Message by Larry Thacker Jr. from September 1: Last to First
In the previous message, I shared from the story of Jesus’s interaction with the man we know as the “rich young ruler.” In Mark’s gospel, the narrative ends with this statement, “But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.” (10:31) But Matthew adds more. The same phrase is found in Matthew 19:30, and Chapter 20 begins with the parable of the vineyard owner who keeps going out and recruiting more workers, then settles with all of them at the end of the day in a way that makes some of them upset.
Jesus begins by saying, “the kingdom of heaven is like…” This opening is found in many of the parables recorded by Matthew where He taught key principles of God’s kingdom. Verse 16 of Chapter 20 repeats 19:30. Jesus is further illustrating the same point we explored last week. So let’s look at it from this new angle and see what else we learn. Our text is from Matthew 20:1-16.
