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Matthew
20:1-16
It’s Not Fair! The
placement of this passage both in Scripture and in the life and ministry
is helpful in our understanding of the parable.
It falls in between the time when Christ was identified by Peter as
being the Christ, the Son of the Living God and the time of His descent
into Jerusalem, where he suffered and died for our sins. What was the theme/emphasis of Jesus’s ministry during this
time period. If you look to
the details, you’ll find that Jesus taught and demonstrated what a
servant of the Lord was to be like. He
taught concerning the means, the nature, the attitude, the power, and the
work of the servant of God. It
is against this backdrop of his own service to the Father, and his
disciples needing to understand it that He shows them what His and their
service is to be like! Therefore, I submit to you, that this passage has much to say
to people like you and me, who are laboring as God’s servants. Scripture Reading – Matt 20:1-16 Prayer Our Father, We have much to learn from this passage, for on one level we find here a picture of our own lives and service before you, for you have called us to work within you vineyard and kingdom while it is day, and to anticipate the night coming when all work is done and your servants receive their reward. May you teach us today what we should expect and how we should prepare and serve. May you lead us toward a right attitude and spirit, even as we serve you today. This we pray, in the name of Him, who demanded nothing, but offered himself freely on our behalf, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Sermon
I
want to begin where this passage ends, where in v. 16 we read:
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
There is a Paradox in life
that has frustrated many people over the years… a
Paradox (or apparent
inconsistency) whose purpose many have never figured out… but when seen
in the light of God’s Word, the beauty of this paradox is found in the
fact that it’s divine purpose is to shed light on the kingdom of God and
to point us or draw us to Christ himself. Let
me explain what I mean, or how this works.
Have you ever wondered why things in this life often just don’t
seem fair? For example, have
you ever wondered why that person whose not half as smart, or half as
committed, or half as hard working as you seems to be doing just as well
if not better than you? (Do
you cast it off as ‘life’s not fair’, or have you ever wondered if
God might have planned it this way?)
Have you ever wondered why there are those wh have not served as
long as you, or who haven’t put in as much time or energy or effort in a
particular place or on a particular project as you, or who have not proven
themselves the way you have, or have not endured as much as you, yet it
doesn’t seem to matter that much, for they seem to get all the breaks
and to benefit as if all those things didn’t matter?
Have you ever wondered about the other person whose intentions are
not nearly as pure as your, whose accomplishments are not nearly as
wonderful as yours, whose morality and deeds are not nearly as good as
yours, who seems to prosper and to get things you think you they don’t
deserve, all the while you fail to obtain them even though when a
comparison is made, you feel you should, but you don’t?
WHY
is that? Should we just cast
it off by saying ‘Life is not fair”; or believing in a sovereign God,
who has purpose in all things, should we believe there IS purpose or a
lesson for us even in this? Life
is full of paradoxes, but in each of them there is a valuable less for us.
This passage teaches what we find in this paradox, that God has
made it such that in this life all things do not appear fair (because
God’s grace and goodness enters in), that we might understand that in
the kingdom of God all things do not work on the basis of pure justice (or
merit) alone. In
this life, many who are “undeserving” or “less deserving” are
shown much grace and generosity, to show us how it will be in the kingdom
of God. God will not deal
with his people strictly on the basis of justice, but on the basis of
grace. This
passage is not just a lesson for unbelievers, who need to know that
Salvation is by grace or the goodness of God, not by man’s merit; but in
today’s text, we see: It’s
also and primarily a less for believers (servants) who are tempted to
think or act like our reward is based solely on our merit, rather than on
the grace, the goodness, and the generosity of God.
The truth is that if the kingdom reward is based on grace, then
that’s true not only when we come to it, but also as we serve in it. The
tendency or temptation for us though is to come to the kingdom knowing
that the reward of eternal life is not according to our merits but God’s
goodness, but then to serve as though God does owe us something.
For example, as a pastor, it’s easy for me to think that because
I’ve studied so hard and labored so diligently, that it’s not fair
when an assistant pastor or youth pastor from another denomination makes
more money than I do, especially when I’ve heard them and know that they
could not theologically explain their way out of a wet paper bag.
For congregation members, how about those who think “I’ve been
serving in this church longer than anybody else, therefore it’s not
right or fair when others come into the church and have the same rights or
say as I have. Perhaps you
have seen how the Lord has richly blessed someone else and been abundantly
generous to them, but rather that rejoicing with them and giving thanks to
God for his goodness to them, you respond by saying or thinking ‘It’s
not fair that God blessed them ‘ Perhaps
there’s a lack of contentment for the way the Lord has treated you, or
jealousy or envy because of what others have received from God.
There’s a church in our denomination where a family, one who has
been a long time pillar in their particular church, got upset when their
son was not elected to office in the church, but a younger man was who had
only been in the church a comparatively shorter period of time.
Did they deserve (merit) something from God?
They acted as if they did.
Have you ever thought to yourself, ‘I’m whorking so hard in
this church, yet others seem to get all the recognition or honor.”
When it comes to Deacon candidates, do you think ‘Why him, and
not me?’ Or have you
thought ‘I’ve given this up or given that up! Or I’ve seated over
this, or I’ve given my all for that, and others haven’t… when I get
to heaven, my reward better be or is going to be much greater than
theirs!’ Do
you really want to work on a pure MERIT BASIS when you get to heaven? No! The late
James Montgomery Boice says it well – “We can never place God under
obligation to do something for us because we have done something for Him.
There is nothing you or I or anyone else can possibly do that will
place God in a debt relationship to us.
God owes us nothing except eternal punishment for our sins.
So if we do not experience that punishment, that and everything we
do experience is pure grace.” That’s
why Jesus can say in Luke 17:10 “So
you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say,
‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty.” Note, in this parable the only servants who missed out on
additional amounts of the landowner’s abundant grace and goodness were
those who approached him as servants laboring and demanding reward
according to a comparative and a merit based relationship. Many
Christians come to this passage thinking it teaches grace instead of works
and it does. However,
here’s the key to understanding this parable.
What category of people is it talking about?
It’s not the difference between unbelievers and believers (the
unbelievers in this passage would be those who remain idle in the
marketplace, but they are not in view in this passage.
All those in view here have been called and sent to work in the
master’s vineyard, … they are the Master’s servants!
The distinction here is between those who have been called and
sent; some who measure their reward based on their work, and others who
receive grace in addition to the just reward for their work.
Which wou you rather receive? By
way of Outline, I want to show you four indicators a person is living
according to a merit based relationship with God.
These indicators include I.
A LIFE OF COMPARISON II.
A LIFE OF COMPLAINING III.
A LIFE OF ACCUSATION IV.
A LIFE OF COVETOUSNESS I.
A LIFE OF COMPARISON (v. 10, 12) Let
me show you how absurd this is, though many many of us often do it. If Bill Gates decided out of his mere good pleasure to give
someone a sum of 50 million dollars, would you think to yourself that you
deserve 60 million dollars from him since in some comparison you are
better than the person who received the gift?
No, but that is exactly what many of us do when it comes to our
relationship with God in view of our relationship with others.
Just because God chooses to be generous to others, when we begin to
compare ourselves with the, we begin to think If
they received X amount, then we should or will receive more than X amount. Take
for example – have you ever been in charge of a program, and you labor
so hard before and during the program, then everybody leaves and leaves
you all by yourself to clean up, stack the chairs away, sweep the floor,
etc. Then you think to
yourself, ‘Lord, I’m doing so much more than others, if you reward
them, and I know you will, then my reward MUST be great!
(merit based?) Look at vv. 8-10 - “When
evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the
workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and
going on to the first.’” ‘The
workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received
a denarius. (v. 10) So when those came who were hired first,
they expected to receive more.
But each one of them also received a denarius.”
(v. 12) “’These men who were hired last worked only one
hour,’ they said, ‘ and you have made them equal to us…” There
are at least three problems with this way of thinking.
First, note – it wasn’t until the others received their reward
that those who worked the full day began to expect more. It led them to a false expectation because the kingdom of God
doesn’t work that way. It
works according to grace. Second,
it wasn’t until they began to think this way that they began to fail to
appreciate the joy of their reward.
It’s like Christmas, when a child is so happy with the gifts they
receive until they look over and big brother has a better toy, and they
are no longer happy with theirs. Finally,
it was because they thought this way that they failed to miss out on the
grace of the landowner. (They
received exactly the just reward for their labor, and NO MORE!)
Boice writes “What Jesus’ story says is that we have to
get over thinking of our service in terms of debt or obligation, and instead
learn to serve in the spirit of the son who serves because he loves
the father, rather than in the spirit of the hireling who serves only for
wages.” If you find
yourself constantly comparing yourself or your rewards to other, you’re
more than likely serving God according to a merit based relationship and
will miss out on the grace and generosity of God which can also be yours!
Paul addresses this matter in Gal 6:3-4 saying “If
anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
(v. 4) Each one should
test his own actions. Then he
can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
for each one should carry his own load.”
When we serve discerning the grace and generosity of the Lord, it
enables us to rejoice in the goodness of God, to rejoice with others in
the grace others receive, and to receive grace that is in addition to what
we deserve. II.
A LIFE OF COMPLAINING In
vv. 10-11, we read So when those came who were hired first, they
expected to receive more. But
each one of them also received a denarius.
(v. 11) When they received it, they began to grumble against
the landowner.” The
greek word is “egoguzon” which means to mutter, lament, complain.
You see, those who live according to a merit based relationship
lack contentment! They’re
always looking at what everyone else has!
They always feel like they deserve more, or better!
They always feel like they’re being cheated, … like they’re
missing out on what they deserve! Ultimate,
if we believe God is sovereign, their (or our) complaint is against God,
himself! In v. 11, we find “When they received it, they began to
grumble against the landowner.”
We don’t always do this out loud or direct, but often in subtle ways,
saying “Mr So & So just doesn’t like me…”; “If only so
& so would happen, I could get what I deserve”; “I’ve worked
hard, but I never seem to get the breaks” Look
at the Land’s Owner’s Response (v. 13)
“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being
unfair to you. Didn’t
you agree to work for a denarius? Take
your pay and go.” In v. 2,
we find “He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day…”.
In the greek there are at least six references to the workers
receiving their “JUST reward”. That
doesn’t even count the fact that the later workers knew the reputation
of the land owner to be just & generous, & therefore did not
require a contract. What has
the Lord promised you in this life? The
Lord has promised you and me nothing more in this life than to provide for
our daily needs. (a denarius
represented a daily wage for a servant or soldier).
Paul in 1 Tim 6:6-8 writes “But
godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out
of it. (v. 8)
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
“ That’s
ALL he promises you in me in this life is to meet our daily needs… and
even them Paul writes about knowing contentment when living in plenty or
in want. If you find yourself
complaining (it doesn’t matter whether it’s at home, at church, at
work, with your friends, at bill time, etc.), consider whether your
relationship with God is merit based, and if so, repent!
For the Good News of the kingdom is – it is not designed to
operate that way! As the New Bible Commentary puts it “The
grateful are BETTER OFF than the grumblers” III.
A LIFE OF ACCUSATION In
v. 13, we read “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not
being UNFAIR to you.” In v.
15, we read “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own
money?” The original
language doesn’t just limit it to money, but “with mine’ including
whatever belongs to the master, including money, resources, people,
kingdom, etc. I’ve
never understood why people get upset over inheritances (if you get
anything, you are getting
more than you deserve!) But I
did get a taste of the problem. If
you asked me if my parents have a right to do whatever they want with
their money (assuming it is in line with God’s will) I would without
hesitation say ‘yes!’. If
you asked me if they have a right to put anyone in charge of their
resources, I would respond the same.
But when my mother told me that my parents put my older brother and
my younger brother in charge of administering their will, it disturbed me
initially. You see, for
years, I was convinced my older brother was my mother’s favorite and my
younger brother was my father’s favorite.)
I should not have been upset.
Not only would this preclude me from a lot of paperwork and
responsibility, the truth is my parents had good reason (following the
biblical example, they looked to my “oldest” brother, and added my
youngest brother since he would probably live longer than the rest of us.
But even more importantly is the fact that my parents have the
RIGHT to do whatever they want with their resources and to assign whomever
they choose to manage and disburse them.
They can choose a one legged man with warts on his toes living in a
swamp in Alabama if they want to and they have the RIGHT to do so!
(I hope that doesn’t describe anyone you know!)
The point is that at the same time that all will get their just
reward (even unbelievers and believers alike), God has the right to be
generous to any that he wants to in any amount that he chooses!
My
father, in his wisdom, set a good example of this.
When he began to have children, he chose to buy one of them a gift,
but was told by others that if he bought one of them something, he must
buy them all something. Wisely,
he responded, “No, he didn’t care what others said, if he wanted to
get one of them something he would do it, and wouldn’t feel pressured
(or guilty) to get them all the same thing.”
The same is true with God! He
is NOT required to help you and me, just because he wants to show his rich
generosity to another! v.
15 “Don’t I have the
RIGHT to do what I want with my own money?
Or are you envious because I am generous?”
Matthew Henry writes “His
word should silence all our murmurings, that, whatever God does to us, or
withholds from us, he does us no wrong.
If God gives that grace to others, which he denies to us, it is
kindness to them, but no injustice to us; and bounty to another, while it
is no injustice to us, we ought not to find fault with.”
Often,
because of our sinful hearts, the generosity of God results not in our
adoration and praise, but in our resentment of God for his generosity!
Such sin needs to be repented of.
Have you examined your heart, your motives, when God has been
generous to others? Have you
affirmed and praised him for his generosity, or have you despised his
giving generously to others? IV.
A LIFE OF COVETOUSNESS (v. 15) Verse
15 says “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own
money? Or are you ENVIOUS because I am generous.”
Here’s the ultimate problem – The person who lives
according to a merit based relationship with God is not only unhappy
because he does not have, but unhappy because others do, and because he
does not! They
did not rejoice that others received more; instead, they were jealous and
complained. It revealed the
true character of their hearts. They
were selfish and they envied their neighbors!
You may think God is unfair to those who worked all day, and they
only received what everyone else did, but I believe they actually received
more than the others. They
were shown the true condition of their heart!
That’s why God ordains things to happen here on earth the way he
does… to show us the nature of our own hearts, one of the greatest
rewards we can receive here on earth!
Verse 16 - “So the last will be first, and the first will be
last” in order that this might be found out!
Envy
is a Sin! It too must be
repented of. The kingdom of
God works in such a way, that it does not encourage sin, but rather
exposes it! Think about this the next time you’re dissatisfied with the
way things turn out! I
would like to conclude by drawing your attention to the context in which
we find this passage. In the
historical setting, it is told to Christ’s disciples who had just seen
the rich man not receive eternal life because he was willing to give up
his possessions. So, Peter asks “We have left everything to follow you!
What then will there be for us?”
Jesus answers ‘Your reward will be great, but at the same
time, you are not to serve with an attitude that says because you did
something God owes you” (para, mine). If they had served thinking they were better than others,
that they would receive more than others, their witness would not have
been what God wanted it to be. The
same is true of us. That’s
why God’s kingdom does not work that way.
We are not to serve with an attitude that our reward is coming to
us because we have merited it… for that’s not the case! Next,
in the historical redemptive setting, the Jews (who were steeped in
works/merit) were to welcome in the Gentiles.
This too would not work if the Jewish Christians held a chip on
their shoulder or thought they were superior because of their works.
All come into the gospel on the same footing. Because God is going to be just, no – better than just, we must consider his grace, and respond to Him in light of His goodness!
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Pulpit Ministry | Sermons - Chronological | Old Testament | New Testament | Subject Index |
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