Posted July 17, 2024

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 9, Jesus heals a man who was born blind. Later, when He was speaking to a group of Pharisees (religious leaders of the Jewish people) about His actions, Jesus says, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16 NIV). Jesus was met with resistance and resentment from the Pharisees, who were outraged that He was encouraging the poor, the oppressed, non-Jewish followers with “kingdom talk” (John 9:29). Sharing a “heavenly kingdom” that has been reserved for them with “other sheep”, cannot be a “God” idea.

Are there times when we secretly harbor a Pharisee spirit? Do we see our salvation as “superior” to those we believe have lived “riotous” lives? We never talked back to parents or teachers, never stayed out late, never went to the wrong places, didn’t have children before marriage, went to church when we didn’t want to: doesn’t that set us apart from the rest? Shouldn’t we expect a “better” reward for our 40 years as members of the church versus their 40 days as members of the church?

God's desire is for righteousness, peace and joy to occupy the hearts and relationships of His people. Jesus’ ministry, His time on earth until He died to make mankind free from the power of sin, was teaching about the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven. The Law and the Prophets have been preached and fulfilled (Matthew 5:17, a teaching for another time!). Jesus came into the world and was about Kingdom Life! He uses Parables to teach these principles, often beginning these stories with the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like....” The Prodigal Son who left home, spent all his money on fast living and ended up eating with pigs, but was received back home with welcome arms – this never happened. The man who was robbed and badly beaten but overlooked by everyone until a Samaritan stopped to care for him – this never happened. These stories were both Parables that Jesus used to make us think about how we are living.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, found in Matthew 20:1-16, has relevance to embracing and lifting up people who did not have an early start in life as disciples of Christ, not learning about the gift of Grace until much later. This story is a glimpse into the ancient way of harvesting vineyards which was hard work, usually done in the heat of summer. In this story, the owner of a vineyard goes out searching for workers. At the “first hour” of the morning, he find workers and offers them a wage which they are “very happy” to accept. The landowner goes back several times to find more workers, hiring them at different times of the day but promising to pay them “whatever is right”. 

The last group of workers is hired one hour before the end of the work day. When it is time to be paid, the first group of workers who worked the entire day sees the last group receiving the same pay as they had been offered. Believing they should be paid more because they worked the longest, they complained to the landowner, telling him, “‘These men have worked only one hour, and you paid them equal to what we received for a whole days work in the heat of the day.” The landowner answers, “I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me for a ‘denarius’? Now take your pay and go home. If I want to give these who were hired last as much as I gave you, don't I have the right to do as I wish with my own money?” (v. 11-14). Just as the landowner stands on his right to bless all of them as he chooses to, God is generous according to His divine will, not man’s ideas of fairness.

The illustration here is Mankind coming into the vineyard to work. God’s Grace should not get lost in the idea of “working” for, or “deserving” grace; that’s not what the story is about. A discussion at www.enduringword.com/Bible-Commentary/Matthew-20 reminds us that God’s Grace is foreign to any idea of “deserving”. The author of this commentary says if those who receive grace complain to God, “Don’t I deserve better than this?”, God may reply, “Do you really want Me to give you what you deserve?”

While it is clear how unhappy the first group of workers are to receive the same treatment as those who came in late, we must also note the reaction of the other three groups of workers. Unlike the first group of workers, these workers were not envious and did not complain about their wages. As kingdom-minded Christians, we should rejoice when others come to Jesus. We should celebrate what they do for the Lord. God is faithful to reward us for our service, and how He rewards others does not concern us, nor should it affect our love and devotion to God. Are we quick to judge but slow to edify those who are “babies” in Christ? Do we sincerely want everyone to be pardoned of their sins and to enjoy the “covering” of being saved? In verse 16, Jesus concludes, “So those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last.” Whether you receive Jesus as Lord early in life or late in life does not limit God’s Grace on your life. 

The Lord reveals to the prophet Isaiah, “My ways are higher than your ways. And my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (55:9). Consider the confession of the thief dying on the cross at the crucifixion of Jesus. This criminal's reward for his brief moment of repentance and faith in Christ was an eternal life in paradise (Luke 23:39-43). Let the burden of Christ for the lost, the “other sheep”, become a passion in your heart and your service. Ask the Lord to search your heart, remove anything that is not like Him - for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).