September 24, 2023 — Pentecost +17A, Matthew 20:1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around, and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘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.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 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.”

This parable presents one of the few times in life where being picked last is a good thing. No one aspires to be last, as far as I am concerned — of course there are always examples of people who go against the norms. But many people think that certain people “deserve” to be last in life. G-d says something certain about our deserving minds and mind-set. “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Are you envious because I am generous?” In other words, G-d is saying “Who are you to think you deserve something?”

You do know we are a “deserving” society. We are constantly told that we deserve this, and we deserve that. You deserve that new house, that new car, that sleep number bed, that boat. Tell me, what did you or I do yesterday to deserve to wake up today? What did you or I do today to be able to wake up and have the ability to go to work, to visit family, to feed our children, to come to church — what did we do to “deserve” to be alive today? We should intuitively know the answer to this question: which is “We did nothing to deserve those things.” We did nothing to deserve the good, the bad, and the ugly of today. Do we deserve to have a say in what we or other’s deserve?

Here is what Robert Smith, Lutheran pastor and theologian writes this about the parable of the Vineyard: “It is simply a fact that people regularly understand and appreciate God’s strange calculus of grace as applied to themselves but fear and resent seeing it applied to others.” Robert Smith (Matthew, Augsburg Commentary)

In other words, having an envious eye toward those who have more, or seem to be more blessed, or more deserving will only lead us down a dark and lonely road — just ask Jonah. And hard work does not equal G-d’s gracious will in our lives either — this is an equation we must all accept. Even worse, we should be able to celebrate G-d’s grace when it happens to others, not just when it happens to us.

We must be very careful that we do not begin to think so selfishly that soon we believe there should be a hierarchy of believers — you know, some work harder than others, so they should receive more blessings. Here is a truth we must accept:

Some people will work harder than us

Some people will work longer than us

Some people will come to faith early in life

Some people will come to faith later in life

Some people will be more dedicated to their faith

And yet, the truth Jesus tells us is: we are all open to receive the same grace and blessings from G-d.

Sometimes we give G-d glory for the grace and blessings we have received — sometimes we are envious for the Grace and blessings others receive. And sometimes we are generous, with our time, talents and finances — and sometimes we give to others only what we think they deserve — including to G-d and the church. Sometimes we are Jonah, running as far from G-d as we think we can — other times we run to G-d. But we are always beggars — equally underserving of G-d’s blessings, mercy and Grace — equally sinful — equally forgiven, no matter how long we have been followers of Jesus or how short — equally blessed — equal in G-d’s eyes as Kingdom dwellers.

We are called to live as Kingdom dwellers now — working for the Kingdom, not just to get into the Kingdom — because G-d chooses to do what G-d chooses to do with what belongs to G-d. And since we belong to G-d, through our baptisms, justified by faith through Grace in Word and Sacrament — then let’s get to work bringing about the Kingdom right now — with every person, in every way.

Pastor Dave