The Fairness of God in Salvation

Open: Professor McDill’s story of man who went through a neighborhood. You are sitting on your porch on a Saturday morning drinking coffee when you notice the man at the house 3 doors down. You think he might be a Mormon or a JW so you are getting ready to go inside and pretend you’re home when you notice the reaction of your neighbor. You can’t understand all that is happening, but he is shaking the stranger’s hand is yelling for his wife.

Next house, same process and same reaction. The house next door and you are watching intently. You see the stranger hand you next door neighbor a $100 as a free gift. He begins to approach your porch and by now you have given up on the detached observer routine. You are amazed as the stranger informs you that he has been incredibly blessed so he is going door-to-door giving away $100’s to anyone who is at home. You feebly tell him it’s not right to take the money and that you and the family are doing fine. He insists so you take the bill and profusely thank him,

The next Saturday morning you are stunned to see the same man going through the neighborhood again. You though this was a one time shot and that you would never see the man again. But there he is going door-to-door handing out free money.

On the third Saturday you are hopeful. You have set out another mug for coffee and a plate of cookies. Sure enough, he appears right on time 3 doors down. As you eagerly wait for him to approach your porch, you notice that instead of coming to your house he bypasses you and goes to the neighbor on the other side.

What is your reaction?

Are you upset, or mad? Do you think the stranger is being unfair when he bypassed your house? Are you calling him a bum under your breath?

These are some of the reactions that the listeners to Jesus were experiencing after he told them the following parable

READ the Text: Matthew 20:1-160

Interpreting the Parable.

It is vital that we arrive at the proper interpretation of this parable. Jesus is not giving a TED talk on how to expand the landowner’s business, nor is he being negative toward the wealthy when they use unfair labor practices.

This parable is about salvation. Jesus is discussing entrance into the kingdom and along the way He is subtly warning those who are IN Christ to realize that salvation is entirely of grace, not merit.

Principles from the Parable

God is “unfair” in that He is the One who initiates the process of salvation unilaterally (Matt 20:1)

The landowner “went out early in the morning” to find workers for his vineyard. He wasn’t sitting at home waiting for the day laborers to knock on his door - he went looking for them. And He kept going back and looking for more and more workers. He went to hire the first group of day-laborers at about 6:00am and returned to the marketplace for more workers at 9:00am (Matt. 20:3), again at noon and at 3:00pm (Matt 20:5), He went back the last time at the 11th hour or 5:00pm (Matt 20:6). God is in the business of saving souls and building His kingdom and He continually seeks the lost to bring them salvation (Luke 19:10).

God is “unfair” in that He is generous to those who do not deserve His kindness (Matt. 20:2)

The landowner strikes a generous bargain with the day-laborers when he agreed to pay them a denarius for their work. As Pastor John MacArthur states, “The landowner in Jesus’ parable was unusually generous to offer day laborers a full denarius for a day’s work. It was an honorable wage, much more than temporary workers would normally receive for menial labor. Naturally, the early-morning crew heartily agreed to those terms and went to work.” MacArthur, John F.. Parables (pp. 62-63). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

Salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) and cannot be earned. What each of us actually deserve is eternal separation from God in a place called Hell (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23a)

God is “unfair” in that he offers the same salvation to all people, regardless of age or level of sinfulness (Matt. 20:8-9)

The landowner pays the same wage to those who only worked one hour - the same wage he paid to those who had worked 12 hours. He paid the help in reverse order and those who had put in the full day expected to be paid more. Instead, the landowner gave them the wage to which they had agreed.

Remember, this is not a treatise on labor practices. No one is expected to run his or her business in this manner. Rather, this payment highlights the generosity of the landowner. He was gracious to all his workers. Consider the thief on the cross who received salvation immediately prior to his death. Jesus told the thief, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43)

We do not have the right to murmur or complain about God’s lack of “fairness” (Matt 20:11-16)

The laborers were upset about the generosity the landowner shared with the late-comers. They complained and said, “These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day” ( Matt 20:12). They were not rejoicing about the good fortune of those who were hired last, and were actually mad about what they got. In their mind, the late-comers should have received less.

Those of us who have been walking with Christ for a number of years can have the tendency to look upon last minute converts with suspicion. This is sinful and displays a false sense of pride in ourselves. Salvation is all of grace - none deserve it. When we grade others by their sin we are displaying a lack of gratitude.