Day 7: Vineyard Workers

The Parable of The Vineyard Workers 

“For the kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work. At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’lock he did the same thing. At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, Why haven’t you been working today? They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’ The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’ That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first.

When those hired at 5 o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested the owner. Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve pain them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others? So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” – Matthew 20:1-16

This parables is a lesson for us of how God’s judges. What we may think is ‘fair’ may not be what The Lord thinks is fair. While reading this parable, I thought to myself, “Why would the landowner give equal pay to those who worked the entire day compared to those who only worked an hour?” By the end of the story, the answer came to me. He was generous. God loves a cheerful giver and opposes the proud [2 Corinthians 9:7, James 4:6]. Therefore, let us give freely and happily! The workers in the morning agreed to work for their wage, but when they received it, they complained because they compared. Let us not live our lives complaining or comparing ourselves to others. Scripture says when we find ourselves comparing, we lack understanding. Remember, we as humans are limited in our knowledge, so when it comes to fairness, only God can judge.

“Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding”  -2 Corinthians 10:12