Matthew 20:1-16
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 1 “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6 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?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ 8 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.’ 9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 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.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Why are you standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’
I absolutely love this parable, mostly because of the way it upsets folks when they hear it for the first time. I especially love teaching this parable to Confirmation students because it makes them absolutely furious. While we think we want the world to be fair, our reaction to this parable shows us that we actually want the world to be skewed in our favor.
This time around, I noticed something different. The landowner goes out into the marketplace to hire the laborers they will need for the day. When the landowner goes back later, there are still workers hanging around waiting to be hired. The same thing happens two more times during the day. We tend to focus on the fact that not all the workers began their labors in the vineyard at the same time. But why is that? The workers all started right after they were hired.
I would suggest that the workers all deserved to be paid for a full day because they all made themselves available for a full day. The ones who waited around to be hired had arrived in the morning ready to work. Whether they were working or waiting to begin, the intent was there. Is it right to penalize those workers because they had to wait? Perhaps the fault is with those who chose not to hire them…
This is, of course, reading a great deal into the text, but it felt important today.
Prayer: Lord Jesus: Show me who is waiting around to work in Your Kingdom today. AMEN