A Lesson In Matthew 20
There is no doubt that Jesus loved to teach in parables, He would do this to teach many different topics such as the kingdom of heaven or salvation. At one point the disciples asked Jesus why He taught in parables to which He replied, “13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” . Matthew 13:13 Jesus was always concerned the lesson was directed at the correct audience. His use of parables identified His concern. For the disciples this at times could be challenging due to their lack of understanding. Fortunately for them, they had Jesus there to help explain. There were those who had the privilege of being face to face with the Son of God, and yet they were unable to understand what He was saying and doing. They doubted the miracles that He performed and even claimed that He was a disciple of the devil. They were unable to grasp the concepts that He was teaching, and so Jesus spoke in parables so that those who would come to know Him and become righteous through Him, would one day understand what He was trying to teach. It is why now we can understand more of not just the many parables that Jesus used to teach, but also more of the Bible in general. As the days grow closer to the rapture and the coming of Christ, more of the Bible will be revealed to those who study it.
However, this is not to say that we will have more rewards or standing when we are before Christ. This is something that Christ makes clear in one of His parables. Matthew 20 describes the kingdom of heaven like a man who went out to hire workers for his vineyard with the promise of paying each a denarius (Matthew 20:1-2). The landowner continued to go out throughout the day and hire more and more workers (Matthew 20:3-7). When it came time to settle the payments, the landowner paid those who came to his field last first and ended with those who he hired first. The first group of workers believed that they would be paid more then those who came last because they had been there longer. However, they were upset to find that the landowner paid them all the same (Matthew 20:10-12). The landowner reminded the workers that he had agreed to pay them a denarius for their work and that his money was for him to do with as he wished, with the parable ending with a reminder that “16 So the last will be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16.
This is a great parable for us to be reminded of when we find ourselves becoming envious of the gifts, be that physical or spiritual, that we see God bestowing on others. It does not matter when we become believers, God will bestow gifts as He sees fit and often times that is not in a manner that we humans would understand. It is also a reminder for those who have recently become believers. We should not be like the last group of workers who when questioned by the landowner on why they were idle responded, “They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’” Matthew 20:17. When we become followers of Jesus Christ, we have no reason or excuse to be idle. We have a mission and that is to share the gospel and encourage others to see Christ. We must continue to work until Jesus Christ calls us home.
This parable shows God’s grace in His handing out of gifts or blessings. It is His will to reward people as He deems fit, which is a very good thing! Remember, if God rewarded us based on what we deserved, we would all be sent to hell. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 It is by His grace and mercy that we can be redeemed and it is through this same grace that God grants us gifts. So the next time that you find yourself looking at what another believer has received with an envious heart, remember this parable and know that God is rewarding us not based on what we deserve but what He deems we need.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex