The First Shall Be Last

carpecollum@gmail.com — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:16:23 GMT

Matthew 19 closes with verse 30: "But many who are first will be last; and the last, first." In chapter 20, Jesus launches into an illustration of this principle with the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The landowner hired 5 waves of workers early in the morning, at the 3rd hour, the 6th hour, the 9th hour, and the 11th hour. Each worker was paid the same, a full day's wages. We might have lawsuits, if this happened today. As it was, those hired early in the morning were upset because these other men had only worked one stinkin' hour and they had worked the entire day! They should get more. They deserved more. Or so they thought.

The landowner simply reminded them of their agreement. Don't worry about these other men, just rejoice in the reward for your own work.

Our sense of fairness is likely the same as these 1st century men's. Is it really fair for those who were "there first" to get the same reward as those who were there last? Finders keepers, after all! I called shotgun. The early bird gets the worm. All those cliches we use in our sense of fairness.

Unfortunately, we sometimes let a false sense of fairness bleed into our religion. This would have had direct application to the Jews in the 1st century. Were they not God's chosen people? Were they not His FIRST chosen? Jesus went only to the Jews. Paul wrote in Romans 1 the gospel was to the Jew first and also the Greek. Jesus told His apostles they would be witnesses first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, and then to the rest of the world (Acts 1:8). So didn't the Jew have an advantage? Yes, but it's not a spiritual advantage. The advantage of the Jew is they had God's word in their face throughout their entire history. They had ready access to God and His laws. But the Jews translated that special relationship to mean God loved them more than any other nation...in fact, perhaps He loved them exclusively!

Jesus said God's sense of fairness is not the same as man's. There was spiritually no difference between a Jew and a Gentile. There was absolutely no spiritual advantage. This is made clear in the book of Romans (Rom. 2:29-3:30).

How do we measure up today? I'm a second- or third-generation Christian. What advantage do I have over a first-generation Christian? The only advantage is I have been brought up with the word of God (hopefully). I must not think I have a spiritual advantage over anyone! But, wasn't I "first" in a sense? Perhaps I obtained my salvation at an early age. Does that make me better than a brother who obeyed the gospel at age 60? Does an elder in the church have a greater position in the kingdom than the new babe in Christ? We may think so, and sometimes we act so. Brethren, it ought not to be. We are working towards the same reward: eternal life! Blessed is each who obtains salvation before the day of judgment!

Nathan

Daily Bible Message

The First Shall Be Last