Daily Word Of God
Matthew 20:1-2, 8-13, 15-16
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day and sent them to his vineyard.
‘In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first.” So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner saying, “The men who came last” they said “have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day’s work in all the heat.”
‘He answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why be envious because I am generous?”
‘Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.’
Today's Pointers on God's Word
As you read the passage what words, phases or meanings caught your attention?
- The last will be first, and the first, last” is a very disconcerting exclamation of Jesus, especially to those cultures which take pride in always wanting to be “first” in status, achievements, wealth, reputation etc.
- Ponder for a moment on events in your own life when Jesus’ exclamation became real for you.
- Were you like the disgruntled workers unhappy with the perceived inequality? Did you revel in God’s generosity to those who were hired late in the day? If you were one of the workers hired early, did you explain to your disgruntled companions the landowner’s generosity?