Skip to main content

206. The Parable of The Workers in the Vineyard


Key Verse: “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with My own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”      Matthew 20:15

This is a parable that makes many a Christian squirm. We mostly squirm because we sympathize too well with those who have worked all day in the vineyard. We are grateful for the stories that we hear of death bed conversions, especially if it is one of our own loved ones who is the beneficiary of such grace. Too often, however, like those who worked all day in the vineyard, we start to think that we deserve salvation plus, or something like that, for all of the sacrifice and hard work that we’ve made to God throughout our entire lives.

Jesus began His parable with the words, “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like…” (Matt. 20:1) He then proceeds to tell a story of a very generous employer with an aggressive hiring campaign. He obviously wants to be sure to get the crops in before the crop ruining rains begin. It is obvious that the man is generous but also urgent for the task at hand. He knows that the storm is coming and he wants the crop gathered in.

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) God is the owner of the vineyard. He knows that an end is coming. He comes again and again to offer the gift of salvation, not wanting any to perish.

Some respond in childhood and youth. There are many fruitful years of labor ahead for these believers. There is an opportunity to dedicate an entire life to Christ with minimal regrets of what was left behind. I once heard a statistic that 90% of those who come to Christ will come before the age of nineteen. This makes the emphasis on ministries to children and youth even more important.

There are those who come to Christ throughout their adult years. For some, this is a return to their roots of a Christian upbringing. Others come to Christ from need, or from being persuaded that Jesus really is what He claimed to be, “the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)

Then there are those who finally make a decision to make Jesus the Lord of their life near the end, maybe even on their death bed. They realize that they can no longer avoid the question, “What will you do with Jesus?” They decide to accept His generous gift before eternity begins.

In this parable, Jesus is talking about the gift of salvation extended to all through grace. He is not talking about our reward. Salvation and reward are two separate and distinct issues. Paul tells us “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9) Salvation is a free gift of Grace, equal to all. He then goes on to say: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”(Eph. 2:10) We are saved by Grace to do the work we were created to do. In other words, salvation is like the denarius we all agreed to when we said to the Lord, “Take me, I am yours.”

Our reward comes after the harvest is done. In Matthew 16:27, Jesus Himself said, “The Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what He has done.” Jesus repeats this in Revelation 22:12, when He says, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." While it is true that the last were definitely beneficiaries of grace, they were also the ones who took the most risk by almost missing the boat altogether. They have also missed out on the formation process that God uses to recreate us to become more like Christ and they’ve missed out on the joy of knowing what it is to serve Him. They do not know Him as those of us who have walked a lifetime do. Praise God for eternity and the opportunity to get to know Him then!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...