The pecking order turned upside down

This saying appears in the Gospels in at least three different settings. In Matthew it comes just before and just after the parable of the workers in the vineyard, like bookends around the story. The King James Version continues: for many be called, but few chosen. That line is missing here in the oldest manuscripts. It does appear in Matthew 22.

This isn't a new contest where the aim is to be last. Whoever stands at the back is given a place at the front. And whoever thought they belonged at the front discovers that grace cannot be earned.