This section starts a deliberate path to Jerusalem. In Matthew 19:1-12, Jesus leaves Galilee and enters Judea and continued His ministry amongst large crowds.
He is confronted by the Pharisees about divorce and He takes the opportunity to speak about marriage and celibacy. The Pharisee’s question concerns the passage in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, which describes what is loosed and what is bound concerning marriage and divorce.
Based on Jesus response, this Rabbinical decision by Moses was not correct.
He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”
And seeing that Jesus is now making these Rabbinical decisions, a rich young man comes to Jesus with the ultimate question in Matthew 19:16-30,
And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
When presented with the list of commandments, the man responds “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”. With an innate sense that not-doing-things is not sufficient, he is asking what he must do. To which Jesus points Him to the blessing received from a generous life (See also Leviticus 19:9-18).
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.”
Seizing the opportunity, Peter responds “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”. Jesus explains their celestial positions of authority, but reminds them using a parable that:
"So the last will be first, and the first last.”
This parable of the laborers for the vineyard, portrays day laborers hired at different times throughout the day, but each was paid by the owner of the vineyard the same amount. Those hired first, who had worked through the hottest part of the day were indignant, even though the wage they were paid was originally agreeable.
We naturally attempt to discern from the parable who will be first so that somehow we can position ourselves for advancement. But the core teaching of the parable is not that, but rather that God is both sovereign and generous!
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
God goes back repeatedly to those waiting to be hired, deeper and deeper into the day, to very bottom of the proverbial barrel and picks those overlooked by other employers. He chooses those who are least important.
This is repeated in the next interaction in Matthew 20:20-28, where the mother of the sons of Zebedee asks for them prime seats in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus responds:
“But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
A “servant” (diakonos) is paid and “slave” (doulos) is someone who voluntarily or involuntarily works only for room and board. The message is clear, those who want to be first, must be the last.
So, the purpose of the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is not to explain who is, or how to be, first or last, but rather to show that it is God’s sovereign and generous choice.
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