September 2024 Archives
Reflections from Matthew 20
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.” ~Matthew 20:8-14
I am blessed to have been raised in church, but, for many, that was not their experience. Some have come to know God in their “eleventh hour,” but God has promised that they too will receive the “crown of life” (James 1:12).
I can’t imagine any Christian being unhappy that someone will receive eternal life for serving Jesus only a short time, but I know Jesus told this story for a reason. I have heard of people accepting Christ on their death beds, but I don’t recommend waiting until then. Not everyone is granted a death bed.
We need to guard against looking at others as though they can’t be saved. How easy it is for pride to take root in our hearts as we become puffed up like the Pharisee in Luke 18:11 who prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” There but for the grace of God go I.
If you were saved at a young age, thank God for sparing you from the life you could have had. If you were saved late in life, thank God for saving you from the life you lived. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Savior, please do so now. I’ve known quite a few people who were here one day and gone the next. I hope to see all of my readers in Heaven!
