its not fair…

By John Blase | September 21, 2011 |
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 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?’
“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
– Matthew 20:1-7 
 

Do you remember this story? When the landowner went out at five in the afternoon, he saw some men and asked why they were just standing around. Don’t miss their response: Because no one has hired us. And why had no one hired them? It wasn’t a case of laziness as much as it was a gallery of the broken. These men had crashed upon the rocks of life and were left struggling for oxygen. They were screw-ups, ragamuffins, the clumsy inept, the ones who had no doubt messed up so many times it wasn’t funny anymore. These men were cheaters, liars, thieves, those addicted to all the things that don’t make for good, dependable workers. Yet the landowner says You can work for me.

And if you recall, when evening came he ended up paying the johnny-come-latelys the same as the early-birds. There was no distinction between those who’d worked since dawn and those who’d only worked an hour before quitting time. The immediate reaction by the all-day laborers was grumble: but this is not fair! The landowner responds: its my money and I’ll do what I want…and I want to be generous…that’s the deal. Scripturally that where the story ends; therefore that’s usually where the emphasis gravitates when this is preached or taught – a lesson for the pharisaical about grace, a sticking it to the man.

But that’s unfortunate because it leaves the spotlight on the uproar while missing the tears. If you really look you can see them. Tears spilling out the sides of the eyes of those who in all likelihood only worked forty-five minutes but got a full day’s pay. And if you listen, really listen, you can hear their plaintive whisper: but this is not fair…those men, they’ve worked all day, those men earned it fair and square…I, I don’t deserve this. And if you’ve the cajones to shelve the mousy-Jesus just a moment, then brace yourself for a teary-eyed landowner and his fierce response: its my money and I’ll do what I want…and I want to be generous…don’t defame my gift by standards of fair or your own self-loathing…I am mercy…suffer my kindness!

Mercy. A sticking it to the man. For of such is the kingdom of heaven. Amen.

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5 Comments

  1. Angie on September 21, 2011 at 12:11 pm

    Beautiful reminder. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Jamie Heiserman on September 21, 2011 at 2:44 pm

    I am mercy…suffer my kindness! That’s the best thing I’ve read in a long while.

    Reply
  3. Rich on September 21, 2011 at 5:05 pm

    Hallelujah, amen! Welcome home.

    Reply
  4. Amanda on September 22, 2011 at 1:00 am

    I can almost hear landowner’s voice, can almost see his eye as he responds… And it cuts me through. I’ll never read this passage the same way again. Thank you so much, John!

    Reply
  5. Susie Finkbeiner on September 27, 2011 at 3:29 am

    This is among my favorite parables. And for the very reason that you amplified. We are often so focused on self that we don’t appreciate the mercy bestowed on others. Because we don’t like mercy. We think that mercy should be earned. But in that we negate the entire meaning of it. It’s for us to look into the eyes of those receiving the mercy of Christ and see ourselves.

    Reply

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