“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
“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.’
“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These 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.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:1-16 NIV)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Do you know that one? Can you say it with me? “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
That is the hardest verse in the Bible to believe. Do you realize that? God’s grace is the hardest thing to believe. I’ve had people storm out of Bible class enraged at the thought of grace. Why? Because grace means, “You can’t do it. Even your best doesn’t save you. You are no better than anyone else.” Oh, we hate that! That’s the hardest thing in the Bible to believe. Especially if you’re a practicing Christian. Come on, who is doing more than anybody else for the kingdom of God? We are! Just look at us! That we need grace is the hardest thing to believe.
In fact, grace always surprises you. If you think you understand grace, you probably don’t. Grace always surprises you. My wife and I got to go to Las Vegas for our 15th wedding anniversary. We went to a Matt Franco magic show. Have you heard of Matt Franco? Being the husband that I am, I got us the cheapest tickets in the very back row of the theater. You can see everything the best from up there, right? But when we walked in, the attendant looked at our tickets, and said, “Come with me.” Then she walked us down to the very front row and said, “Would you like to sit here?” “Why, yes!” It was a huge surprise. That’s what grace is. Grace always surprises you.
Jesus tells a better story than that. He wants us to appreciate God’s grace. “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.” In this story, all the action is focused on this landowner. This man goes out. He searches. He finds. He hires. He gives men a job. It’s hard for us today to appreciate how dependent those poor laborers were on wealthy landowners. To have work for a day meant to have food that night. It was a gift! They agree to work for a denarius. A denarius is a coin worth one day’s pay.
But the landowner wasn’t done. He went back out at 9:00 a.m. to search and find and hire more workers. We wonder, “Where were these workers earlier? Did they have a dentist appointment? Did they sleep in?” It didn’t matter. “Go and work in my vineyard.” But not just them. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.” He went. He searched. He found. He hired. Over and over again, this man gave people the chance to work.
Then the story gets ridiculous. “About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around.” It was the 11th hour—5:00 p.m. Even the landowner was surprised, “Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?” “Because no one has hired us.” Do you think that was true? I wonder. I bet some of them had slept in, gone fishing all afternoon, and showed up at 4:45, “Nobody wanted to hire us!” “Well, duh!, you bums!” Or maybe it was true. Can you imagine standing there all day unwanted. Unneeded. Stomach rumbling. Knowing your kids’ stomachs were rumbling. Even at 5:00 p.m., “you also go and work in my vineyard.”
When evening came, it was pay time. Those last ones—the 11th hour ones—were called first. What did they get? A denarius. Remember what that was? A full day’s wage for just one hour. I bet they were as surprised as I was at that magic show. “For us. Really? You’re giving this to us? We don’t deserve this! Thank you!” Do you know what that was? Grace. Grace always surprises.
The early birds were watching. As they watched the last ones get paid so generously, the first ones were getting excited. The greed was growing in their hearts. “They get a denarius? What are we going to get?” Well, what did they get? A denarius. And they didn’t like it. “When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These 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.” Remember how we said grace is the hardest thing to believe? “We worked harder. We deserve more. We earned it. You owe us.” That’s how we think.
Grace seems so unfair to those who work so hard. But the landowner said, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” What a phrase: “Envious because I am generous.” That landowner had been generous to all. He had gone out to all. He had sought all. He had found all. He had given to all. He was gracious to all. His grace made people mad.
So Jesus ended with this, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Things in God’s kingdom are upside-down. When Jesus says, “The first will be last,” he takes away all our pride and forbids us to think that we are better than a tax collector or a prostitute. When Jesus says, “The last will be first,” he takes away all our despair and forbids us to think that we are less than any saint like Peter or John. Because what does God’s kingdom depend on? It’s all by grace.
Do you know whom this parable is for? People like us. In the previous chapter, the rich young man had come to Jesus. Remember how that went? He didn’t want to give up his wealth, so he went away sad. Peter said to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27). Jesus promised him blessings in heaven, but added, “Many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” Then he told this parable. For Peter. For any Christian who feels like they are working hard. For us. Jesus reminds us, “It’s all by grace.”
We need this. Some of us have been working in the heat of the day for 30+ years. It’s hard, isn’t it? Now you see these young people come in. They work like one hour, and they get all the credit. And you think, “Don’t you know how long I’ve been doing this? Don’t you know all the work I’ve put in? Where’s the respect?” Brother or sister, you’re forgetting something: Grace. It’s all by grace. If you’ve served the Lord for 30 or more years, what a miracle of God’s grace!
Some of us are at the other end. You’re young. You’re new. You’re excited. You’re scared. You think, “I don’t know if I can do this. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t even know where to start. He could do this better than me. She could do this better than me. I’m the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Brother or sister, you’re forgetting something: Grace. It’s all by grace. Whatever position God has put you in, it’s all a miracle of God’s grace.
Some of us are “firsts.” At the top. Work is going great. You’re in charge of other people. Family life is good. Your health is strong. You wonder why other people struggle so much. You’re tempted to look at people who don’t seem to have their lives together and think, “That’s all you’re doing? That’s not even close to what I’m accomplishing!” Brother or sister, you’re forgetting something: Grace. It’s all by grace. If you’re at the top, it’s a miracle of God’s grace.
Some of us are “lasts.” At the bottom. At least, you feel that way. Like you’re standing all day, and nothing happens. Like those 11th hour guys. You’re eager to work, but nobody gives you a chance. Nobody knows or values what you’re able to do. So you scream inside, “When is somebody going to see me?” You despair. Brother or sister, you’re forgetting something: Grace. It’s all by grace. In God’s eyes, you are as loved as Mary. You are as successful as St. Paul. Isn’t it ironic how pride and despair have the same cause? Not believing in the grace of God.
Dear friend, it’s all grace. That takes a miracle to believe. Our gracious landowner—God!—has sought you. He has found you. He has made you his own. He has called you to serve him. Isn’t that the most surprising thing in the world? Jesus wants to use us? “Come on! Just look around. Really? Us?” Yes! If you’ve worked for 30+ years, it’s still all by grace. If you are just getting started, it’s all by grace. If you are widely successful, it’s all by grace. If you feel like a colossal failure, it’s still all by grace. That God would use us to accomplish anything, it’s all by grace.
Do you know the very next story? After this parable, Jesus predicts his death—for the third time. Right after saying, “The last will be first, and the first will be last,” Jesus said, “The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:18-19). Jesus doesn’t just give us a job. He gave us his life. Jesus doesn’t just give energy and strength for another day. He gives the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. For you. It’s all for you! Jesus became last, so we could be first.
Never stop viewing grace like an 11th hour worker. “For me? This is for me?” “Yes, yes it is!” “But I didn’t… I hardly… I’ve been standing around all day…” “I know. But it’s my works that save, not yours.” “I don’t deserve this.” “Of course not. It’s grace!” Grace is always a surprise.
This is what unites us. All of us. We’re totally different people with totally different gifts serving in totally different ways with totally different levels of success. This is what unites us: The grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. How do you lead a company? It’s all by grace. How do you wash floors? It’s all by grace. How do you care for your kids or get your to-do list done or face this sickness? It’s all by grace. For all of us. God’s grace is the great equalizer. The great unifier.
So let’s get to work. Doesn’t all this make you want to work? Not to try to be “that guy.” Grace eliminates all comparisons. Don’t compare yourself with other people. That only leads to pride or despair. Don’t fixate on how hard the work is. That only leads to pride or despair too. Instead, look at the grace of our Lord Jesus. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Christ’s grace compels us. Everyday.
I know what it’s like to receive something I didn’t deserve. I’ll never forget getting escorted to the very front row. Surprise! You know what that’s like too. Jesus searched for you. Jesus found you way in the back. Jesus brought you into the front, the very front row. All by grace. How can we say anything but, “Wow! Thank you!” “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” Grace is the best. Make me last, Lord. And fill my heart with your grace. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
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