Read Matthew 20:1-16 “God’s grace”
Dear church family,
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is unique to the Gospel of Matthew. It is found only in Matthew 20:1–16 and does not appear in the other three Gospels. It is important to keep in mind that the Gospel of Matthew follows the narrative of the Gospel of Mark. However, in this passage, Matthew breaks from Mark’s flow and includes this unique parable. This tells us that this parable is very important for helping us to understand how the kingdom of God operates. And the main point of this parable is that God’s kingdom operates by grace. And grace means unmerited favor. The way God works is often different from our human understanding. The Kingdom of God is gracious and fair. In God’s kingdom, grace is at the center. God is generous, and God’s grace is given freely. The Kingdom of God does not operate according to our ideas of who deserves more or who deserves less.
Jesus tells us about a landowner who goes out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He hires some workers at 6:00 in the morning. Later, he goes out again at 9:00, then at noon, then at 3:00, and finally at 5:00 in the afternoon. At the end of the day, the landowner tells his manager to pay all the workers, beginning with those who came last. And something surprising happened.
The workers who worked only one hour received the same amount as those who worked all day. Then those who worked all day became upset.
Dear Church family, this parable challenges the way we think about fairness, comparison, and especially God’s grace. Most of us have compared ourselves with someone else at some point. We compare our life, our families, our education, our homes, our jobs, our salaries, our achievements, and even our faith to other people. We even compare our church to other churches.
Sometimes we say:
- Why does their life seem easier than mine?
- Why did they get that opportunity and I did not?
- I have worked so hard. Why do they receive the same recognition or award as I do?
Beloved in Christ, comparison can make us forget what God has already given us. When we look at the workers who came early, they had an agreement from the landowner. They agreed to work for the usual daily salary. They received exactly what they were promised. But when they saw that those who came later received the same amount, they started to complain.
Their problem was not that the landowner broke his promise. Their problem was that someone else received generosity. And sometimes we can be like these workers. We constantly compare ourselves with others. But God did not call us to live by comparison. God called us to live by grace.
This parable teaches us an important lesson in life: God’s grace and generosity toward someone else does not mean God has been less generous toward us. When someone else gets an opportunity from God, does not mean that God has forgotten you. Sometimes, we just need to be thankful for what God has given us. And be thankful for what God gives to other people, because in God’s kingdom, there is still room for everyone. Some people have followed Jesus since childhood. Some people came to Christ as teenagers. Some came as adults. Some came after years of struggle. Some came after making many mistakes. Some people discover God’s grace near the beginning of their lives. Others discover God’s grace near the end.
This morning, I would like to tell you that, please, first, stop comparing your journey with someone else’s journey. God has a purpose for your life. Your story will not look exactly like someone else’s story. Second, be grateful for what God has given you. And last, celebrate when God is generous to others. Because when God gives grace to someone else, there is still grace for you. Amen
Prayer:
God, thank you for this parable, because it reveals your grace in our lives. Lord you are the master of the vineyard. you call each of us in different seasons at different hours of the day. and yet you welcome us all with open arms. Some of us have known you from early in life, some came to you at the final hours of their struggle. but you receive us the same through your grace. Help us to be always thankful for what you have done in our lives. Thank you for your son Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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