I hope you had a good Labor Day weekend. I did a little labor in the yard. While doing so I was reminded of a parable found only in Matthew’s gospel. In the opening verses of chapter 20, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. I have always enjoyed preaching sermons that unpack parables. Jesus is the obvious expert at crafting scenarios that are guaranteed to test the mind, heart, and reasoning ability of an audience. The characters, setting, or storyline almost always create a dilemma or conclusion that leaves the listener amazed, confused, upset, or even dumbfounded by the Kingdom-of-God-Lessons Jesus offers through parabolical discourse.

The Laborors in the Vineyard is no exception. Whenever I used it as the basis for a sermon, invariably someone would let me know this parable was not one of their favorites. I always took this as a good sign. When Jesus offers a parable, the more we struggle to understand it, the more significant the message is for the living of our faith. I invite you to look up Matthew 20:1-16 if you need to visit or revisit this gem of a story that will no doubt cause some to belabor the point Jesus is putting before us.

If you are one who struggles with the outcome of this parable, it is likely because your mind went first to what’s on the pay stubs? Jesus denotes that at the end of the day the landowner paid each laborer an equal amount even though they did not all work the same number of hours. This creates an immediate imbalance, or even an injustice, using the logic that someone who worked four hours should not receive the same pay as someone who labored for eight…and you would be correct!

Jesus knew this was exactly how most who heard this parable would react. He knew there would be some labor involved in introducing a Kingdom-of-Heaven message to the minds of an earth-bound audience. This plays out in verses 8-12. But the way Jesus describes the landowner’s response in verses 13-15 says more about his motive than his money. “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” 

God puts us in the labor field for the sake of the gospel every time we say, “Here I am, Lord!” But often we fall short of expectations, don’t fulfill the job description, or are convinced our work is better than the results someone else produces. Yet, God gives us grace beyond what is needed to fill such a gap. In laboring for the gospel, Jesus also labored for us so that we might receive grace. Jesus doesn’t craft this parable to glorify himself, but to remind us that in the economy of God’s Kingdom, grace is doled out as needed. On any given day, some of us will need more than others, but God will determine the amount that is given based upon the sincere efforts of our labor. God is the landowner…we should not risk comparing our efforts with God’s willingness to give…or as Eugene Peterson paraphrases verse 15 in The Message, “Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?”

May our labor be blessed by God’s great grace!