Pastor Tom Johnson, September 21,
2014
I love the
bold, outrageous economics of the Master. He likes to provoke thought and
reflection as he manages his small business. Not only that, he gets an emotional
reaction out of those he interacts with. At the break of
dawn he goes out to recruit some workers. He negotiates a daily wage. Let’s
just say for the sake of our understanding that they agree to work a full day
for one hundred dollars. And so they begin their work day.There are so
many grapes ready to be harvested, that they need to be picked, sorted, and
brought to market even more quickly. So the master goes out again mid-morning
and hires more ensuring them he will pay them fairly; though with them he does
not mentions an exact sum of money. They agree. There are still
too many grapes still on the vine. He goes out again at noon and hires some
more. He does the same thing again mid-afternoon. And then at the close of the
day, he goes out again.
I love the question he asks the unemployed workers loitering. They may as well stand around and socialize because they have nothing better to do. “Why are you standing here idle all day?” he asks. Do you remember the Master of Creation when he walks through the Garden of Eden? He asks Adam and Eve who are trying to hide from him, “Where are you? …Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Do you remember the Master on the road to Emmaus who approaches the two depressed disciples grieving the death of their promised Messiah? They only hear rumors of his resurrection. And the Master draws near and asks, “What are you talking about? What has you so troubled in your spirits?” “Why are you standing here idle all day?” the master of the vineyard asks. And they reply, “Because no one has hired us.” And the master says, “You’re hired.” And they work for an hour along with those who have worked a few more, a handful more, and many hours more.
I love the question he asks the unemployed workers loitering. They may as well stand around and socialize because they have nothing better to do. “Why are you standing here idle all day?” he asks. Do you remember the Master of Creation when he walks through the Garden of Eden? He asks Adam and Eve who are trying to hide from him, “Where are you? …Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Do you remember the Master on the road to Emmaus who approaches the two depressed disciples grieving the death of their promised Messiah? They only hear rumors of his resurrection. And the Master draws near and asks, “What are you talking about? What has you so troubled in your spirits?” “Why are you standing here idle all day?” the master of the vineyard asks. And they reply, “Because no one has hired us.” And the master says, “You’re hired.” And they work for an hour along with those who have worked a few more, a handful more, and many hours more.
As the sun
begins to disappear behind the horizon and the grapes are no longer visible for
picking, the master gathers the workers to receive their pay. Those who only
worked for an hour are first in line. They each receive $100. “Awesome!”
thought those in back of the line who were soaked in sweat and smelling as ripe
as the grapes they picked. “Since we have been here all day, the outlook is
good that we will receive more than what the master promised.” But as each of
the workers receive their money, they see that the pay does not increase with
those who worked more hours. Instead, the master fans off hundred dollar bills
indiscriminately from his fistful of cash to each worker. The ones who
worked all day are upset. Either they could have worked a lot less or have been
paid a lot more. But they are being paid exactly what they agreed to. Let’s be clear:
the master gives more money than he must. Those who worked less have not earned
or deserved it. It is unfair. But the
balance of unfairness tips toward the master's generosity. He errs on the side
of graciousness. Those who worked more cross the line when they despise the
master’s graciousness.
The master’s
question, “Are you envious because I am generous?” names their offense: Covetousness. They have broken the 10th
Commandment. They covet their neighbor’s pay. But it also names another of
their offenses: Pride. The master’s
question “Are you envious because I am generous?” gets to the heart of their
sin. It is not that they do not have the money they were promised; it is that
they are jealous of those who did less work. They now are in competition with
one another instead of gladly serving the master together.
This is like the Kingdom of Heaven in so many ways! God hired out Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob thousands of years ago. And their descendants are the beneficiaries of the promises and blessings of the Master of Creation. And now God has gone out of this spiritual vineyard through the ministry of Jesus who recruited Samaritans, Syrophoenicians, and Cyrenians. The Apostles will go out later and will call Ethopians, Greeks, and Romans. The Early Church will go out later and conscribe Northern Europeans, North Africans, and Central Asians. Through this expansion, God will employ East Asians, Aboriginals, First Nations peoples of North, Central, and South America. And here is the rub: even though we may, as a people, be latecomers to the vineyard of God’s mercy and grace, we still get the full day’s wage. Like the laborers at the end of the day, we too have not earned it. We have not deserved it. None of us do. The master forgives all our sins and he assures us of eternal life. Even though we as individuals may have neglected the dawn, midday, afternoon, and twilight of our years, it is never too late for us to be gainfully employed by the Master. It seems that deathbed conversions are in order—like the thief on the cross just hours before his death was assured, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
This is like the Kingdom of Heaven in so many ways! God hired out Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob thousands of years ago. And their descendants are the beneficiaries of the promises and blessings of the Master of Creation. And now God has gone out of this spiritual vineyard through the ministry of Jesus who recruited Samaritans, Syrophoenicians, and Cyrenians. The Apostles will go out later and will call Ethopians, Greeks, and Romans. The Early Church will go out later and conscribe Northern Europeans, North Africans, and Central Asians. Through this expansion, God will employ East Asians, Aboriginals, First Nations peoples of North, Central, and South America. And here is the rub: even though we may, as a people, be latecomers to the vineyard of God’s mercy and grace, we still get the full day’s wage. Like the laborers at the end of the day, we too have not earned it. We have not deserved it. None of us do. The master forgives all our sins and he assures us of eternal life. Even though we as individuals may have neglected the dawn, midday, afternoon, and twilight of our years, it is never too late for us to be gainfully employed by the Master. It seems that deathbed conversions are in order—like the thief on the cross just hours before his death was assured, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
God is like
this master of the vineyard. His grace and mercy are burning a hole in his
pocket! He smiles at the irony of fanning off one hundred dollar bills of his
unconditional love to those who have not earned it—whether they have worked
every hour or just the fleeting moments of the dusk of their lives. My cup runneth over” says the worker in his Kingdom. He has overpaid me
and everyone else! We are unworthy but he nevertheless says, “Well done good
and faithful servant” (Matt 25:21). And
now we get to—not have to—we get to serve the Master and his Kingdom until the
last hour with the assurance that we will receive our full inheritance in Jesus
Christ. Instead of
envying the spiritual prosperity of others and despising the outrageous grace
of God toward sinners, we celebrate it.
Come on, it’s payday! No one will be short-changed of God’s gifts. God’s grace
super-abounds to all creation.
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