The Laborers in the Vineyard
Notes
Transcript
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 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.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Of course, there are plenty of simple ways to avoid these difficult conversations. Right?
Standardize the working hours. Require minimum amount of time on the job before compensation. Probationary periods. Pay everybody every month or every two weeks. Be less transparent about differences in pay rate.
And of course, that’s how we’ve modernized our workforce and deal with human resource issues here and now. We’ve figured this out, right?
And all the workers are happy. And everything is fair.
Except. It’s not.
How about from the eyes of the laborer? Of course we understand their outcry…wait a minute, I worked hard all day and this freeloader shows up at the end and makes the same wage? No, not fair, not right. Not only have I worked here longer, I have more expertise and training.
I was out in Whatcom County a bit this past week and saw some of the berry pickers moving slowly through the raspberry fields. I actually got into a conversation with my nephew, Aiden, about the different jobs on the raspberry farms. He worked in the raspberries last year. I think about how this story hits from their perspective, the pickers: Some folks are trained to operate the larger machines, some are senior because of experience or age. And those jobs are compensated for differently than the entry level worker.
So we understand the complaint of the worker.
Alright, we’ve got the perspective of the economy, standardizing the labor force. We’ve also got the perspective of the laborers — pay us fairly.
Finally, we have to look at the perspective of the landowner.
He agrees with the first laborers on the daily wage. No problem. And then he goes out looking for more help — there’s plenty of work to do, plenty of opportunity to go around. And more join. And more.
From the perspective of the landowner, he’s having a good day…right? He’s filling out his labor force, he’s getting things done, people are getting involved and working hard.
Again, with the perspective of many of our local farms and probably the owners: Hey, this is a very stressful, busy season. We will take all the good help we can get. It’s noon? Get on out there, we can use the help. It’s 5? Awesome, get on our there, you can help with the clean up. Everybody has a part to play.
So when he’s accused of short-changing the earliest workers, he seems taken aback. His words…
‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
The land owner can do with his money what he chooses.
But, of course, this is not how we do things. Instead, and certainly, this is a stereotype and not always the case, but often, the land owner or business CEO wants to maximize their profit, get a good return, and save enough for the next harvest. That’s how things are done. So you don’t pay a wild hourly rate to the ones who worked at the end. Again, you set standards and protect your wealth.
But that’s not what this landowner does.
And that’s not what the kingdom of God is like.
Remember, at the outset of Jesus’ parable, he makes it plain that this vineyard, this land, these laborers, are participating in a different kind of economy altogether. This is the kingdom of God. This is not free market capitalism.
Hear that again…this is the kingdom of God. Not capitalism.
And we could stand up and make many eloquent arguments about why Christianity and capitalism work well together. And we could explore the separation of church from the business world. Private interests, public good, etc, etc, etc.
You and I are trained, by our society and economic system, to hear this parable and totally connect with the complaints of the workers. And so would have the hearers of the parable as that sat with Jesus.
One quick aside that I think is helpful in understanding this parable.
One interpretation is that the laborers who come throughout the day are, somehow, examples of levels of faithfulness. Perhaps if you were a long-practicing, observant Jew, and you heard about a new sect called the Jesus way, you might be a little perturbed — hey, we were here first. Remember, Jesus’ disciples would have been considered Jews, a new community spawned out of existing synagogues and communities of faith. So adding more laborers to the field could, perhaps, mean that your longstanding commitment is somehow watered down.
And certainly we’re witnessing yet another version of this reality as we think about immigration or who belongs in our communities. They’re gonna take our jobs. There’s not enough to go around.
Both of these examples show a scarcity mindset. There’s not enough to go around.
I’ve shared that I chose these texts during the months of June and July with a focus on economics, abundance, and recognizing we have all that we need.
A world of scarcity warns us to protect what we have, don’t get taken advantage of, and certainly don’t give away more than you need to.
Last week, I talked a little bit about how our church is in a time of revenue challenge. Expenses continue to rise and our monthly income is lagging so that we are diminishing our cash on hand faster than we are able to replenish is. We need to increase our revenue. And we are asking that each member of this church consider how they can respond in generosity, both now, and in sustaining ways going forward.
I talked with a couple of our folks in the days following. There were folks who voiced concern, saying, “hey, I’m doing all I can…I wish I could offer more.” I feel your concern and deeply care about your desires to help as you are able.
But I see that feeling, that concern, as such an opportunity to preach the good news, as Jesus does in this parable.
To each person, according to their means and their ability, Jesus is teaching us — you’re good enough. Well done. What you offer is good. However small, however grand. The good news of the Kingdom of God is that there is no need to be ashamed OR boastful about what we have to offer. The good news is that we are received as we are, with what we can share.
Let’s flip the parable around — the laborers expect scarcity, they expect a pecking order, they expect to be paid differently.
And so to their surprise, the economics they agreed to are wholly different than what is expected. In a world where we fear that everything is finite, scarce, limited…Jesus, the landowner, the kingdom of God says — hey, we’ve got enough. Come on in.
As we start to unlock the meanings of this parable, I’m mindful of other images Jesus uses in his stories, particularly his use of feasts, weddings, and parties, in his examples.
In the kingdom of God, we can envision Jesus, or the land owner, as a welcoming host, greeting each one of us at the door, saying, “oh, I’m so glad you’re here. We’ve been waiting for you. Welcome, friend.”
The kingdom of God is not capitalism. This parable makes that plain. In truth, the economics of God are wildly different than pretty much any financial system we have in our modern (or historic) world. And so when we hear this story, it’s jarring, in a sense that we are not expecting this kind of end.
You know what might happen after? Maybe the workers strike, maybe they walk out because of how the land owner treats the late-laborers. Maybe the farm fails.
We don’t really know.
But that’s where, I think, the real kicker of this message is. Regardless of how much time they’ve put in. Regardless of skill or seniority. Regardless of their tiny contribution or their leadership role. Regardless, the landowner offers each of the workers more than any compensation can match.
The landowner is offering grace.
Well, truly, the Kingdom of God is offering grace.
We need grace.
A world that preaches scarcity is so in need of grace.
The landowner’s words — can’t I do with what I have how I please? Can’t I be generous?
This is a grace.
Not because any of these workers deserve it. Not because they did the best job or brought in the most.
But maybe, the landowner knows that they’ve all got a family to take care of. One day’s pay is one day’s pay because it’s enough to get by on. The land owner wants to offer a grace to any and everyone — here’s enough for today.
Remember the manna, remember the quail, remember how God provides abundant, yeasty, good things for God’s people. Here, it’s enough for today.
And grace to us who never feel like we have or are enough. Grace to receive what we do not deserve, what we never can earn.
That’s what the kingdom of God looks like.
Could we be a people who generously offer what we have to one another? Could we, instead of grumbling about not having enough, recognize that it is the grace others offer to us that makes up for what we lack? That we all get the day’s pay, not because we’re deserving of it, but because we are beloved?
And grace leads to joy.
I hope the workers came back the next day. I hope the ones from the afternoon show up and join in with the morning crew. I hope they see that each one of their contributions is meaningful.
I hope this for us: I hope that you can give and serve and receive in this community as much as you need. That you can give with great joy in serving. That you can receive love and compassion, not because you have privilege or deserve it, but because you are you, you are beloved, and you are welcome here.
We need one another. May we find our way to contribute, labor, give, and receive, in loving community with one another, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
