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The Parable of the Workers by Fr. Reid Hensarling
Matthew 20:1-16
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard begins with the landowner going out early in the morning because he needed workers for his vineyard. This was typical during harvest. Day laborers stood in the marketplace from dawn, hoping to be hired for the day’s work. The work day began at 6:00 am and ended at 6:00 pm. He agreed to pay the laborers a denarius a day which was a fair wage for a full day’s labor. The denarius was a silver coin and minted under the emperor’s authority since only he could issue gold or silver coins. Either the landowner could not at first get all the workmen he needed or else he decided later to hire some more so that the work would be done more quickly. The third hour was 9:00 a.m. and those at this time frame did not even negotiate a specific wage. They were just happy to get work. The eleventh hour was 5:00 p.m. They were desperate for work and had waited nearly all day. They would take whatever they could get from the landowner. Once again there was no discussion about their pay.
At the end of the day, the owner of the vineyard’s steward paid everyone starting with those who were hired last. They each received a denarius. Everyone received a full day’s wage, even those who were hired first who figured they would received more and complained when they received the same wage as the others. They didn’t think the landowner was being fair to them. The owner was acting generously and graciously to those whom he overpaid and he had every right to pay the workers what he wanted to with his money. There was no slight or deference against those whom he paid a full wage for a full day’s work. This was precisely what they agreed to at the beginning of the day. It was the landowner’s privilege to extend the same generosity to all workers.
Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen” (verse 16). God does not deal with on the basis of merit but of grace. No matter how long each of the workers worked, they each received a full day’s wage. This seems to us unjust, but God is not like human beings and does not operate in line with our ideas. He doesn’t consult us either. We never deserve God’s favors, but we receive infinitely more than we deserve. Everything in God’s kingdom is based on grace, a concept greater than we can imagine.
God’s generosity transcends human ideas of fairness. No one receives less than they deserve, but some receive far more. This generosity is offset by the very natural resentment of those who received only a fair wage. It is frightening to realize that our identification with the first workers, and hence with the opponents of Jesus, reveals how loveless and unmerciful we basically are. We may be more legalistic in our thinking and less grace filled than we realize. God’s grace to the undeserving should be a cause for joy, not for jealousy. God’s standards are not those of strict reward for services rendered, so that none of us has a claim as of right on his goodness. God is profoundly good and compassionate far beyond our comprehension and understanding. Remember, God does not owe us anything, and whatever we receive from him comes to us because he is gracious. Thankfully, he acts toward us in sheer grace.
It is not necessary either to start early and finish last or start last and finish first. In fact, neither is best. The truly desirable thing is to start early and work with all our might, not for reward but out of genuine love for the Lord. God will honor and bless this attitude.
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