This happened a few years ago now but I remember it vividly. I was at our local recreation ground in South London. A VW van drove into the car park and a tall athletic guy in sports gear, running spikes and a backwards baseball got out. He opened the back of the van and pulled out a harness and cable, put on the harness, attached himself to the front of the van and started to try to pull the van. Like they do on World's Strongest Man. He leaned forward, strained every sinew, pumped his legs. And nothing happened. He keeps straining. Eventually, the van moves a fraction. He pumps his legs and strains again. Finally he overcomes the inertia, gets some momentum and is able to start walking the van across the car park. I've no idea what he was training for but whoever this guy was, he was reminding me that getting something started is hard. That's where entrepreneurship and church planting are similar. Or starting any new thing, any good endeavour, any gospel work. You're s
It was a game changer for me to see that the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) is actually part of the answer to Peter's question: “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (Matt. 19:27) The first part of Jesus' answer, in the following verses, is a reassurance that 'God is debtor to no man' (Matthew Henry's phrase). All those who have made sacrifices will receive a hundred times as much and eternal life thrown in. And then there is a key statement of Kingdom economy: But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Matt. 19:30) That phrase comes again at Matt. 20:16 - giving a bookend - and the words 'first' and 'last' come up in the middle of the parable (20:8). So this is all clearly part of the same section. Matt. 20:1-16 is the second part of Jesus answer to, "What then will be there for us [disciples who have sacrificed so much to follow you]?" As so often