Matthew 20:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the last will be first, and the first last."

NIV: "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

NASB: So the last shall be first, and the first, last.'

CSB: "So the last will be first, and the first last."

NLT: So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.'

KJV: So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

NKJV: So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

This verse bookends this passage with Matthew 19:30. Jesus had assured the disciples of a rich reward in the kingdom of heaven for all they have given up for His sake, as well as eternal life. He had added, though, that many who are first will be last, and the last first, in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:27–30). Then He told the parable in this passage (Matthew 20:1) to illustrate what He meant by that.

Now Jesus makes the same statement in reverse order to show that He has explained what it means that the last will be first, and the first last. That may be, but not all commentators agree about what exactly He meant.

Some suggest the parable is about Israel and the Gentiles who will come into the kingdom by faith in Christ, making those who come through Christ first even though they came to be included in the family of God last. Others hear Jesus describing a general reversal in the kingdom of position and status on earth, making the rich poor and the lowly great. Still other teachers believe the meaning of the parable should be restricted to the disciples themselves to quiet their arguing about who was greatest among them.

The bottom line of the parable, however, seems to be that all are received and rewarded by God based on His grace. He gives much to those He wishes to, in Christ, based not on their worthiness but on His own generosity. Some of those who are last, least deserving of reward in the kingdom of heaven, may become first in receiving God's grace precisely because of their lack of apparent work or effort. Others who gave up much for Jesus and seemingly did great things for God may be last in terms of their apparent relative reward. It is all for God to say.

Matthew 20:1–16 is a parable illustrating what Jesus meant in saying that some of the last will be first and the first last in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:30). When a master hires five groups of workers at different times throughout the day, he pays the last group the same amount that he pays the group hired early in the morning. Though that group grumbles, they received what they had agreed to earn and had not been cheated. The master insists he has the right to show generosity to whomever he wishes. Jesus concludes by saying, again, that the last will be first, and the first last. Themes found in this parable are echoed in the later portion of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:25–32).

Jesus illustrates His earlier comments about how some of the "first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30) with a parable about hired workers. He then clearly tells His disciples about His impending death and resurrection. The mother of James and John asks Jesus to make her sons number two and three in His kingdom. Jesus tells the disciples that true greatness won't come by flaunting authority as the Gentile leaders do. Instead, they will become great by serving each other, even as a slave does, as Jesus Himself has done. He then heals two blind men immediately before entering Jerusalem.

Matthew 20 begins with a parable that illustrates Jesus' statement at the end of Matthew 19: In His kingdom, some of the first will be last and the last first. Still on their way to Jerusalem, Jesus tells the disciples for the third time that He will be killed and then raised on the third day. When asked, Jesus explains that it is not up to Him to grant the seats on His right and left hand in the kingdom and that His disciples will not become great in the way of Gentiles. Instead, they will find greatness by serving each other. A healing of two blind men leads into the triumphal entry, the first event in the last earthly week of Jesus' ministry.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.