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Sunday September 19,
1999 ~ Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sermon Text: Matthew
20:1-16
Jonah 3:10-4:11 *
Philippians 1:21-30 * Psalm 145:1-8
"Grace: "Equal Pay for Unequal Work"
Bob Schwartz was the owner of a mid size trucking firm in Chicago. He made the decision to sell the company to a large national corporation while he was still ahead of the game. He could see that there would no be room for a company like his for long. It was grow and expand, or sell.
Each year at Christmas time, Bob had given his employees and drivers a bonus which was based on the company's profit and the employees time on the job. This final year of operations, however had been an especially good year. He decided to give everyone an especially generous Christmas bonus. Everyone would receive more than they had during the previous few years. And... everyone would receive the same amount. If you were on the payroll December 20th when the checks were written, you got the bonus!
When the envelopes were first opened there was joy and good cheer all around. Laughter even. A Holly Jolly Christmas. Then... slowly, people began to compare checks. "Say Joe... what did you get?"
You guessed it -- Matthew 20 all over again!
"I couldn't believe it," Bob said, "I tried to do something good for everybody and now I get angry phone calls at home from people who got larger bonus checks than they ever got before. Are people that greedy?"
***
How would you answer Mr. Schwartz? Would most people you know be happy for the generous bonus they received -- even when they discovered that the newcomers had received the same? Or would they grumble like the people in Jesus parable?
There have been enough lottery winners in America now to have a few studies of winners done. A report on the news magazine 20/20 told the story of how families -- especially extended families had more conflict after a lottery windfall that they did before the winnings came. (The lottery is a kind of twisted Robin Hood that robs from the poor to make someone rich!) When someone wins the lottery, the family and friends are happy for them -- in the beginning. Soon, however there is a resentment that sneaks into the picture. Brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and second cousins once removed -- move from being happy for the newly wealthy relatives to feeling that they are somehow owed a "share" of the take.
One couple in a Chicago suburb won a few million dollars in the lottery. They wanted to continue living in their same neighborhood and keep their same friends. Things were okay at first, but eventually their neighbors grew more distant. "People who used to invite us over seemed to call less. Finally the phone stopped ringing," the wife said.
If you watch children in a pre-school setting, you notice that most of the children have to be taught to share. "Mine!" is a big word for little children. Possessions take on importance very early in young lives.
Some years ago, I did a children's story that tried to illustrate something of the statement about human nature that lies behind Jesus' parable. We talked about how nice it is to receive gifts and then I told them I was going to give them a gift. They were happy, curious and attentive to the small bag I produced. I gave two quarters to most of the children (about ten of them) -- they said they were very happy with this gift. Then I gave a one dollar bill to the last two children. They were very happy and the first eight were still kind of happy. We took a bit of time to talk about gifts and giving and then I asked how they were feeling about the gifts I had given to them. You can imagine how the discussion turned. You more than likely can even finish one of the questions that went something like, "How come ...... ??"
***
There is a significant difference between the natural human heart and the Divine heart. The heart of God is giving, self-sacrificing and forgiving. It takes an infusion of the Divine heart into the human heart to turn us into people who rejoice over another person's good fortune -- no matter our own circumstances. In other words, it takes an infusion of the Divine heart for us to begin to see what the Kingdom of God is all about.
Jesus' parable about the workers is simply one more way to say that the Kingdom of God takes the rules and the values of this world and turns them inside out and upside down. Over and over again, Jesus points out that the things that count for so much in this world do not count with God.
* Greatness is not measured by who ends up on the top of the heap. "But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant..." [Matt. 20: 25-26]
* Being rich is not having material possessions. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [Matt. 6:20-21]
* Getting even with those who do you wrong is out. "I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." [Matt. 5:44]
***
In our text, Jesus tells another parable about the Kingdom of God. A story that turns the values and expectations of this world upside down. In this tale, there are those who work a twelve hour day for the going rate of that time. The "usual day's wage" -- or the "denarius" was the wage paid to a foot soldier or a day laborer. It was just about enough to subsist for the day. There wasn't much room for savings -- or setting aside something for a rainy day.
Here's the catch to the whole story. Try to put yourself in the situation. Wages for this type of work were settled on a daily basis. When it came time to give the workers their pay for the day, the owner paid the workers who had only been there an hour first. They received a full day's wage -- a denarius. Then he paid those who had been there for three hours, then six then for the full day.
Guess what they all received? You got it -- a day's wage. Every last one of them. The guy who worked for one hour at the end of the day received the same pay as the man who came at six a.m. and worked through the heat of the blazing sun!
How would you feel if you were the person who came to work at 5 p.m. and quitting time was 6 p.m.? Pretty good, huh? A full day's pay for one hour of work.
But, what if you were among those who worked all day long? You can understand how they might feel -- can't you? After all, you and I have these human hearts that need an infusion of God's heart. The story Jesus tells is intended to give us a glimpse into how the Kingdom of God works. It isn't everything about the kingdom -- but it does give some insight into the heart of God. If we can get a handle on these insights, we might have an easier time rejoicing in the grace of God which is given without measure, regardless of merit.
The parable addresses: 1. God's Timing, 2. God's Generosity and 3. God's Sovereignty
1. God's Timing
One of the most powerful statements in the parable is that it is never too late with God. How many times have you heard someone use the phrase, "It's too late for me." When it comes to our relationship with God, it is never too late!
Notice something -- in the parable, it is not a manager that goes to look for people to come to work in the vineyard. It is the owner. In other words, God is always searching for us. No one can ever say, "It is too late for me with God."
A man named Charles was lying in a hospital bed near death. The nursing staff, the man's wife and a couple of children all testified that Charles was not a very nice man. He drank too much, he was verbally abusive to his wife and he had alienated his children.
He did, however, ask for a Chaplain. The staff filled the Chaplain in on Charles and the kind of person he was. The Chaplain went in to the room to visit Charles who asked him to pray. The conversation went something like this.
"Would you pray for me?" Charles asked.
"What do you want to say to God?" The Chaplain asked.
"Tell God that I am sorry for the way my life has turned out. Tell him that I am sorry for the way I treated my wife and family and that I've always really loved her."
"That's it?"
"No. Tell God that I know I have no right to ask this -- but, I would like to be able to live with him."
The Chaplain prayed Charles' prayer for him. He came back the next morning to inquire about Charles' condition. He had passed away during the night.
Now what do you suppose? Did Charles receive the grace of God? And if he did, did he receive as much of God's love and grace as you and I have after all these years of service? Here's what Jesus' story is trying to say. God is always available to anyone who reaches out whenever they reach out. God's timing is such that any time is the right time!
2. God's Generosity
Another key principle Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God is this. All who respond to God's invitation will receive all there is to receive!
With God, there is no such thing as "partial benefits". The issue of how much grace we can receive from the hand of God is never dependent on the willingness of God to give it, but on how able we are to receive it. The good news is that the grace of God is an inexhaustible supply.
It is difficult for many people to imagine a supply that never runs out. That's what causes the division with families and friends when one person receives much and the other receives little. As long as we focus on material things, we will never "get it!" Think about this:
* How much night sky is there to see? Do the wealthy see more while the poor see less?
* How much love do parents have for a child? Is there more love for a child if there is just one child? When there are four children, does each child receive only 1/4 of the love?
* How much music can a symphony hold? And if there are more symphonies, is there less music to go around?
With God, there is no limit to the love and grace which are available. There is a wonderful story in the book of First Kings about the poor widow of Zarephath who had barely enough meal and oil to make herself and her son a small meal. Then they would surely die of starvation. The prophet Elijah asks her for something to eat and she complied after Elijah promised that her small jar of meal and jug of oil would not run out. The words are wonderful. "For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah." [1 Kings 17:16]
The story is a physical representation of a spiritual truth. Namely -- God's provisions for our spiritual lives will never run out and when we give with the generosity God has given to us, we tap into the inexhaustible divine supply!
3. God's Sovereignty
The parable concludes with an affirmation of one of the bible's central themes. God is sovereign! That is to say, God has no advisors or peers with whom to consult. The Lord will never appoint a committee to decide who should receive divine love and who should not. No group will ever pass some sort of heavenly legislation about who can and who can not be a part of the kingdom.
Two lines stand out. The first is the complaint. "You have made them equal to us..." The second is the owner's response, "Are you envious because I am generous?"
The point is that God is sovereign. And... God is just. Think about how dangerous it would be if God were to put human beings in charge of who receives what from the hand of God. Jews would reject the Samaritans. Greeks would exclude the barbarians. The rich might bar the poor. The list would go on and on.
Only God can be in charge of who receives how much and the principle is that anyone who comes to the Lord receives all there is to receive. And when we have received that forgiveness, grace and love, then and only then are we prepared to pass on this marvelous truth -- that with God there is no merit system, no restrictive immigration rules, and no home field advantage.
"Come to my vineyard," God says, "And I will give you what is right."
Discussion and Reflection on the Texts
Connections in the Texts
A line in Jonah connects not only our texts for today, but runs through scripture like a drumbeat. It is one of the central themes of the bible. "... you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love..." [4:2] However, when Jonah utters the words, he is not at all happy about it. He is, in fact, angry and pouting rather like a spoiled brat. He is quite happy with God's steadfast love and gracious nature for himself. But he doesn't like those nasty Ninevites and he is angry that God should show grace to them.
Matthew tells the story of God's grace in a different fashion, but with the same result. God's grace and love are fully available to whoever comes for it whenever they come.
Matthew 20:1-16
Don't over analyze this parable. Some interpreters the first workers as the Jewish people and the ones who come along at differing times of the day are the Jerusalemites, then the Samaritans, then those at the ends of the earth. The central point of the story is that God is generous to all who reach out.
The parable is told, however, in the final conflicted days of Jesus' ministry before he moves into Jerusalem. The very next verse following our text has Jesus telling his disciples of his betrayal, condemnation and death. The conflict will require a choice. People will choose the vineyard (the kingdom of God and its values) or the market place (the world and its values).
One of the surprises in this story is that the owner of the vineyard goes to do the hiring. The marketplace was a kind of "Manpower" program in Jesus' time. The lowest class of day laborers were found here waiting for work. The grace of God goes searching in every place to find those who will receive it.
Jonah 3:10-4:11
The Jonah text is a wonderfully honest story of a heart that simply does not want God to extend mercy to people he detests. Like the parable Jesus told, it is an affirmation of the absolute sovereignty of the grace of God. If we turn to the Lord, Divine love is bound by its own nature to receive us.
Thus Jonah prays, "O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing." [4:2] Jonah has been swallowed up by his prejudice -- literally! Now God want to teach him that compassion is greater than cruelty and grace than punishment.
Then there is the issue of the shade tree. (There's a sermon in this brief story alone) Jonah sits out in the heat of the day and a shade tree grows up over him to give him relief from the heat. He is really happy about this shade. He did not work for the shade, nor did he merit the shade. It was a gift. Then the tree is taken from him Jonah really whines over this one! The truth is -- if you get shade, it is a gift -- if you do not get shade, it is reality.
Here's the question that contains a sermon. "Should I not be concerned about...." In this case it is Ninevah with its one hundred and twenty thousand plus persons. But the question is addressed to every place there is heartbreak and pain. "Should I not be concerned about... ?" Name the situation or the people and God will say, "Should I not be concerned about... ?"
Now take the same question and include the suggestion from our full text sermon that we need an infusion of the Divine Heart and the question becomes, "Should we not be concerned about... ?"
Philippians 1:21-30
Paul's thoughts in this passage have only a slight relevance to the Matthew and Jonah passages. There is the mention of "fruitful labor" which suggests Matthew. A bit of allegorization could compare the "...depart and be with Christ..." to the workers going to the vineyard.
There is a sense of the struggle of the earliest Christians in the text. Paul would find it "far better" to be with Christ, but staying and struggling along side his beloved Philippians means that he shares in the joy of their faith. Though they must all endure the suffering which comes the way of faithful Christians -- even this is a privilege because they are sharing in the suffering of Christ.
There is encouragement here and in the whole of the letter to the Philippians for those who continue in faithfulness and lifestyle worthy of the "Good News" of Christ in spite of difficult outward circumstances.
A Call To Worship (Based on Psalm 145)
Leader: Great is the Lord, and
greatly to be praised.
People: The wonder of our Lord is beyond awesome!
Leader: Each and every day, we will praise the Lord,
People: And our praise shall last for all eternity!
Leader: Our God is merciful and gracious,
People: The love of the Lord endures for all time!
A Prayer of Dedication
What gift can we possibly bring, O Lord.
What treasure any
of us possess, can compare with your gifts to us. We are blessed
that you should receive these gifts from our hands. We rejoice
because the world can be changed by our giving. Amen.