Matthew 20:16
So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
So the last will be first, and the first will be last
So
This word serves as a conclusion or a summary of the parable of the workers in the vineyard, which precedes this verse. It indicates that what follows is a principle or truth derived from the account Jesus has just told. In the Greek, "οὕτως" (houtōs) is used, which often introduces a result or a conclusion, emphasizing the teaching moment that Jesus is imparting to His disciples.

the last
This phrase refers to those who are considered least important or least privileged in the eyes of the world. In the context of the parable, it refers to the laborers who were hired last and yet received the same wage as those who worked all day. The Greek word "ἔσχατος" (eschatos) can mean last in time, place, or rank, highlighting the reversal of worldly expectations in God's kingdom.

will be first
This part of the verse speaks to the divine reversal of human expectations. In the kingdom of heaven, those who are humble, meek, or seemingly insignificant will be elevated. The Greek word "πρῶτος" (prōtos) means first in time, place, or rank, suggesting that God's values differ from human values, and His rewards are based on His grace rather than human merit.

and the first
This phrase refers to those who are considered most important or privileged by worldly standards. In the parable, it refers to the laborers who were hired first and expected more because of their longer service. The repetition of "πρῶτος" (prōtos) here underscores the contrast between human and divine perspectives on status and reward.

will be last
This concluding phrase reinforces the theme of reversal. Those who rely on their own status, achievements, or expectations of reward based on worldly standards will find themselves humbled in God's kingdom. The Greek "ἔσχατος" (eschatos) is used again, emphasizing that God's judgment and grace transcend human understanding and expectations.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this parable, Jesus is teaching His disciples about the Kingdom of Heaven and the values that govern it.

2. Disciples
The immediate audience of Jesus' teaching, who are learning about the nature of God's kingdom and the reversal of worldly expectations.

3. Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
The context of this verse, where Jesus tells a account about a landowner who hires workers at different times of the day but pays them all the same wage.
Teaching Points
Kingdom Values Over Worldly Status
In God's kingdom, the values are often the opposite of worldly expectations. Success and status in the world do not equate to greatness in God's eyes.

Humility and Service
Jesus teaches that true greatness comes from serving others and putting oneself last. This is a call to humility and selflessness.

God's Sovereignty and Grace
The parable illustrates God's sovereign choice and grace. He rewards according to His will, not based on human merit or effort.

Eternal Perspective
Believers are encouraged to adopt an eternal perspective, valuing what God values and trusting in His justice and timing.

Equality in the Kingdom
The equal payment to all workers signifies the equality of all believers in the kingdom, regardless of when they come to faith or their earthly status.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the principle of "the last will be first, and the first will be last" challenge your current understanding of success and status?

2. In what ways can you practice humility and service in your daily life, reflecting the values of God's kingdom?

3. How does the parable of the workers in the vineyard illustrate God's grace and sovereignty? Can you think of a time when you experienced God's grace in an unexpected way?

4. How do the teachings in Philippians 2:3-4 and James 4:10 complement the message of Matthew 20:16?

5. Reflect on a situation where you might have felt like the "last." How does this teaching encourage you to trust in God's justice and timing?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 19:30
This verse precedes the parable and introduces the concept of the first being last and the last being first, setting the stage for the teaching in Matthew 20:16.

Mark 10:31
A parallel passage that reiterates the same teaching, emphasizing the reversal of worldly status in God's kingdom.

Luke 13:30
Another instance where Jesus uses similar language to describe the unexpected order in the Kingdom of God.

Philippians 2:3-4
Encourages believers to value others above themselves, aligning with the humility and service that Jesus exemplifies and teaches.

James 4:10
Speaks to the principle of humility, which is central to understanding the reversal of roles in God's kingdom.
A Great ReversalW.F. Adeney Matthew 20:16
Called... ChosenTownsend., Sketches.Matthew 20:16
Calling and ElectionMatthew 20:16
Conversation Between St. Anthony and the CobblerMatthew 20:16
Nature's Chosen are FewG. F. Pentecost.Matthew 20:16
Order ReversedF. Jacox.Matthew 20:16
The Elect ChristiansG. F. Pentecost.Matthew 20:16
The Reversal of Human JudgmentJ. B. Mozeley, D. D.Matthew 20:16
Cheerfulness in WorkJ. Parsons.Matthew 20:1-16
Christian Condition and Christian CharacterBishop Huntington.Matthew 20:1-16
Conversion Postponed to Old AgeT. Adams.Matthew 20:1-16
Disadvantage of EnvyColton.Matthew 20:1-16
Disinterested ServiceBishop Huntingdon.Matthew 20:1-16
Diversity of Reward Imaged in NatureR. Collyer.Matthew 20:1-16
God a Good PaymasterC. H. Spurgeon.Matthew 20:1-16
God Himself the Best RewardW. M. Taylor, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
God's Bounty to Those Who TrustE. B. Pusey, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
God's Persevering ActivityR. Rothe, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
God's Sovereign GraceC. H. Spurgeon.Matthew 20:1-16
Hired Late in the DayGeorge LawsonMatthew 20:1-16
Hiring Labourers in the EastMr. Morier., Van Lennep.Matthew 20:1-16
IdleR. Rothe, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
LabourersM. Braithwaite., J. Edmonson.Matthew 20:1-16
Love Makes Labour LightBible Jewels.Matthew 20:1-16
Mine OwnJ. C. Gray.Matthew 20:1-16
Never Too Late for God's GraceMatthew 20:1-16
Reward Given During Work as Well as After it is DoneR. Collyer.Matthew 20:1-16
Septuagesima SundayJ. A. Seiss, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
Similarity of Reward not EqualityDr. Parker.Matthew 20:1-16
Slothfulness CondemnedJ. C. Gray.Matthew 20:1-16
The Astonishment of PrecedenceJ.A. Macdonald Matthew 20:1-16
The Call of NationsR. Collyer.Matthew 20:1-16
The Evil EyeJ. C. Gray.Matthew 20:1-16
The Festive Evening TimeJ. P. Lange, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
The Grudging SpiritM. Dods, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
The Labourers in the VineyardW. M. Taylor, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
The Labourers in the VineyardA M. Ludlow, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
The Labourers in the VineyardJ. Styles, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
The Labourers in the VineyardW.F. Adeney Matthew 20:1-16
The Labourers in the VineyardMarcus Dods Matthew 20:1-16
The Thought of Reward Does not Enter into the Higher Aspects of ServiceBishop Huntingdon.Matthew 20:1-16
The Vineyard LabourersJ C. Gray.Matthew 20:1-16
The World a Market-PlaceJ. C. Gray.Matthew 20:1-16
The Worth of Work Determined by the Spirituality of its MotiveW. M. Taylor, D. D.Matthew 20:1-16
Unto This LastJ. B. Brown, B. A.Matthew 20:1-16
Waiting to be CalledR. Collyer.Matthew 20:1-16
Work and WagesAnon., G. M. Taft.Matthew 20:1-16
People
David, Jesus, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Jericho, Jerusalem, Judea
Topics
Chosen, Ones, Thus
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Matthew 20:1-16

     2042   Christ, justice of
     5260   coinage
     5438   parables
     5603   wages

Matthew 20:9-16

     5603   wages

Library
February 2. "And Whosoever Will be Great among You, Let Him be Your Minister. And Whosoever Will be Chief among You, Let Him be Your Servant" (Matt. xx. 26, 27).
"And whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant" (Matt. xx. 26, 27). Slave is the literal meaning of the word, doulos. The first word used for service is diakanos, which means a minister to others in any usual way or work: but the word doulos means a bond slave, and the Lord here plainly teaches us that the highest service is that of a bond slave. He Himself made Himself the servant of all, and he who would come
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Nearest to Christ
'To sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father.'--MATT. xx. 23. You will observe that an unusually long supplement is inserted by our translators in this verse. That supplement is quite unnecessary, and, as is sometimes the case, is even worse than unnecessary. It positively obscures the true meaning of the words before us. As they stand in our Bibles, the impression that they leave upon one's mind is that Christ in
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Servant-Lord and his Servants
'Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.'--MATT. xx. 28. It seems at first sight strangely unsympathetic and irrelevant that the ambitious request of James and John and their foolish mother, that they should sit at Christ's right hand and His left in His kingdom, should have been occasioned by, and have followed immediately upon, our Lord's solemn and pathetic announcement of His sufferings. But the connection is not difficult to trace. The disciples believed that,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

What the Historic Christ Taught About his Death
'The Son of Man came... to give His life a ransom for many.'--Matt. xx. 28. We hear a great deal at present about going back to 'the Christ of the Gospels.' In so far as that phrase and the movement of thought which it describes are a protest against the substitution of doctrines for the Person whom the doctrines represent, I, for one, rejoice in it. But I believe that the antithesis suggested by the phrase, and by some of its advocates avowed, between the Christ of the Gospels and the Christ of
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Blind Bartimeus
Mark 10:52 -- "And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way." When the apostle Peter was recommending Jesus of Nazareth, in one of his sermons to the Jews, he gave him a short, but withal a glorious and exalted character, "That we went about doing good." He went about, he sought occasions of doing good; it was his meat and drink to do the works of him that sent him, whilst the day of his public administration
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

Delivered on the Lord's Day, on that which is Written in the Gospel, Matt. xx. 1, "The Kingdom of Heaven is Like unto a Man That
1. Ye have heard out of the Holy Gospel a parable well suited to the present season, concerning the labourers in the vineyard. For now is the time of the material [2841] vintage. Now there is also a spiritual vintage, wherein God rejoiceth in the fruit of His vineyard. For we cultivate God, and God cultivateth us. [2842] But we do not so cultivate God as to make Him any better thereby. For our cultivation is the labour of the heart, not of the hands. [2843] He cultivateth us as the husbandman doth
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xx. 30, About the Two Blind Men Sitting by the Way Side, and Crying Out, "Lord, have Mercy On
1. Ye know, Holy Brethren, full well as we do, that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the Physician of our eternal health; and that to this end He took the weakness of our nature, that our weakness might not last for ever. For He assumed a mortal body, wherein to kill death. And, "though He was crucified through weakness," as the Apostle saith, "yet He liveth by the power of God." [2870] They are the words too of the same Apostle; "He dieth no more, and death shall have no more dominion over Him."
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

Divine Sovereignty
We must assume, before we commence our discourse, one thing certain, namely, that all blessings are gifts and that we have no claim to them by our own merit. This I think every considerate mind will grant. And this being admitted, we shall endeavour to show that he has a right, seeing they are his own to do what he wills with them--to withhold them wholly is he pleaseth--to distribute them all if he chooseth--to give to some and not to others--to give to none or to give to all, just as seemeth good
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

The Private Thoughts and Words of Jesus
"And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again."--Matthew 20:17-19. YOU HAVE THIS SAME STORY in Matthew and Mark and Luke, a little differently told; as would naturally be the case
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Particular Redemption
I begin this morning with the doctrine of Redemption. "He gave his life a ransom for many." The doctrine of Redemption is one of the most important doctrines of the system of faith. A mistake on this point will inevitably lead to a mistake through the entire system of our belief. Now, you are aware that there are different theories of Redemption. All Christians hold that Christ died to redeem, but all Christians do not teach the same redemption. We differ as to the nature of atonement, and as to
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858

Sermon for Septuagesima Sunday
(From the Gospel for the day) In this Sermon following we are taught how we must perpetually press forward towards our highest good, without pause or rest; and how we must labour in the spiritual vineyard that it may bring forth good fruit. Matt. xx. 1.--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard." THIS householder went out early at the first hour, and again at the third and at the sixth hours, and hired
Susannah Winkworth—The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler

Augustine 354-430 -- the Recovery of Sight by the Blind
I. Ye know, holy brethren, full well as we do, that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the physician of our eternal health; and that to this end we task the weakness of our natures, that our weakness might not last forever. For He assumed a mortal body, wherein to kill death. And, "though He was crucified through weakness," as the apostle saith, yet He "liveth by the power of God." They are the words, too, of the same apostle: "He dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over Him." These things,
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume I

The Historical Books of the New Testament, Meaning Thereby the Four Gospels and the Acts...
The historical books of the New Testament, meaning thereby the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, are quoted, or alluded to, by a series of Christian writers, beginning with those who were contemporary with the apostles, or who immediately followed them, and proceeding in close and regular succession from their time to the present. The medium of proof stated in this proposition is, of all others, the most unquestionable, the least liable to any practices of fraud, and is not diminished by
William Paley—Evidences of Christianity

The Johannine Writings
BY the Johannine writings are meant the Apocalypse and the fourth gospel, as well as the three catholic epistles to which the name of John is traditionally attached. It is not possible to enter here into a review of the critical questions connected with them, and especially into the question of their authorship. The most recent criticism, while it seems to bring the traditional authorship into greater uncertainty, approaches more nearly than was once common to the position of tradition in another
James Denney—The Death of Christ

Ci. Foretelling his Passion. Rebuking Ambition.
(Peræa, or Judæa, Near the Jordan.) ^A Matt. XX. 17-28; ^B Mark X. 32-45; ^C Luke XVIII. 31-34. ^b 32 And they were on the way, going up to Jerusalem [Dean Mansel sees in these words an evidence that Jesus had just crossed the Jordan and was beginning the actual ascent up to Jerusalem. If so, he was in Judæa. But such a construction strains the language. Jesus had been going up to Jerusalem ever since he started in Galilee, and he may now have still be in Peræa. The parable
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Cii. Bartimæus and his Companion Healed.
(at Jericho.) ^A Matt. XX. 29-34; ^B Mark X. 46-52; ^C Luke XVIII. 35-43. ^c 35 And it came to pass, as he drew nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. [Jesus came from the Jordan, and was entering Jericho by its eastern gate. As the crowd following Jesus passed by, Bartimæus asked its meaning and learned of the presence of Jesus. Jesus on this
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The vineyard Labourers.
"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market-place, and said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome.
IT pleased God, to whom all his works are known from eternity, to prepare Gregory by a twofold process, for the great and difficult work of the guidance of the Western Church, then agitated by so many storms. Destined to be plunged into the midst of an immense multitude of avocations of the most varied character, he was trained to bear such a burden by administering, until his fortieth year, an important civil office. Then, yielding to a long-felt yearning of his heart, he retired into a monastery,
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

The Blessing of Being with Good People. How Certain Illusions were Removed.
1. I began gradually to like the good and holy conversation of this nun. How well she used to speak of God! for she was a person of great discretion and sanctity. I listened to her with delight. I think there never was a time when I was not glad to listen to her. She began by telling me how she came to be a nun through the mere reading of the words of the Gospel "Many are called, and few are chosen." [1] She would speak of the reward which our Lord gives to those who forsake all things for His
Teresa of Avila—The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus

Why Men do not Attain Quickly to the Perfect Love of God. Of Four Degrees of Prayer. Of the First Degree. The Doctrine Profitable for Beginners,
1. I speak now of those who begin to be the servants of love; that seems to me to be nothing else but to resolve to follow Him in the way of prayer, who has loved us so much. It is a dignity so great, that I have a strange joy in thinking of it; for servile fear vanishes at once, if we are, as we ought to be, in the first degree. O Lord of my soul, and my good, how is it that, when a soul is determined to love Thee--doing all it can, by forsaking all things, in order that it may the better occupy
Teresa of Avila—The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus

The First Last, and the Last First
"But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first."--Matthew 19:30. "So the last shall be first, and the first last."--Matthew 20:16. WE MUST BE SAVED if we would serve the Lord. We cannot serve God in an unsaved condition. "They that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is vain for them to attempt service while they are still at enmity against God. The Lord wants not enemies to wait upon him, nor slaves to grace his throne. We must be saved first; and salvation is all of grace.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Christ's Resurrection and Our Newness of Life
The idea that the grace of God should lead us to licentiousness is utterly loathsome to every Christian man. We cannot endure it. The notion that the doctrines of grace give license to sin, comes from the devil, and we scout it with a detestation more deep than words can express. "How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" On our first entrance upon a Christian profession, we are met by the ordinance of baptism, which teaches the necessity of purification. Baptism is, in its very
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

The Compassion of Jesus
THIS is said of Christ Jesus several times in the New Testament. The original word is a very remarkable one. It is not found in classic Greek. It is not found in the Septuagint. The fact is, it was a word coined by the evangelists themselves. They did not find one in the whole Greek language that suited their purpose, and therefore they had to make one. It is expressive of the deepest emotion; a striving of the bowels--a yearning of the innermost nature with pity. As the dictionaries tell us-- Ex
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 60: 1914

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