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Yesterday we read that, after turning away the rich young ruler, Jesus taught His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children of lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius 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 said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.' So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to use who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."
- Matthew 20:1-16
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius 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 said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.' So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to use who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen." Jesus illustrates work for the Kingdom with this parable. The vineyard is life in this world. The day may be both the span of a single person's life and also the whole of human history. Laborers are those who are from every nation. My study bible says that each hour could refer to times in a person's life, such as infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age. There is also a second meaning in terms of spiritual history, referring to those called during the different covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ. This parable puts salvation history into perspective for the disciples, as it gives a picture of all those who labor for the Kingdom in the world. There is equal reward for both the early and late comers. The former should not be proud of their long service nor resent those who are called at the eleventh hour. For the latecomers, the parable teaches that it is possible even in a short time or at a very late stage in one's life to recover and inherit all. This kingdom doesn't work as a worldly kingdom does, and time and space make no difference to it. For the early Church, this was seen as an image applying to Jews (the first called) and the Gentiles (those called later). Today, says my study bible, it can apply to those raised in the Church and those who find the Church later in life. They will both receive an equal reward. In his paschal sermon (read each Easter in the Orthodox church), St. John Chrysostom applied this parable to the preparations of each person in approaching the Paschal Eucharist.
The standards that apply to the Kingdom aren't those of worldly life. What we consider to be equal or fair isn't really the same kind of 'setting' for the Kingdom. Those who labor their whole lives long in service to this King may receive exactly the same reward as one who comes to this work late in life, even at the end of life. Those who were the early founders in this work, who came to it at a time in the world when faith really meant taking on an entirely different understanding of life and faith than that which existed in one's culture or time and place, share an equally essential role as those who've come long after and benefited from the establishment of the Church and all that has come before it. Time and space matter little, as in the communion of saints all are not only united but in communication with one another. And hierarchy matters very little at all: the great saints are there and praying for all, and they may be called on for intercession, for all of us who are "the least of these" in terms of our spiritual understanding or development. The Kingdom sets down its own standards for citizenship and participation, and there is really only one King, only one Teacher, who lays down what is what and sets the tone and circumstances for all of us. This defines the "good." (When the landowner in the parable asks, "Is your eye evil because I am good?" we understand that the 'evil eye' refers to envy.) And that's where we start, with the one truly essential relationship that sets down standards of love and what is "good" for all the rest. This is a kind of equality that takes into consideration not just "how much" but "how deep." It measures us in every dimension, but it is the heart where all resides and that determines everything else. It is truly the "kingdom within us," because it is the reality of the heart. The heart is where one will find the kingdom of heaven (and also, sadly, and paradoxically, hell -- the place without God). In its immediate telling, this parable may be a teaching for the apostles, those who come first in the Church as its pillars in the world. Jesus is preparing to make His way to Jerusalem, and He has been teaching the about life in His Church. That the 'first may be last and the last may be first' is a teaching of the greatest humility, and also gives them the perspective on their places in the Kingdom. Our usual understanding of wealth and accumulation just doesn't apply. This is a reality that permeates the places within us where time and space are simply relative terms, where a long deceased loved one still is present, for example, or where we meet Christ or are given the Holy Spirit's promptings. This is a place where love declares its reasons, and wisdom its paradoxical truths -- where we are not measured by the standards of the world and its measurements, but by something much deeper and more profound in its understanding.
