20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” – Matthew 20
You ever think about how much easier it would be if we were paid for our good deeds? I think we would find volunteers a lot easier if that was the case!
the more you work the more you are paid. That feels like common sense to us. Jesus would agree. The fact that this parable exists implies that Jesus understood this assumption about fair pay. The content of this parable reminds us that god is not a god concerned with humanity’s “common sense.”
These vineyard workers were definitely on to something. It isn’t fair to be paid the same as someone who worked an eighth of the day, but this fact should point us less to the fairness of the owner and more to his generosity.
Doesn’t this parable make you proud to be a Christian? The vineyard owner is clearly God in this parable. God is generous. He gives his gift of eternal life and relationship with him no matter how long you have been away. He gives no matter your mistakes. This should make us proud.
Our reward of our Christian shouldn’t be your priority. Our reward is Jesus. That reward is great enough and powerfully enough to be fair pay for everyone’s good deeds combined and still we would have an abundance. The trick to this parable is believing that Jesus as savior is enough for you. Is Jesus enough for you?