The parable of the workers in the vineyard
A million dollar golf tournament was held which drew contestants from near and far. Many experienced golfers who had worked for years and years on their game came for their shot at the jackpot. The winner would be the closest to the pin. Golfer after golfer tried for the hole, and one skilled veteran made it within six inches of the hole, a very good shot.
Then he watched as a certain hacker came to the tee, and swung the most horrible looking swing had ever seen. But luck was with this amateur. His ball bounced off a nearby photographers’ cart and landed just one inch from the hole. He won the contest. He won the money. Who ever said life was fair?
Fairness is a concept we are familiar with. From an early age, we learn what “fairness” is all about. Soon after the words “No!” and “Mine!”, children learn that handy phrase, “It’s not fair!”. And we find ourselves echoing our own parents, “Who ever said life was fair?”
Still, we have an expectation that it will be! When someone cheats and gets ahead of us, we feel indignant. It’s not fair!
“I’ve been at this company for years, and that young upstart gets the promotion while I’m passed over? It’s not fair.”
“I’m a good parent. I really, really love my children. How come everyone else has perfect children, and mine have medical problems? It’s not fair!”
“I lived a good, clean, life. No smoking – I tried to eat well. And now the doctor says I have lung cancer. But my sister-in-law has smoked a pack a day for 40 years, and is just fine. It’s not fair.”
Or how many other examples of UN-fairness could we think of? In the end, our sense of fairness is most keen when we feel WE are the victims of an injustice. Or when we feel someone is treated more favourably than we are – for no good reason. Jesus knew the same, that many people think that life is not fair and so he told a parable about it.
The parables of Jesus are masterful. He takes a common situation and tells a story we can remember. He puts heavenly meaning into earthly things. And we can all relate to it. This parable is no different. The situation is common enough – an employer is hiring. As was the norm in the ancient world, and even in some places today – the employer hires day-labourers. The vineyard owner hires men to help him at 4 different times during the 12 hour work day. Now this is a little strange. Especially the hiring at the 11th hour.
The first workers are promised a denarius, a typical day’s wage. The terms of the subsequent hirings are a bit vague, though. “whatever is right” will be what they are paid. When payment time comes at the end of the day, those working longest begin to wonder – what will I be paid? “Whatever is right!” in their mind, was more than those latecomers. So when they received the same – they were upset. And we can relate to that feeling. It didn’t seem fair. But after all, it was the agreement they made, it was the owner’s money, and his right to pay others in line with his own sense of fairness.
There is more to this than meets the eye. The owner knew perfectly well that the families of the workers would be starving if they were not paid a full days wages. The owner had a sense of social responsibility. This changes the perspective completely. We put a premium on fairness in our world, but God’s view of fairness is much different from ours. But in Jesus Christ, God’s sense of fair play is a true blessing to us.
Reflecting on this parable of Jesus, we could say: In God’s kingdom, life isn’t fair. If it were, we would all be in deep trouble.
For example we all deserve to die because of our sinful nature, we don’t deserve to go to heaven. All of us are sinners to a greater or lesser degree, however we all certainly fall short of God’s standard of perfection which is 100%. Humanly speaking there is no possibility of any human being getting into heaven. Humanly speaking, but with God all things are possible. Jesus has opened up the way to heaven on our behalf, how did he do this ? He did this by taking what we deserved, the punishment for our sins on the cross. Jesus gave us what we don’t deserve, forgiveness of our sins, a place in heaven and adoption into God’s family. Jesus satisfied God’s sense of fairness, and brings us the wages of His death – which are eternal life, forgiveness, and peace.
So let us not complain when life seems unfair, remember that none of us deserves salvation, but remember what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Let us see the big picture that this life is a school of preparation for living in heaven. It is up to us to develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives which according to Galatians 5:22-23 is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
We can take nothing with us when we die and leave this world except our christian character which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So let us spend our lives here on earth developing the fruit of the Holy Spirit so we are better equipped for living in heaven. This should be our real priority in life. The 75 years of life in this world are very short compared to eternity and everlasting time in heaven.
Another great lesson in this story is the great danger in comparing ourselves to others. We risk losing sight of our own faults and failings. Let us compare ourselves to Jesus.