Mt 20:1-28

• v1: for (or because) -> last will be first;
• v2: agreement: 1 denarius/day -> even the late-comers got the same rate, but the original workers were treated fairly (v13).
• v8: beginning with the last ones and going on to the first (i.e. in reverse order). Thy will be done. What else can we say? He's the boss.
• v11: their grumbles were not completely unreasonable. True, from a certain angle they were under-paid. But they have forgotten the fact that they had an agreement with the owner, and the agreement had been kept. What's the take-home message for those early workers? Well, perhaps they could take a look from the late-comers' position--they must have been happy getting the same wage at the end, but they had no idea that would have happened. They had to deal with the worries and anxieties about the possibility of not being hired for the whole day! Wouldn't you rather be one of the earlier workers? So the best advise is really as the following scriptures: take your pay and go. Be content of today's work. It's a good day (not a bad one). On the other hand, whoever still not happy should equipt himself with better skills so he didn't have to stand in the marketplace to be hired for a day-job. This could be a great motivating factor to 'upgrade' himself. There are many venues to try, and one must keep trying until he finds it. So the take-home message for them should be:
  
• be thankful of having a good day;
  
• be motivated to find a way to do even better in the future.
  
• v14: take your pay and go -> what the employer's promise has been kept, and it's completely up to him. The point of this parable is: know our place and do not overreach. This is for the wage. With grace it's even more true--freely we have received from God. Doesn't God have full authority of what He will give (v15)? And that explains why the last will be frist (v16).
  
• vv17-19: Jesus predicts his death again. As before he always tell the disciples that on the third day he will be raised to life. In other words, Jesus was dead only for 2 days! His tomb was empty on the 3rd morning and he had been raised to life. He still lives!
• vv20-28: a mother's request. Zebedee's wife (mother of James and John) asked Jesus to grant his sons to sit beside him in his kingdom. Her request was politely declined. Jesus replied, 'it's not for me to grant,' but 'by my Father.' (v23)
  
• v24: indignant (angry) became the other ten with the two brothers.
• vv26-28: the rule of authority in the kingdom of heaven is again reversed: who wants to be great will become servant, and who wants to be first will become slave.
• v28: Son of Man came:
• not to be served, but to serve
• to give his life as a ransom for many.
• The key words here are 'to serve' and 'to give'. That's the purpose of Jesus' life. God's word became flesh, and his purpose is to serve and to give. When I think about that, it's quite an overwhalming concept. As a follower of Jesus, can my life also be like that?