Beloved, I am glad to share with you today on the parable of the workers hired at different hours. A demonstration of the fact that our Savior Jesus Christ is sovereign, especially of what the kingdom of heaven still looks like. Our theme is drawn from Matthew 20.13-15 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
This truth is illustrated by this parable: first the hiring of workers: the house’s master goes out in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard and he agrees with them a denarius per day. He returns to hire other workers at the third, sixth and ninth hour. And even at the eleventh hour, he still enlists those he finds in the market, after asking them: why are you standing there all day and doing nothing? Then the payment of the salary. In the evening, the master orders his steward to pay them their wages, starting with the last. All receive a denarius. The first ones, who expected to receive more, expressed their dissatisfaction. But the master replies that he is not doing them wrong, since he is carrying out the contract; that he is free, after all, to use his goods as he wishes; and that they should not be jealous because he is generous. Ultimately, it is thus that the last become the first in the kingdom of heaven where all is grace, and that the first, if they do not enter into this spirit of the kingdom, become the last.
In reality, some workers were there doing nothing, idle. And in life, one can also be in the midst of the greatest activity, if this work remains unrelated to the reign of God. So they went there without further conditions, trusting in the master’s word. This is why “To these also he said: Go, you too,” despite the time lost, that is to say at noon and at three o’clock, he renewed his invitations. And around the eleventh hour, which is five o’clock in the evening, very near the end of the day, there were still workers standing there doing nothing, having wasted most of the day.
So it wasn’t their fault. But how many thousands of men live, in the midst of Christendom, without ever having heard the call of the Gospel? So these workers are still invited to work in the vineyard at the last hour of the day.
But is there not something in these words that betrays an evil spirit, both towards the master and towards fellow servants? However, the complainants do not even admit that they worked, but only employed one hour. Finally, their murmurs are addressed directly to the master. For these men are singularly like the eldest son in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15.29,30).
For this, these workers have placed themselves in the field of law. They had agreed with the master, who reminds them here in a significant way, because they have just made the difference between their work and the work of the eleventh hour workers, always to establish their right to receive more. However, the master’s response, entirely based on this same right, is in this regard without reply: I am not doing you any wrong, you have agreed on what is yours. This is why there is even severity in the word “go away”.
But, here it is no longer a question of law, but of free and sovereign grace, because the master said to him: “Is it not permitted for me to do with my good what I want? Or do you take a dim view that I am good? ”
This sentence solemnly repeated (in Mat 19:30 and Mark 10.31; and qualified in Luke 13:30) presents in fact, the summary and the deep meaning of the whole parable: for the master who calls workers is the Eternal God, who has an absolute right over them and who does them immense grace by calling them. In fact, the vine to which he sends them is his beautiful reign of truth, justice and peace. The workers who have the privilege of working there are not only apostles or pastors, but all those who hear the call and go there. The different times of the day are the various ages of human life or the epochs in the history of God’s reign.
Work is all works that have as their object the good of men, the advancement of the kingdom of God. In the evening, it is the end of life or the end of the present economy, the return of Christ, the divine steward who presides over retribution. The denarius, finally, is salvation, eternal life which, because it is of infinite value and without proportion to the work of the workers, can only be a grace. In this sense, there is equality between all, but here is the difference: the denarius can have an infinitely different value according to the interior disposition of those who receive it, that is to say according to their moral capacity to enjoy life. from the sky.
That’s why here, those who were first at work may be last. And even, although the Lord Jesus does not exclude them, since He grants them the agreed denarius, they risk excluding themselves, as the feelings they show in the parable come to prevail.
On the contrary, those who have understood that in the reign of God all is grace, and who have simply trusted in the word of the master, may be the first, although they were the last at work.
The following passages have been compiled for your edification and specifically grouped together for your better understanding.
- Parable of the workers in the vineyard:
-the analogies of the kingdom: Mat 13.31, 33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.;33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty poundsof flour until it worked all through the dough.”
-the teaching of the vine: Jr 12.10 Many shepherds will ruin my vineyard and trample down my field; they will turn my pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.; Mat 20.1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.;
- spiritual service: the duty to serve men :
– ennobles life: Mark 10.43-44 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.;
– illustrates love for neighbor: Luke 10.36-37 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”;
– leads us to serve Christ: Jn 13.14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.;
-is a demonstration of love: Jn 21.16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”;
– lightens the burdens of life: Ga 6.2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.;
- rewards of the faithful for spiritual service:
– to winners of souls: Dn 12.3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.;
-to humble servants: Mat 10:42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”;
-to faithful stewards: Mat 25.23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’;
-to the benevolent: Luke 6.35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ;
-to good men of each nation: Rom 2.10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.;
-to good men of each social class: Eph 6.8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
- the call for service:
the pressure of duty: -it burns like an interior fire: Jr 20.9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.;
-he calls with force like a lion: Am 3.8 The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken— who can but prophesy?;
-it binds the soul to its task: Luke 12.50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!;
-it pushes to hurry: Jn 9.4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.;
-he makes the message imperative: Ac 4.20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”;
-it resonates in a sinister way in the ears of one who hesitates: 1 Cor 9:16 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
- neglect in the practice of duty: Mat 25.27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.; Luke 12:47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows.; Jac 2.14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?;
the universality of the divine call: Rom 10.12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,; 1 Tim 2: 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.; Rev 22.17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
- the reward of righteousness: Ruth 2.12 May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”; 2 Sam 22.25 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.;
impartiality in the favors granted: Job 34.18-19 Is he not the One who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ 19 who shows no partiality to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?; Mat 5.45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
the goodness of God: Psa 25.8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.; Psa 33.5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.;
- The tendency to whisper:
-the whispers are condemned: Pro 19.3 A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the LORD.; Php 2.14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,
-conflicts in the workplace: Mat 20.11-12 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’; Mat 21.33-35 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.;
- examples of human jealousy:
-the brothers of Joseph: Gn 37.4When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.;
-the men of Ephraim: Jg 8.1 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously.;
-King Saul: 1 Sam 18.8 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”;
-the workers of the vineyard: Mat 20.12‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’;
-the elder brother: Luke 15.28“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.
-injustice is sometimes attributed to God: Psa 73.14 All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.; Ec 7.15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.;
-divine equity (or righteousness): Psa 98.9 let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.; Psa 99.4 The King is mighty, he loves justice— you have established equity; in Jacob you have done what is just and right.;
-the righteousness of God: Psa 48.11 Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.; Psa 97.2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.;
-the divine property of the natural world: Psa 24.1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psa 50.10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
-the sovereignty of God: Psa 29.10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.; Psa 47.3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.;
-the changes of human positions by the Lord: Psa 75.8 In the hand of the LORD is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.; Psa 147.6 The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
From all of the above we note that the first to work may be the last. And even, although the Lord Jesus does not exclude them, since he grants them the agreed denarius, and they risk excluding themselves, as the feelings they manifest in the parable come to prevail; on the contrary, those who have understood that in the reign of God all is grace, and who have simply trusted in the word of the master, can be the first, although they were the last to work. The denarius represents the eternal life which the Lord grants not on the basis of law, but according to his infinite goodness and according to the interior disposition of those who receive it, that is to say according to their moral capacity to enjoy the life of the sky. Our prayers accompany you all in your will to seek salvation.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be glad to respond to your queries and comments as necessary, before sharing with you next week on the duty to always forgive, illustrated by the parable of the ruthless servant: “Wicked servant, I forgave you in full your debt, because you begged me …”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you profusely.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.