Bible Reading
Matthew 20:1-16 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”
[24:54] [26:58] [28:43] [29:16]Jonah 4:1-11 “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the LORD and said, ‘O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ And the LORD said, ‘Do you do well to be angry?’ Then Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the LORD God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’ But God said to Jonah, ‘Do you do well to be angry for the plant?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.’ And the LORD said, ‘You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?’”
[29:41] [33:28]Matthew 19:30 “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
[19:04] [26:10] [37:08]Luke 6:27-28 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
[36:50]Observation questions
- How often does the landowner return to the marketplace, and what does he do each time he finds workers waiting there? [28:22]
- What did the first workers expect after they saw the workers hired at the eleventh hour receive a denarius, and what did they do when they received the same amount?
- What reasons does Jonah give for fleeing from God’s call, and what does Jonah already know to be true about God’s character?
- In Jonah 4, what contrast does God draw between Jonah’s concern for the plant and God’s concern for Nineveh? [32:23]
Interpretation questions
- The first workers received exactly what they had agreed to receive. Why did the landowner’s generosity toward others make their own fair wage feel unfair? [29:15]
- What does Jesus mean when he says that the last will be first and the first will be last? How does this challenge the idea that God’s kingdom works like a race or a competition? [37:11]
- Jonah knew that Nineveh was cruel and violent, yet God showed the city mercy after it repented. How does this passage show the difference between wanting people to get what they deserve and wanting them to receive what they need? [33:28]
- Luke 6 calls believers to love enemies and do good to those who hate them. Why might doing good to a resented person be a stronger response than feeding anger, self-pity, or public shaming? [35:44]
Application questions
- When have you received something good from God but found it harder to enjoy because someone else received a blessing too? What comparison was happening in your heart? [33:48]
- Is there a person whose success, opportunity, recognition, or forgiveness has felt unfair to you? What would it look like to bring that resentment honestly before God rather than quietly feeding it?
- Envy can turn another person’s blessing into a personal injury. What are some places—work, family, church, finances, or social media—where you are most tempted to keep score? [37:27]
- Have you ever felt a small sense of satisfaction when someone you dislike failed or faced consequences? What does that reaction reveal about what your heart may be holding onto? [34:41]
- Jesus calls his people to love enemies, do good, bless, and pray. What is one concrete act of kindness, service, encouragement, or prayer you could offer toward someone you have resented this week? [36:50]
- God calls each person into different work, and no one’s work is better than anyone else’s. Where might you need to notice and give thanks for the good God is doing through your own calling instead of wishing for someone else’s place? [38:49]
