I can just imagine what some people may be thinking when they hear Jesus say that "the last shall be first, and the first shall be last," and also advocating equal pay for a person who only works a fraction of how long other have worked. It just doesn’t make sense. Is Jesus forcing us to think further about the implications of what He said and did?
It should be clear by now that following Jesus and his teachings can be very challenging. He says and does things that turn our thinking upside down. He seems to be teaching us a new way of thinking and conducting ourselves.
On the Feast of the Assumption, I spoke of Mary’s song doing the same thing when she said that God will cast down the mighty and lift up the lowly, the hungry will be fed and the rich will be sent away empty. It seems to me that Mary had absorbed her son’s thinking and was espousing some challenging words herself.
The parable Jesus told today highlights God’s special concern for those who have the least, those without rights.
God and the poor present a constant challenge to our sense of entitlement. Do I always have to be first? Just for today, can I stand aside and let someone else go ahead of me? Do I always have to reach out and grab for more when what I have is enough? Just for today, can I resist the urge to get more and instead be an instrument of God’s generosity. These are some legitimate questions inherent in the parable that Jesus told today.
Maybe it could be helpful if some things were turned upside down instead of remaining just the way they are. Just the way they are sometimes resembles the reading we heard from Judges. The story sounds ridiculous with trees refusing to submit to other trees so as not to lose their uniqueness but in the end, they surrender to the bramble bush that offers no protection only destruction.
In suggesting new ways of thinking Jesus is inviting us to open new doors, new windows and move forward. We may find that what Jesus had to say about the last shall be first and the first shall be last and equal pay for all whether you work eight hours or just one is radical, but consistent with Christian thinking.
