The Last Who Are First: It is important to note the close tie between chapter 20 and the verse that precedes it. The saying about the first who will be last and the last who will be first (19:30) is repeated at the end of the first section of chapter 20 (v. 16). This Semitic device is called inclusio, and because the order is inverted it is also an example of chiasmus (for other examples compare 7:16 with 7:20, and 24:42 with 25:13). Chapter 20 also begins with the Greek conjunction gar, which emphasizes continuity.

20:1–7 The kingdom of heaven is said to be like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. In ancient times the working day extended from sunup until sundown (cf. Ps. 104:20–23); the grape harvest in Palestine ripened toward the end o…