The Unfair Landowner
TRANSLATION
(1) “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. (2) And after agreeing to pay the laborers a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. (3) And going out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace. (4) And he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard (and work), and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. (5) And again he went out at about noon and then at three in the afternoon and did the same thing. (6) At about five in the afternoon he again went out and found others standing idle, and he asked them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ (7) They answered him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard (and work).’
(8) “And when evening came, the landowner said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages beginning from the last to the first.’ (9) And when those who were hired at five in the afternoon came, each one received a denarius. (10) Now when those who were hired first came (to be paid), they thought that they would receive more. But each of them likewise received a denarius. (11) And when they were paid, they grumbled against the landowner, (12) saying, ‘Those (who were hired) last spent only an hour (working), and you have made them equal to those of us who have borne the burden of the work and the scorching heat all day.’ (13) But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me to work for a denarius? (14) Take what belongs to you and go your way. I chose to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave to you. (15) Do I not have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ (16) So the last shall be first and the first last.”
OBSERVATIONS
In this parable, Jesus dealt with a very human expectation with which all of us wrestle from the earliest moments of our awareness: the desire to be treated with fairness. The repetitions found in this segment clearly outlined the story for us: “landowner” three times (vss. 1, 8, & 11), “went/go/went out/going out” several times (vss. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7), five occurrences of “vineyard” (vss. 1, 2, 3, 7, & 8), three of “laborers” (vss. 1, 2, & 8) along with “those hired” twice (vss. 9 & 10) and “worker” (vs. 14), two uses of “agree/agreeing” (vss. 2 & 13), four occurrences of “denarius” (vss. 2, 9, 10, & 13), and four of “receive/received/receiving” (vss. 9, 10, & 11).
OUTLINE
I. A landowner sent laborers into his vineyard at various times during the day, agreeing to pay each one for their work. (1-7)
II. When the landowner paid each one a denarius, those who had worked longer hours protested against the seeming unfairness of the arrangement. (8-12)
III. The landowner defended his right to pay each worker the amount he deemed appropriate. (13-16)
IDEA STATEMENT
The Kingdom of Heaven does not operate on the basis of fairness but on the basis of God’s grace.
APPLICATION
Before we become upset by the seemingly unfair treatment of the workers in this story, we must remember two important things. First, this is a parable in which Jesus was describing how the “Kingdom of Heaven” works, not how things should operate here on earth. Next, we must realize that God has never promised to treat everyone the same. In fact, that is something that we really would not want when we think about it. Instead, he has promised to deal with each of us on an individual basis according to our individual needs and concerns, and he does this with his special grace.
In raising our three children, my wife and I continually emphasized that we were committed to love each of them equally, but that we would never submit to their demands for “fairness.” We told them that we would try to treat each of them according to their own individual needs and requirements which might at times come across as unfairness. One might need more attention than the others at a specific moment due to an injury or a personal struggle or a developmental difference due to their different age levels. One might be able at times to function more independently than the others and need less attention from us as parents. Another might be going through a personal crisis which might demand our devoted attention at a given moment. We would make every effort to be available to each of them, to love each of them, to be there to help as needed. We warned them never to use the words, “not fair,” nor try to manipulate us or persuade us to do what they wanted from us.
Jesus employed this parable to show that the Kingdom of Heaven is not bound by our demands for fairness or equal treatment but rather by God’s commitment to love each of us in accordance with our individual needs and life situations. Some will be saved early in their lives and have the joy of working in the Lord’s vineyard for many years. Others will be saved late in life, perhaps only days before they die. Yet, each will receive the same gift of eternal life, represented by the denarius, no matter how long they have known the Lord. That is how grace operates. The gift of eternal life is given to each of us by faith and not by works, not according to the length of time spent in serving the Master. Many other passages of Scripture assure us that rewards will be given to those who have faithfully served the Lord, but that is not what is at issue here.