Matthew: The First and the Last (20:1-28)

This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 17 March 2024. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.

What is in it for me? What am I going to get out of it? If I give my time and energy to that task or to that person, how will it benefit me? I’m sure you realise that that is a common attitude today. Your colleagues at work grumble like that when they are asked to do unpaid overtime. Your children complain like that about household chores. In our increasingly individualistic society, self-interest is the main motive in many, if not most, people’s lives. Even secular commentators can see it, for they point out that volunteer rates are declining every year. Scouts can’t find leaders. Parkrun struggles to get marshals. Clubs are closing for lack of committed members. This attitude of me, myself and I is all around us. It is reshaping the world we live in, making it a more selfish, self-centred place. And unfortunately, that is not only true in workplaces, homes, and civic life, but it is also true in the church. Many Christians today ask the same kinds of questions about church: What will I get out of this Sunday service? How will being a church member benefit me? Why would I give up my time and energy to serve someone like that? And yet, in our passage tonight, we see that while such questions may be becoming increasingly prevalent today, they are not new. For some of the disciples actually asked Jesus very similar questions during his time on earth.

If you remember the last time we were in Matthew’s Gospel, at the end of chapter 19, we heard about a rich young ruler who refused to give up all he had to follow Jesus. And in response, Peter blurted out what seemed like a rather self-centred question in 19:27, for he says to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you! [...] What then will there be for us?” It sounds like a selfish question, displays a ‘what’s in it for me’ type attitude. And yet, amazingly, we heard a few weeks ago, that Jesus doesn’t condemn or correct Peter here, but instead he reveals the reward that awaits all who faithfully follow him. For in 19:28-29, he explains: [READ].

Here we see that God is not like a stingy boss refusing to pay his employees for overtime. Nor is he like that parent who says their child must carry out their chores just because they say so. No, he is happy to incentivise his servants. When God tells to let go of earth, it is so we can take hold of heaven. He promises that those who trust in Jesus will never be put to shame. That those who follow Jesus, remain faithful to Jesus, will not be disappointed when they reach their destination. As C S Lewis put it, there are far far better things ahead than any we can leave behind. Brothers and sisters, we must never become embarrassed or apologetic for how Scripture seeks to draw us by such desires, of how it can speak so powerfully and persuasively of all that God has prepared for those who love him. As Andy Fenton reminded us from Psalm 84 last week, a day in God’s court is better than a thousand elsewhere. A life of sacrifice is far better than a life of sin. Whatever you give up for Jesus, it will return to you a hundredfold.

And yet, did you notice that right at the end of Matthew 19, Jesus finishes with a phrase, a proverb that perhaps throws a spanner in the works, causes us to question our basic instincts to work for our own good and greatness? For in 19:30, he declares: [READ]. I hope you see how this slightly obscure statement sets the subject, determines the direction, of all that Jesus goes on to share in our passage this evening. Matthew 19:30 is really the introduction to Matthew 20, it puts forward the principle that Jesus will illustrate first in the parable of the workers, and then in the request of the disciples. Those are the two sections our passage splits into tonight, and I hope you noticed both of them end with Jesus repeating or reiterating this principle of the last being first and the first being last. Not only does it introduce the parable of the workers, but it also concludes it. For in 20:16, Jesus again states: [READ]. And Jesus returns to it again at the end of our passage, for in answering the question of the disciples in 20:27, he speaks of those who want to be first needing to take the place of the last. Our passage tonight is all about the last being first and the first being last. And so, I hope you aren’t surprised by the fact I have two rather uncreative main points to make: (1) The Last Will Be First (20:1-16); (2) The First Must Be Last (20:17-28). [...]

1.     THE LAST WILL BE FIRST (20:1-16)

If you remember the parable, it involves an owner of a vineyard going out to hire some extra help for his harvest. He goes to the marketplace, which was where those looking for work would have gone. Indeed, that is still the practice for manual labourers in many countries around the world today. We read in 20:1, that he went there early, likely around 6AM, as soon as the sun came up, so he could get his harvest in as quickly as possible. And these men the owner picked first are promised a whole denarius for the day, which was a very generous rate at the time, especially for unskilled manual labourers. It was a great deal, and so they head off to his harvest field. However, it seems there is more work than he originally thought, for he keeps having to return throughout the rest of the day to recruit more workers. He comes back at 9, at noon, at 3, and even at 5, literally at the eleventh hour in 20:6, just before the end of the work day, which would have lasted 12 hours, from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening. We are told in 20:7, that those who are hired last had been waiting around all day for work, but never been hired. And so, it is likely such men would have been the worst and weakest workers. They are kind of like those kids who were always left over when you were picking teams in PE, you know the 4 or 5 children in your class that nobody really wanted in their team, because they weren’t quite sure if they were more of an asset or a liability. These last workers hired where like those children, they are unwanted by everyone else. And unlike with the first set of workers, the master does not promise any of these latecomers a particular wage. Instead, in 20:4, he simply tells them that he will give them whatever is right. And yet, when we get to 20:9, we see they are not disappointed, for they receive a whole denarius. This sets up the big surprise at the end of our story, for in 20:10-12: [READ].

I am sure you can sympathise with these workers. They had laboured all day, literally from morning to night, and yet received the same reward as those who turned up for the final hour. Not only did they work longer, but they were also the strongest most skilled labours. They were picked first because they were probably the best, with those hired last being the weakest and worst workers. And yet, in the end, they all receive the same payslip. And that is supposed to surprise us. It isn’t how things normally operate. The wage you receive is supposed to depend on the work you do. That is fair, that is just. In the normal course of this world, the first is first and the last is last.  If we gave Olympic Gold to the person in last place, we would all see the injustice. If the big bonus went to least productive member of your team, then there would rightly be an uproar. And yet, here Jesus is saying that the kingdom of heaven is not like that. Christ’s kingdom is different. In the kingdom of heaven, a different principle is at play, the last are treated like the first. The worst get the same as the best, the weakest the same as the brightest.

And of course, if you know your Bibles, you will see this principle throughout the pages of Scripture. Abraham was not selected by God because he was a good man, for he was an idolator living in a pagan land. Israel was not picked to be God’s people because it was a strong nation, for they were slaves at the time in Egypt. David was not chosen to be king because he was great, but rather he was the least of all his brothers, the most unlikely of Jesse’s sons to be picked. Indeed, step into the New Testament and think about the disciples around Jesus that day, a rag tag bunch of odd background and awkward temperaments. Even look forward to the coming of the Apostle Paul, the greatest writer of the New Testament, and remember that he describes himself as the last and least of all the apostles. As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 1, God uses the weak to shame the strong, the foolish to confound the wise. He puts his treasure in jars of clay. He picks the last and the least, and treats us as if we are the first and best.

What justification does Jesus give for this peculiar strategy? This potentially unjust principle? Well, we see the justification for it there in the three questions the owner asks from 20:13. First, he reminds his grumbling servants, that he has not wronged anyone, but paid them exactly what he promised. For he is faithful. Second, that they have no right to tell him what to do with his own vineyard. For he is sovereign. And third, his generosity to others should not be a reason for grumbling. For he is gracious. And this is why, Jesus explains to us in 20:16, that the last can become first in the kingdom of heaven. Because the God we all serve as Christians, the king, is faithful (he wrongs no one), is sovereign (does whatever he pleases) and gracious (is kind to those who do not deserve it).

Brothers and sisters, members of Grace Church, do you need to be reminded of that this evening? Maybe you are growing weary in your service at church? Or maybe you are getting tired of suffering with illness or struggling with sin? Perhaps you are dealing with disappointment in your family, or your life just isn’t working out the way you wanted. Well, if so, see here tonight that you can fight back bitterness, overcome grumbling, by remembering the kind of king you serve. Remembering that he is faithful. Brother or sister, has God ever wronged you? Failed to keep his promise? Went back on what he said? Surely none of us here this evening can say such a thing. Even if you have been wronged by others, you can never say that you have wronged by God. For God wrongs no man. He short changes none of his servants. For he is faithful. And he is also sovereign. Your body belongs to him, and so if he decides to subject it to illness, that is within his sovereign right. Your future belongs to him, and so if he changes the direction of your life, that is perfectly within his power. This whole world is God’s vineyard, and so we should be slow to suggest that he cannot do as he please, bring about his own purposes and plans. For he is sovereign. And finally, he is also gracious. Brothers and sisters, not only can we say that God has been fair to us, but that he has been more than fair. Has he not given us more than we deserve? Not only does he never wrong us, but he is always good to us, generous and gracious. As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 4, what do we have that we did not receive? Indeed, this is the point of the whole parable: everything we get from God’s hand, even the reward we receive for serving him, is ultimately a gift of his grace. Whether we get a denarius for a full day, or for a few hours, it is still a generous wage that none of us really deserve. Oh yes, in the world, our wages are based on merit, but in the kingdom of heaven, they are based on mercy. And so, we must never become bitter over how God treats us, or jealous over how he treats others. For we should not grumble at God’s grace, nor begrudge his generosity.

This parable not only speaks to Christians, but also to you if you are here tonight and are not yet following Jesus, working in his vineyard, serving his kingdom. For we see here that God calls even the unwanted, the unexpected, to come and serve him. No matter how weak you are, God calls all who are willing to come and work for him. You know, over the centuries, this story has been powerfully used to persuade those who are in old age, even near death, to come to Christ. For we see here that it is never too late to join this kingdom, work for this king, for he is even happy to have you even at the eleventh hour. Even if you have spent most of your life spiritually idle, living for your own wants and desires, following your own self-interest, you can still come now and live for him! Though you serve him but for a single hour, you will still receive a rich reward. Friend, even if you have ignored his summons all your life, the door into his kingdom is still open to you tonight. If you have faith in Jesus and begin to follow him, you too will find that you will not be disappointed in the end. For we see here the last will be first.

2.     THE FIRST MUST BE LAST (20:17-28)

Matthew begins this point by starting in 20:17 with Jesus’ third and final prediction of his coming death. If you’ve been with us for the last few chapters in Matthew, you will know that from the moment that his disciples confess him to be the Messiah, in Matthew 16, Jesus has told them about his coming suffering, predicted his future death, on two occasions. This is the third and final time he will do so, and it is the most detailed description yet. Indeed, 20:17-19 really act like a table of contents for all that will happen in the coming chapters: Jesus will arrive in the city of Jerusalem, he will be betrayed into the hands of the religious leaders, he will be condemned to death and he will be delivered over to the Romans so they can mock him, flog him and crucify him. The Christ, the Messiah, the King is going up to the capitol, but we see here that it is a cross, not a crown, that awaits him. Yes, at the end of Matthew 19, Jesus declares that the Son of Man will come in his glorious kingdom and sit on his throne. But first we see that he must die on a cross for the sins of his people, take the punishment we deserve, pay our ransom.

However, despite this prediction of future suffering here in Matthew 20, it seems the disciples can’t get the earlier prediction of future greatness from Matthew 19 out of their heads. They still thinking about that glorious throne, for in 20:20, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, send their mother to Christ to make a request for them. From the other Gospels, and the fact that Jesus responds not to the mother, but her sons in 20:22, it seems they put her up to it, sent their mother to ask Jesus for special treatment, to see if he would let them sit at his right and left hand in the coming kingdom. You can remember from Matthew 19, that Jesus promised his disciples that they would sit around his throne on twelve thrones. Well, here James and John try to get in early on the eternal seating plan, make sure that they have the most honoured places, to the left and right of Jesus himself. Just as at a wedding, where the most important guests are immediately beside the couple at the top table. Obviously, they know they can’t be first in the kingdom, that place belongs to Jesus. But they can be second and third, more honoured than the other disciples. Which is why the rest of the 12 are so angered when they hear about this request in 20:24! It seems that the disciples can’t stop thinking about future glory and greatness, about being foremost in the kingdom. And so, Jesus tells them that if they want to be first, they must take up the lowest, least, last place. That before they can come into a future of glory and greatness, they must pass through the suffering and service of the present.

Those are the two things that Jesus emphasises to his disciples: suffering and service. He stresses suffering first. In response to the question of James and John, in 20:22, he explains: [READ]. That reference to the cup that Jesus makes there is a common Jewish way of speaking of his future fate, his coming destiny. We see it throughout the Old Testament, and in Matthew it is used specifically to refer to the cup of suffering that Jesus will have to drink. The next time it is mentioned, is in Matthew 26:39, where Christ pleads with his Father to take this cup away from him. For it is full of all of the suffering that he predicts here in Matthew 20. Jesus says that if these disciples want to sit with him, they will need to suffer with him. Indeed, their mother will soon see this in a very visual way, for as she stands at the foot of the cross in Matthew 27, she will see not her two sons, but two thieves to the right and left of Jesus, who are also suffering alongside him, dying on their own crosses. And indeed, as Jesus predicts here, that is what lies in store for her two sons as well. As Jamie will tell us about next week in Acts 12, James was the first disciple of Jesus to be martyred, and John will be the last to die. James will be executed; John will be exiled. They wanted to be great in Christ’s kingdom, and so they had to suffer. It is an important lesson for us all to learn.

Brother or sister, if you want to do great things for Christ, you should expect to suffer great things for Christ. As Matthew Henry put it, when you ask for the glory of wearing the crown, you must also ask for the grace to carry the cross. For one must come before the other. If we seek spiritual greatness, we must expect to suffer and sacrifice. And so, brothers and sisters, don’t be discouraged when you suffer setbacks, face opposition, sometimes feel like you can’t go on. Rather be encouraged! For suffering is one of the pathways to greatness. As Paul said to churches in Acts 14, we must go through many hardships before we can enter the kingdom of God. And the greater the hardships, the greater our entrance into his kingdom will be. The lower we stoop, the higher we will sit in glory.

However, there is another road to greatness that Jesus wants to draw the attention of his disciples to. Not just the pathway of suffering, but also that of service. In 20:25-27, Jesus calls his disciples together and explains: [READ]. In the first half of Matthew 20, we saw one contrast between the kingdom of this world and that of Jesus Christ. In the world, those who work the hardest and the longest receive the best reward. But in Christ’s kingdom, it is all based on grace. However now, in this second half of the chapter, we see this second contrast. In the world, those who command and control others are the greatest, and yet in God’s kingdom greatness all about service.

I remember a mentor reminding me of this during my university days. He had a very successful career in business, and he pointed out to me that the world operates according to the principle that the greatest person is the one who has the highest number of people serving them. For example, a CEO of a company is the greatest because everyone ultimately works for them. Or the leader of a political party is the greatest because everyone ultimately answers to them. In the world, the greatest person is the one who is served by the most people. And yet in the church, it is the opposite that is true. The greatest person is not the one who is served by the most people, but the one who serves the most people. The organisational chart is turned upside down, the way of the world is turned on its head. And that should challenge all of us as we exercise authority over others in different spheres of our lives.

Fathers and parents, elders and deacons, Explorer and Bible Class leaders, whatever position of responsibility you have, wherever it is that you are in charge of others, have a leadership role over anyone. See here that godly leadership is not about commanding and controlling others, but it is about caring for them. It is not about lording it over those under us, but leading and loving them. It is not about using others for our own ends, but enabling and equipping them to be all that God would have them to be. Is that the main tone of your leadership? Is that how you are aiming to lead your family? Serve your church? Care for those under your charge?

If you want to look at it in another way, we see here that leaders in Christ’s kingdom are to be just like their king. For as Jesus puts it in 20:28, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” That reference there to Christ giving his life as a ransom for many, is an allusion to the famous prophecy of Isaiah 53, which tells us of one who is called the suffering servant. One who was in the highest place, and yet came to take that of the lowest. The one who was the firstborn of all creation, and yet put his own interests last. And brothers and sisters, here we see in Matthew 20, that we must be willing to do the same. For while the main motive in the world today may be self-interest, we are to be driven, our lives should be determined by the interests of others. If we want to take the highest place, we must be willing to take the lowest place, to become the slave and servant of all. For we see here that not only will the last be first, but the first must also become as the last.