Matthew 20:1-16
Be still: Lord, as I make space for you today, would you bring stillness to my heart and mind and prepare my soul to hear a fresh word from you today. Amen
Read: Matthew 20:1-16
So the last will be first, and the first will be last. (v16)
Encounter: Jesus seems to be really unfair in this parable – especially to our ears with hourly paid jobs in mind. Surely, the harder and longer you work, the more you earn, right? Doesn’t Jesus know about employment law? But this parable isn’t about effort; it's about grace. The workers in the parable thought that if they did a certain amount of work then the hirer owed them for that amount.
Many people relate to God like this. Skye Jethani in his book With, describes it as ‘life under God’. Relationship with God is through a series of causes and effects. i.e., if I keep the rules, give money to church and volunteer, God will reward and bless my life in the ways I want.
But Jesus explains that that’s not how grace works.
If our small daughters make an unwise decision, we hold them tight and say, ‘There’s nothing you could ever do that would make us love you any more or any less.’ In the economy of God’s love, there is nothing we can do that will make any difference to how he feels about us or how graciously he will pour himself out on us.,
This is the uncomfortable equality and scandal of grace. God gives his love and himself freely to everyone regardless of who they are or what they’ve done. New Testament scholar Rodney Reeves puts it like this, ‘No matter who you are or what you’ve done, whoever follows Jesus receives the same reward in the end because God is gracious. We don’t earn God’s grace. He freely gives it because he is generous ...especially to those who know they don’t deserve it.’
Apply: Invite God to remind and refresh you in the knowledge that there is nothing that can be done to earn his favour and love. Be still and enjoy that love for a while.
Devote: Lord, thank you that you give your love away freely to anyone that will accept it. Help me today to rest in the security of that knowledge and reality.