Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, Matthew 20:1-16
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.
He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’
So they went.
“He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
” ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
“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.’
“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.
So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
‘These men 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.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?
Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.
Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’
So they went.
“He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.
About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
” ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
“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.’
“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.
So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.
When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
‘These men 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.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius?
Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.
Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
We always think that the more we do something for GOD we will get more reward than other Christians. We think that if we pray more, serve more, attend more seminars or concert/conference or even suffer more than anyone else, GOD would loves us more than other Christian. It is not wrong to pray more/attend more seminars, but if you think that by doing more will get you somewhere, it is a wrong thinking! This is called self-righteous or to put in layman terms: PRIDE!!!
Many Christians do have this mindset and pride in them and I am one of them. But Jesus reminds us in this parable that it is not how much we do, because we are not saved by the good works we done, but by the grace of the LORD. Everyone is equal to GOD'S eyes and He wants us to remove the mentality of "doing more for GOD then only He will bless me more".
The assignment does not matter much to Him. A simple obedience and faith of getting the job done matters more than 1000 servings or 1000 concerts/seminars that you attend. Maybe we think that we had served 50 years in Godly services and those who are in 5 years of services is non compared to the 50 years time spent!! You know what!! GOD says that "I'm gonna reward these 2 man the same" Cox theres one and only reward: ETERNAL LIFE, nothing greater or smaller than this. Theres no such thing as half eternal life or double portion of eternal life. Its just ETERNAL LIFE!!Its singular not plural!!!
The parable ends with this "So the last will be first, and the first will be last".
So frens, we need to learn to humble ourselves in the things that we do. Its not how big or how much or how long we had endured, its the faith and the heart He sees in every small or big assignments given to us..
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