Kingdom Parables: The Parable of the Vineyard Workers

As Baptists, we regularly sing a song entitled, Amazing Grace. Why do we call grace ‘amazing?’ Because it is absolutely amazing that God would save a wretch like me. Or a wretch like you. It’s amazing because God’s wonderful, incredible grace does not depend upon our goodness.

There is a false notion—held by so many in our society—indeed held by many religious people around the world, that a person’s own goodness somehow merits their entry into the kingdom of God. And yet the Bible teaches us just the opposite. There is no better story to turn to understand the nature of God and His grace than the Parable of the Vineyard Workers.

In this sermon, I want you to notice three truths: 1. The unacceptable answer, 2. the unemployed workers, and 3. the unbelievable offer.

I. THE UNACCEPTABLE ANSWER

1. the parable of the vineyard workers really begins back in Matthew 19

a. the circumstances at the end of this chapter lay the foundation for the occasion of the parable of the vineyard workers

2. this portion of the gospel narrative finds Jesus and his disciples on their way to Jerusalem

a. as they make their way south toward the city, Jesus is doing what he always does

b. he is healing those who are brought to him and teaching the crowds about the Kingdom of God

3. at one stop, Jesus sits down by the side of the road for a rest

a. as he sits, a young man who has been part of the throng following Jesus, bursts through the crowd, kneels at the Lord’s feet and asks, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

A. HERE IS A SINNER WHO FORESHADOWS MANY MODERN-DAY SEEKERS OF SPIRITUALITY

1. this seeker has so many things going for him that we count important in our own culture 2,000 years later

a. from this text and the parallel passage is Mark’s gospel we learn that . . .

1) he is young

2) he is a leader in his community

3) he is morally upright—a paragon of virtue

4) he is rich

5) he is religious

b. I mean, doesn’t this guy sound like good deacon material to you?

2. but the man is also struggling with spiritual discontent

a. his question, “what must I do to inherit eternal life” is an honest and earnest question that reveals that his spiritual life is unsatisfying

3. this man’s life and character represents millions in our own culture and society

a. like the man of our story, many of our neighbors say they are religious, but at the same time they are struggling with deep spiritual discontent

b. Americans have become deeply interested in spirituality while at the same time they have become dis-enamored by the Christian faith and the church

ILLUS. It is interesting to me that two out of every three adult Americans – that’s about 65% – describe themselves as religious, but only 47% say that their faith is relevant to the way they live their lives each day and less than 30% believe that the church is relevant to their life or faith.

4. like the man in our story, our neighbors are asking the question: What must I do to inherit eternal life

B. HERE IS A SINNER WHO HOLDS THE POPULAR MISCONCEPTION OF HIS DAY

1. this rich young man was convinced that he could merit heaven and eternal life on his own

a. his question is What must I do to inherit eternal life

1) he assumes there was some act he could perform or some action he could take that would appease God and earn him the privilege of eternal life

b. he wants eternal life, but he wants it on his own terms

ILLUS. C.S. Lewis once wrote: “There are only two kinds of people, in the end: Those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says, in the end ‘Thy will be done.’”

c. this man measured his spiritual life by external obedience to religious rules and regulations

1) he did not see the Old Testament law as a mirror which revealed the sinfulness of his sin and his utter condemnation before God

d. what he’s really look for—I think—is affirmation, a pat on the back from Jesus

1) he is hoping that the Christ will say, “Well, by golly, if you’ve obeyed all the religious rules and regulations passed on to us by our fathers, you’re on the right track. Just keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll have it made.”

2. but Jesus doesn’t say that does he?

“Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”” (Matthew 19:21, NIV84)

a. this young man had everything he needed – except a living faith

b. he wanted eternal life, but he wanted it on his terms

c. but Jesus countered with eternal life on God’s terms and those terms were unacceptable

C. MODERN MISCONCEPTIONS OF HOW TO INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE

1. there are those who believe they can inherit eternal life through good works and personal endeavor

a. it is such a common belief—if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds at the end of life then you will go to heaven, if they don’t you go to hell

1) but I challenge you to find me someone—anyone—who does not believe that their righteousness out-performs their unrighteousness

ILLUS. In a survey by religious pollster, George Barna, 83% of Americans believe that all people are basically good—including themselves!

b. but there is a problem with salvation by good works

1) what about the infant or small child who dies before they have the chance to do good works?

2) what about the quadriplegic who wants to do good works, but is physically unable?

3) what about the mentally handicapped who may not be able to discern what good works are?

4) what about those in poverty who do not have the financial means to do good works?

c. no, salvation by good works is no good—it is a salvation only for the healthy and the affluent

2. there are those who believe that they can inherit eternal life through exemplary moral conduct

a. this means of salvation also sounds promising—after all, doesn’t God want us to be moral?

b. but whose moral code do you use?

1) do we adhere to the moral code of the Shakers of the 18th century – a religious group that maintained that celibacy was the only really moral way of life – evan among married couples?

2) do we use the Victorian moral codes of the 19th century where a woman sinned by exposing more than two inches of an ankle?

3) do we use the moral code of the late 20th century that says promiscuous sex is fine as long as you love each of your many partners and that sodomy is fine as long as it’s a consenting adult?

c. no, salvation through exemplary moral conduct is no good, because everyone thinks their moral conduct is exemplary—even when it is not

3. there are those who believe that they can inherit eternal life by being religious

a. baptism and church membership ought to do the trick

b. this sound good too, but in reality it is too uncertain

c. what mode of baptism do you use?

1) do you sprinkle them?

2) do you pour water over them?

3) do you completely immerse them?

4) do you hold them under until they really repent?

d. what church do you join?

1) the Methodists?

2) the Baptists?

3) the Lutherans?

4) the Community Apostolic Church of St. Luke in Christ?

e. no, being religious is no good either, because it’s a salvation only for those lucky enough to choose right

4. there are just as many misconceptions today as to what it takes to inherit eternal life

D. JESUS’ ANSWER IS STILL UNACCEPTABLE

1. the thing that the rich young man lacked was unrivaled allegiance to God

2. we live in a culture where four out of five adults believe their own efforts determine their eternal destiny

a. like the rich young ruler, the lost of our culture see the demand of Christ to follow him in total surrender of life and loyalty as extreme and unacceptable

1) men have not changed

2) they still want eternal life, but they want it on their own terms and not Gods’

3. even the disciples were disturbed with the answer Jesus gave

“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”” (Matthew 19:25–27, NIV84)

II. THE UNEMPLOYED WORKERS

1. Jesus uses his encounter with the rich young ruler and his conversation with the disciples to relate a parable

a. can’t you just see Peter rolling his eyes and thinking to himself, “Here we go . . . another story!”

b. but this is going to be a parable that smacks the disciples—and us—right between the eyes with a profound truth about the character of our Heavenly Father

A. THE WORKERS AND THEIR WAGES

““For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1–2, NIV84)

1. this would have been a typical scene in the days of the Bible

a. just as we have employment agencies today, in the first century, there were places where day laborers gathered to seek work

b. these workers were unskilled at a trade and were near the bottom of the social-economic scale

1) they worked from job to job, many of which lasted no more than a day

2) like the migrant workers of our day, they frequently moved north with the harvest

c. because they had no guarantee of work beyond what they might be doing at the time, they would gather in the market place before dawn to be available for hiring

2. working in a vineyard was not easy work

a. at harvest time—late summer in Palestine—the grapes had to be picked, often in temperatures of 100 degrees or more

1) just as the hay and corn and soybeans in our area have to be harvested when the weather is good, so too, grapes had to be picked quickly before the bad weather set in

2) the grape harvest was a hectic and demanding time

3. these workers were promised the pay of a denarius—a day’s pay at that time

a. the promise of a denarius to these workers would have been quite generous and so they agreed to this rate with great eagerness!

4. now, this particular landowner's property obviously was large, and so he needed more laborers to get the job done

““About the third hour 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 the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 About the eleventh hour 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.’” (Matthew 20:3–7, NIV84)

a. the Jewish workday began at 6:00 a.m. and was called the first hour

b. the third hour began at 9:00 a.m.; the sixth hour began at noon, the ninth hour began at 3:00 p.m. and the eleventh hour began at 5:00 p.m.

1) so, you’ve got laborers who have worked a full twelve-hour day, some who have worked nine hours, some who have worked six hours, some who have worked three hours and some who worked only one hour

c. at the end of the day, they come to collect their wages

5. at this point the parable takes a dramatic turn—we discover what the wages are going to be

““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 the eleventh hour 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.” (Matthew 20:8–10, NIV84)

ILLUS. One Bible commentator, F.W. Beare says the this parable should more rightly be called, The Parable of the Eccentric Employer. F.W. Beare continues ...

a. the vineyard owner obviously does not have good business sense

b. his practices are unusual to say the least and most likely unprofitable

1) he seemingly hires more men then he needs to do the job

2) he probably pays out more in wages then he brings in for his crop

3) he knows that paying them all the same would make the first to be hired unhappy

4) he leaves himself wide open to be labeled ‘unfair’

6. but Jesus is not trying to teach us about sound business practices—he is trying to teach us something about the nature of God

a. when it comes to our salvation, God dispenses grace, not wages

1) if it's a wage that we want from God, the Bible says that our salary is already figured out for us

2) if we want to be rewarded for our merit, if we want to be compensated for our work, then Romans 6:23 spells out how we will be paid: "For the wages of sin is death "

3) but, if we want to receive what God wants to freely give us, then the last part of this verse offers us something far better then just compensation: "but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

b. the God of the universe—the God how knows each star in the firmament and can name them one-by-one—the God of creation who has not misplaced a single atom, this God, is a God of unbelievable grace

III. THE UNBELIEVABLE OFFER

1. there has been much debate over this parable throughout the centuries

a. some place the emphasis on the grumbling of the workers first to be hired

1) these commentators insist that the point of the story is God wants sincere service motivated by love from His people

b. I totally disagree with that interpretation

2. I am firmly convinced that the dissatisfaction of the workers first hired is a sidelight of the story

3. the real emphasis is on the vineyard owner who graciously gives to all equally regardless of when they came into his service

A. GOD’S INCREDIBLE OFFER IS HIS GRACE—WHICH IF FREE

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NIV84)

1. we sometimes lose perspective about God’s grace

a. we forget that grace is not earned

b. we start to think that God owes us something

c. we become envious because God blesses some, and not us in the same way

1) we forget that they do not deserve it—nor do we

d. whether a person comes to God as a small child and lives a long life of faithful, obedient service, or whether he comes to Him on his deathbed after a life of debauchery, all come into the kingdom on the same basis and receive the same glorious, eternal blessings

1) the penitent thief who turned to Jesus on the cross with his last breath received the same salvation and heavenly glory as the apostles

2. this is the scandal of grace

ILLUS. In his book What’s So Amazing About Grace, Phillip Yancy points out that part of our problem is in the nature of grace itself. Grace is scandalous. It’s hard to accept, hard to believe, and hard to receive. Grace shocks us in what it offers. It is truly not of this world. It frightens us with what it does for sinners.

3. grace teaches us that God does for others what we could not, and probably would not ever do for them

a. if it were up to us, we would save the not-so-bad

b. God, on the other hand, starts with the prostitutes and tax collectors and then works downward from there

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7–8, NIV84)

4. grace reminds us that God’s salvation is a free gift

a. grace is a gift that cost God everything, and us nothing

b. it is given to those who don’t deserve it, who barely recognize it, and who hardly appreciate it

c. that’s why God alone gets the glory

5. the only way for you to inherit eternal life is to surrender our life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” (Matthew 19:26, NIV84)

a. what’s impossible for men?

1) inheriting eternal life through self-righteousness

b. what’s possible with God?

1) saving men through the righteousness of Christ that comes through his blood

ILLUS. There is an interesting story in the Buddhist religion that is similar to our Bible’s Parable of the Prodigal Son. But the Buddhist parable stresses the earning of righteousness in contrast with God’s free grace in our Lord’s story. In the story of the “Lotus of Perfect Law,” the son leaves home and spends many years in riotous living, finally returning home in rags and misery. Upon arriving, he does not recognize his father, but the father recognizes his son and tells his servants to take him to the mansion and clean him up. Still not revealing his identity, the father waits to see if the young man will make himself worthy of becoming his son. The father assigns the young man many humbling tasks and leads him on through encouragement. Only after the son has accepted the duties assigned him, performed them faithfully, withstood temptation and broken himself of a mean spirit does the father reveal his true identity. He formally declares the young man to be his son and heir and introduces him to his relatives, his friends, and ultimately the king. The father was unwilling to accept his son while he was still unworthy. Only after the son proved himself was the father willing to accept him.

7. how different this is from the true God who reveals himself through the pages of the bible

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NIV84)

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1–2, NIV84)

“to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:6–8, NIV84)

The Scripture cannot get any planner. Let me close with one of my favorite stories. Years ago, Betty Crocker developed a new cake mix that required you to only add water. Tests were run, and surveys were taken. The cake mix was found to be of superior quality to the other mixes then available. It tasted good, it was easy to use, and it made a moist, tender cake. The company spent millions of dollars on an advertising campaign and then released the cake mix to the general market. But very few people bought the new cake mix.

The company then spent more money on a survey to find out why the cake mix didn’t sell. Based on the results of their survey, the company recalled the mix, reworked the formula, and released the revised cake mix. The new mix still required you to add water, but also one egg.

The new mix was a huge success, and continues to be a leading product for Betty Crocker. Why didn’t the first mix sell? People thought the mix was just too simple to be believable and so people did not accept it.

The same is true of salvation by grace. It seems almost too good to be true, but the good news is that it is true!

Related Media

Related Sermons