What was Jesus trying to teach us in this parable? Some think the point is that we'll all have the same reward in heaven no matter how long or hard we work for the Lord on earth. But that can't be right, because the Bible teaches that each person will be rewarded individually, according to his own labor (see 1 Corinthians 3:8).
The best way to interpret this parable is to consider the context in which it was spoken. Notice that Jesus told this parable right after Peter had asked what reward he and the other disciples would receive for giving up everything to follow Jesus. Jesus promised him that they would be abundantly rewarded in heaven for the earthly sacrifices they made for His cause. In fact, He promised that "everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will have eternal life" (Matthew 19:29).
The lesson of this parable is that God rewards us based upon the opportunities that He gives us. The later workers would have been willing to go to work earlier, but they were not given the opportunity by the employer.
Had you been given a lot of money, you may have been willing to give a lot of money away to the poor. But if God gave you only a little money, you were not given the opportunity to give away lots of money. Still, if you are faithful with the small opportunities that God gives you, God will reward you with just as much as someone who was faithful with large opportunities that God gave them. He is perfectly fair.
Q. Jesus concluded the parable of the vineyard workers by saying, "And so it is, that many who are first now will be last then; and those who are last now will be first then" (Matthew 20:16). In light of the parable, can you describe someone who might be first now but last in God's kingdom, and vice versa?
A. Some who are faithful with the small opportunities that God gives them, now "last" in the eyes of people, might receive more reward than one who is "first" in the eyes of people but who is unfaithful with the bigger opportunities God has given him.
Application: Are you being faithful with the opportunities God has given you?
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David Servant ( - )
David Servant is the Founder of Heavens Family, helping the least of these world-wide. David Servant has been serving in ministry since 1979 as a church-planter, pastor, teacher and missionary. When David Servant read the results of his high-school vocational aptitude test, he laughed. The results told him that he was best suited for a career in ministry or in entertainment. At the time, David's future goal was to live in a log cabin in the wilderness and live off the land for the rest of his life. The Lord, however, had different plans for David Servant. God didn't intend for him to run away from the world, but rather to play a part in changing the world by building God's kingdom. David received his call to ministry during his (reluctant) freshman year at Penn State, and one year later was enrolled in Bible School.David Servant is the author of eight books, including Forever Rich, and the The Disciple-Making Minister, a 500-page equipping manual that has been translated into more than 20 languages and is being distributed to tens of thousands of pastors.