For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Matthew 20:1-2 ESV
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV
This week I want to share some perspectives on the parable Jesus told called “Laborers in the Vineyard.” This parable is in Matthew 20:1-16 if you would like to read it. First a disclaimer, I can’t take all the credit for this one. I do an online Bible study with a wonderful group of women in different parts of the country with Fisher Community Bible Study. We meet by Zoom once a week to discuss each lesson and share insights. A shout out to each of them!
The master goes out early in the day to hire workers for his vineyard. The workers and the master agree on one denarius as payment. And the workers go into the vineyard. The master goes out four more times at different times of the day, the 3rd hour, 6th hour, 9th hour, and finally the 11th hour. Each time he hires more workers, agreeing that he will pay them “whatever is right.”
At the end of the day, the master has his foreman pay the workers, beginning with the last hired to the first hired. Every laborer received a denarius. Can you guess what happened when the first laborers received their pay? Right, they grumbled about their pay for they had worked the entire day. How many times have we heard or have we said, “That’s not fair!”
Perspectives:
The vineyard master is God the Father. The vineyard is the kingdom of heaven. God, with love and grace, welcomes all who come into the kingdom through faith in Jesus, whether they come early in life or late in life, what ever their past. The love and grace of God, the pay, is the same for all – salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life.
God may not be what we consider “fair”, but He is always good. Our “work” can not earn us God’s mercy, love, and grace, it is a gift.
Like the grumblers, are we sometimes jealous of what blessings others receive because we think we deserve more? Do we judge fellow believers, laborers, or are we just happy to be a part of the kingdom of heaven?
What also spoke to me in this parable is that each one of us is a laborer in the kingdom of heaven. Are we continuing to work for the Lord, for the kingdom of heaven? Once we receive the reward we don’t stop working, we share the gospel, the light of the Lord, our testimonies, love and kindness, and our prayers for others.
I thank God for each of you! And I thank you for joining me this week as we embrace our role as God’s laborers in the kingdom of heaven.
Blessings and joy my brothers and sisters as we labor for the Lord!
Peggy Writes 
On a somewhat related note, sometimes we become frustrated when we don’t see the fruits of our labors right away, whether we receive that single denarius or not. I grew up on a farm. We raised cows, messed with pigs for a while (gross), had a big wheat field (and leased other land to grow more wheat) and always had a big garden. Farming teaches you patience because you never see the results of your hard work until much later (and sometimes not at all if natural disasters occur that kill your livestock or wipe out your crops). We all want fair pay and immediate results, I suppose, and impatience can lead to resentment. (In my case, my dad never paid us an allowance for our hard work, so we never even had that sense of being appreciated for our efforts.) It’s difficult for humans to see things through a long-term lens. I can definitely understand the frustration of those vineyard workers who put in a full day’s work and only received the same wage as those who worked for an hour (see above allowance reference). But how can we begrudge our fellows when we don’t know them or their circumstances? That’s like a certain group of hateful citizens demonizing newly arrived immigrants who have fled their home countries to escape tyranny and violence–those immigrants are human beings, too, and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity (i.e. they deserve a denarius for their field work, too). It would be so much better if everyone had the attitude that we’re all in this together, we all worked those fields and harvested those grapes and contributed to the greater good, and we will all receive our reward in due time.
I hope this made sense (it’s too early here in Colorado!). Your messages are always opportunities for learning and growth, Peggy. Keep shining your light, my friend. 😊🙏🕯️
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Great advice, Mike, on the attitude we all should have! We are all in this together, sharing the work, side by side, and valuing others. We are all created in God’s image by Him. Let our actions speak louder than the destructive words of the few.
Thanks for sharing, Mike, I appreciate your kindness and encouragement!! You may have had a truly harsh life but you chose to be different. You bear much good fruit, my friend!
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In a “get rich quick or die trying ” culture, it’s almost expected that we’d always have an eye on what the other person is doing or making. They’ve been reprogramming us to covet and despise and be resentful. Greed has no boundaries or moral code. It’s scary that the trajectory is obvious and terminal, yet no one wants to stop and consider the path we are on. Bloodshed will happen eventually because history loves repeating itself. Good observation and thoughts shared, Mike.
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Another blessed share I got to read this morning, Ms. Peggy.
I always struggled with that parable. Would always make the same argument for the workers who felt they were treated unfairly. Then, one day, I met a businessman back home in Trinidad, and we were discussing the terms of a contract that had multiple parties vying for a piece of the pie, causing delays. He said..”I’m not greedy, Mr. Byng. I prefer that everybody gets to eat some food, and the project gets completed on time.”
And all of a sudden, the parable took on an entirely new meaning to me.
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I like that gentleman’s comment! It is a perfect example of the parable! Thank you, Nigel, for sharing the story and of course your encouragement! 😊
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You’re welcome, Peggy. It’s always a pleasure.
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Good lesson. One I’ve along the way is to listen and not judge….Yes, we should really give thought to our work in the kingdom. Again, good lesson—great post. Blessings and Peace!
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Thank you, c.f.! I appreciate you and thanks for the kind comments and your encouragement and support! Blessings to you and your family, friend!!
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