# 13: 1-9-15 E

First Corinthians 3
The Gift of God vs. the Reward for Labor
Matthew 19:13-20:16
Before we continue in our letter, I think we need a clearer understanding of the reward that Paul writes
about in chapter 3, which he has mentioned twice so far. The first mention of reward is in verse 8, where
Paul is speaking about himself and Apollos as fellow servants of the Lord, in the work of the gospel. Lets
read that together.
[First Corinthians 3:8] Paul was referring to himself as the one who plants, having been the first to share
the good news of Jesus Christ in the city of Corinth. And it was Apollos who watered, coming to Corinth
after Paul had left, using the Word of God to give further understanding of the gospel.
Both Paul and Apollos were united in the same work - the work of reconciling men to God. But each of
them would be individually rewarded for the specific work they had done - and that reward would be
according to each ones labor - according to their faithfulness to what the Lord had given each one to do.
In verse 14, Paul speaks of reward again. Here Paul makes it clear that the reward is not only intended for
those who preach the gospel, but for all who have believed to receive Jesus Christ as the foundation of their
faith, and are building their lives upon Him. Lets read verses 13-15.
[First Corinthians 3:13-15] The work here is the believers work of building; he is building his life on the
foundation he had received - Jesus Christ. That life is built on what he takes into his mind, and makes a
part of his thinking; on what he believes. That becomes the basis for who he is; how he lives; and therefore
for how he conducts himself, in his life.
The only work of building that can endure the fire of Gods holiness is that which is of God; that which is
sourced in the truth of God. Paul says the Christ One will receive a reward, for that work.
Thats the reward of Paul and Apollos as well, for their work of building with the truth in their own lives,
which was then carried out in their service to the Lord - building up others in the truth. For all believers,
the degree of reward is commensurate with the labor.
And what is that reward? The reward is the truth of God that each has believed, which has become a part
of who they are and what they lived - that truth is theirs, forever.
Here we learn that in the Day of Jesus Christ, when each Christ One receives his forever-living body, the
truth of God that became part of them will be manifested through that body as the outshining of the glory
of God. In that Day, some believers will reflect more of the glory of God; some less. But all will be glory and will be so, for eternity.
You may remember Jesus parable of the minas, which we studied in chapter 1 of our letter (Lk 19:11-27).
That parable also makes it clear that believers will be rewarded according to their labor.
In that parable, Jesus brings out that the reward involves the level of responsibility which they will have, in
ruling over the earth with Jesus, during the Kingdom age. So the truth believed becomes the outshining of
Gods glory, in the Christ One; and the truth acted upon in his life determines his role, in the Kingdom.
These ideas go together, because we live what we believe.

# 13: 1-9-15 E

In Second Corinthians, Paul indicates that each believer will receive in their body - their glorified body things, according to what he has done - good things, for the good done - Gods work; but nothing for the
bad done - that which was not of God (2 Cor 5:10).
The work that God rewards is not to be confused with working for salvation. Salvation was fully
accomplished by Jesus Christ through the cross. Man cannot work for his salvation; he must simply
believe in the One who accomplished the work, for him.
But once a man has believed, Jesus Christ becomes the foundation of a new life, for him. And having
believed, the man becomes part of the building of God, the true church.
That building is Gods workmanship; His masterpiece - which was created in Christ Jesus - for what? For
good works - good works, which God prepared beforehand - works that were predetermined, in the plan of
God - so that we could then simply walk in them - that is, do those works - the works of God (Eph 2:10) as God reveals them to us.
We are then living what we believe. And to the extent that we do that, we will be rewarded - according to
our labor.
But there is one parable that Jesus told which might seem to be a contradiction to this; by which we might
think that all Christ Ones receive the same reward, no matter what their labor for the Lord.
Its important for us to be sure of what God has planned for us, isnt it? If our reward is the same, regardless
of how we live our lives - if it doesnt matter what we think, or what we do for the rest of our lives, as long
as were saved - well, wed want to know that, wouldnt we? Such a thing would certainly make a
difference in how we live. So I thought it would be helpful for us to review that parable, together.
This parable is found in Matthew chapter 20. The key to understanding this parable is the context within
which Jesus taught it; so to establish that, we need to back up into chapter 19.
During His ministry, Jesus had been teaching His disciples concerning the kingdom of God, for they would
need to know the true nature of that kingdom, as they would be foundational in establishing it, through
their teaching (Eph 2:19-22).
The Jews had many misconceptions about Gods kingdom: about when it would be established; about the
basis for entering it. The disciples were Jews, and also had these misconceptions.
Jesus had left Galilee. He was beginning to move in the direction of Jerusalem for the final time, where He
would be tried, and then put to death. But everywhere along the way, He stopped and taught the multitudes
that gathered. At this time, he had come into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan - which means that the
people gathered were predominantly Jews.
Jesus had healed those in the crowd in need of it, and had once again confounded some Pharisees who tried
to trap Him in a matter of the Law. Then Jesus used an incident with His disciples and some children as a
teaching opportunity concerning the kingdom of God.
Well begin in verse 13 of chapter 19.
[Matthew 19:13-30]

# 13: 1-9-15 E

v. 13 These are young children, but the sense is that they were old enough to walk, for they come to Jesus
(v. 14).
Remember there are multitudes of people around, with the disciples right near Jesus. Its likely the parents
of these children got as close as they could, then scooted their children forward to press past the disciples to
be blessed by Jesus. Lukes account makes it clear the disciples rebuked the parents - for bringing their
children.
Why would the disciples do that? They thought that this would be a waste of Jesus precious time.
Children were loved and valued by their parents, but were certainly considered inferiors in society, as they
were powerless and dependent. The disciples would have assumed that these children would be a bother to
Jesus. Lets see how He responded.
v. 14-15 Marks account adds that Jesus was greatly displeased, when He saw what His disciples were
doing. Jesus did not consider the children insignificant at all; He wanted them to come to Him - seemingly
as much as He desired anyone else to come to Him. He tells the disciples not to hold them back, and He
gives a reason for this: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Kingdom of heaven is just Matthews
particular term for the kingdom of God.
Jesus had already used a little child as an illustration to the disciples of who would be greatest in the
kingdom of God, to show that humility was the quality of value in the kingdom.
And Lukes account adds the words of Jesus at this time: Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it (Lk 18:17).
What did He mean? Well, a little child cannot make provision for himself; he trusts in his parent to make
all provision for him, and then he simply receives it. In the same way, those who desire to enter the
kingdom must trust God to receive His provision for eternal life - Jesus.
Then Jesus left that location. The disciples, of course, continued with Him. We dont read of the multitude
following Him, but since Jesus later continued to teach in parables, its likely that a new crowd of Jews had
gathered, including one particular man.
v. 16 We see in verse 20 that this is a young man; Lukes account indicates that he is also a ruler. Now, a
ruler can be a king, a magistrate, or anyone who has power over other people. It can also be a religious
ruler, such as an elder of the synagogue, or a member of the Sanhedrin. These last two are the most likely,
in that this man was very concerned about eternal life; about what it would take for him to get into the
kingdom of God.
For a young man to have achieved such status in the community at such a young age suggests that he was a
very zealous Jew; probably not unlike Paul, in former days (Gal 1:13-14). Mark tells us this young ruler
came running, and knelt before Jesus - a respectful greeting. He has high regard for Jesus as a teacher - but
hes also in a hurry to get the information from Him.
v. 17 Jesus remark about the young rulers way of addressing him is not intended to point to Himself as
God, but to remind the young ruler that no man is good. There is none good; no, not one - not even this
ruler. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rm 3:23). But the young ruler, in his hurry,
would probably have missed this subtle point.

# 13: 1-9-15 E

So Jesus brings it to his attention in a more direct manner - one with which all Jews were familiar. The
young ruler had asked what he could do. Well, in order to have eternal life, based on his own doing - his
own works - this ruler would have to keep the commandments - all of them - perfectly.
v. 18-19 So the young ruler is not deterred by this idea of keeping the commandments - like all Jews, he
knows them well, and has always thought to keep them. Instead, he asks Jesus to qualify which ones he
must keep - he wants to be sure hes got all his bases covered, so that he can enter into the kingdom; and
Jesus is a great teacher - He should know!
Jesus relates to the young ruler commandments that pertain to relations with ones fellow man, and
expresses their summation - that you must love your neighbor as yourself. Notice that Jesus doesnt
mention the commandments pertaining to relations with God.
And this was the young rulers response.
v. 20 This young man had actually convinced himself that he kept those commandments perfectly. Do you
think he really did? No. But that was his self-righteous perception of himself - he was faultless.
He was deceived about himself. But he wasnt righteous at all; what was he? An unrighteous sinner. And
deep within was a lack of assurance that he could enter into the kingdom of God. He knew something
wasnt right; he sensed something was missing. So he asked Jesus what it was.
Marks account says that Jesus, looking at the young man, loved him. The gaze of Jesus took in what it was
this young man lacked; the love of Jesus shared the truth with him.
v. 21 For the young man to be perfect - that is, complete; blameless before God, and therefore, acceptable
to Him - he must sell all his earthly goods and give away the proceeds to the poor. Then he would have
treasure in heaven; that is, then he would have the inheritance he desired - eternal life - entrance into the
kingdom of God. For this particular young man, Jesus knows this is what it would take.
Notice that this is no more than the fulfillment of the sum of the commandments, concerning relations with
ones fellow man - this is what it would take for this young man to truly love his neighbor as himself - a
command he claims to have kept, all his life.
If the young ruler would do this, he would then be free to come to Jesus, believing, and follow Him, as His
disciple. Although Jesus does not say it, doing so would then fulfill the mans obligation to God, according
to the commandments - to love God, heart and soul - that the man might live (Mt 22:37, Deut 30:6).
This was the response of the young ruler.
v. 22 The gaze of Jesus had taken in exactly what it was that this young man lacked. The issue was love.
The young man lacked it, for his fellow man and for God, because his love was taken up with his riches. It
was an obstacle for him, keeping him from God, which Jesus in His love revealed to him, through his
unwillingness to part with his possessions.
And that grieved the young man, for now he knew he couldnt enter the kingdom of heaven unless he was
willing to let go of the things of the earth - and at least for now, he was unwilling - he went away.
Notice that riches, in themselves, were not the obstacle that kept the young man from God; it was his
attachment to the riches.

# 13: 1-9-15 E

Jesus then made this a point to His disciples, concerning the kingdom of God.
v. 23-24 So Jesus was saying it is difficult - very difficult - for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Why? Because his riches tend to make him self-sufficient. He trusts in his riches to live, and thinks that
his riches are meeting his needs.
Riches can cause him to seek his satisfaction in this life - and to lose sight of eternity, and the life that he
must receive, in order to be saved. And riches can feed the pride of life, which makes it hard for a man to
humble himself, to receive from God that which he cannot obtain for himself.
It is so hard, in fact, that Jesus said its easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. This was an
ancient expression, using any large animal as the illustration, to show something that was impossible.
v. 25-26 Now, why do you think this was astonishing to the disciples? In their day, the Jews thought that
someone who was rich had been blessed by God; and that would seem to practically guarantee a rich Jew,
who was already a son of Abraham, his place in the kingdom.
Remember also that this young man was most likely an elder in the synagogue, or even a member of the
Sanhedrin - and he was zealous to keep the Law. A Jew would think that if anyone was going to make it
into the kingdom, it would be him.
Instead, Jesus was saying virtually the opposite. It would take God for such a self-sufficient individual,
who thinks he can earn his salvation, to come into the kingdom.
This was a new thought for the disciples, and Peter pursues it, by considering the opposite case.
v. 27-30 Now, we might think that Peter and the other disciples did not have that much, to leave behind,
anyway. But that was not true, for all of them. And besides possessions, they left their former work; their
families; their whole way of life, to follow Jesus. They had put their complete trust in Him.
So Jesus reassures them that they will certainly have a place in the kingdom. The regeneration is speaking
of the time when the heavens and the earth will be regenerated - following the Tribulation (Rev 21:1).
The thrones are not literal, but emblems of ruling and reigning. Nor is Jesus just speaking of the twelve
disciples - only eleven of whom believe, here. He is speaking of all who have followed Him - the true
church.
In Scripture, twelve is the number of government. In the regeneration - during the thousand-year reign of
Christ - the church will rule over the earth with Jesus (Rev 3:21), from the New Jerusalem (Rev 3:12) - the
heavenly realm, of His kingdom.
The statement of judging, or administering over the twelve tribes of Israel establishes the preeminence of
the church over Israel, which will be the head nation over the other nations - the earthly realm, of His
kingdom.
As we look back over this passage, we can begin to see that the teaching examples that Jesus had used with
His disciples concerning the kingdom of God - the little children, the young ruler - pertained to these two
groups - the church and the nation Israel.

# 13: 1-9-15 E

Peter and the other disciples fully put their trust in God to receive His provision for eternal life - Jesus - like
little children trust their parents, to make provision for their needs. And throughout the church age, that is
what men have been doing - mostly, Gentiles.
But what about Israel? Like the young ruler, Israel tried to work, for their salvation; to earn eternal life.
The very blessings that God had bestowed upon them - their heritage; the revelations through the Law; the
promises of God - they became a source of spiritual pride, for the nation, by which they thought they had
Gods favor. Their love of those blessings, and their trust in them, actually held them back from trusting in
God - like the riches of the young ruler.
How well Jesus chose the animal for His illustration - a camel, that can go great distances under heavy
burdens, in its self-sufficiency - like Israel, carrying its burden of the Law! But with God, all things are
possible; and God will have His regenerate nation, in the end.
And this ties in with what Jesus was saying to His disciples, in verse 30: many who are first will be last;
and the last first. Then to illustrate this, Jesus tells His disciples (and presumably a crowd) the parable we
find in chapter 20.
[Matthew 20:1-16]
v. 1 Jesus begins with the word for, showing that He intends this parable as an explanation of what He
has just been saying, about the kingdom. Since He is speaking in a parable, it is likely that Jesus was
addressing a crowd of Jews, in addition to His disciples.
Specifically, Jesus is explaining His last statement: many who are first will be last, and the last first. This
becomes evident when the parable ends in verse 16, where He repeats that statement in reverse order.
A landowner is literally the master of the house, in the Greek. He has absolute authority, over what He
owns. The actions of the landowner suggest that this is harvest season, and he has gone out to hire
temporary workers to bring in the harvest, in his vineyard.
These additional workers are needed because the harvest must be completed in a timely manner, so that the
grapes dont spoil. He is looking for laborers to hire for the day. The beginning of the work day was
considered to be 6 AM - the first hour - early in the morning.
v. 2 These laborers negotiated the wage for which they would work for the full day, with the landowner and that was a typical practice. A work day was normally twelve hours long - 6 AM to 6 PM. The
landowner agreed to pay the laborers a denarius for their labor; that was considered a fair wage for a full
days labor. So they appear to have an agreement, and the landowner sends them into his vineyard.
v. 3-4 The first group of workers was apparently insufficient to complete the harvest, so the landowner
went back out about the third hour - thats 9 AM. He saw others who were not gainfully employed, and
simply tells them to go into his vineyard - and he will give them whatever is right. And they just obeyed
him, and went.
Did they negotiate a wage with the landowner? No. Why do you think they didnt? They needed the work
- the day had already well begun - and they just decided to trust the landowner, that he would do what he
said - he would give them whatever is right. They were just glad they got the work.

# 13: 1-9-15 E

v. 5-7 As Jesus tells the story, the situation becomes more extreme. More workers are needed; and more and more. The landowner must bring in his entire harvest. Less of the workday is left - and less - and less.
He goes out at the sixth hour - thats twelve noon; and the ninth hour - thats 3 PM - and even at the
eleventh hour - thats 5 PM - just one hour before the workday is to end.
And the landowner says virtually the same thing he said to the second group - You also go into the
vineyard, and whatever is right, you will receive. No wage is negotiated; they just obey the landowner at
his word, and trust that he will give them whatever is right. And as Jesus listeners considered that last
group, they could just imagine how thankful they must have been to get work - at the eleventh hour.
v. 8-9 So the workday ends - the harvest is complete - and now the landowner has the steward, who
manages the estate, call the laborers to receive their wages. And the steward is to pay the ones who came
last, first - according to the masters orders.
What? Not the ones who came first, and worked all day? No; they were to be paid last. From this point on
in the parable, only these two groups are mentioned; the ones who worked one hour, and the ones who
worked all day.
So the one-hour workers were paid first, and they each received - a denarius - the fair wage for a full days
work. And you can just imagine the rejoicing, on their part, about that. How gracious the landowner was!
He was so generous! They certainly didnt deserve this; and they were so grateful.
Then came the group that was hired for the day.
v. 10-12 Those who had worked for the full day would have been most curious as to what the landowner
gave the ones who worked for only an hour, and when they found out that it was a denarius, they expected
that the landowner would then pay them more, since they had been there so much longer.
But when they came up to the steward, he gave them a denarius, also. And they rudely complained against
the landowner, demonstrating their lack of gratitude. How dare the landowner give equal pay to the onehour workers? After all, they had worked all day long.
But that is exactly what they had agreed to do, wasnt it?
v. 13-16 The all-day laborers thought they deserved more. But the landowner points out that he has been
entirely fair, in his dealings. The all-day laborers had negotiated a wage with him - a denarius for a days
work; and the landowner let them have what they asked for.
The other workers just trusted that the landowner would do whatever was right - and found him to be a
gracious master, indeed.
Both had gotten what was right; and the landowner was free to pay them as he wished; after all, its his
money. And if he desired to pay the ones he knew were exceedingly grateful first, that was his prerogative
too, wasnt it?
The parable is left open-ended. There is no apparent resolution, with the all-day laborers, whether they
came to agree with the landowner. In fact, it would certainly seem they did not, at least at this time.

# 13: 1-9-15 E

The word that the landowner uses for friend actually means one who is not a true friend. This is one who
keeps company with another only for selfish gain. True friends have the same mind on things - and the allday laborers certainly did not have that, with the landowner.
Also, the landowner questions whether their eye is evil - which denotes one who is envious or malicious.
Has the generosity of the landowner brought this out of their heart? Then their heart is evil, indeed.
Jesus ends the parable to show it is a demonstration of what He has said: the last will be first, and the first,
last. Then He explains: many are called, but few chosen.
So what is the meaning of the parable? Does it contradict what we have been learning, to suggest that all
Christ Ones receive the same reward? No; because based on the context, this parable is only partly about
the church; and it isnt at all about the Christ Ones reward for his labor.
Who is the landowner - the master of all? God the Father. He desires to obtain fruit, from his vineyard sons of God, for His kingdom. The sons would come through the work of Jesus, by which men would
receive eternal life. This is represented in the denarius.
A denarius is a silver coin; and what does silver represent, in Scripture? Redemption. Through His own
blood, Jesus entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Heb 9:12). One
redemption - the single denarius - eternal life - offered to any and all who are willing to receive it.
The first group negotiated an agreement with the landowner, to work a full day, to obtain their denarius;
and he let them have what they asked for. This group represents the nation Israel, who thought they had to
work for their salvation - like the young ruler.
Israel bore the burden of the Law. But what was actually required was to agree with God, concerning the
redemption - something we see the all-day workers had trouble with, at the end of the parable. And until
they agree, Israel cannot become sons of the kingdom. That is why they will be last.
Meanwhile, we have the others, who came later. These others, who knew their need, did not negotiate a
wage, but simply trusted in the landowner, to do whatever was right. Notice the times that Jesus cites - the
third, sixth and ninth hour - which will mark His labor on the cross, as He obtained the redemption. Then
there were those that came at the eleventh hour - near the end of the day.
These all represent the church, who simply obeyed God at His word, trusting in His provision for them.
Perhaps the first three sets represent the Jewish believers in Jesus day, such as the disciples; the last set
points to the Gentile church, near the end of the church age.
They are called by the steward first, who represents Jesus Himself; and they receive from Him their
denarius first. Why? Because they were ready to receive it - just as the church will be the first to receive
the redemption of their bodies, and enter into the kingdom.
Jesus ends the parable by saying that many are called - for the invitation of the gospel, to become a son of
God, goes out to all. But few are chosen, as sons; only those who are willing to agree to the provision that
God has made for them. The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 6:23). And what must
you do with a gift? Receive it; every child knows that!
Reading: 2 Cor 6:14-18, Ex 24:1-11, 28:1, Lev 10:1-7, Acts 5:1-11, Job 5:8-16, Ps 94:1-11.