Graciously Rewarded
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Text: Mat 19:27-20:16
27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Main Point/FCF: In the dispensation of eternal rewards, we see both God’s justice and his grace displayed. His justice is displayed towards those who approach eternal life as compensation for their good works, while his grace is displayed towards those who humbly accept it as the generosity of a loving father.
Heavenly rewards are not earned by works but given by grace.
Heavenly rewards are not earned by works but given by grace.
This parable connects back to the previous passage (the rich young ruler and Peter’s question in Mt. 19:16-30) with the connective “For...”
So, Jesus’ parable here in ch. 20 is a further elaboration of what he has just said.
It is probably best to understand this parable as a further rebuke of the attitude of the rich young ruler, but it also contains a warning to Peter and all believers, as well.
Recall that the rich young ruler approached Jesus asking what good deed he needed to do to merit eternal life:
16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
He thought he could be good enough to earn salvation and eternal life. But Jesus sent him away empty handed.
He then explains to his disciples that obtaining salvation is impossible in human efforts, especially for those who are rich and trust in their own efforts and righteousness. Salvation is only obtainable as a gift from God:
26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter, then asks Jesus what the disciples’ reward will be.
Jesus comforts the disciples with a promise of eternal rewards and eternal life:
27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Most Jews believed that wealth and prosperity were signs of God’s favor and blessing. So, they would have naturally assumed that wealthy and prosperous Jews would be “first” in the Kingdom of God and receive the greater blessing.
But, Jesus flips that around—the “first” are made to be last. Rather than the rich rulers whom the disciples and everyone else would have naturally assumed would receive positions of authority, it’s the humble disciples who freely gave up their few worldly possessions who are sitting on thrones. The first are made last—which here clearly means rejected from the kingdom—and the last are made first—elevated to thrones and positions of authority.
But, we need to be careful, lest we inadvertently adopt a mindset that treats our service and sacrifices for God as “good works” that “earn” us rewards.
How can a reward come as a gift? How can we call it a reward if it is not earned?
The key is in Jesus’ description of the disciples’ rewards in Mt. 19:29
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
Jesus does not say they will have earned these rewards—he says they will inherit them. But you don’t receive an inheritance by working for it and earning it, you receive an inheritance because of your relationship to your father.
Heavenly rewards come as an inheritance, not wages.
Heavenly rewards come as an inheritance, not wages.
When we first read this parable in ch. 20, we’re tempted to focus in on the words “wages” and “laborers” in v. 8
8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’
But, to do so overlooks several aspects of this parable.
First, notice that the master of the vineyard was under no obligation to these men except what he took upon himself.
First, notice that the master of the vineyard was under no obligation to these men except what he took upon himself.
They did not seek out the master, the master sought them out. He hired them. He did not have to do that. His act of hiring them was itself an act of grace.
Our salvation is a gift from God. We contribute nothing to it except the sin which made it necessary. We were idle beggars in the market, doomed to starve. But God, in his grace and mercy, called us up to be laborers in his vineyard. This calling was a one-sided act of grace. God did not need our help in his vineyard, but he desired to express his love, grace, and mercy. And for that, we will forever be in his debt—not the other way around.
Paul speaks of God’s action of choosing us in Ephesians 1:3-6
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
This passage tells us that—just as the idle workers in the marketplace—it was God who reached out and chose us, before the foundation of the world!
He predestined us for adoption as sons, and with that adoption comes an inheritance:
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
If God chose us, adopted us, predestined us, all before the foundation of the world, we can’t take credit for any of it.
Secondly, God equips us with the tools and the strength for the work to which he calls us.
Secondly, God equips us with the tools and the strength for the work to which he calls us.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
See also: Phil 2:12-13; Col 1:29; Heb 13:20-21
So, whatever good works we are able to do on this earth are actually the Spirit at work within us. In the vineyard of life, God not only bestows grace upon us in hiring us, but he spends all day in the field with us showing us how to do the work and helping us do it, and then he still rewards “our” labors.
As Augustine says, when God gives us rewards,
Homilies on the Gospel of John 1–40 Homily 3
“God crowns the gifts of his mercy in us...”
Thirdly, those who labor for wages are disappointed by their pay, while those who humbly accept the master’s grace are astounded by his generosity.
Thirdly, those who labor for wages are disappointed by their pay, while those who humbly accept the master’s grace are astounded by his generosity.
Notice that the first group of laborers negotiated their rate ahead of time.
2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
The later groups, knowing they were in no place to argue, simply agreed to the Master’s discretion.
4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’
In the end, those who humbly deferred to the Master’s discretion were blessed beyond expectation
9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
But, those who carefully negotiated their wages ahead of time were disappointed.
10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house...
If you approach heavenly rewards as if they are a paycheck for your labors, as if God is somehow in your debt, or as if you are in a position to negotiate with God, you will be greatly disappointed in the outcome.
We work, therefore, not as employees for a paycheck that is owed us, but as adopted sons and daughters out of gratitude for our adoption and promised inheritance.
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works...
So, this parable is a rebuke to those among us who have the attitude of the rich young ruler, thinking we can earn our way into heaven. But, it is also a warning to the Peter’s among us who have a “What rewards do I get?” attitude.
27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”
Beware lest you begin to think that the sacrifices and labors you do for the Lord somehow put him in your debt. Beware lest you think that the Lord owes you something.
Our attitude ought not be “what then will we have?” (Mt. 19:27) but rather, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.” (Lk. 17:10)
10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”
Romans 1–8: New Testament, Volume 7 2:7–8 Eternal Life or Condemnation?
[Scripture] also teaches that our works, on account of the corruption of our nature—even the highest, most carefully rendered to the law—are greatly imperfect. Therefore, if they are adorned with rewards, it is surely not out of a debt of justice but rather out of merciful divine grace.
For it says of the law, that “whoever does not continue in all things which are written in it, let him be accursed.” But the gospel promises blessing even upon imperfect works, as long as they have their origin in faith.
It expressly denies any worthiness of eternal glory to our works and sufferings. It teaches that those works are not ours, but are God’s who is working through us. Therefore, God does not adorn our merits with rewards, but he rewards his own gifts.
God is Just and Gracious.
God is Just and Gracious.
15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
God is just.
God is just.
Those who desired to “earn their keep” and who negotiated their wages ahead of time were paid exactly what they agreed upon. They received justice.
2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.
The point here is that the master gave them precisely what they earned. No more, no less.
The first laborers felt like they deserved more than the last laborers. They compared themselves to the others and held themselves in higher esteem. Like the rich young ruler, they thought they had earned more than the others. But, just like the rich young ruler, their labors were not nearly as valuable as they had imagined. They accused the master of being unfair.
But here’s the problem. Most of our concept of “fair” is actually rooted in jealousy and envy. If someone else has it, we think that we should have it, too.
The literal wording in Greek at the end of verse 15 is “Is your eye evil because I am good?” The Lexham English Bible mirrors this pretty closely:
15 Is it not permitted for me to do whatever I want with what is mine? Or is your eye evil because I am generous?’
The “evil eye” in Middle Eastern culture refers to jealousy. We see this same exact wording in Mt. 6:21-23 when Jesus is talking about money:
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. Therefore if your eye is sincere, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. Therefore if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
These laborers thought that the Master was being unfair, but in reality, they were just being jealous.
Some Jews felt it was unfair for Gentiles to be included in the people of God without having to undergo circumcision and submit to the Law. But God, who gave the Law, is himself not subject to it. And, as long as he is not breaking his word, he is free to do away with the Law as he pleases.
1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
We often struggle with jealousy towards others who are more prosperous or healthy than ourselves. Sometimes we fall prey to the mindset that if we’re working hard for God, we deserve more or better circumstances. The Psalmist Asaph even struggled with this:
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
13 All in vain have I kept my heart clean
and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all the day long I have been stricken
and rebuked every morning.
So many people have been turned away from following God because they feel God has been unfair to them. They are unhappy with their lot in life—their health, their job, their financial situation, etc.
But God does not owe us prosperity, as the Psalmist later realizes. If we receive suffering and difficult times from God, he has done us no injustice. As Job said in the midst of his suffering:
10 ...Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?”
Another aspect which people like to charge God with injustice is that of election and predestination. Earlier, in Ephesians 1:4-5 we saw that before the foundation of the world, God chose us (or, ‘elected’ us) for adoption and salvation:
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will...
That naturally raises the question, “Does God choose all for adoption?” And of course, we can look around and see that clearly the answer is no—not everyone is saved. God chooses to save some, and he does not save others. And our natural instinct is to cry out, “That’s not fair!”
Paul answers that objection in Romans 9:14-18,
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
Our concept of “fair” more often than not is an expression of our jealousy and envy. We desire to have what others have, but only when it’s something worth having.
Charles Spurgeon often had to defend God against those who charged that his doctrine of election made God unfair. In fact, in a sermon he preached on this very passage, this is what Spurgeon had to say:
The New Park Street Pulpit Sermons, Vol. II Divine Sovereignty (No. 77)
...there is no doctrine more hated by worldlings, no truth of which they have made such a foot-ball, as the great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine of the Sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except on his throne.
They will allow him to be in his workshop to fashion worlds and to make stars. They will allow him to be in his almonry to dispense his alms and bestow his bounties. They will allow him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean;
but when God ascends his throne, his creatures then gnash their teeth; and when we proclaim an enthroned God, and his right to do as he wills with his own, to dispose of his creatures as he thinks well, without consulting them in the matter, then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us,
for God on his throne is not the God they love. They love him anywhere better than they do when he sits with his sceptre in his hand and his crown upon his head. But it is God upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon his throne whom we trust.
Scripture says,
15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?
And people say, “that’s not fair!” and “everyone deserves a second chance!” But do we deserve salvation? Is that what we are owed?
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good, not even one.”
Salvation does not belong to us, it is not owed to us. It belongs to God.
15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
Every good thing belongs to God. Every good gift is from above and he gives to whom he wills.
Likewise, every suffering or trial or punishment is under the sovereignty of God. If God gives you or your loved one cancer today, he will have done you no injustice. If God takes your life or the life of a loved one today, he will have done you no injustice. If God were to have sent you to Hell before you placed your faith in him, he will have done you no injustice. God owes you nothing.
God is never unjust. God is always just. The problem is that we are unrighteous and entitled and perceive God’s justice as unfairness because he does not give equally to all.
Those who begrudge God’s generosity and imagine him as indebted to them will find themselves receiving what they deserve—just wages.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is gracious.
God is gracious.
Those who approach the Master of the vineyard as humble, grateful servants and depend upon his generosity receive grace upon grace.
9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
God’s generosity and grace are so lavish that it causes those who do not receive the gift to cry “unfair!”
But grace isn’t fair. By definition, grace is getting what you do NOT deserve. Grace that is deserved is not grace!
These last laborers worked for only an hour, and yet they received a full days’ wages.
They understood when the master approached them at the eleventh hour that they had no hope of finding employment. Presumably, they had already been passed over for employment all day long. So, when the master said, “I’ll pay you whatever is right,” they said “Ok.” They knew they were in no position to bargain, so they humbly accepted the Master’s generosity.
But a wonderful thing happens when we humble ourselves before the Master—we receive lavish grace, an inheritance that we did not deserve.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
So, the question is, which kind of laborer are you? Do you think you have bargaining power with God? Are you working for wages? Or are you humbly depending upon the grace of God? Are you laboring for an employer, or serving your Father out of love and gratitude?
Maybe today you realize that you do not have a relationship with the Father, that you’ve been trying to earn your way. I want to invite you to place your faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. He has been righteous where you were unrighteous. He has been holy when you were unholy. He gave his life when your life was owed. And he offers you eternal life. Not as a payment for deeds you have done, but as a gift you do not deserve.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
