Bible Passage: Matthew 20:1-16
Pastor: Joel Jenswold
Sermon Date: September 24, 2023

Bulletin September 24, 2023

In the name of, and to the eternal glory of, Jesus,

The last will be first, and the first last. (v. 16)  These are the last words of our text for this morning.  So, fittingly, we are going to consider them first.  The last will be first, and the first last.  Just exactly what does that mean?  Many people have puzzled over its meaning.  Bible commentators have written much trying to explain it.  But what really does it mean?  May I say to you that Jesus’ point with these words can be explained in one word?  Grace.  God’s undeserved love for the sinner.

The parable that is our text has been called many things.  Most often it is some variation of this:  “The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.”  And that is certainly a fine “handle” to attach to this parable.  But it might miss ever-so-slightly the main point.  This parable isn’t so much about the workers; it is more about the words and actions of the owner of the vineyard.  This is a parable about GRACE!  It is the story of The Gracious Vintner.

 Jesus doesn’t just randomly tell parables.  They are thoughtfully and purposefully told.  Why did he tell this parable?  Immediately before telling this parable, the rich young man had come to Jesus.  This is the man who walked away from Jesus because he loved his wealth more than Jesus.  After the man walked away, Peter said, We have left everything to follow you!  What then will there be for us? (Matthew 19:27) That sounds shamelessly self-centered, doesn’t it?  And yet, Jesus answers Peter’s question!  Jesus tells him there WILL be rewards of grace for all those who have left things in this world to follow Jesus.  But having said that, Jesus immediately tells this parable.  The promise and the prospect of rewards of grace should not create in Jesus’ followers a “work-for-wages” mentality.  And so Jesus tells this parable.

A vintner, a vineyard owner, needed workers for his vineyard.  As was the custom, he went to the city square where those who wanted work would gather each day, hoping someone would hire them.  He goes first of all at 6:00 a.m.  He finds some willing workers.  He negotiates the pay.  They would receive a denarius.  That was the standard pay for a day’s work.  Off they go to pruning or trimming or picking grapes.  About 9:00 a.m. the vintner goes back and hires more.  I will pay you what is right (v. 4), he tells them.  He does the same at noon and 3 o’clock in the afternoon.  Finally, with one hour of work left in the day, at 5:00 p.m. he hires some more workers.

Finally the shadows grow long and it is quitting time.  The vintner instructs the foreman,  “Pay the workers.  Start with the last guys.”  So the workers line up, starting with the guys who worked one hour.  The foreman goes down the line.  “A denarius for you.  A denarius for you.”  He comes to the 3 o’clock guys and the noon guys.  “A denarius for you.  A denarius for you.”  He comes to the guys who worked a 12 hour day.  “A denarius for you.”  A denarius!  The same as the rest!  They shoot a dirty look at the vintner.  That’s literally what verse 15 says.  The owner of the vineyard says their “eye was evil.”  They gave the vintner the “stink eye.”

They lodge their complaint with management. Those who were hired last worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have endured the burden of the day and the scorching heat! (v. 12)       Look at the core of their complaint: “You have treated us all equally!”  Implicit is this, “We’re not equal!  Some of us are deserving of MORE!  You are not being FAIR!”

We remind ourselves here that parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings.  What in the spiritual realm parallels those grumbling workers in the vineyard?  Is it not when people approach the Kingdom of God with thoughts of DESERVING and FAIRNESS and EQUITY.  It happened to the Jews on a national level.  They looked at their long history with God.  They were the people hired early.  The Lord called Abraham at 6:00 a.m., so to speak.  These Gentiles are coming into the Kingdom at 3:00 and 5:00 o’clock! The Jews deserve more!

It can happen on a personal level.  Think of Peter’s words, “Lord, we have left everything for you!”  Then you think of the thief on the cross next to Jesus.  He hadn’t given up a thing for Jesus in his life, and yet Jesus promised him the same heaven as Peter was going to get.  Remember that WELS Connection we saw a while ago?  It featured that man who was a member of our mission in Detroit.  He confessed that he had murdered people in his life.  He even killed his own son!  Remember that?  Late in his life he came to know Jesus and forgiveness.  And then he died.  That hit-man gets the same heaven as you!  Seem fair to you?

The moment we go down the path of “deserving” and “fair” we have lost all sense of grace!  We must understand that by definition “grace” is unfair!  Grace is “God’s undeserved love for the sinner.”  The word “undeserved” is baked in!  God does not treat any of us as our sins deserve.  We deserve death and hell and eternal damnation.  Instead, God gives us Jesus, and forgiveness, and life, and heaven.  That is NOT what I deserve!  That’s not fair!  No, it’s not.  It’s GRACE.

The workers in the parable had forgotten how the day began.  They were sitting there with nothing, doing nothing!  The vintner came to them, and called them to work in his vineyard.  Without the vintner’s call they get nothing at day’s end.  They just sat there and the vintner said, “You!” It was a gracious call.  And they had the gall to gripe against this gracious man.

We all begin life sitting idle in the open market.  In grace, God says, “You!  Come, work in my vineyard.  You will not believe what I will give you when the day is over!”  The call is grace.  The work we do is grace.  And the reward at the end of the day is grace.  It’s all grace!  So let us be done grumbling about “deserving” and “fairness.”  Let us rather be people utterly humbled by GRACE.  People who eagerly tell others of this gracious “unfairness,” in Jesus.

Amen.