August 17, 2008: First, Last and Everyone Else – Michael Hidalgo

Just before the start of this parable, and right at the end of this parable Jesus says the same thing, “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” Boiling this little maxim down it seems to simply mean, “All are equal in God’s sight.” This is a beautiful thought – until we are the ones who have worked the entire day in the vineyard. So often we find ourselves striving to do something great – after all we should be rewarded for our hard work, right?

Jesus’ parable challenges the status quo of his day, and calls into question the supposed “pecking order” that existed in his society. In the economy of Jesus, even the outcast was welcomed to the same table as the righteous. This parable is about justice – about everyone receiving enough for the day. Jeremias wrote in reference to this parable, “… all receive only an amount sufficient to sustain life … no one receives more, they touch the owner’s heart.”