Go ahead. Say these words out loud: “That’s not fair!” Whether as a sibling, a spouse, an employee, or a sports fan, we’ve all said those words. At some point, we’ve all compared ourselves to someone else or their situation and concluded that we’ve gotten a raw deal.
The cry of unfairness appears in a parable Jesus told in Matthew 20. It’s the story of a landowner who paid his workers the same wage, even though some had worked the whole day while others had worked just the last hour (Matthew 20:1-10). The men who put in a full day felt shortchanged, and they protested (Matthew 20:11-12). They pointed out that they had worked longer and harder. They had borne the brunt of the work. They worked through the heat of the day, while the guys who only worked an hour barely broke a sweat. And yet the landowner paid everyone the same amount.
I have to admit that a part of me struggles with this story. I find myself identifying with the guys who worked a full day. The hours and the workload was unequal. And yet the pay was equal. That’s obviously not fair! At the same time, the landowner paid these men exactly what they agreed to work for, which was entirely fair (Matthew 20:13-14).
As with all of Jesus’ parables, there’s a deeper meaning to the story. It’s true that the workers who worked only an hour didn’t deserve the same amount of pay as those who worked all day. But one of the larger reasons they were equally compensated was to illustrate that God is generous to those who do not deserve generosity, which includes us.
Thankfully, in Jesus’ kingdom “those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last” (Matthew 20:16).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: John 20:24–21:14
More:
Notice the similar theme of generosity in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:28-32).
Next:
How will you give what you’ve received from God—undeserved generosity—to others? How have you experienced God’s generosity through family and friends?
axcvilla on October 1, 2011 at 5:29 am
This was such a timely word for me. In fact, even before I checked to read today’s devotional – I had a feeling that the Lord would use today’s entry as confirmation of the word he had already placed in my heart.
I went ahead and did a little bit of further study on this passage and I stumbled on something interesting – said by one T.W. Manson
“God’s love cannot be portioned out in quantities nicely adjusted to the merits of individuals. There is such a thing as the twelfth part of a denar. It was called a pondion. BUT there is no such thing as a twelfth part of the love of God.”
kram4mark on October 1, 2011 at 9:59 am
If you have been a Christian for 50 years and your neighbor for 1 year you have equal share in the kingdom of God.
jimgroberts on October 1, 2011 at 7:09 pm
God sees all sin as the same – no favouritism and no bigger sinner.
Thus the payment for sin is the same for each one of us – DEATH [seperation from God]
Our rewards are a matter of GRACE.
Totally UNDESERVED.
If we can’t be grateful/thankful we will not deserve salvation.
Read the Prodigal Son to see the covetous reaction of the other son.
Read the account of job to see self-righteousness.
Read the prayer of the Tax Collector to know true humility.
daisymarygoldr on October 1, 2011 at 8:26 pm
Good post and responses, Jeff Olson and all! It is true, as with all of Jesus’ parables, there’s a deeper meaning to this story.
The vineyard is the kingdom of heaven. The landowner is God the Father. The foreman is Jesus Christ. The laborers are those who come to Jesus in response to the gospel invitation. The work—is to believe in Jesus Christ (John 6:28-29). A full day refers to the believer’s lifetime. And the wages for believing in the Son—is eternal life.
Some of us received Jesus Christ as a child and endure a life of tribulation and hardships because of our Christian faith. While others like the thief on the cross, may believe in Jesus on their deathbed. These Christians who confessed Christ in their dying breath were paid first. And in the end, all of us receive equal pay—i.e. salvation by grace through faith.
Now that we know the real meaning, do we still begrudge God’s generosity to say “That’s not fair!”?
sandylu on October 8, 2011 at 6:14 pm
What we perceive as raw deals are a fact of life. In these modern days, they are becoming perhaps, more common as our world turns to fun, pleasure and glittered persona.
What we must do is keep our attitude ‘right’, our responsibilities completed, and our gratitude to God and man as sincere, with a faithful heart.
Sometimes a hard task indeed. And then…we learn.