From Matthew 20:1-16 / The Justness of Grace

It is important here to disregard the unfortunate chapter break. Jesus is not done the great theme of salvation by grace alone occasioned by the rich man’s inquiry in previous chapter. Because this is of such massive importance, Jesus is going to go on and show how it is grace is not somehow unjust, and, to reveal how the pride of the human heart inherently hates the idea of grace, especially when shown to others. These 16 verses are virtually an exposition of 19:30. How and why it is many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Note first: There can be little doubt the figure here has to do first and foremost with the jealousy of the Jews once they see the Gentiles brought in, and that, without having had to serve under the yoke of the Law.

What grace we Gentile believers receive! Our Jewish brethren have borne the heat of the day. They have labored so much longer. But He has called us near the end of the day, and magnified His grace in granting to us the very same eternal life which He has promised to all who have heard His call and responded. Grace, marvelous grace.

In the private devotions of Lancelot Andrewes, he marvels on God’s “munificence”: God’s “giving the reward of a day for the toil of an hour.” Lancelot Andrewes, The Private Devotions of Dr. Lancelot Andrewes, Part II (trans. John Mason Neale; A New Edition.; Oxford; London: John Henry and James Parker, 1865), 51.

Casting it in the light of Jesus’ words to the repentant thief on the Cross – and promising “Today shall you be with me in Paradise” – he writes: (paraphrase) how it is He – Gives sight to the blind, Looses the bound, Clothes the naked, Raises the fallen, Upholds the falling, Heals the sick, Gathers the dispersed, Feeds the living, Sustains the faint, Quickens the dead, Casts down the proud, Sets up the humble, Redeems the captives, Helping in the time of need. “Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the Gods? Glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

And what is the chief among His wonders? Salvation for His enemies on the basis of pure grace and grace alone. Wonder of all wonders indeed!

Note second: How anti-grace still lurks in our hearts. For who among us does not recoil at the thought of a Hitler or a Pol Pot sharing the eternal rewards of an Apostle Paul should they have confessed their sins and turned to Christ by faith in their final moments?

Grace is actually repugnant to remnants of our sinful selves. The truth is, we often want justice for those we despise, while all the while claiming grace for ourselves. But Jesus is going to expose our hearts to us, and why it is we ALL need, grace. Because sin still abides within us. Some sense of personal merit invades even the most righteous when viewed against the backdrop of such an illustration. Surely, others who have not walked with Christ for decades are not to receive the same as ourselves?

This is not to negate the reality that there will be varying rewards in the Heavenlies, though we are given precious little insight into what that will look like. Passages like 1 Cor. 3 certainly give us a hint as to the reality of it. But when all is said and done, if we would be champions of the Gospel of grace, we must needs divest ourselves of any thoughts of deserving anything from the hand of God more than what He has promised to all who obey the call to come and follow Him, irrespective of how long or how well they may have done. Sinful legalism still raises its ugly head within us when we begin to compare ourselves with others.

Note third: The crowning concept in all of this is unambiguously placed before us in vs. 15. As the sovereign God over all people and all things – including salvation – He is allowed to do what He chooses with His riches in glory. To bestow, or withhold, to lavish and to mete out as He delights. Period. And, who are we, any of us, no matter what the conditions, to begrudge Him His delight to be generous as He sees fit?

How poorly we truly grasp grace.

Personal note: When I was a young man, I had a job with a large bank. One day, my boss came to me and said she was planning to promote me to an inside job (I was a courier at present), and to give me a substantial raise. One thing though was necessary to bring this change about. She needed to hire a replacement for me. And, I would need to train this replacement before I could take my new station.

Before long, the new hire was brought on board and we had about 2 weeks together to prepare him to take my place. I liked him a lot and thought he would do well.

Near the end of our time together, the new hire, Bruce, remarked to me how much he enjoyed the job, congratulated me on my promotion, and in passing mentioned how he could not believe he was being paid so well for this position. He let slip his salary. And much to my shock, dismay and great resentment, he was contracted to be paid more than I was about to receive given both my promotion and raise. I was seething with anger.

I made my anger at the situation well known to my boss. With my self-justified deep resentment, I refused to take care of an emergency situation over a holiday. She had to go in instead. The next work day I received a written reprimand for my insubordination, while fuming back my justification for having been wronged in the whole affair.

As I recall and Providence would have it, shortly after my pastor preached on this very text. My heart was struck and I was deeply convicted. Had I not gladly contracted with my employer to step into my new role at my new rate of pay? Indeed. And had Bruce contracted with my employer for something other? Indeed. And did not my employer have the right to pay Bruce what she determined for him doing my old job and me doing the new job? Indeed. Was any wrong doe to me? No.

It was then that the power of this passage struck me through such a temporal experience.

The problem was, I had already resigned my job in anger and moved on. The Spirit, in His precious ministrations prodded my heart until months later, I called my old boss and asked to met. She graciously agreed. And there I told her how wrong I had been in my attitude. I shared with her the way the truth of this passage had been unfolded to me by my Pastor, asked her forgiveness, and it became the platform to share the Gospel with her.

I thought little about it all through the years, except when coming again to this passage. That is, until about 10 years later, when through another friend, I found out my former boss and her husband had both since come to Christ, not long before she was diagnosed with cancer and passed away.

And to this day, all I can do is rejoice in grace, grace, marvelous grace. Grace that exceeds, my sin and my guilt. Yonder and Calvary’s mount outpoured, There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.