And Jesus said: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew

Описание: The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, found in Matthew 20:1-16, is one of Jesus' stories that most challenges our notions of justice and reward. Jesus begins by saying: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard” (Matthew 20:1). This man, the owner of the vineyard, wakes up at dawn and goes to the town square to hire workers. He agrees to pay each of them a denarius, which was the standard wage for a day’s work at that time, and sends them to his vineyard.

The owner, however, doesn’t stop there. “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went” (Matthew 20:3-4). He repeats this action at noon and again at three in the afternoon, and once more at five in the afternoon, almost at the end of the day. Each time, he hires more workers, promising to pay them what is fair, without specifying the amount.

At the end of the day, it’s time to pay the workers. “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first’” (Matthew 20:8). Those who had been hired last received a denarius, which was surprising since it was the same amount agreed upon with those who had worked all day. When the first ones hired realized this, they expected to receive more, but when they were given the same amount, they became angry: “So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day’” (Matthew 20:10-12).

The owner responds with a powerful question that reflects the central point of the parable: “Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:13-15). This response underscores the owner’s generosity and his right to do as he pleases with his resources. Jesus concludes the parable with a challenging statement: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Matthew 20:16).