Workers in the Vineyard

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Everyone who has spent any time with kids or grandkids or has been a kid themselves is familiar with some variation of the phrase: “Hey! That’s not fair!” Kids are great at being the fairness police. I remember my older brother Matthew and I lining up our cups to make sure we each got the same exact amount of orange juice in our cups from the last of the carton. My earliest purpose in life was to ensure that he didn’t get a drop more than me! It seems like this phrase is a part of the hardwiring of the human brain.

One of the humbling parts of the Gospel that we just heard is that Jesus is kinda saying, you know, kids aren’t the only ones who love to be the fairness police. Sure, it’s not about orange juice anymore. But it’s about power. It’s about money. It’s about labour. We call it “equality” and “equity”. Two people with the same skills and experience should be getting the same pay. You get paid what you deserve. That makes perfect sense to us. It’s the way our world is set up. And when this norm is violated, we are angered and disrespected and we shout out, “Hey! That’s not fair!”

What a joy and challenge it is to hear the Gospel reading begin with these words: “For the kingdom of heaven is like…”

We’re in for a parable! Parables are a wonderful way that we are taught about the things of heaven. Today, we hear in this parable how the kingdom of heaven is like and unlike the kingdom of this world. As we begin to dive into this parable, let’s start a few verses back in Matthew 19.

The rich young man (Mt. 19:16-22). A good, strong, young man. Respected, even admired, in his community. And filthy rich, “for he had great possessions”. This man came up to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to have eternal life?” and Jesus said - simple! Keep the law from start to finish. And the young man essentially says, “Check, check, check! I’ve kept all of these. What do I still lack?” And I picture Jesus, with a smile, kindly saying to this beloved, and either very naive or very ignorant, young man, “One thing you lack. Go, sell what you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” This man’s righteousness is not quite as complete as he thought it was.

And this rich young fellow walked away, head hung low, sorrowful, because he was very rich. Perhaps we can imagine his internal dialogue, rationalizing that he had worked hard for his possessions! And who was this Jesus to demand that he sell what he had worked so hard for?

The young man didn’t understand. He didn’t understand the ways of Jesus and the kingdom of heaven. We see a lot of his life reflected in our world and society today. We work for what we earn. We climb career ladders. We expect to be paid fairly based on our experience and skill set. But that is not how things roll in the kingdom of God.

And with this parable, speaking to his disciples shortly after the departure of the sorrowful rich young man, Jesus explains what the kingdom of heaven is like.

Imagine a vineyard. And the master of the vineyard needs some workers in the vineyard. So he went out bright and early to look for some workers. He found some labourers; they agreed on their pay, and they went into the vineyard to do the work that the master had called them to do. Later in the morning, he went out again and saw some more people, just kinda hanging out around the market, and he asked them to come and work for him in his vineyard, and he agreed to pay them. So they went. And he did the same thing again around noon, at 3 p.m., and then one last time at the end of the work day, around 5 pm. And even at 5pm, there were still some folks milling around who didn’t have any work to do. So the master called them to come and work, too.

At the end of the day, the workers all got lined up to be paid, and the ones called at the very end of the day got paid first, and so on until it was time for the workers who had been there since the early morning to be paid. And the master paid each of them the same.

How did they react? They grumbled! How could this master be so ridiculous and rude and unfair? They had been working hard all day in the scorching heat. How dare the master not reward them more for their efforts?

The rich young ruler turned away, sorrowful. The workers in the vineyard grumbled. Jesus, the master, addressed them, “Friend.” (Woah - what a gracious response to a complainer!) “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Work and get paid. Earn your money. Work harder, get a raise. Strive for success. Climb the ladder. Compete with your coworkers and beat out other businesses. Prove yourself. This is the way of our world. But it is not the way of the Kingdom of God.

Right before the rich young man approaches Jesus, there is another very important group of people that Jesus interacts with.

(Mt. 19:13-15) “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.”

Why is Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler and his telling of the parable of the workers in the vineyard preceded by these little children? The kingdom of heaven is not something that we earn, it is a gift, and it has already been given to us by God through Christ. The rich young ruler comes with his resume. He comes with his hard work, his possessions, his worth, his righteousness. But Jesus points us to the little children. They don’t come offering anything. They don’t come trying to prove how great they are to be deserving of Jesus’ love. They simply come. They simply receive. They simply trust the One who gives. There’s no need for them to measure each other’s orange juice. 

The kingdom of heaven does not have a master who sizes up and pays his workers based on their merit. The kingdom of heaven has a master who welcomes the least of all people, the little children, who have nothing to give, but only receive with open hands the gifts of the kingdom, which the master gives out generously.

The first shall be last, and the last first.

The master of the kingdom of heaven welcomed the broken and the unworthy, like the thief on the cross, who, in his last moments of life, though he had sinned greatly and caused harm to his neighbour worthy of the death penalty, turned to the master of the kingdom of heaven and received the promise of eternal life.

The master of the kingdom of heaven welcomed the tax collectors and prostitutes to come and follow him and receive forgiveness.

Who despises this generosity? The workers who had been there since sun-up and worked through the heat of the day. And throughout Matthew's Gospel, we see this same resentment in those who believed that righteousness could be measured by their works—the Pharisees, the rich young ruler, and, if we're honest, us.

Think carefully. Do you grumble when someone who has caused real hurt is welcomed back with mercy? Do you grumble when someone who seems to contribute so little receives the same promise of resurrection that you do? Perhaps we say, “That’s not fair.” And perhaps Jesus looks at us and says, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong.”
Perhaps, like me, this is an exposure of pride and a call to humble repentance.
Our sinful flesh cries out, “That’s not fair!” We strive to please God. We make excuses for ourselves when we fail. After all, it’s different when I fail than when someone else fails. At least my intentions were good.

Jesus stops us there. When we try to reason our worth based on what we do, when we try to prove ourselves, Jesus stops us. We cry out, “That’s not fair!” The pharisees despise this Jesus who seems to be abolishing the law! The rich man is sorrowful over this turning of the tables! Jesus has exposed the limits of his righteousness.

Jesus didn’t come to do what we think is fair according to our works or our perception of our own fantastic keeping of the law. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law. Jesus came to do what was right. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it. And praise be to God that Jesus didn’t come to do what was fair. Because if he did, you and I would all be screwed.

Jesus came with radical unfairness. Jesus came with grace and mercy, which are the opposite of what we might call “fair”. In mercy, God held back from giving us what we did and do deserve. That’s what mercy is - not giving someone the punishment that they do deserve. And in grace, God gave us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. That’s what grace is - giving someone a gift that they do not deserve.

In grace and mercy, God gave Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. Jesus took on the punishment that we deserve. And then poured out for us the gift that we did not deserve. Forgiveness. Life. Resurrection hope!

And what is the response of the workers, that is all too often also our response? We grumble. But that is the wrong reply to grace.

Every single worker was called. Every single worker was invited to come and labour in the vineyard. The first ones were called just the same as the last. None of them earned or deserved their invite.

Ephesians 2:1 - We were dead in our transgressions and sins. A few months ago we talked about the raising of Lazarus and the raising of the dry bones in the desert in Ezekiel. What credit does a dead person get for being raised? For accepting their resurrection? For agreeing to be brought to life? No! Ephesians 2:4-5 - But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Neither the first nor the last workers deserved to be called. But because of his great love and grace and mercy, the master of the vineyard called the workers to come into his vineyard and to help with the labour. Not so that they would earn more or become greater amongst themselves or prove their worth to their boss, but because they have been called.

Our worth is not in our labour. Our worth is in the image of God imparted upon us as God knit each one of us together in our mother’s womb. Our worth is in the seal of Christ placed upon us in our baptism. Our worth is in the Father calling us His children.

We receive the forgiveness of God and the promises of the kingdom of heaven because Christ earned it for us on the cross. There is no earning left for us to do. Let us put away our resumes. Let us set aside our speeches of self-defense.

Instead, let us hear the words of Jesus as He calls us to Him, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Let us go to Jesus. Let us receive with open hands the forgiveness and mercy that He poured out for us on the cross and pours into us each time we gather through the Word shared, through the baptismal water, through His body and blood at the precious supper of the Lamb, through the proclamation of the forgiveness of our sins in confession and absolution.

Let us rejoice rather than grumble at the generosity of the master of the vineyard. Let us rejoice that God pours out abundantly for the unworthy. Because you and I are the unworthy.

This parable is named after the workers, but really, this parable is about the master of the vineyard, who is generous in whom He calls and what he gives. This is the Parable of the Good Chooser and Generous Giver. I like that. Let us go into the vineyard and into the world to do the work that God has set before us, to love and care for our neighbour, rejoicing in the fantastic reward of eternal life that is already ours in Christ Jesus, our Good and Generous Saviour.

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