The following is an edited version of a sermon I preached on November 17, 2018 at the Azure Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grand Terrace, California. That means, among other things, that this is rather long winded for a blog. You have been warned! – Mike Leno
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
That’s the punchline for one of Jesus’ most famous and most difficult stories—the story of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20. And the previous chapter, ends with an almost identical saying: “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.” That’s the punchline to the Rich Young Ruler story.
Any time an author includes two stories back to back with identical conclusions, we can safely assume they are dealing with the same type of lesson or subject. But knowing the punchline in this case, is not the same as knowing the moral or point of the story. What does Jesus mean that “the first will be last and the last will be first?” Maybe he means that in entering the kingdom, those who appearto be last, will in the end, actually be first.
Stage 13, 2018 Tour de France, Photo Finish
Stage 13 of the last Tour de France had a very competitive sprint to the finish. Peter Sagan, in his green points leader jersey, looked like he was going to miss out this time since he was behind a number of riders coming down the stretch. If you watch cycling, however, you know that’s a usual tactic for Sagan. He always hangs back until just the right moment. In this case, he covered the last few meters in third place, surged at the last possible moment, threw his bike toward the line, and won the stage. The photo finish revealed that he had won by less than the diameter of his wheel.
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