18 Sep 2005

Matthew 20:1-16

"Generosity beyond understanding"

Dan Cormie writes, "A young lady who occasionally walked through the park after work, stopped to have her picture taken by a photographer on this particular day. She was very excited about her picture being taken. As she walked out of the park, she looked at the Polaroid picture in total amazement. She turned and headed back to the cameraman. When she got there she stated, "This is not right! This is not right! You have done me no justice!" The photographer looked at the picture and looked at her and stated, "Miss, you don't need justice, what you need is mercy."

Wow! I suspect the cameraman got an earful after that comment. Depending on who she was and what her set of values included, she could have "slapped-him-silly" as my High School friends used to say.

Of course the story is very revealing about how we think and function as a society. For example, why did she go back to the cameraman in the first place? Did she think she was entitled to something? Perhaps, perhaps she thought that as a customer she was cheated, that she did not receive what she paid for. In our capitalistic society, we as customers have the right to expect to receive what we paid for, if we do not then we suspect a law has been broken. "This is not right! You have done me no justice" was the woman's argument.

I suspect this is the same reason people questioned the justice behind the parable of "the laborers in the vineyard." Today, much like in the days of Jesus, we expect people to get paid fairly. This is why we have laws that determine what fair wages are. We can also argue if the fair wage laws themselves are fair, but at least we have laws to protect against the exploitation of workers.

However, the problem was not fair wages. After all, the daily workers who had worked all day got paid what they had agreed to early in the morning. "After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard" (v. 2). There is nothing unusual about this agreement. The landowner paid the daily workers what was expected, a "denarius," the "usual daily wage," for a day's work which is 12 hours.

The problem occurs when, at the end of the day, the landowner begins to pay the daily workers. Throughout the day the landowner went to the market place looking for workers. He found some workers at nine, noon, three and five o'clock. All of them were sent to the same vineyard to do a similar job. This means that at the end of the day some had worked for only one hour, others for three, six, nine and twelve hours respectively. When the landowner called the ones who worked only for one hour first and paid them a "denarius," the usual daily wage, those who worked the full day, twelve hours, thought they might be getting more than the normal pay. When this did not happen they argued with the landowner. "These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat" (v. 12). The landowner replied, "... I am doing you no wrong; did you not agreed with me for the usual daily wage? ... Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous? So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (vv 13-16).

As I said before, the problem is not fair wages; those who worked twelve hours got paid for twelve hours. The problem is paying people more than what they deserved. It is un-American! Those who worked for one hour should get paid for one hour. The actions of the landowner sounds more like communism than capitalism and we know the evilness of communism, don't we? In the 80s we heard that Russia was "the evil empire."

Be that as it may, this passage shows us three things. First, it shows us the ugly side of humanity. Our sense of justice and fairness sometimes does not allow us to see the goodness done to others. The workers were upset because the ones who only worked for one hour received the same pay as they did; they were treated equal to them. And, in their eyes this was unfair and unjust. Why do we have problems when others are treated with generosity? Why do we become angry when others "catch a break"? Why do we have problems with the success of others? "Oh that church has thousands of members, but there is something wrong with their theology," we often say. "Yes, they have a big house and expensive cars, but I bet they work all day to pay for all the things they have and I bet they have no time for their children" we say about neighbors. Do we know for sure that that's the case or are we simply assuming things? Even if they do work long hours to pay for what they have, what right do we have to talk about them?

Second, the passage shows us how generous our God is. Yes, He is a fair God. He will give to us what is agreed upon. But, he does more than that. In His kingdom everyone receives His promises equally. In His kingdom there are not first, second and third classes of people. Everyone is treated equally. No matter how little or how much you know about God, if you are in Christ you are His son, His daughter. If you are the third generation from a family of ordained pastors or you are a new convert, you are equally loved and equally important in His eyes. Neither your age, your gender, your race, your cultural background, your nationality, nor your legal status matters in His Kingdom. We are equally loved and equally important in His eyes.

Gracia Grindal, professor at the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota writes, "The parable indicates clearly that God intends to be gracious to all, far more than any of us deserve or can imagine. Jesus shows us that the freedom of God is far beyond our understanding and reason..."

However the passage also shows us one more thing often missed in interpretation. (Third) Our God is a God that goes out of His way to find us. All day long the landowner went into the streets looking for workers. Early in the morning, around six AM he found the first workers, then again at nine, twelve, three and five o'clock. To the last ones he found he said, "Why are you standing here idle all day?... You also go into the vineyard" (vv. 6, 7). It does not matter the time of day; God's doors to His Kingdom are always open.

William Willimon, a well known preacher and scholar writes, "It isn't that a denarius is all that generous. The generosity is in the owner's repeated, unrelenting call to come into the vineyard. The generosity is not in what is earned, but in the invitation. He just wouldn't quit going back and forth into town. He just wouldn't stop calling, wouldn't stop hiring, inviting, seeking, offering."

Our God is a God that comes to us time and time again. He does not leave us alone. He will not stop calling our name. He will not stop inviting us into this Kingdom. He will not stop seeking us. He will not stop offering to us his salvation, His Kingdom and a life worth living.

I do not know about you, but I would rather have mercy than justice. I have no right to say I know God, if it wasn't for mercy. I have no right to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, if it wasn't for mercy. I have no right to stand before God and call Him Father, if it wasn't for mercy. If we were to be judged based on the sins we have committed, we might not deserve to enter the Kingdom of God. Thanks be to God that we are not judged based on what we have or have not done, but on what the Son of Man, the Son of God has done for us. Thanks be to God that we serve more than a just God, but a loving, caring, merciful God.

Let us therefore, not be like the world. Let us delight when others "catch a break." Let us be delight at the success of others.

Let us therefore, show others the generosity of God. For we know that no matter how little or how much we know about God, if we are in Christ we are His sons and daughters. If we are the third generation from a family of ordained pastors or we are a new convert, we are equally loved and equally important in His eyes. Let us show others that we serve more than a just God, but a loving, caring, merciful God.

And, let us therefore, show others a God that goes out of His way to find us. He will not stop calling our name. He will not stop inviting us into this Kingdom. He will not stop seeking us. He will not stop offering to us his salvation, His kingdom and a life worth living.

Amen.