“So, the last will be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16 ESV¹

Read Matthew 20:1-16

As an oldest child who is the daughter of oldest children who themselves were raised by oldest children, I have an innate sense of fairness. It is important to me that I be as impartial and equitable as possible in my dealings with others. I strive to be free from bias and I seek to avoid all injustice. And I expect that others will be as gracious to me in return. So, I have to admit when I first read the following parable of Jesus, I had a hard time reconciling what seems to be so completely unfair.

“‘For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them, he said, “You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.” So, they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You go into the vineyard too.” And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.” And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” So, the last will be first, and the first last’” (Matthew 20:1-16).

Because of my competitive nature, I tend to think first and last in terms of placement in some kind of contest. That thought is what causes me to want to cry foul concerning this particular parable. But first and last don’t always apply to rank; sometimes they apply to something far more important.

First, the Context

Jesus told this parable to His disciples after a rich, young man, who was identified as a ruler of some kind, came up to Him and asked:

“‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘Why do you ask Me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.  He said to [Jesus], ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘All these I have kept. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me.’ When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:16-22).²

After the young man left,

“Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, I tell you it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ Then Peter said in reply, ‘See, we have left everything and followed You. What then will we have?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in the New World, when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first’” (Matthew 19:23-30).

Before Jesus even told this parable, there was confusion and an overall unsettled feeling surrounding the interaction. Why would Jesus so blatantly and publicly discourage an upright man with a sincere question? Why would those whom God had been blessed physically have such difficulty spiritually? Was there any hope for those who had forsaken so much to join Jesus in His work? And why would those who should rightly come first find themselves in the last place and those who were clearly last receive the honor of being first?

I believe Jesus purposely allowed these unsettling questions to ruminate in the minds of His audience because it is in struggling to answer these questions that one is prepared to discover what is not initially apparent in Jesus’ parable about the workers in the vineyard. It is in uncovering the deeper truths hidden by what at first seems inequitable that one’s focus is sharpened to realize the essential reality that Jesus was sharing.

Question #1–Why would Jesus discourage an upright man with a sincere question?

Have you considered that Jesus was not discouraging the rich, young ruler but encouraging him to recognize a better way? This man had position, possessions, and passion. He had respect, wealth, and influence. He had integrity, morality, and righteousness. And he had the youth to enjoy it all. But even with all of his success, security, and godliness, he was unable to settle the nagging feeling that he wasn’t doing enough. By Jesus drawing his attention to the only One who was good (see Matthew 19:17) and presenting him with the one thing has unable to do (see Matthew 19:21), Jesus was pointing him to a better more satisfying way.

Question #2–Why would those with physical endowments be more likely to miss out on spiritual blessings?

How can wealth, intelligence, beauty, talent, influence, and athleticism in this life keep people from finding eternal life? ““It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God”” (Matthew 19:24) because achievement, possessions, attractiveness, and the like cause us to get our self-worth from what we can do, what we have, and what we look like. All that is physically impressive keeps our focus on ourselves instead of He who is greater than all we are, have, and can do.

Question #3—Is there any benefit in sacrificing for Jesus?

If you were given a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO, valued at $70,000,000, wouldn’t you clean out your garage to make room for it? What Jesus is offering is much more valuable and will last much longer than the most expensive car in the world. Look at the answer Jesus gave Peter in the above passage (see Matthew 19:28-29). There is no loss—only gain—when one surrenders what one has for Christ.

Question #4—Why will many who are first be last, and last first?

By causing His audience to ask the first three questions, Jesus gave them the tools they needed to answer this last one. As their hearts were (and ours are) stirred to reconcile the seeming unfairness of Jesus’ allegorical story, we will discover the better and more satisfying way to which Jesus was pointing the rich, young ruler. We will come to terms with that which is impossible for man but not for God. And we will realize what we are able to gain when we give up what is most dear to us.

Like bookends, Jesus’ statements. “‘But many who are first will be last, and the last first’” (Matthew 19:30) and “‘So, the last will be first, and the first last’” (Matthew 20:16) support His parable. So, let’s unpack this statement of Jesus using the parable by which He chose to clarify it.

This is one of Jesus’ Kingdom of Heaven parables. That means He was teaching something about the relationship between God and His children. The focus of all of the Kingdom of Heaven parables is on a Person, not a place, and upon an ever-present relationship with that Person, not a far-off eternal realm. Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that [we may] know [intimately] … the only true God, and Jesus Christ who [He has] sent” (John 17:3). And Jesus taught, “‘The Kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, “See here!” or “See there!” For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you’” (Luke 17:20b-21 NKJV³). Eternal life is not solely living forever in a place called Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is a continual relationship with One who is in you and you in Him that begins at the moment of salvation and lasts for an eternity.

In The Parable of the Labors in the Vineyard, the master pictures God. The workers represent those whom God has invited into a relationship with Himself. The vineyard is anywhere in the world where God is working. And the labor in which the workers in the vineyard are engaged stands for the daily lives and callings of God’s Children.

First in Chance

Jesus used the sentence, “‘Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last’” (Luke 13:30) one other time. It was when Jesus was going throughout the Jewish towns and villages, teaching as He went, that someone asked Him,

“‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And He said to [all the Jewish people around Him], ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us,” then He will answer you, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.” But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from Me, all you workers of evil!’ In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the Kingdom of God. Some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last’” (Luke 13:23-30).

In the instance above, Jesus was warning those in attendance that not all those who thought they were right with God actually were. Just because they were Jews, God’s chosen people, it didn’t mean that they would automatically be welcomed into God’s Kingdom. As shocking as it would have been and as unfair as it may have seemed, He told the Jews that gathered around Him that Gentiles would be accepted by God but many of them would not!

The first workers the master hired to work in his vineyard symbolize the Law-abiding Israelites. The Jews got the first chance to have a relationship with God Almighty.

The LORD called them to be His own people. He Himself declared,

“‘You are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. ‘The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt’” (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

God promised that the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham. The LORD spoke to the patriarch of the Jewish people,

“‘By Myself, I have sworn, declares the LORD, … I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your Offspring shall possess the gate of His enemies, and in your Offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice’” (Genesis 22:16-18).

And the LORD gave the Jews His Law. David said of the Law,

“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes … The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:7-8, 9b-11).

But even with all the favor shown to them, many Jews missed the Way to Him that God had prepared. Because they knew that they were the LORD’s chosen people, descendants of Abraham, many of them assumed their heritage alone would save them. Their pride kept them from realizing their sinfulness.

John the Baptist warned them,

“‘Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father,” for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham’” (John 3:8-9).

Because they had the Law of the LORD, many Jews concluded that salvation came from keeping a list of regulations. Concentrating on completing tasks kept them from realizing the spirit of the Law. Jesus taught,

   “‘“You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The entire Law and all the demands of the Prophets are based on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:37-40).

Though the Jews had the Law and the writings of the Prophets which contained hundreds of clues that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, many of them missed the only way to God through The Narrow Door, Jesus. Jesus chastised the Jewish religious leaders,

“‘You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life’” (John 5:39-40).

Though the Jews had been given a map to the Kingdom of Heaven, they missed the signs and got off the path. Therefore, though they had been first, many of them became last.

First by Default

The pursuit of keeping the Law became a distraction for many Jews. This truth is evident in Jesus’ conversation with the rich, young ruler. The man asked, “‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life’” (Matthew 19:16, emphasis added)? By answering with the question, “‘Why do you ask Me about what is good?’” (Matthew 19:17a) and the statement, “‘There is only One who is good’” (Matthew 19:17b), Jesus was attempting to get the man’s focus off of what he could do and point him to what only God could do. The rest of the interaction between Jesus and the young man proved that no matter how proficient this man was at keeping the commandments he was unable to keep them perfectly.

“For whoever keeps the whole Law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (James 2:10).

The purpose of the Law was to prove to the Jews that they needed something they couldn’t achieve on their own. They needed Someone’s help. But most of the Jews rejected the One who was sent to help them.

“He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:11-12).

But not all Jews rejected Jesus. Those who realized they couldn’t get to God by their own merit did believe and receive Him. These are pictured in Jesus’ parable by those who were hired as the day went along. Those hired at the third, sixth, and ninth hour represent the uneducated, common Jews who became Jesus’ disciples, the Jewish “sinners” who flocked around Jesus, and those, like the tax collectors, who had aided the enemies of the Jews. Because of their repentance and belief, all these found their places among the followers of Jesus. These Jews, who had been last, suddenly found themselves first to enter the Kingdom of God.

Those hired at the eleventh hour, represent those hated, despised, and avoided at all cost by the Jews—the Samaritans and the Gentiles. Many non-Jews heard Jesus’ message. When they “believed in His name, He gave [them] the right to become children of God” (John 1:12b). Like those in the parable who the master asked, “‘“Why do you stand here idle all day?” [and who] said to him, “Because no one has hired us”’” (Matthew 20:6b-7a), non-Jews had no opportunity to get right with God until Jesus, The Narrow Door, came and provided a way for everyone who was willing go through Him to enter the Kingdom of God.

“[God] has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed He says in Hosea, ‘Those who were not My people I will call “My People,” and her who was not beloved I will call “Beloved.” And in the very place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” there they will be called “Sons of the Living God”’” (Romans 9:24-28).

When the Gentiles realized this Good News, many who had been far from God turned from their false beliefs and received the salvation Jesus provided. Indeed, “‘people [came] from east and west, and from north and south, and [entered] the Kingdom of God’” (Luke 13:29a) while those who had first been invited, but refused Jesus, found themselves cast out. In this way, those who were last came in first.

The Last is First

When the rich, righteous, young ruler came to Jesus and asked, “‘What good deed must I do to have eternal life?’” (Matthew 19:16), he soon realized he was unable to complete what was required. “He went away sorrowful” (Matthew 19:22b). He didn’t stick around to figure out through Whom he could accomplish what was necessary. “When the disciples heard [the comments Jesus made to the young man], they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:25-26). Instead of asking Him what He meant, the disciples too totally overlooked what Jesus was saying.

There was a way that the rich, young ruler could have obtained eternal life. There is a way that anybody can be saved. But it isn’t by anything mortals can do.

You see, God had made an agreement with His people. He showed them the way to walk to stay in the right relationship with Him. That first covenant required obedience. It promised rewards for compliance and punishment for rebellion.

“‘You shall therefore keep the whole commandment that I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and take possession of the land that you are going over to possess, and that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey … See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God’” (Deuteronomy 11:8-9 & 26-28a).

Though God’s chosen people promised to follow all of His commandments, they did not. Though the LORD was continually faithful to them, they proved over and over that they could not faithfully keep God’s righteous requirements. So, in His grace, God provided another way for people to get right with Him.

God made a second covenant when He sent Jesus. When Jesus came to Earth as a man, He lived a sinless life and took on Himself the curse humans rightly deserved because of their disobedience. This act wiped the slate clean and gave humans the chance for a fresh start. When anyone repents and believes in what Jesus has done, he or she receives forgiveness for all his or her past sins. But the gift of the second covenant doesn’t stop there. Jesus didn’t only forgive sins; His sacrifice took care of the sin nature by providing a way for people to keep from sinning. When one accepts what Jesus has done, he or she is given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives in Believers and helps them live the way God intended in the first place.

“His Divine Power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Concerning this second covenant, the LORD said,

“‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers … My covenant which they broke … ‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My Law within them and on their hearts, I will write it, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people’” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

“‘And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules’” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Keeping the first covenant, the Old Covenant, is possible through the second covenant, the New Covenant, because God is working through His people to accomplish both His part and their part of the arrangement. The New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant in every way. One accesses the New Covenant not by obedience but by faith. Faith opens to door to receiving all one needs to be able to obey what God requires.

“‘This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He has sent” … [and what] endures to eternal life, … the Son will give to you’” (John 6:28-29 & 27).

Believing in Jesus is more than just positive feelings about Him or an acknowledgment that He exists. Faith is complete confidence and trust in Him. Belief in Jesus is proven through surrendering oneself to Him and His will. The extent to which one is able to let go of oneself and what he or she possesses, is able to do, and desires is in exact proportion to the level to which the Holy Spirit can come and work through him or her. One cannot experience all the New Covenant has to offer if one insists on remaining in control of one’s life. But in submission to Christ, “‘everyone who has left [anything], for [His] name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life’” (Matthew 19:29). “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep for that he cannot lose” (Jim Elliot, Missionary).

To draw our attention to the fact that the New Covenant is infinitely better than the Old Covenant, throughout the Scriptures, God consistently chose the second over the first and preferred the new over the old. For example, He chose Abel over Cain, Jacob over Esau, and David over Saul. What we gain in Christ is so much greater than what Israel received through the Law. The inheritance we get from Jesus is far superior to one we got from Adam.

“‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam [Jesus] became a Life-giving Spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the Second Man is from Heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the Man of Heaven, so also are those who are of Heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the Man of Heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:45-49).

“Thus says the LORD, … ‘Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it’” (Isaiah 43:16a, 18-19a)?

By teaching this parable, Jesus was alerting His audience to look for the different thing God was about to do. Something new was coming that would take the place of the old. That which had been first would become last because that which was new would be so much better than that which was old.

Equal in Compensation

As previously mentioned, The Parable of the Labors in the Vineyard is an explanation of an aspect of the relationship between God and His People. Each of the characters in this story stands for a Person or persons involved in the relationship. Similarly, the payment for working in the vineyard has a meaning. The denarius stands for eternal life. Without regard to when each worker was hired, he or she received the same reward. Likewise, it does not matter who a person is, when he or she gets saved, or from where someone comes when he or she enters God’s Kingdom, all get the same reward—eternal life.

All the people represented in this parable were similar in that they were all searching for something—work. They didn’t have the ability to obtain what they needed on their own. The vineyard owner gave each of the laborers a job. Because each welcomed the offer of the master, chose to work for him, and completed his or her assigned task, each got the same reward. The compensation was a denarius.

The first workers hired happily agreed to a denarius, a coin worth a day’s wages. It was a fair offer (see Matthew 20:2). As the day went on, as each group was hired, they were told, “‘Whatever is right I will give you’” (Matthew 20:4b). No one seemed to have a problem with that agreement. They all trusted in the fairness of the master until payment time.

“‘When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.” And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” So, the last will be first, and the first last’” (Matthew 20:8-16).

Because they were chosen first, the Jews got to have God’s presence among them and His blessing for centuries. The whole time, the Gentiles wallowed in sin and walked in darkness; they had no direction and no hope. In Jesus’ parable, it is true that the ones who were hired early in the morning, about 6:00 am, worked in the hot sun all day long, but they knew they were going to bring home well-earned denarii that night. The ones who were hired about the eleventh hour, 5:00 pm, may have not been working but they were out in the sun the whole time too. But they didn’t have the security of knowing that they would have anything to bring home to their families that night. The ones hired at 6:00 am had the privilege of working alongside the landowner all day; they got to take part in something important and they got to experience the joy of a job well done. While the ones hired at 5:00 pm feared destitution and experienced rejection; they had no relationship with anyone who could provide assistance, purpose, and sustenance.

“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:14-16).

“For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:11-13).

Being good enough to deserve salvation is what is impossible for man but not for God. Obtaining eternal life through reliance on what Jesus has done is the better and more satisfying way to which Jesus was pointing the rich, young ruler. Receiving salvation is what the disciples gained and with what we are bestowed when we give up what is most dear to us—our right to ourselves. It is in exchanging the relatively little we have for the abundance of what Christ has to offer that we receive far more than we could have ever dreamed.

Those who think they are doing a pretty good job keeping rules and feel God owes them something special because they have been so good, have trouble with the grace God shows to those who aren’t so accomplished at rule-keeping or who haven’t been surrounded and saturated by religiosity. But those who come to realize their inability to save themselves find it easier to accept what Jesus did and trust Him for their salvation. So, the first idea of being welcomed into Heaven based on human performance is replaced by the last truth of relying solely upon Jesus’ accomplishment.

For Whom is This Unfair?

After praying over and studying this parable in order to share with you all that I have discovered, I have come to the conclusion that something is unfair about this whole scenario. But it isn’t, as I first assumed, unfair for the first workers hired; it is unfair for Jesus.

“Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Jesus wasn’t the one who didn’t keep His promises, but He was the One who had to remediate the problem humans caused. Jesus didn’t disobey and create a rift between Himself in God, but He had to leave Heaven and come to Earth to mend what people had destroyed. Jesus didn’t do anything wrong, but He was the One who had to die a cruel death to pay for the sins of humanity.

“In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:9-11).

We are called to “have this mind among [ourselves]” (Philippians 2:5). The Jews were chosen not so that they could be exclusive and keep all God gave them to themselves. They were chosen to give hope and light to the whole world. It is only in that the Messiah came through the Jews that they followed through on the LORD’s plan for them.

Will we follow through on the plan God has for us to “‘go … and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that [Jesus has] commanded [us]’” (Matthew 28:19-20a)? Will we “‘love the Lord [our] God with all [our hearts] and with all [our souls] and with all [our minds] and with all [our] strength.” [and] … love [our neighbors] as [ourselves] (Mark 12:30-31a)? Will we surrender ourselves like Jesus did Himself or will we hold back because such sacrifice seems so unfair? May we love as He loved us and rejoice with Him over everyone who comes into the Kingdom of Heaven. If we don’t, we who rejoiced in the beginning may be mourning in the end. And those who were mourning in the beginning may be rejoicing in the end.

 

¹ Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

²If you are interested in my commentary on Jesus’ encounter with the Rich Young Ruler, check out http://blueturtletrails.com/truly-amazing

³NKJV: Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.