What did Jesus mean by this parable?

Question

"So the last shall be first , and the first last: for many have been called, but few chosen" Matthew 20:16 KJV
He's talking about the worker who complained about his pay because it wasn't fair. He was paid the same eventhough he did more work.

Answer 1

Many are called (those who hear the gospel), but few are chosen (only those who obey the gospel).

Answer 2

What a great question!....I believe what it means in relationship to the whole parable...that maybe the one that was there the longest (first)...because of his attitude of feeling he was entitled to more....it put him into a position of being last....but maybe the worker that had only worked a short time (last) received the same pay as those that worked there all day probably had a grateful attitude....thus putting him in a first position...

I think basically the idea is...you will lose what you try to hang onto...we should not worry about this and that...just have an attitude of greatfulness because actually we deserve nothing but we freely receive what the Lord chooses to give....I also think this lines up with those that have served the Lord all their lives...and some that ask for forgiveness an hour before they die...we are all going to receive salvation....not to feel that somehow you have "earned" more because of your longer walk with the Lord.

Answer 3

The last shall be first and the first shall be last....
This means that the people who seek to be the first and want everything for themselves will have to wait until the people who allow others to go before them. This will probably teach the greedy people to have more patience
About the worker- the bible says something like don't work hard because you seek a reward. Work hard to do your best, and the reward shall come to you.

Answer 4

It has to do with greed and the saved. Another is "The meek shall inherit the earth." The few chosen can be seen here on the Yahoo Answer site. Look at the saved Christians and the pagans and atheists. There are but few of us Christians.

Answer 5

The householder, or owner of the vineyard, is Jehovah God, and the vineyard is the nation of Israel. The workers in the vineyard are persons brought into the Law covenant; they are specifically those Jews living in the days of the apostles. It is only with the full-day workers that a wage agreement is made. The wage is a denarius for the day’s work. Since “the third hour” is 9:00 a.m., those called at the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 11th hours work, respectively, only 9, 6, 3, and 1 hours.

The 12-hour, or full-day, workers represent the Jewish leaders who have been occupied continually in religious service. They are unlike Jesus’ disciples, who have, for most of their lives, been employed in fishing or other secular occupations. Not until the fall of 29 C.E. did the “householder” send Jesus Christ to gather these to be his disciples. They thus became “the last,” or the 11th-hour vineyard workers.

Finally, the symbolic workday ends with the death of Jesus, and the time comes to pay the workers. The unusual rule of paying the last first is followed, as is explained: “When it became evening, the master of the vineyard said to his man in charge, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, proceeding from the last to the first.’ When the eleventh-hour men came, they each received a denarius. So, when the first came, they concluded they would receive more; but they also received pay at the rate of a denarius.

On receiving it they began to murmur against the householder and said, ‘These last put in one hour’s work; still you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!’ But in reply to one of them he said, ‘Fellow, I do you no wrong. You agreed with me for a denarius, did you not? Take what is yours and go. I want to give to this last one the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my own things? Or is your eye wicked because I am good?’” In conclusion, Jesus repeated a point made earlier, saying: “In this way the last ones will be first, and the first ones last.”

The receiving of the denarius occurs, not at Jesus’ death, but at Pentecost 33 C.E., when Christ, the “man in charge,” pours out holy spirit on his disciples. These disciples of Jesus are like “the last,” or the 11th-hour, workers. The denarius does not represent the gift of the holy spirit itself. The denarius is something for the disciples to use here on earth. It is something that means their livelihood, their everlasting life. It is the privilege of being a spiritual Israelite, anointed to preach about God’s Kingdom.

Soon those hired first observe that Jesus’ disciples have been paid, and they see them using the symbolic denarius. But they want more than the holy spirit and its associated Kingdom privileges. Their murmuring and objections take the form of persecuting Christ’s disciples, “the last” workers in the vineyard.

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Answer 6

In many parables Jesus said Heaven was not like the world. In Heaven everyone is equal, it's knowing God that is really important, not how many good works a person has done. See where Jesus told Martha this when Mary was listening to His teaching instead of helping Martha. I think that passage explains that parable perfectly.

Answer 7

The difference between the 'little flock' (Luke 12:32)and the 'great crowd (Revelation 7:15).'

Many people are called but few are chosen to be with Jesus in heaven as his co-rulers (little flock), serving the remaining "called by God" spiritually. The great crowd will remain on a paradise earth as subjects to the little flock.

Answer 8

The first expecting reward shall be the last to receive, The humble one who is last in line shall be the first to receive the blessing. Only a few expecting shall receive because we are not the best judges of character when judging ourselves.

Answer 9

Backtracking to Matthew 9:35-38, 35 "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel (good news) of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted and were scattered abroad , as sheep having no shepherd. 37 then, he said to his disciples, "yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beg the master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest." The story regarding the parable of the worker draws a parallel in as much as if you have workers out in the field to harvest your crop, is it not but practical to send in more workers (albeit at different times) to complete the job in order for your crop not to spoil and then be destroyed because they are not fit for consumption anymore?


Although the other workers have been in the field longer, their inability to complete the harvest would have resulted in part of the crop being destroyed. Equate the harvest to man being saved by the good news or the gospel of the kingdom, and there you will see why Jesus gave importance to the preaching work. The workers are the disciples assigned to gather man to save them from destruction (or put another way, they were to be fishers of man). In this harvesting work, there is no one greater or lesser. The lesson he wanted his disciples to learn was that those who put material rewards first before spiritual treasures would be last, and those who put primacy to spiritual works would be given more importance by God...Matt 6:19-21 "Donot lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consumes, and where thieves break in and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth or rust consumes and where thieves donot break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."


That is why many are called but few are chosen. People have grown calloused to the word of God. They have heard, but the pursuits of day to day living has made them deaf to its true meaning. The message is lost. Jehovah God doesn't demand us to drop everything in order to follow Him. He knows our needs and understands our situation, why we have to work, etc. But all He ask is for us to have some balance in our life, not to neglect our spiritual needs in favor of material ones.

Answer 10

he who would lead you will serve you ,
thus the served shall be first and the servers the last to be judged

many will be called to serve the goods of god in deed ,but few are chosen ,indeed choose to so do

we are all judged not [by gods grace]
we alll get the same wage /return for our earthly labours equally
gods grace
all paid the same regardless of the labours and time served ,to whom much is given [grace] much is expected[forgive others]
the first that know will yet be the last to see
jesus died for all of us
even sadman.
you who expect gods grace must then show that grace ,or how real is your own ,grace is real for all or none.
the first is thy god given grace
the last[ing] is gods grace lived ,giving the same grace to others ,as with the servent who was rewarded by his master debt of grace
that he extended to all debiters of his master.
if parrables only had one meaning they would only be stories ,
but god bless him saw the birth of our saviour/his son ,who though perhaps the first or favoured son ,will not be the last
indeed not even the first called
but a higher fruit from the branch of man of the vast tree of god.

Answer 11

Jews and Gentiles.

Jesus came as a Jew, offered His message to them first. And in the OT the Jews were offered salvation first.

But in fact the gentile sinner will be the first to accept Jesus and the Jews the last to accept Jesus.

Therefore the last shall be first and the first last.

David