Kingdom (In)Equality

We have been away from the gospel of Matthew for a few weeks for some other services to take place. Today we return to a discussion about the kingdom of heaven and we again turn our attention to the parables of Jesus. I have been repeating throughout this series our definition of a parable which helps us understand the meaning of these stories from Jesus. A parable is a story which conveys a kingdom idea and calls for a response. In every one of these parables we have looked at so far, we have identified the kingdom idea and have identified the response that Jesus is calling for from his followers.

our ideas about equality and fairness tend to be a moving target that is always changing

Today’s passage from Matthew 20 is going to hit us with a consideration of both equality and inequality. Both of those concepts are present in this story. But this is not an abstract theological discussion of doctrine. I would say this tracks with everyday real life for each one of us. More than that, it is an ongoing discussion because our ideas about equality and fairness tend to be a moving target that is always changing. Let me illustrate. One of the founding documents of this country is the Declaration of Independence. That preamble begins with the line, “We believe these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” In 1776 when this document was written, the authors of the declaration quite literally meant “men” are equal—this did not include women. And for that matter, they meant only white men of western European descent. Men who were black, native American, or of Asian descent were not considered equal. Today, you and I interpret that line in the Declaration of Independence about equality very differently than the original authors had in mind.

It is worth us spending some time today thinking about the idea of equality and fairness because history shows us we do not have a single consistent application of equality. Yet, we profess and believe that God is consistent, that God is fair and just. Our changing and often incorrect ideas about equality and fairness could always use some more divine perspective. This is what we see in the parable of the workers in the vineyard.

Matthew 20:1–16 (NIV)

Matthew 20:1–16 NIV

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 “ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 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.’ 13 “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?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

this parable is directly connected the passage which takes place right before

We should note that this parable is directly connected the passage which takes place right before this in the last half of Matthew 19. That passage deals with how difficult it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Chapter 19 tells of a person with great wealth who follows all the commandments. This man comes to Jesus and asks what else is required to inherit the kingdom. Jesus tells him to give his wealth to the poor; and then the man goes away sad because he cannot bring himself to part with this wealth. Jesus ends that scene in chapter 19 with the same phrase (but in reverse order) that ends the parable in chapter 20. “The last will be first, and the first will be last.”

odd for the owner of a vineyard to go out so many times during the day to hire more workers

Let’s looks for the kingdom idea in this story. There is definitely a catch in this story that would have shocked those who heard Jesus tell it. It was not uncommon for farmers to hire day-laborers to help with the harvest. This would be especially true if weather required a farmer to bring in a bumper crop quickly before it got ruined. That part of the story makes perfect sense to the original audience during the time of the Bible. It would have been odd for the owner of a vineyard to go out so many times during the day to hire more workers. Why does he keep bringing more people in so late in the day? That part does not seem to make much sense to us, and it wouldn’t have made much sense to the original audience back then either. But it is a necessary plot development in order for the punchline of the story to hit home.

more odd for those who were hired last to be paid first

At the end of the work day, all the workers are gathered up to be paid. Here is where the story goes off the rails and becomes offensive. The owner of the vineyard gives specific instructions to give out the wages first to those who had been working the least amount of time. That part of the story all be itself would have been offensive. Maybe we don’t catch that because our culture in our time has developed a habit of saving the highest honors to give out last. For instance, think of the order in which Olympic medals are awarded—we save the gold for last. But that kind of ceremonial ordering would not have made sense to the audience in the time of Jesus. Those who were deserving of first place would have been honored first. And so, right away Jesus is making a statement about the kingdom of heaven simply by the order of who is placed at the front of the line.

workers who put in a full day in the vineyard must be thinking that there is a significant bonus coming their way

Then notice how the story takes another twist. These workers who have been in the vineyard all day long are feeling insulted because they are made to wait until last to receive their payment. But now they begin to see that these other guys who seemed to sneak in just before quitting time are getting a full denarius (one full denarius is equal to one full day’s wages). At this point we need to go off-script and imagine what might be going through the minds of these workers who are first insulted by being pushed to the back of the line, and are now witnessing the payment going to those ahead of them. Matthew doesn’t tell us what they are thinking, but it is not difficult to piece it together. These workers who put in a full day in the vineyard must be thinking that there is a significant bonus coming their way. After all, if the guys who only worked two hours get a full-day paycheck. I can only imagine the anticipation that must have been building as they wait their turn. First they are offended because they are pushed to the back; now they are excited because they think an enormous reward is coming.

they grumble about their paycheck, even though it is exactly what they agreed to be paid when they were hired

fair = the amount of pay should be equal to the amount of work | owner of the vineyard has a different standard of equality

And then it hits. Each worker who puts in a full day of work receives one denarius—just as they were promised back at the start of the story, if you remember. Now Matthew gives us detail. They grumble about their paycheck, even though it is exactly what they agreed to be paid when they were hired. Why are they grumbling about receiving exactly what they agreed to receive? It’s rather obvious. It isn’t fair that the workers who only put in two hours at the end of the day get the exact same pay as the workers who put in a full shift. In their minds the amount of pay should be equal to the amount of work. But the owner of the vineyard has a different standard of equality—it seems like he gives equally to all the workers regardless of the amount of work that has been done. Yet one step further, he elevates the last among the workers to the very front of the line.

older brother in the parable of the prodigal son illustrates the same point

It is not the only place in the gospels in which Jesus makes this point. It isn’t here in Matthew’s gospel, but if we flipped over the Luke’s gospel we see the parable that is often titled as the prodigal son. Although, the lost son who goes and squanders all the family inheritance is not really the main character in that story. Neither is the loving father the main character even though the story portrays the father as waiting for his son and lavishing unbelievable forgiveness on the lost son who returns to the father’s love. No, the main character in that parable is the older brother; the one who has not disobeyed or squandered or run off. It is the older brother who refuses to come join the celebration upon the prodigal son’s return. Why? Because it isn’t fair. It isn’t fair that the father should treat both his sons as equals. The older brother insists that he deserves more, or at least the disobedient wayward son deserves less. These things should not be treated as equals; yet that is exactly what the father chooses to do.

kingdom idea — the kingdom of heaven is a place in which grace is generous to all

God’s grace is given out on the basis of Christ’s work, not our work

And so it is the same here in Matthew 20 with the parable of the workers in the vineyard. What are we to make of this? There is a kingdom idea tucked into this story; we certainly see something about the kingdom of heaven revealed here. The kingdom of heaven is a place in which grace is generous to all. It is not our place to decide who should receive God’s grace and who should not. It is not our place to decide what is worthy of a little grace and what is worthy of more grace. Our heavenly Father chooses to be extravagantly generous with grace in ways that don’t fit any of our categories of fairness. And this is because God’s grace is given out on the basis of Christ’s work, not our work. It is because Christ came into this world and did the job that we never could; taking the consequences of our sin and our brokenness all the way to the cross. Christ did the hard work that none of us could ever do on our own.

Without Christ there is only one payment that should have been received. The apostle Paul says in Romans 6.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)

Romans 6:23 NIV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

because we did not earn it and because we do not deserve it, the heavenly Father has every right to lavishly pour out the gift of his grace as he chooses

If you want to talk about fairness and if you want to talk about equality by our standards of fairness and equality, then your paycheck is death. That is what each one of us deserves if we hold to using our idea of what is fair and what is equal. Except that in Christ there is a gift of God which we did not earn and which we do not deserve. And because we did not earn it and because we do not deserve it, the heavenly Father has every right to lavishly pour out the gift of his grace as he chooses. And because God loves this world with an everlasting and undying love, he chooses for his grace to be equally available to all who come to Jesus in faith.

The kingdom of heaven is a place in which grace is generous to all. God makes room for everyone. There are those who have known his grace all their life from the moment they could first learn to understand the message of the gospel. There are those who have spent years searching for meaning on their own and had not accepted gospel until later in life. There are those who have spent practically their entire lives rebelling against God, only to heed the call of the Holy Spirit near the very end. The generosity of God’s grace is the same for every single one.

consider the response of Jonah to the generosity of God’s grace

Jonah is angry because God loves with a passion the people Jonah hates with a passion

Parables do not only convey a kingdom idea; they also call for a response. This story is centers on a group of people who think they earned what is given, and they are upset by who else is given the same thing. The reason God’s grace is generous is because God’s love is unconditional. Jonah could not accept that. In the Old Testament, the prophet Jonah is told to go preach to the city of Nineveh. He refuses to go until God turns him completely around and Jonah ends up with no other choice except to obey. But the worst part of it for Jonah is that he already knew what would happen. Jonah tells God in chapter 4 of Jonah that he knew it would turn out this way. He knew that God is loving and merciful and compassionate. He knew that God would forgive the people of Nineveh because he knew that God loves the people of Nineveh and Jonah just could’t accept that. He is so angry at the end of the story that he wants to die. Jonah is angry because God loves with a passion the people Jonah hates with a passion.

who are the people I think do not deserve God’s grace?

There is plenty of hate in our world right now. And now let’s be completely honest. There are plenty of people I think don’t deserve God’s love. In fact, the thought of God giving the same grace that is given to us also being given to certain others makes me upset. Oh, I wouldn’t grumble about it if these certain others would just repent and fall in line the way I think they should—you know, come act like us who already think we know how to work a full day in the vineyard the right way. If they figure that out and start doing things the way we do, then they can have the same share of grace. But that’s not how the story goes; that’s not how the kingdom of heaven works.

my response — make room at the front of the line for people who are pushed to the back of the line

If the kingdom of heaven is a place in which the grace of God is generous to all, then I need to respond by being a person who echos that same generous grace to all. My response here is to begin by taking those who I automatically want to push to the back of the line, and instead move them up to the front of the line. Because God makes room at the front for people who feel they shouldn’t belong at all, I also should make room in my life for people who need to know they belong.

because God makes room at the front for people who feel they shouldn’t belong at all, I also should make room in my life for people who need to know they belong