Today, while we have our little heart -to -heart
talk, I'm going to ask you to just sit down and
listen. As together, we study the Word of God.
Sometimes, you know, I say to you, well, I'll
just speak loudly enough so that you can just
go right on with what you're doing. Keep right
on washing your dishes, sir. Cleaning the house,
sir. I'll just speak loudly enough so that...
You can keep on working and hear me too. But
today, we're going to study one of the parables.
And I'm going to read the first 16 verses of
the 20th chapter of Matthew. And immediately,
you'll recognize the parable of the laborers
in the vineyard. For the kingdom of heaven is
like unto a man that is an householder, which
went out early in the morning to hire labors
into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with
the labors, now watch, there was an agreement.
When he had agreed with the labors for a pity
a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he
went out about the third hour and saw others
standing idle in the marketplace. And he said
unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and
whatsoever is right I will give you. And they
went their way. And again he went out about the
sixth and ninth hour and did likewise. And about
the eleventh hour he went out and found others
standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand
ye here all the day idle? And they said unto
him, Because no man hath hired us. And he saith
unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and
whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So
when even was come, the lord of the vineyard
saith unto his steward call the labourers give
them their hire beginning from the last unto
the first and when they came that were hired
about the eleventh hour they received every man
a penny but when the first came they supposed
that they should have received more and they
likewise received every man a penny. And when
they received it, they murmured against the good
man of the house, saying, These last have wrought
but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto
us, which have borne the burden and the heat
of the day. But he answered one of them and said,
Friend. i do thee no wrong didst not thou agree
with me for a penny take that thine is go thy
way i will give unto this lust even as unto thee
is it not lawful for me to do what i will with
mine own is thine I evil because I am good? So
the last shall be first and the first last. For
many be called, but few chosen. And so here we
have the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
And I've just read from the 20th chapter of Matthew.
The first 16 verses of this chapter contain the
parable. And we ask, what was the subject that
our Lord intended to illustrate when he made
use of this parable? There have been many, many
interpretations of this parable. And let us just
for a very few minutes see what the Lord was
trying to say. For no word is ever wasted. Every
time there was a parable given, Jesus had a reason
for giving it. To take the parable out of its
context and to study it alone is absolutely impossible.
We dare not take a parable or any portion of
the Word of God or anything that Jesus said or
did out of the context. We would destroy the
meaning entirely if we did so. Observe first
the boundaries of the parable. The final verse
of this 19th chapter reads, But many shall be
lost that are first, and first that are last.
And then the 16th verse of the 20th chapter reads,
So the lost shall be first and the first last.
In the first verse, We have the principle of
Jesus. Jesus works on principle. Always know
that. Jesus has a principle. And the sooner that
you and I realize his principles and work accordingly,
it will be a great day for us. You know, sometimes
I think principle is so lacking in our generation.
Honestly, sometimes I think the word principle
has been completely taken out of our vocabulary
and our thinking. Until very few men are men
of real principle. But Jesus is a man of principle.
And the first verse here, we have the principle
of Jesus. And in the second, an interpretation
of that principle. Many shall be lost that are
first and the first that are last. Watch it.
We go a little further back and ask, what was...
The occasion for the giving of this principle
of Jesus. What made him say, many shall be last
that are first and the first that are last? Well,
leave it to Peter. He always spoke where angels
feared to tread. Leave it with Peter. Loudmouth
Peter. But I love him. Oh, I love him, I guess
it's because he and I have so much in common.
We just never had sense enough to keep our mouths
shut, you know. We always wanted the answer.
We were always analyzing it. And instead of keeping
our thoughts to ourselves, we came right out
and asked why. Oh, how thankful we are for Peter
and all of his questions. Now watch that 27th
verse. Then answered Peter and said unto him,
Lo, we've left all and followed thee. What then
shall we have? We've left everything. I've left
all my fishing nets. I've left everything that
was important to living. I've left the whole
thing. Now tell us, what are we going to get
out of it? And it was because of that question
that our Lord used this principle. It was because
of that principle, resulting from that question
that our Lord gave this parable. And so again,
we must go back a little further. We cannot take
anything out of its context. So we have to go
back to the story of the young ruler to whom
Jesus had said, We've got to go back to the young
ruler because that was the reason in the first
place that Peter asked the question. What do
we have to gain when we have left everything
to follow him? Because, you see, they had heard
the young ruler, the man who had great possession,
a clean record, a fine temperament. And the young
ruler stood. confronting Jesus. And he had heard
Jesus tell the rich young ruler that he would
have to submit himself to him. And he went away.
He clung to his possessions. And Jesus interpreted
that as we saw in our previous study. It's hard
for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
It is easier, Jesus said, for a camel to go through
the needle's eye than for a rich man to enter
into the kingdom of God. Now Peter comes forth
and says, All right, Lord, we have left all.
and followed thee. What then shall we receive?
What is to be our gain? Master, thou hast called
the rich young ruler to sell all to follow thee
and he's turned his back and gone away. We weren't
rich but it was everything that we had. You see,
it wasn't the amount. It was the responsibility
of giving all of that which they had. For Peter
to have given up that which he surrendered when
Jesus said, come and follow me, was just as much
to him, meant just as much to Peter. As the rich
man's richest. Mm -hmm. So Peter says, what's
the use? What shall we gain? And the Lord gave
him a wonderful answer to that question. Verily
I say unto you, that ye which have followed me
in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall
sit on the throne of his glory. And he was looking
on to something in the future and telling them
what they would gain in that future order that
should be set up. They would gain authority as
his administrators in that kingdom. And not only
so, but everyone that hath like houses or brethren
or sisters or father or mother or children or
land, for my sakes, shall receive a hundredfold
and shall inherit eternal life. The reward is
not just the reward that we receive today. Now.
No God does not make full settlement in January.
Oh, that's a wonderful answer, that of Jesus.
They would gain authority, friendship, eternal
life. But do not forget that many shall be lost
that are first and first that are last. And so
the Lord first answered that question of Peter's,
and then he uttered that word of warning. Service
and its reward. And that's just the heart of
this parable, the labors in the vineyard. service
unto him and the reward for that service. Not
as considered the parable, the figure. First,
it's a man who is a householder and who has a
vineyard. It's his vineyard. It's his property.
Never lose sight of it. Notice carefully that
the picture the Lord draws here is of a man with
a vineyard, his property. He hired laborers to
do his work in his vineyard. It's interesting
here that the Lord took a day, 12 hours. Are
there not 12 hours in the day? Here they are.
He went out early. At the third, the sixth, the
ninth, the eleventh hours, the owner, the master,
he went out and hired the laborers at these intervals
during the day. They were all called by the master.
And there's no word in this parable of men asking
for work. The laborers were not seeking work.
They were outside the vineyard, but he called
them inside and set them to work. And they all
came in when he called them. Many were called
early. They went in and worked. At the third
hour, others went in. At the sixth, the ninth,
the eleventh hours. When he called them in, not
one refused. There's not a word here that...
tells us that one refused. They came in when
they were called. It's an eastern picture of
a householder, a vineyard, a work to be done
in a vineyard. He went out. The laborers went
into work when they were called. They did not
ask to go. They agreed for a penny. There was
an agreement. It was a bargain. It was the contract.
There was principle involved. And then the day
closed after the 11th hour, and the last hired
did one day's work, just one day only. But he
was faithful in the work that he did in that
one hour. He was just as faithful in that one
hour of work as the one who had done five hours
of work or eight hours of work. Having agreed
with the first, he paid the workers according
to the agreement. We're not told that he made
any agreement differently from the first than
the last. The agreement was the same with the
last that was hired as the first, and he paid
them according to his own will. He gave every
man a penny only. also gave a penny because he
was faithful. Of course, in the natural, we can
understand the murmuring. But if we also were
inclined to murmur the story, it's because we
have not yet caught the real significance of
the parable or what Jesus was intending to teach.
First... Of all, the master dealt with the last
man as unto the first. The first supposed that
they would receive more, and they likewise received
every man a penny. We agree that a bargain is
to be kept, a contract is sacred. If you agree
with me for a penny, if justice is done, have
you any right to object to my generosity? Has
not this man a right to do what he wills with
his own? It's his vineyard. He's the master.
That is the only question that arises as to whether
this householder had a right to do what he liked
with his own. And the implication, the question
of Jesus was that he had such a right. Yet the
teaching of the parable shows that the right
is invested in something else. And so we come
to that teaching. It must be found in the strict
limits of the context. Now remember, there is
no question of salvation here whatsoever. It
is wholly one of service. I want you to see something.
Those who were called were not just lazy loiters.
They all entered the vineyard when they were
called. Get that. You must see that. That's the
whole meaning of the parable. That fellow who
went in at the eleventh hour never had a chance
before. He had not been called before. But when
sent, he went in, was paid on the basis of the
fact that for one hour he was faithful. The man
who went in early had served through all the
burden and the heat of the day and was faithful
to his work. The parable therefore illustrated
the payment of reward to loyalty, fidelity of
opportunity. It does not mean that if a man has
an opportunity and does not take it and wastes
the fleeting hours of his life, then he'll get
the same reward as the man who has toiled through
all the live long day. No, ma 'am. Our Lord was
simply emphasizing this one matter, fidelity
to opportunity. I was called young in life. I
do not believe that when my life... is over with
and I will have preached my last sermon and lived
my last day here on earth, that my reward will
be any greater than that one who may be called
in this last day. God may this very hour call
some man, some woman into his vineyard. And say,
I've got a great work for you in this last hour
before the great catching up. And if that one
in this last hour will be true and faithful,
sacrificing all, giving everything that he has
in the carrying out of God's purpose and plan
in this last hour, that one's reward will be
just as great as the reward that I might... have
received for having given my entire life into
service. Sure. I've had a wonderful life. My
whole life. One of great satisfaction knowing
that I have spent it in the will of God. If you
want to know something, that in itself is the
greatest reward that I could ask. In that, I
have had even a greater reward than the man who
is giving just the last hour of service to him.
Mm -hmm. Has he called you into the vineyard?
If he has only one thing ought to fill your mind,
your heart, your thinking. Be true. Do that job
well. Do it well. Great shall be the reward in
knowing you have given him your best, even in
the last hour.