Has anyone ever felt that they got a raw deal working? Like the did more work but got paid the same or even less than others?
The setting of this fascinating parable is a typical scene in first-century Israel. Day laborers gather in the marketplace, hoping someone will offer them employment for the day. Their situation is dire. They are dependent on being hired since they do not own their own land. They do not even have the relative security of steady work that slaves have. All they can do is wait to see whether someone needs their labor this day. It is critical that they are hired. If they are not, their family will go hungry.
Matthew 20:1-16
1. “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 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.”
What is you initial reaction? Are you upset that this seems unfair, or are you happy that a bunch of people can feed their family.
What prompts Jesus to tell this parable? He is answering a question from Peter from
Matt 19:27-30
27. Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
28. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
30. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Jesus answers Peter in stages.
1. Promises a reward
2. Warns that God does not distribute rewards the same as man.
3. Tells this parable
- “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
Workers wait to get hired for the day like we said above. “Early in the morning” means at dawn. Let’s say 6am.
2. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“He agreed to pay them” which implies that they agreed to work for a denarius a day. This is totally normal.
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.’
The scene is one of a frantic search for workers to get the crop out. In this case, if grapes are picked too soon, they are not good. If they are left too long, they spoil. Imagine the hustle going on. They will hire workers all day even if only for one hour.
What does this signify spiritually?
Note – the first workers were promised a days wage. These workers were promised to receive for pay “whatever is right.”
The landowner seems to have an unlimited supply of work and he seems surprised to see some people standing around or idle.
What does this mean?
Note – The owner goes to find the workers, not the steward. The steward/foreman doesn’t show up until the end, but normally this would be his job. The owner goes back five times during the heat of the day.
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.’
What is the whole point of the parable? Hint below
Why did he landowner pay the last workers first?
So the others would see the transaction. Why do you think he did this?
The parable focuses on the response of the ones who worked all day. We see this even in the way the final scene is set up. The owner specifically tells the steward the order for paying the workers. The expected order would be to start with the ones who had worked all day. If he had done this, they would not have seen what the others received and so would not have been disgruntled at getting the same amount. Each of the other groups would then have been surprised and delighted to get the same amount. Everyone would have left happy and pleased, and the landowner would have avoided the heated confrontation. However, he specifically reversed the order, which indicates that he purposely wanted those who worked all day to see the grace he would give to those who had not worked as long.
9. “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.
They received a full days pay for only about one hour of work.
At this point, what do you think the all day workers are thinking?
They would get much more than one denarius.
10. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
This is exactly what they agreed to at the beginning of the day.
11. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
Shocker… people complain even when treated fairly. They are mad at the landowner who hired them and gave them a chance to work and feed their family. The deal that was made was completely adhered to.
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.’
“made them equal to us…”
“borne the burden of the work and heat of the day…”
What do these comments tell us about the first workers?
they are superior in their eyes
Do you ever work while the guy next to you is idle?
How does that make you feel?
13. “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?
He reminds them that he has been completely fair.
14. Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.
Does the landowner explain why he chose to pay them the same? Does he have to?
What does that mean spiritually?
15. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
Some say envious, some say evil eye.
1 Samuel 18:8-9.
Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” 9. And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
“An evil eye was a phrase in use, among the ancient Jews, to denote an envious, covetous man or disposition; a man who repined at his neighbor’s prosperity, loved his own money, and would do nothing in the way of charity for God’s sake.” (Clarke)
Deuteronomy 15:9
9. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.
God is warning here about being envious. If you are, you will be greedy in charity.
It is crucial to see that while the workers see it as an issue of unfairness, the owner reframes it from the perspective of generosity.8 The workers see a wrong done to them. He wants them to see the benefit of receiving from a gracious benefactor.
16. “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
This is the essence of God’s grace. He gives grace or rewards according to his will and pleasure, not according to what we deserve.
The system of law is easy, you get what you deserve. The system of grace is more foreign. God deals out according to who HE is.
The landowner did not treat anyone unfairly. However he was more generous with some. And the is up to him.
The point is not that we all have the same reward. All of them went to heaven. But you can expect surprises. God will never be less than fair, but he may be more fair as it pleases him.
This parable is not a perfect illustration of God’s grace, because the principle of working and deserving is involved. The grace of God does not give us more blessing than we deserve – it gives blessing to us completely apart from the principle of deserving.
Grace should be especially manifested in our service; it is of grace, not works.
· All our service is already due to God; it belongs to Him.
· The ability to serve God is the gift of His grace.
· The call to serve God is the gift of His grace.
· Every opportunity to serve is a gift of His grace.
· Being in the right state of mind to do the Lord’s work is a gift of grace.
· Successful service to God is the gift of His grace.
Now after hearing all of this. Look at verse one again.
- “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
What does this say about the kingdom of heaven? About God?
The owners treatment of the workers who were hired later shows us that God rules his kingdom with amazing generosity. Looking at the parable from the standpoint of the owner can radically change what we get out of the parable. The point is not that the first workers are underpaid. The point is that the others are overpaid. The owner gives them more than they expect and deserve.
Psychologists have found that many people would turn down money if they thought that someone else is getting more. In one experiment people were offered a small amount of money ($2), but with the catch that another person would get a larger sum ($8). An overwhelming amount of people—85 percent—declined the offer. They would rather receive nothing than have someone else get more than they got. Similar studies produced the same results, sometimes using larger hypothetical amounts of money. What does all this research indicate? We are strongly oriented toward justice, and comparisons with other people matter a lot. We don’t just think about how we are doing. We think about how we are doing compared with everyone else, and that affects how we act.
Can you imagine what the last-hired workers thought? Each passing hour would have increased their dread in having to go home to tell their families that they had failed to provide and everyone would go hungry. Instead, though, they realized that they wouldn’t have to do this, that their families would have enough, even though they knew they didn’t deserve it. I suspect they would have been overjoyed at their good fortune, profoundly relieved, and extraordinarily grateful.
Imagine both sets of workers as they go home that night. Who is grateful, who is grumbling?
MAJOR TAKEAWAYS
1.The focus of the parable is ultimately on the generous landowner.
2.The response of the workers helps us consider our own responses to God’s generosity. Do we rejoice in his grace to the last-hired workers or dwell on the unfairness to the ones who worked all day but did not receive more compensation?
3.The context of the parable in Matthew’s Gospel reveals that Jesus is warning against doing kingdom work for the sake of rewards.
4.The parable illustrates the importance of receiving grace as compared with demanding justice. Receiving grace produces a humble and grateful soul that in turn extends grace to others. Demanding justice can lead to a bitter and discontented soul and hinder our ability to see the needs of others.
5.The parable challenges us to consider the way we view God: according to our own standards of justice, or trusting that he will provide what is good.
Think of a time when you did not get what you expected or thought you deserved. How did you react, and why?
Think of a time when you received grace and how you responded. How might this make you want to extend grace to others?
Barnewall, Michelle Lee. Surprised by the Parables: Growing in Grace through the Stories of Jesus (p. 33). Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.