Kingdom Grace

“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬

In parable of the workers in the vineyard, the landowner intentionally has the last workers paid first so the earlier workers will see what everyone receives. The point of the parable is not really about wages or fairness in business. It’s about God’s kingdom and grace. This parable is similar to the debate about retributive justice in the book of Job where the three friends insist that Job's calamities are the result of hidden sin. Humans have an innate sense of fairness and want our system of justice enforced, unless of course, we want mercy for ourselves or our loved ones.

The Lord describes how our sense of justice (which is good) can get us in a bind when we watch God's dealings with others, especially those we find disagreeable. The workers who labored all day expected more because they worked longer. When they saw the late workers receive a full day’s wage, they became resentful. Jesus uses this to expose how people can become jealous when others receive God’s generosity and mercy. When we feel that resentment arising (and it will), it is helpful to practice rejoicing in the goodness of God in our lives. May we give praise today because the Lord has saved us, a wretched sinner, who rightly deserved eternity in hell but instead He has shown us His favor all of our days.