Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Php 1:2). Amen.
Tell me if you have heard this: “It’s not fair.” It might not have been that long ago. Perhaps already today. Possibly only yesterday.
Someone pointed it out that it begins at a young age. A toddler has this incredible ability to spot when a sibling has one more goldfish cracker in his pile than he does on his plate—from across the room even. “It’s not fair.”
Do we grow out of that pattern?
The teenager complains. “She has two new outfits for every day of the year. I have nothing to wear. It’s not fair.”
The worker criticizes. “He gets every promotion. I do all the work. It’s not fair.”
The retiree comments. “They get to travel the world. I just get to see the doctor. It’s not fair.”
“It’s not fair” easily becomes our mantra.
And then maybe we think that way about how God deals with us. Jesus uses a parable to change our chant. It is fair because God is gracious and God is generous. We read from …
Matthew 20:1-16
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, who brings us into God’s kingdom,
Tell me if you have heard this: “It is fair.”
“9:00 bedtime on a school night. I concur that I need 8-9 hours of sleep to feel refreshed and ready for a new day. It is fair.”
“A red checkmark on my test. I didn’t study my notes as much as I checked my phone last night. It is fair.”
“A few extra pounds on the scale. I do spend a lot of time in front of the TV with potato chips. It is fair.”
We will let those be what they may. But what about God? He is just (2 Thess 1:5). That is, he is fair. And that includes what he does. And so it is:
It Is Fair!
1. Because God is gracious (1-14)
2. Because God is generous (15,16)
1. Because God is gracious (1-14)
Do you know someone who is gracious? Usually we think that means he is nice because he holds the door open for you or she is kind because she cares for her kids. That is a delightful characteristic. God is gracious. But it goes deeper than that. His love is profound and perfect. It is fair because God is gracious.
It really was in response to a concern, or better, a question. Peter was curious. Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (Lk 19:27). The thought may have crossed our minds a time or two. “It’s not quite fair.” There should be something.
Jesus’ reply was a parable. It was another one of his illustrations to instruct. Jesus again teaches about “the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 20:1). That is God’s rule in our hearts. And it is gracious.
The setting is simple: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard” (Mt 20:1). That still happens in some areas—people go at sunrise and stand waiting for someone to bring them to their fields. We might be more familiar with temp agencies than that practice. But cultivating a vineyard was a common occupation in Israel. So it was a familiar sight for Jesus’ listeners.
And it was determined: “He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard” (Mt 20:2). They would pick grapes. And he would provide compensation. A denarius was the normal salary for 12 hours’ worth of work, even this labor-intensive job. The decision between the two parties was like a symphony playing in harmony. Both were on the same page of the contract.
And that procedure of finding those who were unemployed went on the rest of the day: the third hour (Mt 20:3), the sixth hour (Mt 20:5), and the ninth hour (Mt 20:5). Or 9:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 3:00 PM. Note that there was no bargain this go around. “You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right” (Mt 20:4). The remuneration would be right. He would be fair. “So they went” (Mt 20:5).
That is where it gets a bit strange. He headed out at the “eleventh hour” (Mt 20:6)—5:00 PM. There were others around and others utilized. That seems a bit unusual since there were only 60 more minutes to tend the vines. That is not much time. It is hard to fire up your computer and scroll through social media in such a short span, let along pour a second cup of coffee. But the command was the same: “You also go and work in my vineyard” (Mt 20:7).
It is important to see that the landowner found the workers. They didn’t find him. And there was no lengthy interview or long application. That is how it is in God’s kingdom. He draws near to us because we can’t come close to him. And it is fair because he is gracious. It doesn’t matter if he comes early in life or calls later in life. That is grace. Arrow pointing down from God to us.
Closing time came and the pay window opened. The owner established the order of how: “[He] said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first’” (Mt 20:8). So it was. The one hour laborers received one denarius (Mt 20:9). When that was the case, the others got denarii signs in their eyes. “If they received so much for so little, we should be in line for a big payday” (Mt 20:10). At least, that was their assumption or expectation. But when they opened their envelope, the pay stub read “one denarius.” What? You can guess: “That’s not fair.” “They began to grumble against the landowner” (Mt 20:11). You can come up with the objections (Mt 20:12): “They hardly broke a sweat with any heavy lifting of wicker baskets. They didn’t even have to apply sunscreen because of no harmful UV rays.”
But he was fair. “Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?” (Mt 20:13). Yes. If your neighbor agrees to pay you $20 for mowing his lawn, how much does he give you when you are done? Hint: $20. That was the arrangement. That is fair. There would be no negotiating. “Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you” (Mt 20:14). It doesn’t take much for that “give and get” mentality sneaks into our heads. I give to God—be it some time or some money—then I should get from God. In our opinion, that would be fair. And then pride settles in. “Look at the effort or the amount. But in a way, we get what we want with that attitude—the approval or amazement of others of how much we accomplish or achieve. But in another sense, we don’t want God to be fair with us. There is a wage that sin pays. And it is ugly. It is death (Ro 6:23).
But God gives us the opposite of what we deserve. It is a gift (Ro 6:23). That is grace. To be fair, God still had to punish sin. And he did. On Jesus. He put our guilt on him and he paid for it all. He gives and forgives us in Jesus. The Lord is correct when he reminds us: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD” (Is 55:8). In fact, they are worlds apart: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is 55:9). God’s ways and thoughts are different than ours. He wants to hand us his undeserved kindness without cost. And he does. Why? God’s grace is the only answer.
And we now go and work, not to get things, but to give thanks. And we echo what the apostle Paul penned: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Php 1:21). That is fair because God is gracious.
2. Because God is generous (15,16)
It could be that it is easier for you to name a gracious individual faster than a generous one. That is certainly a desirable quality. God is generous. That might be almost an understatement. It is fair because God is generous.
Those first hired might not have been aware of the man’s generosity to the last hired if they had not been lined up and paid up in reverse order. And the vineyard owner makes a valid point: “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?” (Mt 20:15). Absolutely he does. What I do with that Andrew Jackson for clipping the lawn is up to me. That is proper. We refer to someone who is jealous as having an “evil eye.” Their eyesight was bad. “Are you envious because I am generous?” (Mt 20:15). He was good to all. And “so the last will be first, and the first will be last” (Mt 20:16). The first ones will be out of the kingdom and the last ones will be in it.
God enjoys giving his grace—to all and all the same. To us. He wipes away our sins gladly. He holds out heaven happily. To us. We can be just as sure as the psalmist: “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Ps 27:13). So we listen to David’s encouragement: “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (Ps 27:14). Instead of getting upset, we get excited that it God’s generosity is for all—equally and eternally, from a dying thief to a life-long Christian. His ways and thoughts are right. That is fair because God is generous.
Young and old alike often scream, “It’s not fair.” That is just code for “I don’t like it.” That is not our reaction to our Lord. Instead we can state: “It is fair.” Because God is gracious and generous to us. He gives his incredible love to us freely and fully. We do like it. It is fair. Amen.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen (Php 4:23)!
October 8, 2017
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