The Workers in the Vineyard- Matthew 20:1-16

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August 5th- Michaiah Wunch and Family will be with us. Heading to Maine to go through a residency and be sent out of Windham Baptist Church in the Lakes Region of Maine to pastor.

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Introduction: Guy that hopped down into the ditch on the far end of the football field. Would get praised for being the first one back on the last sprint. That’s not fair!!!

We live in a world where people believe they want justice, fighting for what is fair when what they really need is grace. We all need grace. In light of our desire for fairness we read our parable today.

Read Text: Matthew 20:1-16

Background: To truly understand why Jesus tells this parable, we have to look at what happened just a few verses earlier in chapter 19. A rich young ruler had just walked away from Jesus—choosing his earthly wealth over true "treasure in heaven"—because his heart was completely bound to his possessions. Seeing this, Jesus drops a sobering truth on His disciples: Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” But right on the heels of this revelation, Peter speaks up and completely misses the point. Many commentators point out that Peter lapses right back into a transactional, earning mindset. He brings up their sacrifices and asks, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" Peter was still calculating spiritual standing by human sacrifice, measuring what God supposedly "owed" them for their labor. So, Jesus tells this Parable of the Vineyard Workers as a direct response to Peter to shatter our default towards earning and help us see more clearly the reality of God’s sovereign, generous grace.

Scene 1: Hiring (v1-7)

"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. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard." — Matthew 20:1–2

The 6:00 AM Call (vv. 1–2): The Master enters the marketplace and contracts with the first group for a specific wage—a denarius (a full day’s living wage).

The Subsequent Calls (vv. 3–7): He returns at the 3rd, 6th, and 9th hours. Finally, at the 11th hour (5:00 PM), He finds men still standing idle:

"He said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.'" -Matthew 20:6-7

Key Detail: The latecomers were the overlooked and unwanted. They had no contract; they simply threw themselves on the Master’s promise: "Whatever is right I will give you" (v. 4).

Scene 2: Equal Pay (v8-10)

"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.'" — Matthew 20:8

The Last First (v. 8): The Master intentionally pays the 1-hour workers first, right in front of those who worked twelve hours.

The Shocking Payout (v. 9): The 5:00 PM workers receive a full denarius—an unearned, overwhelming gift of life-sustaining provision.

Less than expected. (v. 10):

"Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius." — Matthew 20:10

Scene 3: Grumbling (v11-12)

"And on receiving it they grumbled against the master of the house, 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.'" — Matthew 20:11–12

Entitlement : They were paid exactly what they agreed to, but their joy was destroyed by comparison.

The Real Issue: They weren't mad about their wage; they were furious that someone else received grace they didn't "earn."

Scene 4: Generosity (v13-15)

"But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'" — Matthew 20:13–15

“So the last will be first, and the first last.”” Matthew 20:16

Justice Upheld (vv. 13–14a): The Master broke no contract and committed no injustice.

Sovereign Right Asserted (v. 15a): The Master alone has authority over His wealth.

Cross-Reference: "So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills." — Romans 9:18

The "Evil Eye" Exposed (v. 15b): The Master calls out their spiritual envy at His goodness.

Big Idea:"A right understanding of God’s sovereign grace breeds contentment and gratitude where entitlement and envy used to live."

Two parts of the same overarching truth that as you grow in your understanding will impact your life, family and the world around you - Sovereign Grace

God is Sovereign (vv. 11–15a)

Explanation:

God’s Sovereign Authority- The LORD is the master of the house. It is his vineyard and his money. He is the owner. He is in charge. Understanding who the king is, that he is holy and fully reigns over every inch of creation changes how we see ourselves and our place in the world.

He sets the pay rate on his terms. Settles on a denarius with the first group and then with each succeeding group he says something like he says in verse 3 - “Whatever is right I will give you?” Who decides what is right?

When he has the foreman pay them he flips the order and pays the last first and the first last. Making the entire point of the story. (Sandwich)

Matthew 19:30 “But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Matthew 20:16 “So the last will be first, and the first last.””

The order and the amount he pays them completely reverses human expectations and brings out the grumbling of discontent from those originally hired.

Illustration: Lobstermen Story. Tend to make ourselves the center of the story and believe we have the right to execute justice or at least tell God how to do so.

Explanation: verses 11 says the original hires grumbled at the master of the house when they got paid.

Why do they grumble? The same reason we often grumble. We forget our place in the world. Somehow we think we are in charge. That others have moved into our territory when its not ours. The LORD is sovereign. He is God, he is in charge. Spurgeon says it like this.

Argument:

R.C. Sproul: "There is no such thing as a random grain of sand in this universe; every grain is under the sovereign care of God."

"Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds... but when God ascends His throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth. They love Him anywhere better than they do when He sits with His sceptre in His hand and His crown upon His head." CHS

We tend to want the place that can only be occupied by God.

Matthew 20:12 “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.’”

Then the master kindly replies , calling them friend, I paid you what we agreed upon and then in Matthew 20:15 “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?

He reminds the grumblers that its all his. He is in charge, he is the master. You see we have a king. He created everything by speaking it into existence. He owns it all. He is all powerful.

AW Pink says it like this. "The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite. When we say that God is sovereign, we affirm His right to govern the universe which He has made for His own glory, just as He pleases. We affirm that His right is the right of the Potter over the clay, that He may mold that clay into whatsoever form He chooses."

Application: Repent of your discontentment and any grumbling and complaining in your life that despises God’s sovereign work in the world. The LORD is indeed on the throne and he is wise, powerful and good. The question is do you trust him or do you question his wisdom, power and goodness.

Transition: God is Sovereign

God is Good and Gracious (vv. 15b–16)

Explanation: Look at what the master says at the end of verse 15. “Do you begrudge my generosity?” The idea here is do you envy those I have been graciously generous toward. There is a level of envy or jealousy here, that the master would give grace to someone other than themselves. The focus is on the fact that someone else got more than they deserved. Remember our context. Peter says we have given up a lot, what do we get and then Jesus tells the parable to uproot the default idea that we earn what we get from God. It’s all grace.

Do you see the pursuing grace of the master, he goes after those in need all day. He never stops. He calls, initiates, invites and beckons. By grace and for grace. IF you are in the vineyard then you are blessed beyond imagination. The gracious master goes into the marketplace first thing and hires laborers. Laborers who otherwise were without. His grace brought them into his vineyard. His grace was not just pointed at them but again at 9, then at 12, then at 3 and then at 5. Bringing more laborers into the vineyard. The laborers needed a vineyard, they needed the wages, they were graciously, generously brought into the work. Wherever you find yourself in the story it is grace?

Illustration: The way we view the world is king of like the two kids who get to pick teams. It’s all about merit in our view. Somehow we either think we are special and should be picked first, or so doubt ourselves and believe we deserve to be last. But the LORD says the last will be first and the first last. His economy is grace. We don’t deserve grace but he gives it freely as he wills.

Explanation:

it is possible to mistake God’s gracious generosity to someone else as injustice toward themselves. That idea is trying to put God in your debt. Calvin says it like this…. "God is bound to no man, so as to be restricted to an equality of reward... No man enters into the vineyard by his own industry, but by the call of God; and those who come at the eleventh hour are equalized with the first because their calling rests on the same sovereign goodness."

Where you have been, where you are and where you will be if you are in Christ are a result of Grace. To look at others and desire grace for them.

Illustration: Parents At our best we want our children to go know Christ and go further than we ever did. To want grace for others, that is to know Christ and understand grace. To celebrate with the 11th hour laborer because they have tasted and seen that the LORD is good.

Argument: To have the capacity to Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep because you know Christ and his goodness. You are able to do this when you trust the grace of the sovereign king. He has mercy on who he will have mercy.

Application: Contentment and Gratitude are the paths of gospel ministry. When you really know grace you don’t hawk it for yourselves but desire others would taste the beauty of Christ. When a church comes to the place that they desire one another and their family and neighbors to know grace that is a beautiful thing. O LORD let it rain grace and that all around us, our neighbors would know you. Forgive our envy, and our entitlement and let us taste and see all over again that you are good. There is not a limited amount of grace. The master is generous and he never runs out.

Gospel: What if instead of grumbling when others were recipients of grace we celebrated, and prayed for more rain. That it would rain on the just (who have been justified by Christ) and the unjust 11th hour laborer who needs grace. Would our families change, would our neighborhood change, would our community change. Oh God loves to rescue the idle laborer and put him or her to work in his vineyard. He sent Jesus to die on the cross and raise from the dead that it may be so. Come and believe, trust, turn from your way, turn from entitlement and envy and turn to the one that gives more grace.

Psalm 145:1–8