Matthew 20:1-16 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

20 “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[a] 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.”

Pause:

Sit still for a few moments and allow God to speak to you through the passage.

For Everyone:

This may not sound very holy, but in my opinion, the grumbling workers had the right to grumble! Maybe they shouldn’t have said it out loud - that seems rude, but they had a point. They had put in more work than the workers who came later. They had seen others rewarded for much a partial day’s work and assumed that they would get more for full day of work.

But in God’s upside down world where grace abounds, God chooses to give grace freely - even to those who we may not deserve it. But before we get too mad about that, we should consider whether or not we want the wage we “earned” on our own. Romans 6:23, our Treehouse Club verse from last week (Ep. 5) tells us very clearly that the wages of sin is death! The only fair wage we can earn is death! How merciful is our Father that He has offers us the gift of life through Jesus Christ our Lord?

We should be glad God doesn’t give us a fair wage for what we worked for - that way leads to death! Instead, God gives us a gift that we should cherish and want to share with others. Let’s revel in the gift of grace God has given us!

Wonder:

How did this parable (story with a meaning) make you feel?

Does the landowner in this story treat everyone equally?

Does he treat them fairly?

How does the “wage” we can earn compare to the gift God has given?

When can we remember this story?

Bless:

Dear God,

Help me to embrace your gift. Help me to not grow envious of others who receive grace from you as well. Help me to show grace to others. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.