Grapes or Grace

This morning we continue in our study through the gospel according to Matthew as we consider Matthew 20:1-16. Jesus uses a parable comparing the kingdom of heaven to a vineyard. This parable is bracketed by the statements, "the first will be last, and the last first" and "the last will be first, and the first last." The parable illustrates God's basis of grace in granting eternal life. We don't enter the kingdom through merit or anything of our own doing. There is no first place, second place, or third place entering God's kingdom, it is a dead heat. This can be difficult for us as we tend to see life through a lens of fairness that is based on earthly standards. When we put down the goggles of fairness and pick up the glasses of gospel grace, we will see the world and our lives the way that the Lord has intended us to view life.