A story with a strange ending, questions with a penetrating point

By Dean Collins

I suspect if one story Jesus told actually happened today in the U.S., a complaint would be filed with the Department of Labor; the owner of the vineyard likely would have no one willing to work the next day. But while this parable has an employment story line, it was not intended to teach business owners how to set their wages. The principle is far more important than that.

In this parable, Jesus is teaching about the Kingdom of God, a theme central to his teachings. He often used parables to try to give pictures of how the Kingdom of God was different from the kingdoms of men. The stories were not intended to be how-to guides for farmers. However, in them we discover some how-to principles for life according to the values of God.

Determined and focused

The first thing that jumps out at me as I read and reread Matthew 20:1-16 is the persistence of the master. He was determined to get the vineyard harvested. It was apparently common practice to hire the day laborers first thing each morning. So either this farmer was experiencing a labor shortage similar to ours today in the wake of the pandemic, or the harvest was so abundant that every three hours he sought more help to handle it. Either way, this was an active, not a passive owner.

Second I notice the master was focused on doing the right thing. He told the first group of laborers they would earn a denarius a day. This suggested there was more than a day’s worth of work. To each subsequent group, the master said, “You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.” Those in both groups expected a fair wage. I think we can assume, then, the later workers expected something less than a day’s wage since they worked shorter hours.

Is this fair?

But then comes the shocker. At the end of the day, the one-hour workers received a denarius! I’m sure these guys loved the master and his definition of fairness! They were especially happy to have been able just to hang out talking to friends all day and still receive a full day’s pay. We can relate, can’t we? Honestly wouldn’t we choose the eleventh hour if we could time it correctly?

But when the laborers who had worked twelve hours and were last in line finally got to the front to receive their fair wage, they were not only disappointed, they were angry. How was this fair? The master replied that he paid them exactly what they had agreed to before they started. They continued their complaints, but the master shut them down by asking three questions:

• Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
• Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?
• Or do you begrudge my generosity?

His questions, our hearts

Jesus, always asking questions. These questions get us every time. The questions of Jesus cause us to reevaluate our thinking. They expose our attitudes and challenge our motives. The questions of Jesus reveal our hearts.

Honestly, we often want more. Maybe not more than we agreed to, but certainly more than that man or woman we’re sure isn’t pulling their weight. And on top of not doing their jobs they just aren’t as good as…did I just think that? I hate these questions. No, Jesus, I don’t begrudge your generosity. After all, you and the Father started this whole thing, but did you really think it through? It seems to me that if you consider…wait, do I really think I know better than God?

Upside-down Kingdom

And then the last line from Jesus, which he has used before, and I’m just not sure I like it. “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” We struggle to understand this upside-down way of thinking. The first should be first and too bad if you didn’t wake up and get in line. Those of us who did should be rewarded for our sacrifice.

But then in a quiet moment, in a desperate moment, in an honest moment, we realize we want to live in a Kingdom like Jesus described. Because in the upside-down Kingdom of God, Jesus found us and chose to forgive us for our sins, all of them, even the ones we barely can admit to ourselves. He showered us with mercy and grace. And he invited us to join his mission of telling others about this love and grace so he could get on with the final restoration when he comes again to put everything back as he intended it to be for us and for all.

We mustn’t run from the questions of Jesus. We must simply say yes and then run toward the one who has given us life.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:1-16‬; ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4:1-2, 7‬; 15:20-25, 27-28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

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