Jesus tells a story in Matthew 20 that is known as the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. It begins with a landowner going out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agrees to pay the workers a denarius for their day’s work. He goes out again at 9 a.m. and sees others standing and he hires them, saying he will “pay whatever is right.” So, they begin their work at that time. This happens again at noon and again at 3 p.m. At about 5 p.m., he goes out and still finds others standing around. He asks them why them have been standing there all day. They answer that no one has hired them, so the landowner tells them to go work in his vineyard also.
When the day is over, he gets all of the workers to pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired until the first. The ones who had worked one hour received a denarius, as well as the others who had worked for 3 hours, 6 hours, and 9 hours. When those who were hired first and had worked for 12 hours came forward, they expected to receive more. But they only received a denarius and they were unhappy and expressed their discontent to the landowner because those who had only worked one hour had received the same as they had, even after working a full day. The landowner reminded them that they had agreed to work for a denarius, so he wasn’t being unfair to them. He tells them he has a right to do what he wants with his own money, especially sharing generosity with all those who had worked for him that day.
I’m not sure what your first thought is upon hearing or reviewing this story, but I think we can all relate with, or at least acknowledge the fact that there does seem to be some unfairness in this story, especially from the perspective of those who gave a full day’s work. In a study titled Parables from the Backside by Dr. Ellsworth Kalas, he says, “This is a fascinating story. It is one that troubles a good many people, because they try to make it a lesson in economics, which of course it is not at all. It is a lesson in the grace of God.”
God is generous… so generous with his grace. We have all received much more than we deserve from God. His loving kindness that he gives us every day and forgiveness for all our sins. God is generous not only to us, but to everyone. The landowner in this parable shows a willingness to both see and respond to all people. He sees those who are ready to work hard and put out their best effort from the beginning of the day. He sees others who come in a bit later. But he also sees those who have not been hired or chosen or recognized by anyone else, even at the end of the day. He accepts those and gives them a generous gift of grace, as well. God’s generosity should also inspire our generosity towards our neighbors. Let’s see our neighbors and have compassion and sympathy for others and think about their story from a perspective that looks at their value as God does. Let’s be grateful for the “unfairness” of the grace of God that we have both received and have the chance to share with others.
– Amy Givens, Director of Youth Ministry
