When God Seems Unfair

The parable of the laborers in the vineyard in Matthew 20 places a unique perspective on the matter of fairness. The parable is set in the parenthesis of two paradoxical verses - Matthew 19:30 and Matthew 20:16 - "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first." The parable must be understood in that context. The point of the parable is not fairness from the beginning but God's grace in the end.