Salvation Is Jesus

Matthew 20

Matthew chapter 20 starts with verses 1-16 where Jesus tells the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, giving us an illustration of grace. To summarize, a landowner hired some men early in the morning to work in his vineyard and tells them he will pay them 1 denarius for the day. About every 3 hours in the day, the landowner hires some more workers to work his vineyard. At the end of the day the landowner pays each worker the same 1 danarius, even though some had worked the whole day and others only a few hours. The men who worked all day grumbled against the landowner for paying the same amount to those that worked only a little. The landowner replies:

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 man who was hired last the same as I have you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?

Then Jesus concludes the parable by saying, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This is a rater difficult parable to understand, but I think it gives an excellent illustration of grace. A person who follows God his entire life by making Jesus his Lord is graciously given the gift of eternal life in heaven. Likewise, a person who accepts Jesus as Lord just a few hours before dying (like the thief on the cross next to Jesus) also receives the gift of eternal life in heaven. This parable tells us to not be jealous of God’s grace to others, but to be thankful for the grace He has given us.

Chapter 20 also has a couple more instances of Jesus predicting his own death. These verses point to the fact that Salvation through Jesus, and by no other way. If people could receive eternal life by their own works or sincerity, Jesus would not have had to die.

Verses 18-19:

We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priest and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the thrid day we will be raised to life.

Verses 25-28:

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to become first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”