. He shows that everyone will receive all that he or she deserves, but there will surprises; not that anyone receives so little, but that some will receive so much! Jesus is absolutely sovereign in bestowing His eternal rewards.
Jesus recognizes that some have less opportunity for service, and that ability and the time of their service is limited; but if they trust in Him and depend upon His grace, they will be surprised at the liberality of the King. Rewards are certain, but they are not to be the true motive of our service. We should follow the King and seek to please Him because this is in itself the highest and most true life, but chiefly because He has done so much for us. Gratitude will make sacrifice easy. His love can be trusted for a surprising and unmerited reward.
More Scripture To Consider:
“Then Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, ‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.’“
“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Jesus. And He said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She said to Him, ‘Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.’ But Jesus answered and said, ‘You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’“
“And they [the sons of Zebedee] said to Jesus, ‘We are able.’ So Jesus said to them, ‘You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.’ And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brothers.”
“But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’“ Matthew 20.17-28
Something Else To Consider:
The request of Salome that her two sons, James and John, might occupy the chief places in the coming kingdom of Christ was made at the very time that Jesus had again predicted His suffering death. This often has been called the third prediction, but more accurately it is the fourth recorded by Matthew and is evidently an example of the repeated references made by Christ since He gave the first great disclosure at Caesarea Philippi. Here details of cruelty are added. Not only is Jesus to die, but He is to be mocked, scourged, and crucified.
That Jesus saw so minutely all the agonies awaiting Him, enhances the picture of His matchless heroism as He moved forward with such majestic tread to accomplish His redeeming work. That this request was made for James and John at such a time marks the contrast between the self-sacrifice of the King and the self-seeking of His followers, and it adds meaning to the message which Jesus now delivers relative to the nature of true greatness.
There are aspects of beauty in the request made by their mother. It discloses a mother’s fondness which assumes that nothing could be too good for her sons. It also reveals a mother’s faith. In Jesus, that prophet from Nazareth, whom the rulers hated and despised, Salome saw one who was yet to be King of kings and Lord of lords. She wished her sons to have the highest places in that kingdom, and this is a desire which all parents should probably share.
However, it did betray on the part of James and John, for whom this mother was speaking, much of pride and jealousy as well as a lack of spiritual understanding, and these Jesus lovingly rebuked. And so, Jesus addressed to the question, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
They assured Jesus that they were able to share the cup of suffering that He was to drink. He then explained to them that while indeed that cup was for them to drink, the honor which they desired to claim for themselves was not to be given in a sudden whimsical wish, nor to arbitrarily be assigned. That decision, according to Jesus, rests with God His Father in heaven.
The high places in His coming kingdom, are not matters of appointment but of achievement. They are, according to Jesus, not secured by influence or by favor but according to His Father’s will, as Jesus proclaimed, “But it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”
This request of James and John fills their fellow disciples with indignation; but we are not to conclude that this was righteous indignation. They are not merely troubled because James and John are lacking in spiritual discernment, or because their request is unjust, or because their attitude was selfish. It appears that the ten are equally mistaken and equally at fault. These other ten disciples appeared to be jealous. They appeared to covet and claim for themselves exactly the same thing James and John had requested.
We too, are commonly tempted to be most indignant at those faults in others of which we ourselves are just as guilty if not more so. But Jesus does not rebuke His disciples, but He takes the occasion to declare the law of true greatness. This He contrasts with the standards of the world, by which His followers are ever in danger of being affected. Among the Gentiles, among the nations, those accounted as leaders, those who rule over others and who are served by many; they are called great.
But among the followers of Christ different ideals must prevail. Those who are the greatest are of the most service to others. In contrast with the unbelieving world standards, Jesus therefore set forth a principle, which may be translated, “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave.”
In other words, service is the law of greatness in the kingdom of Christ; and from this law the King was not exempt. Rather, He is Himself the great example even as He declared, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” This willing sacrifice, this death in the place of many, this redeeming love, recognized by His followers is to be the motive for service, and it is likewise the measure of true greatness.
We are not Christians because we serve others; we serve others because we are Christians. Self-sacrifice and helpfulness are never substitutes for faith and love. The more humble, patient, and faithful our service, the nearer we ever shall be to Him and like Him whose greatness is supreme, who loved us and gave Himself up for us while we were yet sinners and living in total rebellion to Him.
More Scripture To Consider:
“Now as they [the disciples and Jesus] departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed Jesus. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!’ Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!'”
“So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, that our eyes may be opened.’ So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.” Matthew 20.29-34
Something More To Consider:
The journey through Perea had ended. Jesus was nearing Jerusalem. The last great city had been passed, but as He departed from Jericho Jesus preformed a cure which illustrated His kingly power and reveled His tender sympathy. Two blind men cry out to Him for mercy. One of these in Mark’s gospel is called Bartimaeus. The spiritual sight of these men seems to be clearer than that of the nation, which is about to reject its King, but these physically blind men recognized Jesus as the true Messiah.
Therefore, they salute Jesus as the Son of David while trusting in His divine power to heal them. And so, they receive His gracious help and are instantly delivered from their distressing physical blindness. Therefore, this miracle is also a parable of the saving work of Christ. He opens the eyes of the understanding and gives spiritual sight to those who need to see life clearly with its duties, its demands, and its problems in relation to man and to God.
There is first of all, the picture of their pitiful need, poor and helpless because they are blind, with none to sympathize and none to aid them. These men form a striking portrait of those today who are lacking spiritual sight and discernment. Nearby, in another most striking contrast, stands the majestic image of the King. He is passing by for the last time. He is able to heal if only He can be reached.
Then there are the obstacles to overcome, the doubts and difficulties that lie in the way of those who need the healing touch of Jesus as described by Matthew, “Then the multitude warned them [the blind men seeking healing from Jesus] that they should be quiet.” Often do those who yearn for light and healing hear the words that attempt to discourage and suggestions which lead to hopelessness and despair. But in these men, there is the freshly painted picture of eager determination by their response to the warning of others, “But they cried out all the more, saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!'”
Lastly, is the final closing scene of complete relief, for according to Matthew’s report, “So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Jesus.” How many others have likewise found the Master able and willing to give them spiritual vision by opening their eyes to see things unseen and eternal, so they too may follow the master with joyful footsteps as they journey toward the celestial city where they will see the King in all His beauty and will be like Him when they see Him face to face as He truly is!
A Few Final Words:
Therefore, what have we learned from Jesus as it pertains to His lesson on laborers in the vineyard? What have we gleaned from His lesson on true greatness as it pertains to the kingdom of God? According to Jesus, “So the last will be first, and the first last.” And yet, the bottom line is that we will all receive more than we deserve if we endure to the end of our lives or if we endure unto the end of this age, according to Jesus. And at that very moment, as we are in the presence of the Lord, we will realize that Jesus embodies true greatness, and our final lesson of a lifetime will have been learned.
But, as promised, we cannot close without speaking on the closing words of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard spoken by Jesus. “For many are called, but few chosen.” Throughout the gospels and the New Testament epistles, there is this underlying theme that pertains to the spiritual reality of the many and the few. According to Jesus, we are commanded to, “Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life [eternal life], and there are few who find it.”
In Closing:
All of life should be about our entering the narrow, difficult, and sometimes constricting entrance point that leads to eternal life. And yet, according to Jesus, there are and remain in every generation since, only a few who successfully find that narrow entrance point of Jesus and then actually enter into Him by way of fully trusting and obeying His written and preserved Word of God.
While at the same time in every generation since Jesus spoke those words, the many have not overcome the obstacles, have not endured unto the end; but rather have chosen not to deem Jesus’ words of greater value than the pleasure of sin for a season. And for many of the many, their only sin has been a repeated rejection of Jesus Christ. May we therefore, be always among the few and never be found by Jesus to be among the many misled, deceived, and disillusioned at the time of the end!
Let’s Pray:
Our Father in heaven, thank You for the lessons of a lifetime concerning our being either the first, the last, or among the many and or among the few. Teach us the eternal importance of the biblical lessons of true greatness according to Jesus. In Him Always, Amen!
This concludes Volume 3 of The Gospel According To Matthew.
Please see next Wednesday’s message of much meaning for the beginning of Volume 4.
According to Jesus 