So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen

 

 "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.'  So they went.  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 likewise 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 us 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 to 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 

 

In Tuesday's reading, Jesus advised a rich young ruler who sought eternal life to sell all his possessions, give to the poor, and to follow Him.  But that young man went away dejected, as he had many possessions.  In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus said to 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 or 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.'  So they went.  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 likewise 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 us 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 to 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."  My study Bible explains this parable as follows.  It says that the vineyard is life in this world.  The day is a reference both to the span of an individual person's life, and also to the whole of human history.  The laborers are all the people in each nation.  Every hour can refer to times in a person's life -- such as infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age.  There is a second meaning as well concerning the span of history.  This may refer to those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  Interestingly, the hours at which people are called (third hour or 9:00 a.m.; sixth hour or noon; ninth hour or 3:00 p.m.) are all formal hours for prayer in the structure of traditional church services.  My study Bible adds that God's generosity provides an equal reward for both early and late comers.  Jesus is teaching that the former should not be proud of their long service nor resent those called at the eleventh hour.  To the latecomers, Jesus is teaching that it is possible within even a short time, or at the end of one's life, to recover and to inherit everything.  There is another framework in which we may read this parable as well.  In the early Church, my study Bible explains, this message applied specifically to the Jews (the first-called) and the Gentiles (those called later).  In our time, we can apply it to those raised in the Church and to those who find the Church later in life, both of whom receive an equal reward.  This parable is also the basis for St. John Chrysostom's renowned paschal sermon (read at the midnight Resurrection service in the Orthodox Church each year).  In that sermon, St. Chrysostom applied the parable to the preparations of each person in approaching the paschal Eucharist. 

 

In today's parable, the vineyard owner asks, "'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."   These words are striking as they indicate the Lord's absolute sovereignty over the cosmos, and even over our lives.  The "rules" belong to God, the way salvation works and is decided also belongs to God, and so therefore, "The last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called but few chosen."  And clearly the Lord does the choosing.  Perhaps in the context of the parable, it's important to remember that Jesus is speaking to those who were the first called, the disciples, upon whose shoulders the rest of the Church and all those who would follow in faith would stand.  In that sense, their work began the earliest and was in some way possibly the heaviest or the hardest.  Their "heavy lifting" has stood us in good stead.  We and all who followed and will follow learn from them and have benefited from all that they established.  How could we read the Scriptures -- or even have Scriptures, for example, without the foundation laid by their work to begin with.  They did not have the resources we have available to us to begin their works of faith.  But of course, they had Christ, the vineyard owner, who directly called them.  But what of us, we who come later, even at the eleventh hour?  If we also become chosen for life in God's kingdom, we receive the same reward as do those first disciples.  And what of those who came before, such as Moses and Abraham?  It would seem that they were also called, and that somehow in the Lord's kingdom there is equal opportunity for the same reward.  We might not understand how the Lord's reckoning and judgment works, but we do understand that we are each -- no matter where we are, or who we are -- called to a purpose.  And this is not a purpose of our own choosing, but of God's choosing.  And therefore we each may receive the same reward.  For there is a job, an expectation, a potential for each of us, and it is the Lord who sets that bar, and who knows what that is.  It doesn't matter when we come into this activity, this work in the vineyard, but it does matter how we respond to what we're called, and when we're called.  In the end what matters is how the Lord calls us, and to what purpose, for God will do what God wishes with God's own things.  The landowner asks, "Or is your eye evil because I am good?"  An evil eye, we should understand, is one of malice born of envy.  This would seem to speak to the fallen angels, who could not accept the place God had for them, the humility to serve humankind, creatures made "a little lower than the angels" (Psalm 8:3-8).  It's a reminder to the disciples, and to us, of the humility we need to accept that perhaps we will do a different work than others, and yet receive the same reward for our own assignment; if necessary accepting that the last will be first, and the first last -- for many are called by the Lord, but few chosen.  For as Jesus says elsewhere, we are each called to take up our own cross (Luke 9:23).  An economist has commented on this parable that the equal payment to each one makes perfect economic sense for a project that requires different unique and complementary skills from each laborer, with each one's work essential for the ultimate product.  So let us accept and do our part, contributing to the whole of God's economy of salvation.  Let us find how we are called, and the humility to accept the way we might also be chosen. 

 

 

 

 

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible

 

 Then Jesus said to 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 or 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."

 

- Matthew 19:23-30 

 

Yesterday we read that little children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 

 Then Jesus said to 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."   My study Bible reminds us that there have been various interpretations suggested for the impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some have said the word (in Aramaic) was not camel, but "rope" which sounds similar in that language.  Others have suggested that the eye of a needle was the name for a city gate through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of its baggage, which symbolizes wealth.  In the Talmud there is the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  Wherever the phrase is from, it shows the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  My study Bible says that this is clearly evidenced by the disciples' response, "Who then can be saved?"  Yet by God's grace, even the impossible for human beings can come to pass.

 

 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."  My study Bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan (commenting on Luke 22:30):  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  My study Bible adds that the apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, but by the witness of their own lives.  Since God's kingdom begins with Christ's Resurrection, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth.  

 

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or 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."  My study Bible comments here that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it says, this refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly, but a spiritual sense:  we have the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of fellowship and worship.

In yesterday's reading Jesus encountered the rich young ruler who wanted to know what he must do to attain eternal life (see above).  Jesus taught him that he must sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him.  The young man went away dejected, for he had great possessions.  Today's reading is the continuance of that story, and we're given the responses of the apostles.  Their astonished response is, "Who then can be saved?" and we should all be right there with them.  For to understand that "hard saying" of Jesus is also to approach some of His other "hard sayings," such as when He uses metaphors of amputation to speak about cutting away our impulses to sin, even though they may feel as integral to us as parts of our bodies (see this reading, in which Jesus speaks of amputating a hand or eye or foot if it causes offense).  For the rich young man in yesterday's reading, his great possessions -- although perhaps considered to be great blessings -- formed a stumbling block to his attaining of eternal life, his capacity to truly follow and to love Christ.  These apostles understand this perfectly well, as is evidenced in their response.  For all of us are called upon to give up what is precious -- even what is seemingly an inseparable part of ourselves -- if it gets in the way and forms a stumbling block to the depth of faith that Christ calls us toward.  These disciples "get it," and so should we.  Our faith is not necessarily simple or without its difficulties and struggles.  Sometimes we're called upon to separate ourselves from our deepest attachments, so that Christ Himself may take the place of the things we think are indispensable, and so that our faith grows that much deeper into that place of deep attachment.  We are called upon to rely on God.  But, as Jesus indicates to the disciples, we are also given much to find in place of the things we leave behind -- and each of us may be quite surprised to find how that new thing fills us up once we do.  Devotion has a strange way of sufficing for itself, of giving us meaning and purpose and dedication, and providing us with rewards of the heart that are surprising.  How else could a persecuting, "fire-breathing" Saul turn into St. Paul?  How can we explain it?  Jesus gives us the answers to such questions, both in His teaching about what we might have to leave behind to get to the kingdom of heaven, and also in His powerful teaching that "with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."   The reference to the apostles sitting on twelve thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel is intriguing in this context, because it indeed implies the great things that await those who enter into this Kingdom and enter into that eternal life sought by the rich young man.  "But," Jesus cautions, once more emphasizing the necessary humility, "many who are first will be last, and the last first."  Let us follow, with the help of God.