Verse 13 says, “But he answered and said to one of them, Friend, I am not wronging you, did you not agree with me for a denarius?” By “one of them” the Lord was no doubt referring to Peter. The agreement mentioned in this verse was the agreement the Lord made with Peter in 19:27-29. Here the Lord seemed to be saying, “Peter, we signed an agreement. I don’t owe you anything, for I have given you what I promised. However, I’d like to show you that My reward is not a commercial matter, but a matter of grace. Peter, you need to learn the lesson of grace. The reward is a matter of grace according to My desire. Out of grace, I desire to give those hired last the same reward that I promised to give you. What is wrong with this?”
Verse 14 continues, “Take what is yours and go. I desire to give to this last one even as to you,” This was a strong answer to Peter from the Lord, indicating that the Lord had given him what He thought he deserved. But the Lord has the right to give the same thing to the latest workmen according to His own wish, in the principle not of work but of grace. This shattered and corrected Peter’s natural and commercial mind.
Verse 15 says, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am good?” Peter’s concept, in dealing with the Lord in 19:27, was altogether commercial, according to the principle of work, not of grace. In His answer to Peter, the Lord strongly indicated that His reward to His followers is not commercial, but according to His desire and grace. For the disciples to gain the kingdom of the heavens, they need to leave all and follow the Lord. But what He will give them as a reward is more than they deserve. It is not according to the principle of commerce, but according to the Lord’s good pleasure. This is an incentive to His followers.
In verse 16 the Lord concludes this parable: “Thus shall the last be first and the first last.” The last are the latest workmen, and the first are the earliest ones. In working, the earliest ones came first, but in receiving the reward, the last became the first. It is this way that the Lord makes the last first and the first last. Therefore, the reward is not a legal matter, but a matter of grace.
We should not have a commercial mind. Salvation is based upon grace. The Lord Jesus has done everything for us, and there is no need for us to work. The kingdom reward, however, is according to our work, according to the price we pay. If we pay the price, then the Lord will give us a reward. It may seem that the reward is purchased by our work. If we think this, then we are like Peter with a commercial mentality. We need to be reeducated to see that even the reward is based upon grace. The way to receive the reward is not to pay the price, but to enjoy grace.
To be saved is to receive grace, and to gain the reward is to enjoy the grace we have received. When we believed in the Lord, we received grace and were saved. After receiving grace we must learn to enjoy grace. To leave all things behind and follow the Lord is not to pay a price; it is to enjoy the grace we have received. Do not think that you have sacrificed anything. What you sacrifice is just dung; it is vanity of vanities. Everything under the sun is vanity. Your education, position, and future are all vanity. Dung cannot be considered a price. To leave all things behind is to be unloaded and released. You have been under the heavy load of your position, wealth, and concern for your future. Thus, you need to be unloaded, and the way to be unloaded is to enjoy grace. Grace unloads us. To be unloaded through the enjoyment of grace, however, is not to pay a price. We are not here paying a price. Rather, we are enjoying liberation. Hallelujah, I have been liberated! I have been liberated from my relatives, fame, position, future, and everything; I am completely free. I am not paying a price—I am enjoying grace.
We all need to give up the commercial mentality. Some saints have said, “I have left everything for the church. I have suffered very much, and now I have nothing.” Whenever I have heard this kind of complaint, deep within me I said, “You cannot receive anything, because your giving up of all things and your suffering have not been done in the proper spirit. If you were in the right spirit, you would be thankful, joyful, and praise the Lord that you are no longer burdened.” If we have given up all things for the Lord in a proper spirit, we would say, “O Lord, I thank You that I am not bearing the load of position, ambition, or concern for the future. All the worldlings are under a heavy load. But, Lord, I praise You that I have been unloaded and liberated. I am not paying a price—I am daily enjoying grace. Lord, whatever You give me is not a reimbursement, but a further enjoyment of Yourself.”
I believe that we are in the last group of workmen, those hired at five o’clock in the afternoon. But we shall be the first to be rewarded, although we shall not work as long as Peter, James, John, and Paul, who have been working for nearly twenty centuries. They have labored the entire day, bearing the scorching heat. But we have labored for such a short time, at the most a number of years. Perhaps as we are receiving the reward, Peter will say to John, “Look, these people are receiving the reward before us.” But that will be the fulfillment of the Lord’s word that the last shall be the first and the first last. Perhaps John will say to Peter, “Peter, be patient. If these last ones are receiving such a reward, we shall certainly receive much more.” However, Peter and John may be surprised to receive the same reward as those hired last. But the Lord may say to Peter and to all those hired first, “Didn’t I make an agreement with you? Was not My promise satisfactory? Do not complain, but take your reward and go to the throne. Do I not have the right to do things according to My desire? Am I wrong for being good?” One day, we shall receive the same reward as Peter, and we shall receive it first. Peter’s reward will be a denarius, and ours will be the same. This denarius denotes the full enjoyment of the divine life in glory in the manifestation of the kingdom. This will be our reward.
© Living Stream Ministry All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.