“So the last shall be first, and the first, last: for many be called, but few chosen.”
Matthew 20:16
Have you ever drawn straws? My mother was the best at fixing those broomstraws so we couldn’t predetermine the outcome. Sometimes she made all the straws appear the same length. Other times a short straw might appear longer, or a longer one look shorter. Still other times, the long-looking straw was truly the longest one. Only the draw would reveal and size-up the order—who went first in a game, who got first choice in chores or treats or who got special privileges.
Jesus’ words remind me of those childhood broomstraw draws. The teaching followed the incident with the Rich Young Ruler. The sad departure of this promising individual must have puzzled the disciples. Here was someone who avowed he’d kept the commandments–from his youth—yet he wouldn’t give up everything and follow Christ. Jesus assured His disciples that they would receive spiritual compensation for all they had left behind to follow him.
He then went on to share the story of the man who paid his eleventh hour hires the same amount as the all-day laborers. And Jesus again repeated the first, last and last, first phrase.
My mother’s broomstraws? She knew the true length of each one; she arranged them. God knows the called and the chosen. He’s known since the beginning. And yet He allows us to choose. He extends his hand of grace to all of us. Whether younger or older, late hire or long haul laborer, all who choose to follow Christ will enjoy the same heavenly pleasures. And unlike the broomstraw draw, first or last, no believer gets the short end of the stick.
 Sarah Fletcher Tennessee PRAY TOGETHER: Look at your clothing. Pray for people in the country listed on the label. Most, if not all of these places are home to Christians facing persecution.
