Listen

“But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I did you no wrong. Didn’t I agree to pay you a denarion? Take what belongs to you and go. I want to give to this one who was hired last the same as I give to you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you resentful because I’m generous?’ So those who are last will be first. And those who are first will be last.”

Matthew 20:13-16

Think

In Jesus’ parable, the landowner does nothing wrong. He pays the full-time workers the agreed wages. Jesus is saying here that the landowner has the right to give to people as he wishes from all that he owns. We might think about this as an illustration of Jesus: from his generous heart, he chooses to give salvation, promises, and blessings. In verse 15, Jesus asks: “Are you resentful because I’m generous?” This is a challenge that is worth remembering.

Jesus’ comment about the first and the last seems a little confusing, but he is simply expressing that we do not earn God’s love and grace. They are gifts of God through Christ Jesus. We may spend a lifetime following God, or we may realize God’s presence late in life. Wherever we are in the journey, we are loved more than we can imagine, and God is calling out to us.

Lynne Prosser

Question to Ponder:

How can you practice generosity, even when it’s challenging?

Pray

Dear Jesus, please help me to be generous in spirit, kind, caring, and forgiving to others. Help me to praise and worship you regardless of what is going on in my life. Help me to listen for your voice, and please guide me today as I journey with you. Amen.

Go

Go in the strength God gives you. Be generous, not judgmental toward others, and in this way share God’s love and compassion as you live.