Matthew 20
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Laborers in the Vineyard
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am good and generous?”
The parables reveal to us how the Kingdom of God operates, so that we will know how to navigate life in that realm. The foundational principle in the Kingdom, as revealed in the parable of the Sower and the Seed, is that we are to live by faith. Hearing God and believing Him is how we are to live successfully in the Kingdom. This parable though, in Matthew 20, is the basis by which we can live by faith. There is so much here that it would take days and days to elaborate on it all. It’s just a remarkable parable, but I want to focus on the simple primary theme. The first workers that started at 6AM had come into agreement with the Landowner on a specific wage. What that means is that they felt that if they worked from 6 to 6 they would have earned a denarius. This is what they believed they would deserve for those hours of work. The other workers that the Landowner recruited throughout the day were simply promised that they would be treated right. One group was working on the principle of getting what you’ve earned and deserve, while the others were simply trusting in the goodness and generosity of the Landowner. At the end of the day, those who worked for one hour got the same wage as those who worked twelve hours. The Landowner even made the all day workers watch the one hour workers get paid the full wage first, to show them that trusting in His goodness and generosity is the basis on which He operates, instead of performing and deserving. This the main principle of this parable. The Kingdom of God operates in an atmosphere of faith in His goodness and generosity, instead of earning and deserving. How many times have you felt you hadn’t done enough to deserve the same same kind of favor that operates in the lives of others. The Kingdom is all about His goodness, and simply receiving it; believing Him for it; celebrating it. Too simple isn’t it! That’s grace for you!!!!