I have a friend who is a business owner and manages big building projects. His company gets things done by hiring the right crews to do the labor. He had a big job that he had to get finished and was having trouble finding contractors to finish the job. Finally, the day before the job completion deadline, he found several contractors who could help him get the job finished on time. He negotiated rates and each contractor agreed to be paid $3,000 for the day’s work.

A few hours into the workday, the business owner realized that even with the new contractors the job would not be finished on time. Around 9 am he headed to Home Depot, where outside there are often many workers standing around wanting to work but unable to. The business owner hired all who were looking for work and they began immediately.

A short time later, the business owner decided to go see if there were any more workers in need of jobs. Sure enough, there were several more in need of a job. He hired each and they too got to work. Around lunch time the business owner again decided to see if there were more workers in need of jobs. There were! He hired them too. In fact, he went two more times throughout the day, picking up a final group of workers around 3 pm.

At 5 pm the work was finished! All of the contractors and workers lined up to get their paychecks. The ones who had arrived last lined up first and so forth, the first contractors lining up at the back of the line. The business owner then paid the ones who had worked for only two hours a whopping $3000! Next in line were those who had arrived at 2, then those who had arrived at noon, and so forth. Each worker he paid $3000.

The final group, the contractors who had arrived at 7 am, were very excited at this point. They figured since the workers who only worked for two hours got $3000, they, who had worked for 10 long hours, would surely get over $10,000. The math was simple.

To their utter dismay, the business owner handed them $3,000! They raged. “Wait! This isn’t fair. We worked 5x as many hours as they did, shouldn’t we get more?” The business owner asked them, “How much did you agree to work for?” “$3,000,” they said. “Well, I have paid you what we agreed you would work for, right? Why are you complaining? Isn’t this my business and my money? Are you jealous because I am generous?” They were speechless. 

At this point, I am sure many readers realized that the friend who told me this story was Jesus! He tells this parable in the book of Matthew, chapter 20 (Matthew 20:1-16). Jesus ends the parable with the famous quote, “So the first will be last and the last will be first.” This is my question for you Christian’s out there. Are you OK knowing that you will be last?! Are you OK knowing that regardless of how much work you put into the Kingdom of God, no matter how long you have been doing the right thing in pursuit of God’s will, there will come those after you who at the last minute will begin to work for the Kingdom and their rewards will be as great as yours? Are you OK knowing that as someone who is first, you will be last?

If this rubs you a little wrong. If this chaffs. I completely understand. It should! You are human after all. And more than that, doesn’t God say he doesn’t show favoritism? Because that sure sounds like favoritism! If that’s what you are feeling, you still haven’t understood the dynamics of the Kingdom of God. If that is the case, can you allow that chaffing to sand off some of your pride?

The Kingdom of God is an upside-down Kingdom. The kings are at the bottom! The kings and queens, like the King of Kings (Jesus), is a servant to all. The King subjugates Himself to His subjects. That’s what Jesus did on the cross. That’s what He continues to do so that all can come to a saving knowledge of God.

We Believers, especially the “elder siblings” (those who have been in the faith and faithful the longest) must realize that as elder siblings our job is to elevate the younger siblings. It is not to rule and reign over them it is to lift them and guide them into places of maturity and leadership. It is to see them as they are, as toddlers in need of parents and mentors. Parents feed with bottles and wipe bottoms without an ounce of condensation or bitterness. Is that how you live elder sibling? Are you ok being first, knowing that it means you will be last?