Devo: Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:16 is similar to Matthew 19:30.

“But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Matthew 19:30

“So the last will be first, and the first last.” v. 16

These are countercultural. Normally, whoever is first will be first and whoever is last will be last. However, these verses refer to God’s grace; not what people deserve. The workers in the vineyard complained about their salary because they saw that those who worked for only an hour received the same amount they received even when they worked the entire day under the sun. For them, the landowner was not fair and that they should’ve received more. The landowner was not unfair to them because he gave them what they agreed on.

“Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” v. 2

It is the laborers that he hired later in the day that he had no agreement with as to their salary.

“He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'” v. 7

The landowner was not unfair to them. He gave them what he told them he would give. The laborers just felt that they deserved more because they worked longer and harder.

However, the salary of those who worked later in the day was a surprise. Again, he was not unfair by giving them the same amount he gave the others. It’s his discretion as to how much he would give.

“I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?” vv. 14-15

This was a bit obscure to me at first but reading a commentary about it helped. This story talks about God’s grace. God will give us reward according to His goodness and mercy and not according to what we deserve.

“Jesus lays it down that there will be surprises in the final assessment… it may be that those who were humble on earth will be great in heaven, and that those who were great in this world will be humbled in the world to come.” Barclay, enduringword.com

“The point isn’t that all have the same reward – though all God’s people do go to the same heaven (where they will have reward in different measure). The point is that God rewards on the principle of grace, and we should therefore expect surprises. He will never be less than fair, but reserves the right to be more than fair as pleases Him. God’s grace always operates righteously.” enduringword.com

There will be rewards in heaven. We don’t know what kind of rewards believers of God will receive. Only God knows. It will be a surprise for us. We cannot judge what reward each of us believers will receive. We may be embarrassed to know someday that the people we thought would receive less would actually be commended highly by God. We may receive more than what we deserve, less than what we deserve, or just what we think we deserve.

It’s true that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). His rewards are completely up to Him and we can’t question that. God is sovereign. He sees the intentions of the heart. My prayer is that God will keep my intentions pure.

When I first became a believer, I didn’t know that there will be rewards in heaven. I was just happy to know God in a personal way. I was content with the fact that I know God and that He knows me. I was content knowing that the God who created the heaven and the earth loves me. What could be more satisfying than that? Then I learned about rewards and I was astounded!

Do we really want to receive what we deserve? We deserve nothing! We deserve the wrath of God. We are saved not because of our goodness but because of God’s goodness. Our salvation is His gift to us. We have no contribution to it except for the acceptance of that gift.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

As for me, I don’t want to receive what I deserve. What I want is God’s grace and mercy.

“My last word to God’s children is this: what does it matter, after all, whether we are first or whether we are last? Do not let us dwell too much upon it, for we all share the honor given to each. When we are converted, we become members of Christ’s living body; and as we grow in grace, and get the true spirit that permeates that body, we shall say, when any member of it is honored, ‘This is honor for us’…If any brother shall be greatly honored of God, I feel honored in his honor. If God shall bless your brother, and make him ten times more useful than you are, then you see that he is blessing you — not only blessing him, but you. If my hand has something in it, my foot does not say, ‘Oh, I have not got it!’ No, for if my hand has it, my foot has it; it belongs to the whole of my body.” Spurgeon, enduringword.com

I like what Charles Spurgeon said. We should not focus on the reward. Instead, we should focus on our relationship with God first and foremost. The reward is a bonus. 🙂