They Say It’s Not Fair

“But many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”  Matthew 20:16

Jesus made this statement and then told a parable that, to the human, worldly intellect, is difficult to understand.  It’s also a little difficult for believers to comprehend completely.  A man who owned a large vineyard hired workers at different times of day to go work his farm.  At the end of the day, the workers who worked one hour received the same pay as those who had worked 12 hours.  The all-day workers were angry at the landowner because they assumed that they would be paid more.  He told them that he paid them exactly what they had agreed to, and he had the right to pay others as he saw fit.  So what was Jesus trying to teach us here?

Before we delve into the meaning of this parable,  I would have to say that I can understand the all-day workers complaint.  It is sort of like working a job for a couple of years, perhaps getting a raise or two during that time, and then a new employee coming to work there who does not have as much experience, yet they receive the same pay that took the other employee two years to arrive at that particular pay grade.  This has happened to me, and I am sure it has happened to lots of folks.  Of course, salaries are not to be discussed, but employees have ways of finding out what others make.  We would be better off to not know.  They say that ignorance is bliss, and in some situations it is.  However, these all-day workers were aware of what everyone received because the pay was handed out in view of all.

If the all-day workers would have known that those who worked an hour would have received the same pay ahead of time, they would have all waited until the last hour.  But how could they have been sure that they would have been hired?  They might have lost the opportunity to make any money.  The landowner would have had a hard time getting his grapes gathered because no one would desire to work more than an hour, which makes me think about those who put off repentance and trusting in Jesus Christ thinking that they can do as they please until the last hour of their lives, and then make that all important decision.  But how does one know when that is?  And how does one know that the Holy Spirit will tug at the heart of the unbeliever in his or her last hour.  That is too big of a risk to take.

As with most of Jesus’ teachings, the meaning goes deeper than my finite mind can fathom, but what I can understand from this parable is that God, represented by the landowner, is sovereign, and He rewards according to His prerogative.  Christianity is not a competition.  God’s grace is not given out according to our merit, but according to God’s choice.  We cannot earn salvation, and neither can we earn His grace.  That’s why grace is defined as the unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor of God.  I am so thankful for whatever blessings God decides to bestow on me.  He always knows what we need and supplies it when we need it. Where would we all be without the grace of God?